Showing posts with label Jackie Kessler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jackie Kessler. Show all posts

Thursday, 3 March 2011

INTERVIEW: Jackie Kessler

Self Confessed Comic Fangrrl, Jackie was an author that we've been interested in for quite some time and with the chance to recently enjoy her Hell on Earth series, we thought that it was probably time to bite the bullet (or should that be Succubi?) and have a little chat.

Tracking her down to her own "Circle of Hell" we chatted about stories, strippers, chocolate and death...


Falcata Times: Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted with rather than gifted and that it's something you have to do rather than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to you?

Jackie Kessler: Afflicted. Definitely. I have to write. Have to. It’s this burning need to tell stories, and have people read them. And, ideally, earn enough money to keep on writing stories so people can read them. Very, very Vicious Circle. There are times when I wish I was afflicted with something saner, like bungee jumping or ultimate fighting. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. (Sorry, world.)


FT: When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?

JK: When I was younger, I wanted to be a comic book artist. Which, if you think about it, is still about the storytelling, just in a different form. In college, I fell in love with writing. I’d always enjoyed it before, but starting freshman year, I discovered a passion for it, so I took tons of creative writing workshops. I started working on a book when I was 18, but I didn’t get serious about wanting to write and get published until 2003. And starting in 2004, I began the ongoing process of learning about the publishing industry. (It’s good to have a sense of humor.)


FT: It is often said that if you can write a short story you can write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written that either proves or disproves this point of view?

JK: Frankly, I think that’s a pile of cowcrap. You can be a marvelous short story writer, but that skill set doesn’t translate nicely to longer forms of writing. It’s the same in reverse: you may be brilliant at writing a 90,000-word novel, but terrible at writing a 4,000-word short story. And writing short fiction is worlds different that writing a nonfiction essay of the same word count. Different formats of writing require different skills. Just because you excel at one doesn’t mean you naturally do at another. Sure, you can learn how to write in those different formats. That doesn’t mean you’re going to have a terrific final product. Just as important as knowing how to write in a particular format is knowing which format is best for a particular story.

I’ve written flash fiction (ack), poetry (ack/in verse/with line breaks), short stories (mostly great fun), novelettes (for the stories that didn’t know when to stop), novellas (difficult), novels (ranging from the words just coming to me banging my head against the keyboard), essays (shoot me now), and two short comic book stories (difficult, but so worth it).


FT: If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade them to try your novel over someone else's and how would you define it?

JK: I’d bribe them with chocolate. Or maybe slip them a $20.


FT: How would you "sell" your book in 20 words or less?

For the Hell series: Sex, strippers and demons—what’s not to like?
For the Icarus project: Dystopian superhero fiction—BLADERUNNER meets the Justice League.
For HUNGER: An anorexic teenage girl becomes the new Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
For RAGE: A teenage self-injurer becomes the new avatar of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
For LOSS: A bullied teenage boy is tricked into becoming Pestilence. Ditto the Four Horsemen.


FT: Who is a must-have on your bookshelf and whose latest release will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?

JK: In no particular order: Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore, Heather Brewer, Rachel Caine, Jim Butcher, Rob Thurman, A.S. King, Ty Drago...my God, so many more! Right now, it’s a tossup which book I’m dying to read more: Jim Butcher’s GHOST STORY, or Rob Thurman’s BLACKOUT. Or Rachel Caine’s BITE CLUB. Or...


FT: When you sit down and write do you know how the story will end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let your idea's develop as you write?

JK: It depends. (Don’t you hate those answers?) Some books just flow, like HELL’S BELLES and BLACK AND WHITE and HUNGER. Others, like HOTTER THAN HELL and SHADES OF GRAY and LOSS, are more heavily plotted before and during the actual writing.


FT: What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?

JK: Relax? Um. Tae kwon do. And, um, napping. I’m currently reading Karen Mahoney’s THE IRON WITCH. Great fun!!!


FT: What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?

JK: And you’re just going to have to use your imagination here. I promise, whatever you come up with will be far more interesting. ;)


FT: Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain character attributes?)

JK: Two years ago, one of my cats was dying, so we opted to put her to sleep. God, that sucked. That also sparked the first sentences of the book that would be RAGE: “The day Melissa Miller killed her cat, she met the Angel of Death. But he was no angel—and he wasn’t there for the cat.”


FT: Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?

JK: In the Hell series, I adore Daun. He’s such an evil bastard. In a cuddly sort of way. For the Horseman series, Death is terrifying fun. In HUNGER, he was far more fun than terrifying. That will change as the series progresses—we see more of him in RAGE, and a different side (well, sides) of him in LOSS. And then, there will be his own book, BREATH. **rubs hands gleefully**


FT: How similar to your principle protagonist are you?

JK: I used to joke that if I were a demon and Jezebel were Jewish, we’d be the same person. But really? You’d never catch me stripping on stage.


FT: What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?

JK: My newest hobby is tae kwon do. I actually wrote a blog post about how TKD has helped me with writing fight scenes:


FT: Where do you get your ideas from?

JK: I put an ad on Craigslist. (Wouldn’t that be nice?) More seriously, ideas really come from all around. Sometimes, it’s from personal experience; other times, it’s from something you’ve read or seen. Sometimes, it’s something completely out of the blue. With HELL’S BELLES, I meshed the fantasy that I loved so much (Good versus Evil) with a sassy first-person protagonist.


FT: Do you ever encounter writer’s block and if so how do you overcome it?

JK: Ugh, the dreaded writer’s block. Yes, I’ve encountered it. For me, it occurs when I’ve taken the story down the wrong path. It’s like the back part of my brain knows the right story, even when the front part of my brain is still dithering around. So the back part hits the brakes until the front part figures it out. Very obnoxious, really. And don’t get me started about what happens when the characters argue with the writer. Flippin’ prima donna characters...


FT: Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your household feel about it?

JK: Hey, I’m quite civilized. I’m sipping tea as I’m answering this question. But yes, I do my writing usually late (late) at night, or during the weekends. It is what it is, you know? I have to write, so I write when I can.


FT: Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between scenes?

JK: Oh, the Hell series has tons of music! See? Sometimes, I use music to help me set the mood for a particular scene. Like in THE ROAD TO HELL, when Jesse summons Daunuan, I played Depeche Mode’s “Pimpf” over and over and over. Brrr, shivers! For the Horseman series, I like to listen to Nirvana and Linkin Park.


FT: What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing fields when you were first getting started?

JK: For writing, I had this crazy notion that I had to write something only once, and then it was done. For publishing, my biggest misconception was that all writers need to do is write.


FT: If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?

JK: If music is the chocolate, then writing is the...nah, writing is also the chocolate. Everything can be related to in terms of chocolate.


FT: What can you tell us about the next novel?

JK: For the Hell series, HELL TO PAY, the final novel, will be available as an ebook...er, shortly. For now, it’s still available in its entirety on my website for free. I’ll be writing the first book in a related series, Pit and Paradise, later this year. BEFORE THE FALL will be a digital book only. The tag line for the new series is: “Some days, it just doesn’t pay to stop the Apocalypse.” Stay tuned!

As for the Horseman series, I’m currently writing LOSS. That book is giving me hives. Which is appropriate, given that the Horseman in question is Pestilence...


FT: What are the last five internet sites that you've visited?

JK: Twitter, Daily Kos, AbsoluteWrite.com, Facebook, CNN.com.


FT: Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.

JK: I took plenty of creative writing workshops in college—mostly, those were critique sessions. I later launched my own writing workshop for local authors, and I had that going for about three years. Again, that was all about the critiquing—the more you meaningfully critique other people’s work, the stronger your own work will become. I also attend plenty of panels and workshops when I go on conventions—RT, SDCC, NYCC, Albacon, DragonCon, RWA, whew, others too. And author C.E. Murphy gave me a fabulous crash course in scripting a comic book. (Thanks, Catie!)


FT: How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection? (if that was indeed necessary!)

JK: You’re assuming I don’t obsess over every bad review or rejection, aren’t you?


FT: In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?

JK: The best? Writing is the best job in the world. The other week, I spent a good chunk of the evening researching the Black Plague, the Crusades, and Robin Hood, and then I started coming up with a timeline for my WIP. And as I said to my Loving Husband: “I can say that I spent the evening imagining, and that counts as real work! I love my job!” But the worst part is transforming what I do as craft into an actual business. Stressing over the numbers, the promotion, the business-ends of writing can suck the joy out of the craft—to say nothing about murdering my sense of humor.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Hell on Earth 1-3: Hell's Belles, The Road to Hell, Hotter than Hell - Jackie Kessler

Release Date: 20/01/11

SYNOPSIS:

Once upon a time, Jezebel was a powerful succubus, capable of seducing men and sucking out their souls. But that was before Hell put a bounty on her head. Now her only chance to escape a fate far worse than death is to live as a mortal, losing herself in a sea of unfamiliar humanity, in a place where sinners walk hand-in-hand with saints - a place like Belle's strip club in New York City. Working as an exotic dancer is a piece of cake for a former demon that once specialised in sex. But she hadn't counted on meeting sexy Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Goodbye, succubus; hello, love struck. Learning all about how complicated - and pleasurable - love can be, Jezebel thinks she's turned her back on Hell. But Hell hasn't stopped looking for her as the secrets Jezebel holds are the most dangerous of all. Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it's her love for Paul that's going to have deadly consequences . . .



REVIEW:

The first of Jackie’s Succubus titles and one that launches as the series means to go on. Whilst many urban fantasy titles that feature succubi tend to have them being just members of Hell’s circle, Jackie takes a novel approach and has one that tries to break away and succeeds in becoming something unique. It’s definitely a story that will appeal to fans of the erotic urban fantasy as well as to fans who love a good story. Back it up with a lead character who stands out on her own, has some real kick ass friends who all know some killer one liners and it’s a title that will satisfy in more ways than one.

A real gem of an opener and one that we hope will set the tone and continue to impress as the tale unfolds in further outings.



Release Date: 03/02/11

SYNOPSIS:

Jesse may no longer be a soul-stealing succubus, but she's got a Hell of a past. She'd love to come clean to her sweet, super-hot boyfriend Paul but how exactly does a girl start that conversation? There's no name tag that reads: I Used to Have Sex with Men before Taking Their Souls to the Lake of Fire - Ask Me How! Just like some people are worth being monogamous for (shudder), some secrets are worth keeping. Like the fact that bad boy incubus Daunuan keeps popping up from the Underworld to put some toe-curling moves on her; that her former associates are trying to strong-arm her back into the fold; and that every supernatural entity on the planet seems to want to have a conversation with her in the bathroom. But someone in the Underworld isn't ready to play nice, and this time, the stakes are nothing less than Paul's immortal soul. If Hell wants Jesse back so badly, they've got her. But payback's a bitch, and this bitch is about to rock Hell like a hurricane - or lose her soul trying...


REVIEW:

Here in the second book of Jackie’s series, our heroine has a monumental task ahead of her so what does she do but knuckle down and kick some demon butt however whilst many would literally do this in a beat down sort of sense, Jackie’s hero does it with brain power. It’s a nice turn up and its definitely something that made her stand out to us as readers. Back that up with more kickass one liners, a fast paced plot as well as an imaginative version of hell and you know that its going to be good.

Finally with the series all set now for a climactic conclusion in the third part out next month, we really can’t wait to see what Jackie has lined up next. “Look Sir, demons, bloody thousands of them..”



Release Date: 03/03/11

SYNOPSIS:

Daunuan was never the ambitious type. There's so much to love about his job just the way it is - mind-blowing sexual prowess, the power to seduce any human, excellent dental plan. But now Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus - a position other demons would give their left horn for. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for heaven into a damnable act of lust. Should take, oh, seven minutes, tops. Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She's cute. Funny. Smart. Unfathomably resistant to his charms. He can't understand it. But Duan has centuries of seduction to his credit. Sooner or later, he tells himself, he'll transform this polar ice-cap of a female into a pool of molten desire...Meanwhile, he has to deal with a plague of rogue demons. Hell-bent on taking him down, sent by an unknown enemy with a serious grudge. And one other problem: the dawning realisation that he's falling in love - that unholiest of four-letter words - with the woman he's about to doom for all eternity...


REVIEW:

Jackie is an author who loves to tease, enjoys twisting perceptions and above all else knows how to keep her readers happy as she brings one of her supporting cast members forward to star in this, the latest offering in her Hell on Earth series. Whilst in the previous two titles Daunuan helped out due to his own twisted sense of desires readers have long suspected that there were greater depths to this Incubi and whilst this title is all about him and his progression through the ranks of hell we get a richer deeper flavour that will make him a firm fan favourite.

Add to this wonderful creative outing, a dark twisted tapestry of sins alongside serious pace and plotline, a potion of redemption, a dash of selfishness, a drop of love and boil until reduced and the whole creation will leave readers firmly in Kessler camp eagerly awaiting the next release in the series. Great stuff.

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Icarus Project 2: Shades of Night - Jackie Kessler, Caitlin Kittredge

Release Date: 01/07/10

BOOK BLURB:

When Jet and Iridium - best friends turned enemies - came together to bring down a supervillain, they inadvertently destroyed the secret Corp-Co transmitter, whose frequency kept the New Chicago's heroes of in-line - and sane. Now the city is plunged into chaos as these heroes are suddenly the biggest threat. Corp-Co brings in a new Squadron from India - but when heroes are tied into a system of sponsorship, only money, and not a sense of duty, can persuade them to save the day. As they haggle, Everyman sets out to destroy the powers with a group of enhanced super-soldiers, and the mysterious villain Doctor Hypnotic is lulling heroes and supervillains alike into his seductive web - a dream-world where everything is perfect, but nothing is real. Once again Jet and Iridium are forced to set aside their hatred of each other to do what they were born to do: save the world.


REVIEW:

If you loved your superhero tales as a child, then this grown up version from two of the hottest Team Seattle Urban Fantasy Authors really will keep you happy. It doesn’t pull any punches as romance, vengeance, larceny and the lines of heroism/villainy become blurred by the slant placed upon the cast by the media. Whilst I am more of a fan of Ennis’ The Boys type fiction this offering really does do what the genre a huge favour with its presentation. Beautifully written with two principle protagonista’s you really can’t get quite enough of backed up with great prose solid dialogue and women who know how to kick butt and its something that many will get a real blast out of.