"I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet me is another matter."
-Winston Churchill

Thursday, June 24, 2010

At The Round Table with Kristin Roisin


Today I'd like to welcome Kristin Roisin.  Kristin is the author of NyteBeauti,  a fantastic fantasy novel.  Welcome Kristin.  Please take a seat at the round table,  and let's talk books.






Thank you so much for taking time out to chat with us today. Your favorite drink me friend? Tantalizing Tea, Captivating Coffee, Irish Brew, or Magical Mist? 
 
I would have to say Irish Brew… but I’m biased.

Certainly...Here's a nice frothy Guiness :)....


This ought to be mighty refreshing on such a hot day.  Enjoy.

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself...

This is the one question I have the hardest time with. Any other topic, and I can talk for hours.
Haha! Well.. I’m a stay at home, of two beautiful little boys. I’m married to my best friend, and
The love of my life, who is patient (Most of the time) and loving, who allows me to recluse into
My imagination when I need to, at any hour of the day or night, for as long as I need to, to get
The next chapter on paper.


What inspired you to pen your first novel?

I used to role play online, on a few different forums. It was the stories that we came up with as a group, that inspired me to put pen to paper.    


Role playing?  Now that is very interesting.


Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I think so. Writing became a very powerful outlet for me, in my early teens, when I didn’t
Otherwise have a voice of my own. It wasn’t long before I realized that I not only had a
Knack for it, but I really loved it as well.


Tell us a little about NyteBeauti...
  
NyteBeauti was the culmination of many years of role play, dreams, fantasies, and even one or
Two personal heartbreaks, all combined together to create the story of Desta, and her search for Identity, acceptance, and eventually, true love.








How did you come up with your characters?

Most of the characters were created using a Role play character sheet, to give them their basic
Attributes, weakness, abilities, etc. Some I came up based on that. Others were inspired by a
Picture, or a piece of art I saw online. (Usually Luis Royo or other Fantasy Artists.) Morrigan was actually “born” first. She was to be completely different from who she turned out to be. The strong , feisty Irish woman, was never meant to become a vampire, and yet she’s become the break out character, because of what, and who, she is.

The rest, were characters I ran into, or created for atmosphere purposes. Some I fell in love with
Enough to create their histories and give them a future. Other’s remained ‘eye candy’ with a
Specific purpose of propelling a storyline along.


How did Desta come to be?

Desta, believe it or not, was simply meant to be an expendable, gateway character. She started
Out as nothing more than a dying body, at the bottom of the stairs. She was created for the sole
Purpose and nothing more, than to pass a message to Logan. Haha. But the scene was just so
Heartbreaking, and so emotional, I had to keep her. So, I rewrote her a bit, and reinvented her
History, and thus, Lady Desta was born.

I am so glad you didn't off her,  so to speak.  Even though Morrigan tends to be the one I lean to more as a favorite character,  Desta definitely helps make the story.


How did you develop your plot?

Through the role play of the characters, I was able to tweak and adjust different aspects of each
Character. Once they were complete, it was a pretty easy process. They told their own stories. I
Was simply their voice.


Was there a lot of research involved?

There was, actually. Between time periods, to accurately describe their attire, maps to
Accurately describe villages or regions. Even vampire lore, so that I didn’t cross ‘too many’ lines
In trying to keep some originality with my own breed of vampires. I wanted them to be familiar,
So that my readers could identify and say, “Oh yeah, I knew that.” But at the same time, not
Give them a churned up, mulchified version of something they’ve already read.


Why Vampires?  What draws you to write in this genre?

Honestly? Obsession. I love all things vampire, supernatural and preternatural. It started with
Anne Rice, and my initial mental image of Louis. After that, I was hooked. I loved how Louis,
Lestat, Claudia and Armand could bring out so many different emotions all in the course of
A half hour, and how I could releate to each one, in their own little way. Vampires also opened up
The door to allow me to explore different time periods, without being locked into a “Historical
Romance’ genre writer.


How do you keep your writing different from all the other novels in this particular genre?


I stick to what I know. My Characters. It’s starting to become apparent to everyone who’s
Been able to read bits and pieces that this isn’t first and foremost, a Vampire Story. It’s a
Story about people, who just happen to be vampires. Instead of focusing on their vampirism,
I focus on what motivates them, what moves them, what propels them forward, and that
Seems to work for my little ragtag bunch of vampires. 



What was the hardest part about writing this particular novel?

  
Wow. I think the hardest part for me, was remembering to not go off on tangents, or commentary
About the individual characters, and their behaviors. In otherwords, trying to keep in my role as pure storyteller, without my own emotion and thoughts embedded in the story. I am simply here To tell their story, not comment on it.


What dreams have been realized as a result of writing NyteBeauti?

I have an actual and honest to God real book in my hand, that has MY words on the pages. I
Have something that I can pass to my boys, something tangible, that I can say to them, “Look,
I had a dream, and with hard work, and perseverance, I made it come true. So can you.” 

What a wonderful thing to be able to pass on and prove that you can do anything you put your mind to.


If you could possess any Vampire power,  what would it be?

Oh my. My husband and I have had this discussion many times. Haha! I’m currently at a toss up
Between two lesser known disciplines. Melpominee and Temporis. 

For those unsure of the terms Kristin used,  Melpominee is the ability to speak to the soul as well as to the ears,  sort of like throwing your voice,  it can enlighten or damage.
Temporis is about controlling time,  which may come in handy when a Vampire is seducing one or trying to feed without the donor remembering what happened.   A day can last forever,  or fly by.


What do you hope your readers will take away from your book?

My greatest hope, is that they walk away, having as deep a love for these characters, as I do.
I hope that they finish the last chapter, wishing to know more about a particular character that I
Didn’t expand on. My last hope, is that there is a character out there for everyone. That everyone
Finds a single character that they can relate to, and say, “I know just how s/he feels!”

I know I love your characters,  so from my point of view you are well on your way to getting your hope.


What advice can you give to new aspiring writers?

Write what you know, not what is popular. Readers can tell if you’re passionate in what you write
About, or if you’re simply writing to jump on a bandwagon. And never let anyone tell you that
Your dreams are silly, or worthless.


Are you working on any projects right now?

Book Two, Echoes of Rayne is in the works right now. It continues with Desta’s tale, and
Introduces a couple of new characters, that I think my readers will REALLY love.

Where can your readers connect with you?  Facebook,  Myspace,  Twitter, Website, Blog?

http://www.kristin-roisin.webs.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000691310178&ref=ts#%21/profile.php?id=100000691310178
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#%21/pages/Official-Kristin-Roisin-Fan-Page/108414482510656?ref=ts
www.myspace.com/kristinroisin
www.twitter.com/kristinroisin
http://www.kristinroisin.blogspot.com/


Any upcoming events you'd like to share?

We’re currently in the process of setting up some local book signings, though no dates have been
Set as of yet. We are also in the midst of planning the Official book release party for this October.
It will be a few months “late” but everything has happened in such a whirlwind, that we’ve had no
Time to plan anything until now.


Any parting comments?

Thank you to all of my friends, family and fans. Without all of them, this roller coaster ride of
A dream would never have gotten out of the gate.

I also want to say thank you for your support, and your advice. Everything you’ve done for me,
To help promote my book, has been just absolutely amazing, and I will never forget it!


Thank you so much for chatting with us today.  It has been such a pleasure chatting with you.  Please be sure to let us know when the next book is out.  You can come back to the round table to tell us about it.  I wish you much success and I will be waiting to hear about Echoes of Rayne.  


Cheers!

If you would like to purchase NyteBeauti,  you can buy it directly from Publish America.  It should soon be available on Amazon as well.

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