Spotlight on a New Author!
Marjorie M. Liu




   



If you love unique paranormal romantic adventures, then you've just got to read Marjorie M. Liu. She is an amazing new voice: innovative, fresh, and downright spellbinding. Fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan will love the magical worlds that Marjorie has created. I am very pleased to introduce this rising star in the romance world ...



Donna: Marjorie, please tell us a little about yourself: where you live, your background and family.

Marjorie: I was born near Philadelphia, and when I was seven my family moved to a small town north of Seattle. We lived there until I was eighteen, and then I went away to college. After that, law school. I've been lucky to see a little of the world. It puts my life in perspective, makes me grateful to be an American. I currently live in beautiful southern Indiana, on a family farm filled with fruit and nut orchards and lovely frog ponds. I'm surrounded by a posse of bossy cats, an even bossier poodle, and my bodyguard, a spotted dog named Lucky.

Donna: Please describe a typical day in your life.

Marjorie: Write, eat, and sleep! Seriously, that's about all I do anymore.

Donna: I read that you graduated from law school in 2003. When did you decide to become a writer? Why did you choose paranormal romance and science fiction?

Marjorie: Writing always came naturally to me, so I can't say there was an exact age when I decided to become a writer. On the other hand, during my last year of law school I realized that practicing law was not how I wanted to spend the rest of my life, and I knew then that if I didn't at least try to live my dreams, I might never get another chance. Or if I did, it would be a long time coming. So after being sworn into the Wisconsin bar, I took some time off and just went for it. And hey! Good things happened.

Donna: What author in your past was the most inspiring to your decision to write?

Marjorie: So many authors and books have inspired me, but I would say that the one writer who I can always count on to reinvigorate my creative juices is Joseph Campbell. Archetypes, mythology, ritual, and religion - all of those things come together in his essays and lectures, and I find him endlessly thought-provoking and enlightening.

Donna: How long did it take you to write your first book? How long did it take to sell it?

Marjorie: It took me one month to write my first book, TIGER EYE, but I spent several months after that revising. Good thing I did. After I began sending TIGER EYE out to publishers, it took about six months to sell it.

Donna: How does your family feel about you writing instead of practicing law? Are they supportive of your writing?

Marjorie: Very supportive. At first they were nervous about my decision to put aside the law - I think my dad still harbors a fantasy that I will return to it - but now they're just relieved and happy that I am able to do what I love. They live with the hope that I'll make some kind of living at it. :-)

Donna: Do you have plans to practice law in the future?

Marjorie: Not if I can help it.

Donna: Do you ever use personal experiences when writing your stories?

Marjorie: I never use direct personal experiences - as in, recreate a scene directly from memory - but sometimes my experiences will shape a scene in terms of observations - emotional and physical. For example, the Dirt Market in TIGER EYE was recreated as best as I could remember - but the events that happen there are fiction (well, except for the bargaining - my favorite sport of all). I integrate bits and pieces of my life - most of the time, unconsciously - but the result is fiction all the way.

Donna: When writing, do you work from an outline? I am always curious - do your characters ever try to take over and rewrite their scenes?

Marjorie: My characters own me - not the other way around. If they decide to start a bar fight, then by God some punches will be thrown, because I have no say in the matter at all. Which has its limits, of course, especially if some wayward heroine decides to do something that would completely split from continuity. Having said that, though, I do occasionally outline. It helps me to look at the story from different points of view, and to experiment with wild and crazy ideas.

Donna: Do you ever find your characters in situations that are hard to write them out of?

Marjorie: Oh, yes. And when that happens, welcome the apocalyptic harbinger of evil: writer's block.

Donna: How long does it usually take you to write a story?

Marjorie: Depends on the story. A TASTE OF CRIMSON took almost four months, while SHADOW TOUCH, the sequel to TIGER EYE, took considerably less. Some stories just take more time - while some take more time than you have. :-) Either way, it gets done.

Donna: You write such an excellent blend of suspense, humor and sensuality. What is the hardest part of writing a story?

Marjorie: Thanks! :-) The hardest part of writing a story is making sure I pace myself so I have enough time to do it! It's not just a matter of getting the words down in a first draft form - I have to revise and revise and revise. Satisfying myself is difficult. If part of the story does not flow, I cannot rest easy until I've worked out the problem - again and again and again, as long as it takes. That can get very tedious.

Donna: What type of research did you do for your books?

Marjorie: Combination of travel, reading, and watching documentaries. That, and just staring into space. Sometimes using your imagination is research enough

Donna: You are going to Scotland this month for Worldcon. So many of us romance readers love books set in Scotland (it’s those HUGH Highlanders ...). Will you ever write a story set in that country?

Marjorie: Heehee. You must be psychic. :-)

Donna: What has been your favorite question or comment by your fans?

Marjorie: I don't have one in particular, but it always makes me feel good when a reader says they enjoyed my book. I remember thinking to myself, once upon a time, that if I could make one person happy through my stories - if even one person enjoyed what I had to say - that would be enough and such a blessing. So everything - everything - is good and my favorite.

Donna: What is your least favorite question from fans?

Marjorie: I haven't met that fan yet.

Donna: What is the funniest thing that has happened related to your writing

Marjorie: Unconsciously naming characters after people I know and not realizing what I've done until it's too late and someone pins me with a dirty look and says, "What were you thinking?" But that's not really all that funny.

Donna: Were you surprised by the popularity of your first book?

Marjorie: Very surprised. Shocked. Stunned.

Donna: I loved TIGER EYE! Where did you get the idea for this book?

Marjorie: Thank you so much! A poem by Borges was the foundation, but the first sentence popped into my head and away I went. I did not start out with an idea, but I certainly got ideas as I wrote.

Donna: Even though most of the book is set in the US, I don’t think that I had ever read a romance set in China before. Your love for that country shines through your writing. Will you return there in future books?

Marjorie: Absolutely. The third book in the series will take place all over Asia, and will be a mystery, of sorts.

Donna: Hari is the strong, tortured hero we would all love to find in an ancient box (or anywhere else, for that matter). Who was your inspiration for his character?

Marjorie: When I find him, I'll let you know. :-)

Donna: If you could have any actors play Hari and Dela, which ones would you choose?

Marjorie: That is such a hard question! I've never seen anyone who I thought resembled Hari, though I suppose a cross between Dolph Lundgren and Brad Pitt (as he appeared in "Troy") would be a close bet. As far as Dela goes, I think Charlize Theron would be cool. I can also tell you that in A TASTE OF CRIMSON, I envisioned Michael resembling Keanu Reeves, and Keeli, the rock singer, Pink

Donna: You will be writing further stories about the men of Dirk and Steele. Do you have any idea how many books you will do?

Marjorie: I have no idea. I love the characters and I love the universe, but I suspect that I'll continue the series only as long as readers want me to. Part of that is business, but the other part is that if readers stop wanting more stories from me, I'll take that as a sign that my books have begun to decline in quality, and that I'm getting stale. That's always a good sign to move on to something new.

Donna: I read that your next D&S book will be about Artur and then comes Dean’s story. Will Max have a story?

Marjorie: Oh, yes! Actually, in the next D&S book, SHADOW TOUCH, the readers are going to learn some very startling truths about both Max and Dela - secrets they themselves aren't even aware of. These revelations will be played with down the line when Max gets his own book.

Donna: Will we find out which parent’s talent Dela and Hari’s child will inherit?

Marjorie: You can be assured the child is a shape-shifter, but anything more than that will only be revealed with time ...

Donna: You have an X-Men book coming out in January of 2006. Will there be any romance? Was it hard writing about characters that you didn’t create?

Marjorie: You know, I love the X-Men, and - perhaps arrogantly - I did not think DARK MIRROR would be difficult to write. But it was! It was very difficult, because those characters are icons, in some ways archetypes, and I wanted to capture those voices, do them the justice I thought they deserved in an adult novel. I don't know if I succeeded, but I hope so. And yes, there will be a teeeeeny amount of romance - but don't expect much!

Donna: Do you still find time to read for pleasure? What do you read and who are your favorite authors today?

Marjorie: Reading is as important to me as writing. It's therapy and training and pleasure all rolled into one, and my current favorites are men and women like Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Campbell, Sara Donati, Gene Stratton Porter, Kelly Link, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and more.

Donna: What kind of books do you plan to write in the future?

Marjorie: More romance, as well as fantasy, science fiction, and some YA novels.

Donna: What is next? Can you give us a hint?

Marjorie: I have begun writing Dean's book, which will be set in China. Expect some major surprises and life-altering events for that foul-mouthed clairvoyant detective. After I finish his story, I will begin writing a Dirk & Steele novella that will be part of an anthology with Christine Feehan. I believe both books are due out in 2006.

Donna: How has the Internet affected you as an author?

Marjorie: It's a mixed blessing. I get a lot of research done, am able to keep in contact with friends and family - but I waste a lot of time, too. Much surfing, not enough writing.

Donna: What are some of your favorite Web sites and discussion boards?

Marjorie: I don't visit discussion boards, but I do check out certain blogs, as well as the news sites, like NYTimes and CNN.

Donna: What is the best way that readers can help to promote new authors such as yourself?

Marjorie: The readers and booksellers have been unbelievably good to me, and that - ultimately - is the key to promoting new authors: kind words and enthusiastic recommendations, even if combined with criticism.

Donna: Do you have any advice for the aspiring authors here at RBL?

Marjorie: Cultivate a passion for what you are doing, because you will only succeed in this business (in both the short- and long-term) if you are in love with the writing, with words and sentences and meaning, the act of storytelling that will be your profession and your life. This is a difficult business - it is not easy being on deadline, writing when you are not inspired simply because you must, because you've made a contract and a promise. You have to be stubborn, you have to be a little bit crazy, you have to be in love. You have to let yourself be carried by that love for your profession, because sometimes that's all you have to sustain you. You'll be tired, hungry, crabby; the pressure will cut your shoulders with the weight; but if you love it, if you take joy in what you are doing, the work will become play, and that is the key to success.

Donna: Do you have anything you would like to say or questions you would like ask the readers here at RBL?

Marjorie: Only that I appreciate your kindness and that I wish all of you aspiring authors the very best. Thank you!



Marjorie, on behalf of everyone at RBL Romantica, I would like to thank you for taking time from your very busy schedule to do this interview with us. We have enjoyed learning more about you. I know that you don’t usually visit message boards, but we hope that you will drop by RBL Romantica sometime and visit with us.

~Donna~



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