Today I'm sitting down with the author of "A Stiff Kiss", Avery Olive, who was very kind in handling my last minute antics of getting this post together. Thank you Avery!
About the Author:
Avery Olive is proudly Canadian. She is married, and when she’s not helping raise her very energetic and inquisitive son, she can be found working on her latest novel-where she devilishly adds U's into every word she can.
When she is looking for a break Avery enjoys cake decorating, losing herself in a good book, or heading out to the lake to go camping.
The release of Avery's first novel proves to her it won't be the last. As long as her family continues to be supportive, she can find the time, and people want to read, Avery will keep on writing.
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1. What's
your writing process (are you a plotter or a pantser)?
I'm very
much a pantser which sometimes works good. Other times, not so much. I tend to
make very few notes, letting the story, and the characters propel me forward. I
usually have a rough idea of where the story is going to go, with a few major
plot points and an ending.
But I've
been trying to change my ways. And have been doing a little more basic
outlining. It's come to my attention that if I don't have a novel sort of
planned out and I don't write it basically straight through, sometimes it
doesn't get finished! I'm hoping if I become a plotter, I might have a higher
finish rate!
2. What
inspired you to start writing (and publish)?
I'm not
sure I was really inspired. That sounds silly, but, it just sort of happened.
The story goes something like this (the short version) I broke my leg a few
years back. I was on bed rest, reading books as fast as I could get my hands on
them (what else is someone to do? When they can't or shouldn't move more than a
few feet at a time?) I read one book, and thought, shortly after, you know
what, I could do that. I could write a book. So, instead of reading books, for
the remainder of my bed rest, I wrote a book. It wasn't very good, it might not
ever see the light of day, but I found I really enjoyed the process. I've since
written many novels! But getting published seemed like the next natural step. I
was writing them, so I needed to see if someone actually wanted to publish
them.
3. What
drew you to the macabre?
As you
can imagine, I get asked this question a lot since A Stiff Kiss has some morbid
scenes, the main character is a little 'off'
and it surrounds around death. As it would seem, most of my novels have
sort of a slightly dark tone to them. I'm not sure if I was drawn to them, but
maybe more so it was because of curiosity. For A Stiff Kiss, my character
really has a hard time with death, she doesn't understand it. People have left
her, and she's was desperate to understand why, and getting as close to death
as possible was a way to cope and a way to gain insight. This is sort of true
in my own life. I have a fear of the unknown, and death is sort of that big
unknown. So, in writing about it, researching it, putting my own thoughts and
twists, I think I'm able to understand it more. If that makes sense. I think
it's an interesting topic that never seems to get old.
4. How do
you write? Do you have a certain spot? Do you listen to music? What's your
drink of choice?
I have a
home office, a laptop and sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I don't. I
tend to chew lots of gum and drink tons of Dr. Pepper. I like the cherry one,
in the black can. I don't really have certain things I need to do, or certain
mantras I say to get the juices flowing. I'm pretty laid back. I tend to do
most of my writing at night, when the house is quiet.
5. What
books do you recommend for people who want to get into Paranormal Romance?
Oh wow,
books. I read a lot of them. But I usually keep quiet about my thoughts,
opinions and suggesting them. I never want to upset or offend anyone, or play
favourites, so this is really tough for me.
Naturally,
I'll recommend my own, A Stiff Kiss.
How about
a just list some of my favourite authors? That might be easier.
I really
am a fan of the Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead.
I just
read Born of Illusion by Teri Brown and really enjoyed that.
Love the
Roswell High Series by Melinda Metz
The Need
Series by Carrie Jones is great.
I'm
loving The Protector Series by M. R. Merrick. The last book just came out, and
I have to catch up.
I
recently read The Divergent books and eagerly waiting for the third and final
in the series.
Haha,
okay, the list could go on, but really, I covered a lot of genre's there.
6. What
are your next writing plans?
Writing
plans. Okay, so I have a twist on a ghost story called Won't Let Go coming out
this fall. I hope to have the blurb and cover released in the next while.
My agent
is trying to sell a novel that's got a hottie alien tattoo artist in it.
And I've
got a few more things on the go. Not really anything I can talk too much about
at the moment. I like to keep things hush, hush, until I've got something
concrete to share. Always afraid I'll jinx things!
Book Description:
Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?
Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.
But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?
With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time.
Short Excerpt:
No way should I be in the morgue. If I'm caught, I'll lose my job. My dad will probably get fired, too. He's been warned to keep me out of here.
The walls are lined with thick, square doors, clearly marked with numbers. I stop in front of the one I want. In the middle of that wall, at waist height, is number twelve. Beyond the door, lying on a sliding metal table, is the body of Landon Phoenix.
I've always had a crush on Landon, ever since freshman year when his family moved to Silver Springs. I've watched him grow into his looks, no longer a gangly boy with braces. And I've longed to hear my name roll off his tongue in that deep voice of his. To press my lips against his as he holds me in a tight embrace. To share the same air as him.
Though now, all those things are impossible. Except one. I can pull open the door, slide the table out, and at least for a moment I can share the same air, even though his lungs can no longer pull in that air.
I hesitate, my hand on the handle. Besides my mother, this will be the only other person who's died that I've really known. The others have just been people, random ones at that. The guy from the grocery store who jumped off Whibley Bridge into the icy waters below, the occasional patient of mine who'd succumbed to old age, and many, many others. But this is personal. This is someone I'd known. Or at least, someone I'd held secretly in my heart.
But I need to say goodbye.
