Blak Rayne Interviews Me Today!

 I have the honour of being interviewed by the amazingly talented author Blak Rayne on her blog today.  Here are a few of the questions she posed, but check out the full interview here.


Welcome to BRB, Colette. It's great to have you here today. First, I have to say, I love the cover for Pulse And Prejudice, very creepy, and very well done. And I love vampires, so I think you've got a winning combination. Anyway, I'm not going to yack, instead I'm going to let you tell us about yourself and your novel.

Where to begin? I have lived in South Louisiana most of my life, and I make my home there with my dear husband and our two dogs (empty-nest – yea!). Like a lot of people, I have a rather stressful day job; so most evenings I relax with wine, cheese, and a good book.

I have a tendency to become too obsessive in the writing of my novels, immersing myself in research and becoming almost fanatical about historical accuracy. The character of Mr. Darcy reads a book with two volumes, so I had to find a two-volume book available in 1813 that made sense for him to be reading. Not only did I find one – I bought it! So now I am the proud owner of a 200 year old edition of Southey’s Life of Nelson.

I love to travel, so I am thrilled writing has given me plenty of reasons! I cannot remember a time when reading and writing were not a part of my life. That thousands of people now read what I have written still blows my mind.

Where and/or how do you find the greatest inspiration?

I have taken inspiration from dreams, songs, and even jokes. Recently I came up with an idea for a story from an eerie photograph.

For Pulse and Prejudice, the inspiration came from both Jane Austen and the other Austenesque-inspired literature out there. Other authors had written adaptations of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s point of view or paranormal variations, and that spurred me to blend those into a retelling from Darcy’s perspective as a vampire.

My daughter often inspires me as well. She insisted that I write a sequel, which is my current work-in-progress Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth. It was through talking with her that I came up with the idea for All My Tomorrows as well.

Which appears first when contemplating a new project: a character, the plot or the title?

Plots and characters. (I am terrible at coming up with titles – my daughter came up with “Pulse and Prejudice,” and I still don’t have a title for my contemporary project!) As an adaptation, the plot of Pulse and Prejudice was already provided, but Mr. Darcy begged for a vampire characterization – just as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights seems ripe for parody. For Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth and that unnamed contemporary novel, the plots came to me almost fully formed.

Writing romantic scenes can be a challenge for some authors. Do you find it difficult? If yes, how do you compensate? If no, where do you draw your inspiration?

So far, I have been fortunate that the romantic scenes have developed easily for me. Many authors talk about being plotters or pants-ers (going by the seat of their pants rather than writing out a plot). I am more of a “planter.” I have the seeds of the plot all written out in a detailed outline, but then I meditate on the individual scenes and let the characters show me how they wish to proceed.

Do you use a certain formula to write the sensual parts? Do you prefer the sex to be open and bold? Or left to the imagination?

My approach is to meditate about what is happening for the characters until I see it play out in my head just like a movie then convert what I see into written words. I am too shy to be too bold. Although my sensual scenes might be considered explicit, they are not graphic. I prefer to write with euphemisms or implied language. Now reading! That’s another story...

Who is your favourite character, which you’ve created? And, why?

  Interview continues....