I’m pleased to welcome author Kelly Keaton here today to Dark Faerie Tales to talk about Darkness Becomes Her, the first book in her new Gods & Monsters young adult series. You can read the first chapter here.
One lucky commenter will have a chance to win a copy of Darkness Becomes Her . Kelly will stop by periodically, so you can leave any questions or comments that you have below. As always, details are listed at the end of the post.
Author Bio:
Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. She likes pre-Raphaelite art, moonlight on snow, and MMORPGs. She lives in North Carolina with her family, one Great Dane, and two incredibly hairy cats.
Kelly’s alter ego, Kelly Gay, is a 2010 double RITA finalist and a recipient of North Carolina’s Art Council fellowship grant in literature. She writes the Charlie Madigan series for Pocket Books.
You can visit Kelly around the web here: Website | Twitter | Facebook
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Welcome Kelly!
DFT: Do you have a favorite scene or line from Darkness Becomes Her?
I love the scene when Ari and Violet are dressed for the Mardi Gras Ball and they’re running down First Street in the Garden District. That scene is so vivid in my mind because they’re in these gorgeous gowns and masks over their faces, yet they’re in this abandoned, decaying, overgrown, place. The contrasts, I think, is what makes that scene stick in my mind.
DFT: If you could describe your main characters with only 3 words, what would they be?
Independent. Strong-willed. Vulnerable.
DFT: Why did you decide to write a young adult series?
I didn’t set out to write Young Adult in particular. I just had this idea and went with it… Ari came to me almost fully developed, and I just wrote the story I wanted to tell without worrying about genre. In the end, it ended up being right for the YA market.
DFT: What is your favorite part of writing this series?
Getting to write about the gods and Greek mythology and getting to write about my favorite city, New Orleans! Those two things are a blast to work on, but I’ve also fallen in love with my characters and the kids of the G.D. It’s a really fun series to write!
DFT: Do you plot out your books in advance?
I used to. Recently, I’ve been writing by the seat of my pants. My process seems to change with each book, and I’ve learned to go with whatever ‘flow’ is working at the time.
DFT: Would you ever consider co-authoring a book? If so, who would you want to write with?
Probably not. I actually did that once a long time ago, but it was with a screenplay. It wasn’t a bad experiences at all, but I did find it somewhat limiting. That being said, I think it’d be very cool to do something like what Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge have done with their Icarus Project books, each writing a character.
DFT: Is there another genre you’d like to try writing?
I don’t know! That’s hard to answer, because I’m open to anything. My story ideas come before I think of genre. And by that I mean… well, for instance, I don’t really think, “I want to try writing horror” and then sit down to work out a story idea. But, if I had this amazing idea and it happened to be suited for the horror genre, then sure, I’d give it a go. Story comes first. I think if I tried it the other way around, I wouldn’t be as passionate about what I’m doing. I’d be trying to fit my story into a mold before it was even begun.
DFT: How do you come up with your characters’ names?
I have a notebook full of names. I finally wised up and actually started writing them down in the same place instead of scraps of paper, and a gazillion different notebooks. Sometimes, I’ll see a name in a history book, or in the credits of a film or TV show, or just hear it somewhere, and it’ll stick. Then when I’m writing a story, the name either comes to me or I agonize over it, going through my lists… It just has to feel and sound right to me. There seems to be no method to that bit of madness!
DFT: What is your favorite book by another author?
I love Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
DFT: What is the last book you took out of the library or bought at the store?
I don’t remember the title, but the last book out of the library was a new series my daughter wanted to try. When she’s eyeing a series, I like to have her try the first one at the library. If she likes it, we go buy it, and then the subsequent ones in the series. The last book I bought was Courtney Milan’s UNVEILED, along with a bunch of others.
DFT: What’s next on the writing horizon?
Next up is finalizing revisions on the sequel to DARKNESS BECOMES HER. Then, I have a new Charlie Madigan book out August 30th, called THE HOUR OF DUST & ASHES. After that I’m slated to write the 4th Charlie book… After that: Vacation! 
DFT: What’s your biggest heroine pet peeve?
Probably being too good at things — the best fighter, the most beautiful, wins every battle… I like to read about heroines who struggle, who get knocked down, lose as much as they win, and yet they keep finding the will to get back up.
DFT: Thanks for stopping by, Kelly.
GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES:
One lucky commenter will have a chance to win a copy of Darkness Becomes Her.
To enter, just leave a comment about this post:
1. +2 entries for becoming a follower of this blog and Dark Faerie Tales on Twitter.
2. +3 entries for tweeting about this contest, blogging about it, linking via your sidebar etc…(please tell me where!).
3. Giveaway is open to US and Canada only.
4. Giveaway ends Wednesday, March 9th at 11:59 PM EST.
5. The winner will be picked with the help of Random.org.
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