Welcome to Immortality
and Beyond. May I offer you a drink>
Zombie Blast on the rocks
please.
Zar, our Zombie Butler
will fetch that for you. Zar…
Thank you Zar
*Drools* while handing
drink over…
*Rolling eyes* You may
return to your quarters now. Please don’t mind him, sometimes he
just gets so excited when we have guest authors. He’s only ever
bitten somebody once, *grins*.
No
problem, *sips from glass* this Zombie Blast is delicious. Zar might
drool but he makes one hell of a cocktail. Thanks for inviting me on
your blog and offering up such delectable concoctions.
Now that we’re settled
in, let’s chat. Shall we?
BK: When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was in college, about
22 years old. After high school I moved straight to London and
started working as a photographer. While that was great and took me
some amazing places including four months in Brazil, I realized it
was not the job for me. So I went back to school unsure where I was
going.
My boyfriend at the time,
my best friend, and my brother, all pushed me toward writing. I shied
away from it at first because I’m very dyslexic which makes
spelling and grammar tough for me. I felt that I could not write
professionally with my disability.
But I loved reading! So
one day I’m on the subway headed to class reading a mystery novel
when I realized it was terrible. I mean absolutely awful. That’s
when it dawned on me: I can do better. So I did. And I have a great
copy editor who cleans up all my mistakes... except she didn’t read
this interview so please don’t judge me too harshly!
BK: Please share with us
how your current release came to life...
INSATIABLE is the third
book in my Sydney Rye series but I actually wrote it second. While
writing my first book, UNLEASHED, I created a very detailed outline
and a third of the way through I had to throw the whole thing away
because my characters took over. So when I sat down to write
INSATIABLE I just put my hands on the keyboard and said, “Okay
folks, let’s go.” Sydney took the thing from there and I just sat
back and enjoyed. Of course, she totally buggered off when it came
time to do the hard work of editing.
BK: Do you let your
characters tell the story, or do you often fight with them on the
direction it will take?
I’ve fought for a
couple of things but mostly I listen to the characters. If I try and
get too involved it starts to sound forced.
BK: How do you keep your
writing different from all the others that write in this particular
genre?
I am different from all
the other writers in this genre so I make sure to fully express
myself and that usually takes care of it. When editing if I find
something that leans toward cliche I cut it quickly and without
remorse.
BK: Which character was
your favorite to write for in this story? Why?
I can’t pick! Really, I
love them all. Malina is so powerful in her own way, her sexuality is
her weapon and she wields it with grace. Dan is super laid back and
brilliant not to mention totally sexy. Mulberry is one of my favorite
people in the world (and yes, I think of him that way). Besides
Sydney and Blue he is the only character to appear in all three
books. He feels like an old friend. And Blue, come on, I’m pretty
sure that dog walks by my side while I dream.
And then of course, there
is Sydney Rye herself. She’s the one who tells me the whole sordid
tale with details and excitement. She keeps me interested and on the
edge of my seat. Sydney Rye is the reason I sit down in the morning
to write.
BK: Tell us about the
one scene you had the most fun writing…
A large portion of
INSATIABLE takes place in St. Thomas where my Father grew up and I
was married. It is a complicated place often only seen from the deck
of a cruise ship. I enjoyed bringing to life the character of the
island, exposing it’s grimy side, and showing off it’s natural
beauty. The scene I had the most fun writing takes place on the
island but I don’t want to give anything away by telling you the
details. Suffice to say there are guns, a chicken doesn’t make it,
and it ends with a drink at the bar.
BK: If you were stranded
on an island, which character in your books would you most want to be
stranded with and why, and what is one thing that would be a
must-have?
Hmm, I’d probably take
Blue. He wouldn’t be much help with the building of forts or
gathering twigs for a fire but he’d make me feel safe and I’m
hoping bring me some creatures to roast over the aforementioned fire.
I’d need a good knife. Or a satellite phone... can I have one of
those?
BK: Now for a little
fun, tell us a bit about what your office looks like. Do you need
silence to write?
Right now I’m on a
veranda at my friend’s house in Goa, India. I’m lying on the day
bed, the sun is just starting to set. There is pink and white
bouganvia hugging the boarder wall that separates their property from
the dusty, rarely traveled road. Next to me are giant terra cotta
pots filled with water plants that have fish darting amongst their
roots. Lulu, a street dog my friend’s adopted when she was a puppy,
let’s me know when any creature passes our gate by howling out a
warning. A man wearing only white shorts ran down the road throwing
rocks at a pack of dogs a moment ago.
I’ll be here for
another ten days then we’ll go onto Ahmenebad for the kite
festival, I’m not sure where I’ll find to write there but I’m
hoping it’s a swinging bench or hammock. I love to move.
BK: What do you like to
do when you're not writing?
I hang out with friends,
cook, read, drink, laze about in my PJs.
BK: What is one thing
your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
I think you can tell from
my books that I am a thinking person who loves travel, dogs, and
adventure. My stories are dark though, which readers might be
surprised to learn I am not. I have nicknames that include “little
miss excitement” and “little miss sunshine”, I am often accused
of being a “positive polly”.
BK: What is the craziest
thing you’ve ever wanted to write, or have written, even if it
never reached public eyes?
I wanted to write a
series called UNDERCOVER GIGGALO about a sexy man people would hire
to help their shy friends come out of their shells. I wanted it to be
a serial with each episode being a new case for him to “solve”.
BK: What is one piece of
advice you can give to aspiring writers/authors?
I’m really trying to
cut back on giving advise. But this drink is strong so I’ll dole
out some nuggets (she says with a slur). This is an occupation not a
job. Like occupy wall street, not like work on wall street. It is not
easy to write books, long confusing, delightful, horrible little
sh*t’s that they are, so get obsessed. I think about my characters
all the time. They occupy my mind and my life.
Also, if you’re an
author than you’re not normal so stop pretending to be. Get over
trying to look good or be cool. Bare your soul (and avoid cliches).
BK: What can we expect
from you in the future?
I’ve
got a couple different works in progress but I don’t know which is
getting done next. The only thing I’m sure of is there will be
another Sydney Rye mystery coming out in 2013. Since I’m living in
India for the next two months I think she’ll end up here for at
least a part of the adventure.
BK: Where can readers
connect with you?
I’m
on twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and I’ve got a blog. Mostly I post
pictures from where ever I am. On occasion I drop nuggets but first
you have to get me drunk.
Thanks
so much for having me on your blog. Your house is beautiful, your
servant gruesome, and your beverages nice and strong.
Author Bio:
Emily Kimelman lives on a boat in the Hudson Valley with her husband, Sean and their dog Kinsey (named after Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone). Kimelman has a passion for traveling and spends as much time as possible in the pursuit of adventure.
Her Sydney Rye series feature a strong female protagonist and her canine best friend. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!
INSATIABLE
A Sydney Rye Novel Book Three
Emily Kimelman
Dark Murder Mystery
ISBN: 1470136023
ISBN-13: 978-1470136024
Number of pages: about 320
Word Count: 75,000
Cover Artist: Autumn Whitehurst
Book Description:
INSATIABLE is the third novel in my Sydney Rye Series of dark murder mysteries. This series feature a strong female protagonist and her canine best friend. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!
INSATIABLE begins with private detective Sydney Rye living a simple, disciplined life in London, but when a dangerous man from her past calls, Rye finds she cannot turn him away. Robert Maxim explains that the daughter of a powerful friend has gone missing and he wants Rye to find her. In exchange he offers her something she had given up hope of ever having; freedom from her past.
With her dog, Blue, at her side, Rye meets up with her new partner, a handsome man she's not sure she can trust. Heading for Mexico City, they go undercover, posing as husband and wife. After meeting with the bereaved parents, Rye starts to sense that there is more going on than just a missing girl. But it isn't until they arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula, hot on the girl's trail in Paradise, that all hell breaks loose. Sydney has to reach out for help from old friends and deal with the consequences of her past, if she's going to find the girl and keep them all alive.
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