Guest Author Day with Scarlet Hyacinth

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

I started reading when I was four. I've always loved books, and my first memories always come entwined with reading. As for what I read, usually fantasy or adventure novels. I used to love Russian fairytales – in fact, I still do. Actually, genre-wise, I read pretty much what I write now, except without the m/m haha J

Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you call home?

Bucharest, Romania. Let me tell you it's very strange to find my country in other books, especially when there are so many different assessments over it. Also, to my knowledge, there are no vampires here. I have yet to be bitten by one, although I will investigate further, just in case.

Tell us a bit about your latest/upcoming book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

I have two releases just this week. One is Fire of the Four Seasons. It's actually inspired from Russian fairytales – like I said, I really love them. And for me, there's nothing quite like a twisted fairytale. I find something particularly fascinating about it.

My second release is Artie the Good Witch. This is a very special book for me since it's my first attempt at comedy. I wrote it plainly because I wanted something new, a challenge and a change from my usual tone. In the end, angst slipped in – how could it not? – but on the whole, I love the result. As for what inspired it… Not sure. I just started writing and went from there.

Do you go with the flow or plot out the storyline when writing?

It depends. I generally have a vague idea as to where I'm headed, but from there, I mostly go with the flow. For example, I might know how I want it to end, but as I write, the story could take me in a different direction. The characters always have minds of their own and anything is possible. With Artie, I had no clue what I even wanted from the story. With Seasons, I had a general outline – especially since I used several fairytales as basis. So yes, it varies.

Do you have a favorite couple(s) from your many series?

I'm really not sure. I don't think I have a favorite one, since I love them all so much. The characters in Kaldor and Deadly Mates will always have a special place in my heart, especially the ones in the first books – Gabriel and Lucien, Kai and Victor. But right now, my most recent character crush is probably Artie. He's just too clumsy and cute for words – and I think Tristan is a great match for him. We'll just have to see what readers think about him J.

Do all your books require a lot of research?

It's very rare to write a book and not research something. Even fantasy settings have things you'd want to research. For example, for Artie, I looked a lot into pagan rituals and magic. For Seasons, I searched for the best possible combination of fairytales. In other stories, the research is more specific. Sometimes, it's geographical. I choose a location and I need to find out details about it, anything from weather to transportation. Shapeshifter books demand research regarding the animal of your choice, or mythology. Others might need scientific and technologic information, in the medical or mechanical field. Of course, each of these examples often come combined. But I love research, so I don't mind.

You have extensive world building in your stories. How do you keep all the worlds you created straight when you are writing? Have you ever confused two worlds when writing a WIP?

I really do love world building, but yes, it's sometimes difficult to keep track. I only ever confused things once – when referring to a geographical location in my sci-fi series, Love and Lies. I mentioned The Endless Sea there – and I almost chose the same name in my recent mermen book, Awakenings. Thankfully, I realized it before it could go further. It's all in the small details – because the larger ones I can keep track of.

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?

Does chocolate count? J Maybe coffee. I need the energy to write, but it's not exactly healthy either, so I try to avoid it.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

I don't see myself as a servant for anyone to tell you the truth. I love ancient history and would love to travel in the past, but slaves and servants were treated so poorly then and I don't have a death wish.

What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

It's funny you should ask. I actually wrote my master's dissertation on e-books. I think e-books will become more and more important. Sales are increasing more and more, and even if there are disadvantages, the ease and cheap price of a download make up for it. At the same time, I don't think print will disappear, at least not in the near future. Maybe sometime in future centuries, when cutting trees might become a problem, but not now. Holding a book in your hand is very different to reading on your computer/e-reader.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I love all of them, maybe not equally, but I love them all anyway. My ever-present character crush – besides the one for Artie – is Jean Luc D'Argent from Kaldor. He has that combination of power and pain that I like so much.

I don't hate either of my characters. I pity some of my villains, like Lothar, also from Kaldor. I give them motivations for their actions, but they always end up unloved and punished for their crimes. Fear… Not sure. I don't actually fear any of them, but I would not want to meet some of them on the street. I like writing dangerous people but shapeshifter assassins like Jamari (Deadly Mates) aren't exactly next door neighbor material. So I suppose if I took my villains in a realistic context, I might fear them.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/him/it when she/he/it refuses to inspire you?

Sometimes, my muse does get on strike. When this happens, I generally try to take a break, read something, rest or spend time with my friends. It's not always productive to keep writing at a quick pace.

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

I have lots of projects in the works. First of all, the sequel for The Plot Bunny and the fifth book from the Deadly Mates series. I also have a more ambitious project in the works. It's my five-book series called Spirit Wolves, all complete and due for release in a couple of months with Siren Bookstrand.

Please tell us where we can find you on the web?

  I am all over the place on the web.

• Contact email: scarlet.hyacinth@gmail.com
• My website: http://scarlethyacinth.webs.com/
• My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000898624333
• My blog: http://scarlethyacinth.blogspot.com/
• My LiveJournal: http://scarlethyacinth.livejournal.com/
• My Twitter: http://twitter.com/scarlethyacinth
• My Google group: http://groups.google.com/group/scarlets-slash?pli=1
• My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3149556.Scarlet_Hyacinth
• My publisher links:
• Siren Bookstrand: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/scarlethyacinth/
• Noble Romance: http://www.nobleromance.com/BrowseListing.aspx?author=94
• Silver Publishing: http://silverpublishing.info/index/book_authors_id/89/typefilter/book_authors

Artie The Good Witch

Blurb

My name is Artie and I have a problem. My dear grandfather Brew died, succumbing to his love for pastries and leaving me all of his possessions. I now officially own a crumbling tower and two black cats. Unfortunately, this means I also have to take on his responsibilities as a wizard, an impossible thing for me, since I am not one. I am a witch, a good witch, and terribly poor at it. My cats are no help, and they only mock me. My parents are off gallivanting Goddess knows where. I suck at casting spells, yet I am supposed to participate in the very important ritual of the Beckoning in Brew's stead.

To top it off, instead of trying to figure things out, I keep drooling over weird men and finding love in all the wrong places. Wizards and necromancers? What's next, a dragon? In my defense, choosing a boyfriend is really difficult when you're trying to resurrect the land and save its ungrateful people. It doesn't help that I have to avoid being seriously hurt by evil geniuses and cackling witches. Help me out here. I pay in hugs and black kittens. For an inquiry, call 0-900-ARTIE-THE-GOOD-WITCH.

Link:  https://silverpublishing.info/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/artie-the-good-witch-p-280

Excerpt

The cats meowed desperately as I clucked my tongue. The broom took off with a swoosh, obeying my not-so-knowledgeable command. I did manage to hold on without a problem, so the potion must have worked at least to some extent. In fact, I was quite enjoying myself, and ordered the broom to go faster. The speed made me feel powerful and wild, and I loved the feeling of the wind beating against my face.
We traveled for the longest time, but it seemed all too soon that we reached the royal capital of our kingdom. Since our kings and queens have always been unimaginative, they named it just that, Capital. Of course, I shouldn't be the one to speak, since I still called my familiars Cat Number One and Cat Number Two. At least we had a name for the country, although it was just as ridiculous. Okay, so it wasn't so ridiculous. In fact, Brudiwr Deyrnas sounded quite elegant. Even so, in the common tongue, it meant something along the line of "Wizard's Realm", to which, of course, I took a personal offense.
Not even the thought of the insulting name of my country could put me in a bad mood. In fact, I laughed all the way to Capital. It didn't help that, once we were there, I saw the pathetic state of the flags and walls. One would think the great capital of the Wizard's Realm would look better and more magical.
I was so busy laughing I didn't notice the effect of the magic potion beginning to dwindle until it was too late. I swept through the streets, laughing gaily, balancing on my broom and stealing kisses from the youths - both male and female - as I went past. And then I noticed him. A tall, handsome man stood straight in my path, watching me with an unfathomable gaze. I instantly knew he was a wizard. The way he braved my less-than-rational approach radiated stern arrogance. I disliked him on sight and wanted to teach him a lesson.
Of course, my mother's old broom chose this particular moment to act up on me. The potion's effect vanished, and the cats' yowls startled me. With a less-than-dignified yelp, I rolled through the air, landing straight at the man's feet.
From this angle, the only thing I could see was the bottom of his immaculate white robes. It had always been a mystery to me as to how wizards, and witches for that matter, never dirtied their long garments. It was the one thing they seemed to have in common, the long robes they wore. Well, I didn't, because I loathed the damn things, but that was a different matter entirely. Could it be some sort of magic making their clothing impervious to something as trivial as dirt?