Today, I’d like to welcome JK Coi, author of some seriously great books, including her Immortal Series, which include My Immortal, Immortal Kiss, and Dark Immortal. A little birdy told me that Forever Immortal, the fourth book in this series is due out later this year.
So, J.K., tell me, tell us who you are beyond an author…
Besides being an author, I’m first and foremost a wife and mother. My husband and I met when we were both in university. We dated until graduation when he proposed and I jumped around my apartment for two days street yelling "YES!" Fast forward a few years and our son is now six—going on sixteen—and he’s way too smart (and smart-mouthed) for his own good.
When I’m not watching soccer and lacrosse practices, cooking dinner, cleaning floors, or folding laundry (Don’t you sometimes just want to burn it all and go out and buy new stuff?—um, don’t tell my insurance company), then I’m writing—but if I’m not doing that, then you’ll probably find me in the garage cutting glass for my stained glass projects.
Sounds like you have a very busy schedule. I have six teenagers, but I don’t think I’m that busy, although, I do understand wanting to burn everything. Do you actually get time to write every day?
Yep. It may not always be a lot, but I do write everyday.
What about writer’s block? Is that ever a problem for you?
I do get writer’s block. I’m not that big on plotting, so sometimes I get stuck and I need to think about the story for a while. I find if I start something new, then after a while I can go back to the other project a few days later with a fresh perspective.
Which comes first for you, the story, the characters or the setting?
Usually, I see a scene. I’ll see one or two characters involved in some action, and then the scene will widen and I’ll get a little bit more. And a little bit more. Then the characters themselves will begin to flesh out. I’ll see a little bit of their motivation. And then another scene will piggy back onto the first one. And that’s how the idea for a story builds.
I know you’ve been writing for awhile now. When did you realise that you had a passion for it?
I’ve always been a writer. It’s inside me somewhere in the DNA. I remember my first real story, I had written it for grade 10 English. It was a gruesome thing too—something about the spirit of a girl’s dead boyfriend inhabiting her radio and telling her to do things...I got an A, even though my teacher said it was a little "dark" for grade 10 English, but then again I was reading everything Stephen King at the time.
Tell us your preferred writing genre and the genre you prefer to read.
I write urban fantasy/paranormal romance, and edgy contemporaries. I write them because that’s what I like to read, it’s what I’m most interested in, and it’s where my mind wants to take me. I’m not the kind of person who can force something that I don’t really feel close to.
Let me ask you this, J.K., on the business side of publishing, what have you learned along the way?
Most of the things you think about publishing—when you’re unpublished—aren’t true, except for a very very small percentage of the author community. When my first book came out, I was lost. I had no clue what to do to market myself and promote my title. I think I expected that the publisher would do all of that and I would just sit in my office at the computer and write the next book. Well, it doesn’t happen that way. I learned quickly that if you want your books to sell, then you have to do the legwork yourself—and these days the internet can be both a curse and a blessing.
I can relate to that…LOL. Getting your first publishing contract can be very exciting…then you learn that the work doesn’t stop when you submit your story. Going back to the beginning, show us the day you received your publication offer or the first time you saw your bound book.
The day my first book came in the mail from my publisher, I hadn’t even picked up the mail—we live in a very small little town, and our post office is located inside the post-lady’s house, so if we’re late we can’t get our mail. We were busy running around that week and just never made it by the post office. Finally, Gayle called us at home to say we had mail waiting. I thought it was curious that she would bother to call just to let us know we had mail, because she’d never done that before—even when we forgot to tell her we were going on vacation in the summer and our mail was overflowing the box. I promised her that I’d come by the next day, but she said it was fine if I wanted to come right now, she would keep the door open for us. Now I was starting to think that maybe I’d gotten a really big package (but from where?) and it was taking up too much room in her office, so I agreed even though we were just putting the finishing touches on our dinner. Well, Gayle practically ran out of her house with the bubble-envelope in her hand and asked if it was what she thought it was. I started to get excited and ripped open the package right there. Then we both squealed and jumped up and down in the parking lot. It was awesome!
As a writer myself, I’m usually working on several books at the same time. Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around?
I’m working right now on book 4 of my Immortal Series, Forever Immortal. But I’ve also got a short contemporary suspense started, as well as a post-apocalyptic sci-fi romance thing that I really want to finish. It’s burning a hole through my laptop.
Okay, J.K., ready to shine? Tell us about your book.
My newest book is called DARK IMMORTAL. It is book 3 in a series about a band of immortal warriors charged with protecting the city’s innocents from the demons that hunt them.
From one of your character's point of view, show us why we should buy it.
Alric would say, "don’t bother." He’s not entirely comfortable being the focus of this book, and he doesn’t want his relationship with Diana to become so public, or for others to see his weakness. Diana, on the other hand, would encourage you to buy the book because she would want you to meet the man that she loves. The man who has so many reasons to hate, but can still find love in his heart and who shows her every day just how strong and honourable he is.
Now comes the important part. Where we can find you on the internet.
Please sign up for my newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jkcoi/join, and visit me at my website for more information about upcoming books, chats, interviews, reviews, and all things Immortal: http://www.jkcoi.com.
I’m also on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jkcoi and I blog at http://www.jkcoi.blogspot.com.
I really want to thank J.K. Coi for joining me today and doing this little chat with me. If you have any questions for her or want to check out her great books, you can find her website at www.jkcoi.com.
Thank you so much to Stormy for having me today! Let me leave you with a short blurb for Dark Immortal, being released by Linden Bay Romance
(http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-darkimmortal-7307-193.html) on February 15, 2009:
Five years of happiness, erased in one vicious act of violence.Diana freed Alric from his prison and the insanity of his own mind, offering him the kind of love only a fool would deny. Now she lies broken and comatose from a vampire attack, locked deep inside herself where he cannot reach her. Awakening in a strange bed, Diana has no memory of how she got there. The huge, muscled man leaning over her is straight out of nightmares full of blood and pain. Married to him? It can’t be true…even if her body craves his touch, and the anguish in his eyes shatters something deep inside her.Alric has no intention of giving up on the woman who never stopped fighting for him. His one hope is that time will heal her mind. But with a demon god poised to tip the balance of power, time is not on their side…
J.K. Coi
Immortals to Die Forwww.jkcoi.com
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