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Today, I have
the pleasure of having Linsey Hall on my blog. Linsey is the author of the Mythean Arcana, a steamy paranormal
romance series set in a world where all myths are true. Before becoming a romance
novelist, Linsey was a nautical archaeologist who studied shipwrecks in all kinds
of water, from the tropics to muddy rivers (and she has a distinct preference for
one over the other). She credits the historical romances of the 70's, 80's, and
90's with her love of history and her decision to become an archaeologist. After
a decade of tromping around the globe in search of old bits of stuff, she settled
down and started penning her own romance novels. Her books draw upon her love of
history, travel, and the paranormal elements that she can't help but include. Several
of her books may or may not feature her cats.
JET: Can you tell us about your most recent book?
Fate Undone,
book
5 in my Mythean
Arcana series, is my most recently release book. It’s definitely my favorite
of the series so far. It’s about Loki, the Norse trickster god, and Sylvi, a type
of Norse witch called a Vala. Vala is actually the Anglicized version of the Norse
word vǫlva, which sounded WAY too much like vulva. Normally
I would go for the Norse word, but in this instance, I just knew I couldn’t. As
with most of my books, it’s a second chance love story. Loki and Sylvi were once
in love but were torn apart by circumstance and their own idiocy (aren’t we all
a little bit idiotic when we’re in love)? In present day, Loki is in pursuit of
Sylvi once again, as well as a way to avoid being thrown into a terrible prison.
They must work together to avoid their terrible fate. Along the way, Sylvi tries
to avoid falling for Loki again, but of course that doesn’t work out exactly how
she’d planned.
Another thing I’m really excited about
is a box set that I’m involved with—Secret Worlds is 21 great authors and 21 great
books. Braving Fate, the first book in my series is one of them. The box set is
available now until the end of August.
JET: What drew you to paranormal romance?
I’m a history buff (I’m also an archaeologist) and I love all things magic. I adore historical romance but I don’t want to write it because I’m fairly certain I’d become obsessed with all of the little historical details and bore people to death. Paranormal romance allows me to include history in my books, usually in the form of reincarnated historical figures or mythological figures. Even better, paranormal romance allows me the leeway to come up with crazy stories that are only possible in a world where magic exists.
I am a control freak, so when indie publishing became an option, I knew that was the path for me. I had an offer from an agent at the time, but I turned her down once I saw how many smart women were indie publishing. So I didn’t have any hurdles in the form of frequent rejections letters (I got lucky out of the gate with that agent), but managing all of the little things involved with self-publishing was a very steep learning curve!
JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?
I had two favorite moments. The first was getting good reviews of my books – that was a real relief! People liked my books! I mean, I thought they were great and so did my editors, but I’m most interested in readers actually liking my books. When they did, I was thrilled. The second was when I published my first books -- all of my family and friends were super supportive. That was just wonderful. It wasn’t a surprise, but the outpouring of support was really great.
JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?
I grew up loving romance novels from the time that I was about 12 – WAY too young to be reading that stuff (I had no idea what all that ‘shaft’ business was about) but I loved it. My mother had no idea I was sneaking those books – I think. This was back in the 90’s, so I was reading a lot of Jude Deveraux, Catherine Coulter, Johanna Lindsey, Nora Roberts, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught. I’ll always have really fond memories of all of those books.
JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?
I started writing because I had a story to tell (I’m the only author like that, I’m sure J), but once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. My fate was determined from there!
Wow – this is a really hard one. My books often feature historical or mythological figures, so I learn lots of interesting things there. The Celtic warrior queen Boudica is an absolutely fascinating figure. When the Romans invaded England in the first century AD, she rallied her fellow Celtic Britons and nearly defeated the Roman empire. She’s the heroine of my first book, Braving Fate, which is now available as part of a great box set called Secret Worlds. In Braving Fate, Boudica has been reincarnated as a history professor who must figure out why she’s been reborn. Little does she know that the man she is falling for is her lover from the past—and that she wasn’t very happy with them when they last parted.
JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?
The book I’m working on is always my favorite. I think it’s because I am most “in” that story at that present moment. So, right now, it’s Fate Undone! But honestly, I can say that the end of that book is my favorite ever. I cry every time I read it.
JET: Any advice (from a writer’s standpoint) for the novices out there?
I really don’t feel qualified to give advice, and the advice that I will give is what you’ve heard from dozens of other people—just keep writing.
JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with
the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten...starting with
Beach or Mountains?
Beach! I love the water.
JET: Cat or Dog?
Cat! I love them both,
but I’m a total cat lady.
JET: Chocolate bar or Ice cream?
Ice cream!
JET: Horror or Comedy?
Comedy. I’m a total wimp.
JET: Paper or Digital?
Digital. I love to look at books on my shelf (and I have waaaay
too many), but the convenience of my Kindle is life changing.
JET: Twilight or True Blood?
True Blood! Oh, how I love True Blood. Eric is my everything.
JET: Coffee
or Tea?
All the caffeine! I couldn’t
choose for the life of me.
JET: 2012 Mayan Prophecy Believer or Ain’t Gonna
Happen?
Ain’t Gonna Happen. I mean,
it didn’t happen, but whatever the next 2012 Mayan Prophecy turns out to be, it
ain’t gonna happen.
JET: Salty or Sweet?
Sweet. I could seriously
eat donuts for every meal.
JET: Spring or Fall?
Fall. I love Halloween.
I’m currently working on book 6 in my Mythean Arcana series. It should be out in Fall of this year.
Thank you so much for taking the
time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Linsey Hall and her work at the following
places:
Until next time,
Ciao!
JET
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