Kristen Painter, Author Interview by Michelle M. Pillow

Kristen Painter, Author Interview
By Michelle M. Pillow, www.michellepillow.com

When the characters in Kristen Painter’s head started to take over, there was only one cure. She had to exorcise them onto paper and share her stories with the world. Though she’s worked writing paranormal and steampunk romances, her latest love is urban fantasy. “I love world building and few genres give you the kind of license urban fantasy does,” said Kristen. Her newest urban fantasy series, Blood Rights, released October 2011 and is available in both ebook and print.

*****

Q: In your book, Blood Rights, you delve into the world of vampires and the comarré, a breed of humans who serve them. What inspired you to write about this?

Kristen: I’ve actually had the idea of Chrysabelle’s character since college, but she was just an idea, just a girl with killer instincts and a gold tattoo. There wasn’t enough there to make her into a whole book. Once I really got to thinking about the idea of a race of humans bred to serve vampires, it morphed into an entire world. How would these humans think? How would they react to their place in the world? What would happen if one was accused of murdering their vampire patron? The rest, as they say, is history.

Q: When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?

Kristen: I did use some of the generally held beliefs about vampires (no sunlight, silver is bad, etc.) but then tried to enrich some of those beliefs with deeper meanings.

Q: What myths or legends inspired you?

Kristen: Mythology in general and from any culture is always inspiring. Doesn’t mean I always use it, but I love reading about it.

Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?

Kristen: What’s not to be fascinated by when anything can happen? The potential for experiences is unlimited!

Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?

Kristen: I used to love Moonlight (the vampire series, not to be confused with the Bruce Willis vehicle, Moonlighting – did I just date myself?) but like most shows I enjoy, it got canceled. I’m a big fan of Doctor Who, Warehouse 13 and Eureka currently. When it comes to movies, I love the Underworld series. If it’s on tv, I’ll usually start watching no matter what part of the movie comes on. For books, that’s a tough one because I read so much. As a kid, I devoured Scifi. Asimov, Piers Anthony, Marion Zimmer Bradley. And I was a comic book geek – I say that proudly. Comics rule!

Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?

Kristen: I do believe in the supernatural, to the point that I really have no desire to mess with it in real life. Ouija boards and stuff like that spook me. Yes, I am a giant chicken. I freely admit that.

Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?

Kristen: I’d love to meet a mermaid or a flying horse. Wow, what am I, twelve? Seriously, I’m sure you’re all picturing me drawing rainbows and unicorns in my notebook now, but who hasn’t been stuck in traffic and wished they’d had a flying horse? Don’t tell me I’m alone on this.

Q: If given the chance, would you become a vampire?

Kristen: I’d have to say no. It’s not worth giving up my soul for. Plus, I really like laying by the pool on lazy afternoons. Kinda hard to do if the sun turns you into charcoal. I do dig the pointy teeth, though. Those are hot.

Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a shifter?

Kristen: If they were a leopard shifter like my character Doc, I’d ask him or her to shift to their animal state so I could pet them. I’ve always wanted to pet a big cat. (Again, I sound twelve, don’t I?)

Q: What does the future hold for the House of Comarré series?

Kristen: There will be five books in total and I’m currently writing book 4 so the most I can tell you is…more people die.

Q: Have you ever been abducted by aliens?

Kristen: Not that I’m aware of, but then, I sleep like a rock. I do think we’re not alone in this universe, though. It’s too big a joint for Earth to be the only planet with life on it.

To learn more about Kristen Painter or her series, Blood Rights, visit her on the web at www.kristenpainter.com.

Interview by Michelle M. Pillow, www.michellepillow.com