So for my December blog post I decided to crawl into the mind of one of my favorite paranormal authors, R. Phoenix. Now as you know with my book, my interview questions will also be on the non-conventional side.
Just don’t feed the lady glitter at midning!
- What about the paranormal genre attracts you to it?
Vampires are sexy. (Except sparkly ones. The only vampires who are shimmering better be wearing sequins or glitter. Just saying.)
Okay, okay. It’s nice to get a break from reality, for one. The issues supernatural beings face are both entirely different and exactly the same; they simply wear different clothing, so to speak. It’s interesting to think of the world as it might be if these creatures existed. Why are they being quiet? Is it really because they’re afraid of extinction by humans? Or is there something more? What are their priorities? What are they attracted to? Afraid of? What makes them different from us? There are usually differences, large and small, from source to source, and it’s fascinating seeing how those things change.
- If you could be any of the paranormal, what would you be and why?
I know this will come as a complete shock after the answer to my first question, so I’ll try to be gentle. I’d be a vampire. In the Vampire the Masquerade universe, the riddle of vampire existence is “a beast I am, lest a beast I become.”
How monstrous do you have to become to avoid becoming a monster? In a lot of the fiction I read (and write), vampires have their own society and hierarchy. It may not always be easily apparent, but it’s separate from and a part of our own all at once.
Oh. And super speed, strength, toughness, the ability to compel and erase minds, an orgasmic bite (hey, you asked) as well as any other titbits that come along with the package. Those things are good, too.
- Paranormal crushes? The one you will sleep with, the one you will marry, and the one whose offspring you’d carry?
Will, eh? I like this. I’d sleep with Lara Raith (Dresden Files). White Court vampire who feeds on emotion (lust) and is essentially a succubus. She’s intelligent, gorgeous, and an overall badass. I might not survive the experience, but hey. I wouldn’t mind going out with a bang. Hmm. Let me try to get out of the Dresdenverse. It’s not like I haven’t read a billion paranormal books. (Okay, maybe a few hundred. Same difference.) And I would marry Elijah Mikaelson (The Originals) and carry his baby. I love his sense of honor and his commitment to his family. Plus, he’s also a badass, and I always approve of badasses. Oh, and I suppose to have his kid, I’d have to sleep with him. Sigh. I will endure. Somehow. It’ll be horrible, I’m sure.
- Is there something in the paranormal genre you think there’s too much of, or too little of, and what do you believe is the reason for that?
Keep in mind that I’m way behind in my reading and that I barely watch television or movies, so this may not be a trend anymore. But as far as I’m aware, it still is, so!
The bad guys should win more. I know, I know; we want happy endings, we want things to work out at the end of the day, and we want an escape from our lives. But I think that the most growth and the most satisfying victories come from a truly harrowing battle. I love character development, even if it’s detrimental to that character; I love logical progressions as they learn and grow — or even just adapt to their circumstances. I would love to see more victories for the antagonists so that I can see the protagonists’ responses.
That being said, it needs to be tempered some. It’s sort of out of genre, but this one trilogy illustrates the point. I can’t read it no matter how much I might want to. I’ve listened to a good chunk of the audiobooks of the first and second books, and I’d love to get into the story and find out what happens. But nothing goes right for the main character. Nothing. Every time you think he might get a win, oops, he doesn’t. There comes a point where I can’t get invested in the story even to get to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion. I need a few carrots thrown in with my sticks.
So there’s definitely a need for balance — and that isn’t easy, because you can’t really tell where that tipping point between not enough and too much is.
- Dracula, Jesus, and Cthulhu walk into a bar. What happens next?
Blasphemy. Every answer I can come up with comes down to “blasphemy in some form or fashion.” I’m totally cheating on this test and writing down my friend’s answers of “epic orgy” and “the gospel of Judas is written.”
About:
Phoenix has an unhealthy fascination with contrasts: light and dark, heroes and villains, order and chaos. She believes that love can corrupt and power can redeem. Her muse is a sadomasochistic slave driver who thinks it’s terribly amusing to give her the best ideas when she just got comfortable and warm in bed, and she passes on that torture to her readers. She also tries entirely too hard to be funny, and she mercilessly inflicts her terrible sense of humor upon anyone who speaks to her. She’d love it if you’d say hello!
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And before I forget!
Grüß vom Krampus!!!
