Ruby's Reads -- 07 June 2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012









Interview Giveaway with Nalini Singh







Today I'm honored to welcome Nalini Singh back to the blog. Nalini
is the author of two bestselling Pararnormal Romance series, a fantastic
author, and the creator of one of my all-time favorite shifter heroes
(Hawke). Most recently, she has continued her awesomeness with the
publication of book eleven in the Psy-Changeling series (see my review here), and she joins me today to discuss a menagerie of topics. Welcome to the blog, Nalini!



Adria, wolf changeling
and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as
unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a
devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already
sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the
primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For
Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her.
It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of
her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another
proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and
a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no
ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have
more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war
that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision
that might just break them both.


1. Kiss of Snow was a landmark book
for the Psy-Changeling series. All the books and short stories that came
before it built up to Hawke and Sienna’s story (romantically and
otherwise). Did it feel any different writing Tangle of Need in the aftermath of such a momentous culmination?

No, not really - I suppose I have a unique perspective in that I see the
entire storyline unfolding out in front of me. Each and every book is
an integral element that will eventually make up the whole. Also, since
the series is very organic, I simply feel like I’m picking up the story
from when we last left off, so there’s this wonderful sense of
continuity.

2. Tangle of Need tells Riaz and
Adria’s story, but it features many of the other couples we've come to
know and love, particularly Sienna and Hawke. Did you do this because
you weren’t finished telling their stories, or was it more an organic
growth of the story you were telling?

I guess I answered this a little above, but it’s an organic development.
Part of what I love about writing a series is that neither the world,
not the characters, remain static. The world shifts, people change and
grow, and as a writer, I want to see that development, want to see the
new phase of their lives.

3. I have a guess about Kaleb’s secret. If I whisper it in your ear, will you tell me if I’m right? ;p

Patience, patience, all will eventually be revealed… ;-)

4. The last couple of books have introduced us to a lot of new characters, but I can’t think of
any new faces from DarkRiver. Will we be meeting any?

If they are an important element of a particular story arc, yes.

5. Matthias, Kenji, Bo, Vasic, Aden, Alexei, Tomas, Kaleb...how is it possible for one
world to contain so many extraordinary male specimens?

Well, you know many people would say some of those extraordinary specimens are quite lethal…

6. In Tangle of Need, we get to see
your vision of the Venice of the Psy-Changeling universe. Will we be
doing any more traveling to unique places like this in future books? I’d
really like to see South America...

The AzureSun leopards (Mercy’s grandmother’s pack) are based in South
America and I’ve love to go visit them, so it’s a distinct possibility.
It all depends on the storyline.

7. Riaz and Adria’s story addresses the
mating concept in a different light. Has your interpretation of “mating”
evolved as you’ve continued to write the Psy-Changeling books, or have
you always known all of its facets?

I’ve always known the fundamental rules. I think that’s very important
for a series writer, because it is the boundaries of a world that give
it tension.

8. I’m curious to know if you read any Young Adult books. If so, which ones have you enjoyed? If you don’t, why not?

I’m an omnivorous reader, so I read across the board. Having said that, I
don’t go looking specifically for YA, though I’ll definitely pick up a
YA book that catches my interest.

Most recently, I read Patricia Wrede’s “The Thirteenth Child” and
“Across the Great Barrier” and really enjoyed them. I’ll be picking up
the third book in the trilogy when it releases in August.

9. Do you have a method for keeping track of your world-building? What is it?

A lot of it is in my head – the closest I can come to explaining it is to say it’s as if it’s a movie running behind my eyes.

With each scene, I step into the world and describe a part of that
movie. (Right now, Roman and Julian are trying to sneak into the cookie
jar while their mom’s back is turned, while Lara is sitting by the lake
with her grandfather, a cup of coffee in her hand and her head on his
shoulder as they catch up).

However, I do have an extensive series bible for all the tiny details –
everything from location maps, to eye color, hair color, birth dates,
overall and specific timelines, genealogical diagrams, and more.

I also keep complete searchable files of the books as they were
published. This is important, because sometimes, I’ll write something
and delete the scene from the book. However, the information is still in
my head – being able to quickly check the files makes sure I don’t
assume the reader knows something they never actually saw.

10. Dragon, unicorn, or Pegasus?

It’d have to be one of the flyers. Dragon I think. Ever since reading
Anne McCaffrey’s (amazing) Pern series, I’ve wanted to ride one.


Thanks, Nalini!

And thank you to Berkley for the following giveaway:

!GIVEAWAY!



To enter the giveaway, leave a comment with your email address. The rules are as follows:

1. Only meaningful, substantive comments accepted. Please show in some way that you have read the interview.
   
2. The prize is a copy of one book of the winner's choice in the Psy-Changeling series (from 1-10).
   
3. The contest begins today, (June 7) and ends at 11:59pm on June 17.
   
4. US only.
   
5. Must be thirteen years of age.