Author Interview Monday with Melinda Metz and Laura Burns authors of Crave

 

Please welcome Melina and Laura to the blog today- their newest book Crave was released Sept 21 2010. You can find my review here. They have graciously agreed to answer some interview questions for the blog.

--Can you give us a brief description of Crave in your own words?

We've discovered that it's hard to describe this book briefly! Shay has been sick with a rare blood disorder for her whole life. Finally her stepfather, who's also her doctor, begins giving her transfusions of a new blood...blood that gives Shay visions of the life of a man named Gabriel. It's not long before Shay realizes that Gabriel is a vampire--and that the visions are more than they seem.

--How did you get the idea for the story?

We've always loved vampires, and we wanted to do a twist on the typical vampire romance. We started with the idea of transfusions as a different way to "drink" blood. It's usually a vampire feeding from a human, but in our case, it's the opposite.

--How was it co-writing a story? Did you each do a certain element of the story?

Well, we work together a lot, and we've done so for many years. So for us, the only difference between co-writing and writing alone is that it's more fun working together! The way we do it is that we spend a bunch of time at the beginning just talking through the plot and the characters. By the time we sit down to write, we have a complete outline of each chapter and we've discussed what the characters' personalities and voices are like in great detail. Then we split the outline in half and one of us writes the first half while the other writes the second. Afterwards, we both go through the whole thing several times and edit it. If any big questions come up, we discuss them and fix them together. When we're done, we barely know who wrote what anymore.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

From CRAVE?

LJB: Hmm.  I would like to have dinner with Sam, because he's just a good guy and has lived for hundreds of years and still managed to hold on to his optimistic outlook.

MM:  My first thought was Ernst, just because he's the oldest and has seen the most.  But it would just end with one of us storming out of the restaurant (I don't cook!) or dead.  I think I'm going to go with Sam too!

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

LJB: I have little kids, so my reading time is severely limited! My all-time favorite books are The Lord of the Rings, and I re-read them every five years or so. Otherwise, lately I've been reading a lot of biographies. The world is so crazy these days that I find it comforting to read true-life stories about how, well, the world has always been crazy!

MM:  I read all the time, and I try to convince myself it's work related and so it's fine to be reading when I really should be writing.  I'm even in two book clubs.  For one of them, I just read The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen, and was blown away by it. I'm also a fan of John Green, Stephen King, and Margaret Atwood.

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

LJB: Pride and Prejudice, because I identify so closely with Elizabeth that I feel as if we think the same way. And she gets to go marry Mr. Darcy, the original tall, dark, and handsome hero. So what could be bad?

MM:  I think I'd like to live in Anne of Green Gables world for a day.  Okay, Gilbert Blythe is no Mr. Darcy, but he's not bad.  And I'd like to hang out with Anne.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on the Crave "playlist-" songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

LJB: Honestly, whenever I try to write with music on in the background, I end up sitting there listening to music and not writing at all. What I've been doing to get in the mood while writing the sequel to Crave is that I put on music during my "study breaks"--while I'm eating, or stretching my legs. I've been listening to old Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and the soundtrack from Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet.

MM:  I don't write with music on either.  I either get too caught up in it (like Laura), or I get so caught up in writing that I don't hear it at all.  I go over to Starbucks and drink iced green tea when I'm feeling stuck, as much for a change of scene than anything.

--Could you give us any teasers from the sequel? There will be one right??

Yes! It's called ARISE. Um, teasers...  You'll get to know Gabriel's family better, and some people will die!

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

LJB: Does being immortal count? If not, I'd probably choose to fly.

MM:  I'd like the power to grant wishes.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

LJB: I never write in my free time! My poor wrists couldn't take it. I'm a big TV watcher. And I spend way too much time online reading recaps and discussions of shows. Why do I read recaps of episodes I've already seen? It makes no sense, but I do it anyway.

MM:  I read recaps of shows I've already watched too.  I actually never read recaps of the ones I haven't seen.  I also go to movies a ton.  It's a rare movie I have no interest in seeing.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

LJB: Thanks for all the support for CRAVE!

MM:  Don't hate us for the cliffhanger.  And thanks!

Thank you!!

Here is their website where you can find out more about them and their books!