Julie Lynn Hayes - Vampires and Revelations

Hello everyone!  Our guest today is Julie Lynn Hayes, who is kindly decided to give away a free copy of Revelations to one lucky commenter!

Marion: What was the first book you ever read that really blew your mind, that you couldn’t stop thinking about after you’d finished?

I think that must be Dracula, when I was maybe twelve. I remember feeling things I’d never felt before, and that’s when I really fell in love with vampires in a literary way. I didn’t realize until a long time later just how erotic the book was, or that I had reacted to it as such.

Marion: How do you start thinking about a book?  Is it the characters that first pop to mind, or the setting, or the plot?  Where do you usually start?

 Any and all of the above. With my Max series, it was a gay werewolf talking in my head that would not be quiet so I simply began to write to appease him and ended up with a book. Some of my books started as flash fiction prompts – Stan and Ollie began with a simple sunrise. One series was born because of a song which led to the name of a bar, and one of my current WIP’s came about because I always wanted to write about my own serial killer, and one day he just popped into my head.

Marion: If you could invite five writers, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?

Mike Carey, P.G. Wodehouse, William Faulkner, Oscar Wilde, M.A. Church

Marion: When was the last time you just had to write, and what inspired that feeling?

I think the last time was when my serial killer began to talk to me, and I began to see him, so I started to write about him, and developing his character. It was inspired by a prompt in our Wednesday Briefs flash fiction group. Actually, it was a Valentine’s Day prompt, but it certainly wasn’t romantic.  lol

Marion: When you’re writing, what game do you most often play during “breaks”?

Free Cell. I’m playing all the games in order, as I beat them. I’m over 600 now. And my daughter tells me I’m a nerd for doing it.  Lol

Marion: Have you ever tried to shake up your writing routine?  Writing at a different time? Writing in new places?  Writing nude?  *waggles eyebrows*

No, not really. I write at different times as it is, and always at my pc. But if I’m away from home, I can write in a notebook. In the nude? Not practical for three reasons – I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it, my computer sits in front of my living room windows, and lastly, I live with my daughter – and, as I said, the computer sits in the living room. Not something I’m curious to try, actually.

Marion: What is your absolute favorite sentence--just one sentence--from your book?  Why?

My favorite sentence from Revelations is actually an entire chapter, that is one sentence long, when Judas says – What the fuck just happened? Why? Because for once, my very longwinded and usually full of words Judas is flummoxed, and it just tickles me to see him come undone, just that once.

Marion: What one scene do you think you spent the most time editing?  What was it about it that you couldn’t seem to get right?

The scene between Judas and Jesus where they come together and acknowledge their love for one another. I think the difficulty came because it’s a very fine line there, between just enough and too much, and considering who one of my characters is – ie Jesus – it was a tricky balance. But I think I achieved it.

Marion: What’s your worst writing habit?  Something you know you shouldn’t do, but just can’t seem to stop?

I have a godawful amount of WIP’s. Plot bunnies beckon and I can’t turn them away. And I’m really bad about getting to my sequels because of that.

Marion: What’s the one thing you wish you were good at, but just can’t seem to master?

I wish I were good at descriptions, but I have a hard time with them, although I’m slowly getting better. Maybe it’s because I tend to skip over long descriptive passages, myself. I tend to focus more on what’s inside, rather than out.

Marion: How do you ‘get into character’?  Are their certain characters you find it harder to write than others?

I do listen to music, different kinds for different stories. For example, my gay PI enjoys modern country (something I was never into, but I’m learning to like), so I listen to Blake Shelton and Keith Urban when I write for him. I find women harder to write than men. Other than that, no, I don’t think I find certain characters harder. I write good, bad, and every shade in between.

Marion: There are a lot of concepts about what writers are like, what’s the one you hate the most?  Like the most?

The misconception that we’re all rich and earning a living from our writing, although I wish it was true, and hope it will be true, one day. The most? That we’re damn creative and fun people. lol

Marion: If you could choose one writing related question you never, ever wanted to hear spoken again, what would it be?

What’s a typical day like for you?

Marion: What’s your favorite book title?

There are so many, but I’ll go with Revelations. The title started out as Kyrie Eleison, but I changed at the suggestion of another author, Marie Sexton, who beta read it for me, and I realized it she was right, it was a much better title.

Marion: What project are you currently working on?

Well, I have several. I’m co-writing the second Moonlit Skies book with M.A. Church, the fifth Southern Comfort book with S.L. Danielson, and on my own, I’m writing the first Stan and Ollie book in the Dead Vibrations series, finishing up Trapped in Time, which has been contracted to eXtasy Books, working on my serial killer’s book, called Losing My Religion, and my gay PI novel, Personal Business.

Marion: About how long does it take you to get from first draft to polished manuscript?  What does that process look like?

There is no set time, depends on the book and the length, and what kind of time I have. I polish continuously as I write, plus I have beta readers who help me polish it too. By the time I sub, my stories are pretty highly polished.

Marion: What’s your best book-related memory?  Your worst?

The first time someone told me my story moved them so much it made them cry. My first bad review.

Marion: What did your “favorite” rejection letter say?

Actually, I forget about them after I read them and don’t dwell on them, so I don’t really remember.

Marion: Name a book that, if you find out someone likes it, you know you will get along with that person.

Revelations

Marion:  Is there a writer whose style or talent you envy?  What is it about their writing that draws you in?

Oh gosh, so many. PG Wodehouse. His humor is so wonderful, his characters make me laugh. I love them. Especially Jeeves and Wooster.

Marion: Any parting words?

Thanks so much for bringing Revelations to life, Marion. I am still in awe of that cover. I love it to death.

My Links:

My blog:  http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com

My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527332074

My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3442231.Julie_Lynn_Hayes

Museit Up Publishing:  http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php

My video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hhhwhess-A