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Werewolves, suspense and Baltimore--an interview with local author Rebecca York
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Readers of romantic thrillers love the stories that Rebecca York creates. Author of two successful suspense series, Rebecca weaves a romantic thread through the danger and intrigue that color her books. I was fortunate that she had time to answer some questions for her readers.
1) Your "Moon" series sounds fascinating. What
inspired you to write it and your other stories involving
the paranormal? Why werewolves?
RY-I got into the paranormal because I was always intrigued with things that go bump in the night. Well, to be honest, as a kid, they scared me. So I guess I tried to conquer my fears by reading books where the characters won out against the evil forces trying to destroy them.
My fascination with werewolves comes from reading DARKER THAN YOU THINK, by Jack Williamson, when I was fifteen. Williamson made me fall in love with werewolves. In fact, he made me want to BE a werewolf.
Contrast that with my early vampire experience. (Well, only in print.) Around the same time, I read DRACULA, and the book scared me to death. I couldn’t sleep with the light off for a week. And I couldn’t sleep with the book in my bedroom.
It took me longer to appreciate vampires as the heroes of romantic suspense novels. Anne Rice helped me understand vampire sensuality. But when I write about vampires or werewolves, I always put in my own mythology. My Marshall werewolf men aren’t affected by the moon, for example. And getting bitten by one of them doesn’t turn you into a werewolf. It’s genetic. And my latest vampire, whom readers will meet in October in DRAGON MOON, is a dragon/shifter/vampire. And also a space alien. Why stick with one paranormal trait if you can have a bunch?
Let me also say that I’ve got two long-running series. One is my Moon series, which features my Marshall family of werewolves. The other is called 43 Light Street, and, as the name implies, many of the books are set right here in Baltimore. It started off as straight romantic suspense, but now a lot of the stories are paranormal. The address is an office building in downtown Baltimore which houses my Light Street Detective Agency.
My werewolf Moon books center around Howard County where I live. Both series are very loosely connected. In other words, each book stands on its own.
2) What is your typical writing day like?
RY-I work on a laptop, which I take to various parts of my house. I gave the office to my husband years ago. One of my favorite places to write is the sunroom. It’s really pretty–with white wicker chairs and a wicker chaise covered with colorful pillows, a glass-topped wrought aluminum table and chairs, lots of greenery (from small trees to hanging plants and other plants in pots), stained glass hanging at the windows, and all kinds of cute gardeny stuff like a fake lizard hanging on the side of a pot and a vine high up on the wall decorated with a parrot and a monkey!
I usually get up in the morning, pour coffee, melt some cheese on a low-carb bagel and go into the sunroom to read e-mail and scan the newspaper. Finally, around eleven, I get started writing, and I try to write 10-20 pages a day. I start each writing session by editing what I did the day before–to get myself back into it.
If I get a lot done early, I knock off. If I don’t, I may be writing after dinner. Because I work at home, I can do various household chores to break up my work. I might put clothes in the washer, fold them, or go out and pull some weeds. And I also take breaks to cook, since I love fooling around in the kitchen. I might make a pot of soup or chili or a quiche for dinner or lunch.
3) Among your books, who are your favorite hero and heroine?
RY-I tend to focus more on my guys than my women. My favorite heroes are Hunter Kelley from NOWHERE MAN and my first werewolf, Ross Marshall, from KILLING MOON.
4) Your website mentions several of your hobbies--what is your favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
RY-It depends. Maybe having a DVD marathon. My husband and I are in the third season of 24 with Kiefer Sutherland. Or I might spend several hours cooking, making things that we can eat during the week.
5) Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?
RY-Be prepared to polish your work. Just because you’ve written a draft, doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. The writers who succeed are the ones who are willing to rewrite.
Also, figure out what you are good at writing. Focus on that. Get yourself into a writing community of people you trust. It’s hard to go it alone as a writer. You need technical advice and emotional support. For me, that’s come primarily from my critique group. Some of us started off together in that original class at the local community college. When I felt like I’d gotten everything I could from the teacher, I suggested we meet at people’s houses. We’re still meeting 30 years later!!
6) What are your favorite writing or reading groups (online
or off)?
RY-I’ve already mentioned my critique group. We get together every two weeks to read chapters or proposals or discuss our projects. And we sometimes send material by e-mail. I get a great deal of support from them, and I love helping the other people get their work in shape to sell. I also love belonging to an organization called Novelists, Inc. It’s a group of multipublished genre fiction authors, and our discussions online are at a very professional level. They have a blog at www.ninc.com/blog/.
7) Which genres do you enjoy reading for pleasure?
RY-I read a lot of suspense. Sometimes to relax, I also read historical romances. And occasionally a straight romance.
8) Anything else you would like to add --upcoming releases,
local appearances.
RY-My April release is ETERNAL MOON. Renata Cordona is the reincarnation of an ancient goddess. She and her lover have met again and again down through the ages–only to be destroyed by a demon bent on conquering the world. In her twenty-first century incarnation, Renata is a private detective.
As the book opens, Renata is on an undercover assignment to catch a serial killer who has been murdering female real estate agents, when she’s almost attacked by a pack of vicious dogs. They are chased off by a lone wolf who swiftly disappears. Then, out of nowhere, werewolf Jacob Marshall materializes, and his electrifying touch brings out all the sexual longings she’s repressed because everyone she has ever loved has died a horrible death. Is Jacob the key to breaking the ancient curse that hangs over them? Or will the evil stalking them down through the ages destroy them both–this time for all eternity?
My next 43 Light Street book is MORE THAN A MAN and will be published in August. It’s about a guy named Noah Fielding who’s lived more than 500 years. He’s met a woman, Olivia Stapler, he could love, but he knows time will separate them eventually. And Noah is being hunted by a ruthless millionaire who will stop at nothing to learn the secret of his longevity, including torturing Olivia to get Noah to cooperate.
Thanks to Rebecca for a wonderful interview! Be sure to catch her new release next month, "Eternal Moon."
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