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 Jeri Smith-Ready (2006 Szemere Photography)
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Definitely Ciara Griffin, the heroine of my upcoming vampire novel, Wicked Game. She’s your typical con artist in many ways—clever, confident, and morally flexible—but she’s not completely nihilistic. Ciara’s on an unusual redemption quest: saving a vampire radio station from corporate takeover, a mission that becomes a matter of life and un-death.
It’s terrific fun to be in Ciara’s head, because I get to say and do things I could never get away with in my own life. My other favorite character, Lucifer from Requiem for the Devil, appeals to me for the same reason.
I suppose I gravitate most strongly to my “bad” protagonists. Maybe I enjoy the challenge of making them sympathetic, or maybe I just relate to them better (let’s not look too hard at that second possibility, shall we?).
2. Tell me about your travels.
In college I backpacked across Europe, where I lived on $26/day by staying in youth hostels, stood up all night on Italian trains in the compartment between the cars (outside the loo), and wandered all over the Greek island of Rhodes tracking down a man named Stavros, which is the equivalent of combing Staten Island for a guy named Steve (but with better scenery). That which did not kill me, made for great stories.
These days, I always seem to end up in wonderful places no one I know has ever heard of, like Stehekin, Washington, or Cape San Blas, Florida, or Tobermory, Ontario.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
Right now I’m reading a fascinating novel called The Song Reader, by Lisa Tucker. It’s about a woman who tells people’s fortunes based on the songs stuck in their heads. I love books with musical frameworks. High Fidelity by Nick Hornsby and Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane are two others I could read again and again.
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
Just last week, for the first time, I wrote a scene in which a point-of-view character dies (*for good*, which isn’t always a given in my Aspect of Crow fantasy series). I not only cried buckets, but I scared myself; it was a ruthless, cold-blooded murder the character couldn’t escape.
Sigh...poor thing. What a mean old writer-god I am.
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
Fresh pineapple. Not just every day, but every second. Maybe it’s genetic—maybe my Irish brain lacks the satiation switch for tropical fruit. You know how if a horse gets into a bag of oats, it can literally eat itself to death? That’s me and pineapple.
I’ve also been known to eat an entire box of Kraft Original Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese, right out of the mixing bowl, standing next to the sink.
But I couldn’t do that every day.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Music is the source of much of my inspiration, which is funny considering I have absolutely no talent (well, I played a pretty mean flute in middle school). Music can illuminate the hidden corners of the human soul in a way that words can’t do alone. This quality makes
it one of the most powerful gifts a novelist can use in that never-ending quest for psychological truth.
As to what kind of music speaks to me most, these days it’s usually some form of rock or world music. I’m a huge fan of (*takes a deep breath*) delta blues, rockabilly, psychedelic, punk, goth, reggae, Celtic, Native American, and industrial, as well as the more ironic, self-aware forms of metal.
Not coincidentally, many of these styles are represented by the DJs in Wicked Game, who are each stuck in the eras in which they were turned. It’s one reason why I’m so excited about this series—I get to listen to music, buy music, learn about music, talk about music, all as part
of my job! I’m the luckiest person in the world.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Jeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. She holds a master’s degree in environmental policy and lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and a retired racing greyhound.
Her hobbies include cooking and animals—though not at the same time, unless you count the cat's culinary supervision, which looks remarkably like sitting on the floor waiting for food to drop.
Jeri fosters shelter dogs with Tails of Hope Sanctuary. As of this writing, she has hosted fifteen dogs at her home, all of whom have found loving adopters.
HEIDI'S PICK SIX, Heidi Ruby Miller, Jeri Smith-Ready, Eyes of Crow, Requiem for the Devil, fantasy, LUNA, writing, author interviews
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| (Anonymous) |
| 2008-01-04 19:22 (UTC) |
| Great! |
Now I'm all worried about the POV Character that is going to die! You mean old writer-goddess, you! LOL ~ Lisa from the MySpaces.
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![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-04 21:36 (UTC) |
| Re: Great! |
| Wicked Game |
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You never know, Lisa, they might get saved in the rewrite! Not likely, though. War is hell, after all.
And this doesn't count all the characters who die and come back to life. Gotta love fantasy. ;-)
--Jeri
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| __bac__ |
| 2008-01-04 19:29 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
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lol I'm glad to see that someone else has a love for pineapple and mac n' cheese straight out of the bowl!
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-04 21:37 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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Ooh, I wonder what they would taste like mixed together.
*ponders for a moment*
Nah, mac 'n' cheese must remain pure.
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It is actually pretty good. Though mac and cheese is better, I think, with either grapes or grapefruit mixed in. And I totally lost weight on that diet. mmmm...
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| (Anonymous) |
| 2008-01-04 20:18 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
this book sounds really interesting. i should check it out.
-The Book Muncher (Scarlet)
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-04 21:39 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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Thanks! Only 129 days left until release. Not that I'm counting or anything...
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| bigferret |
| 2008-01-04 20:49 (UTC) |
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If I was a writer, I don't know that I could kill any of my characters. I am too much of a softy.
I can't imagine fostering any animal. I had a cat at my house for 3 days and I was totally broken up when he had to go.
Thanks for posting this!
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-04 21:44 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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I was in your situation several years ago. I rescued a kitten on a freezing Christmas Eve night outside of my sister's church. One of my husband's coworkers adopted him (named him Nicholas, appropriately enough), and I was really sad. But we already had three cats, two of whom hated each other, so adding another one would've been a huge mistake.
But when we foster, we just pretend we're dogsitting for a friend we haven't met. :-)
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| (Anonymous) |
| 2008-01-04 22:46 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
Haha, I just love the way you talk. Very friendly and humerious. I love reading interview and blogs by you. There are not many things I'd rather do then that, well, I'm sure I can think of some, but still lol.
I can't wait to get my hands on Wicked Game. The name reminds me of Chris Issac's song lol. Or the HIM cover.
And, I'm so sad, I'm going to have to order Voice of Crow, Borders doesn't carry it... How sad.
Well, I must be going, I've spent too much time with this.
-Chris(topher)
www.myspace.com/hearmewhisper
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Thanks, Chris(topher)! I've got the H.I.M. cover of "Wicked Game" as my profile song on MySpace now. Hopefully all the books will have song titles as titles--that's my plan, anyway, but publishers have the final say in that.
Sorry Borders doesn't have VoC. It's been out a few months, so they've probably sold out and/or had to make room for newer books.
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| (Anonymous) |
| 2008-01-04 23:22 (UTC) |
| Don't have an account Jeri |
Hey there,
I like questions like these, gives us a chance to know you better. You are one of my myspace friends. drop me a line at Robibird3 at aol.com.
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-05 00:16 (UTC) |
| Re: Don't have an account Jeri |
| voice of crow |
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Aren't they fun questions? I love reading Heidi's Pick Six. Thanks for stopping by!
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Commenting to win :-) Sorry for Jeri's readers hijacking your LJ, Ms. Miller.
Have a lovely day! :-)
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-05 00:18 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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Thanks, Tez!
I guess now would be a good time to mention to the casual passersby that I'm holding a drawing for an ARC of WICKED GAME among all the commenters on this post. Deadline is next Thursday at noon EST.
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| merota_akai |
| 2008-01-05 03:59 (UTC) |
| So about your pick six |
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You said on the first question/answer not to look to closely at the second answer....but that makes everyone want to look. But the thing is, if people liked their 'good' characters the most...well...that just isn't realistic. Besides...isn't it more fun to be the 'bad' one...in some manners at least?
For your seventh question/answer: Sometimes that makes a book what it is. And I am sure many others will be pouring buckets from their eyes as well....but see now I know someone is going to die that is a point of view character...so when I read it I won't hate you too badly for killing them. (Was the person a good or bad person?).
(Rupunsel on myspace)
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-05 13:43 (UTC) |
| Re: So about your pick six |
| voice of crow |
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Hi Rupunsel!
isn't it more fun to be the 'bad' one...in some manners at least?
Oh, definitely! I prefer characters who are bad on the surface but good--or at least human--underneath (like the devil, or a con artist, or, in another upcoming novel, a torturer), rather than people who are apparently shiny and good but secretly evil underneath (the villain politician from Stephen King's The Dead Zone comes to mind). Hypocrisy is the worst.
(Was the person a good or bad person?).
Good. Oh, I should mention that it's not in Wicked Game, which only has one POV character. (However, I have read books/stories where the POV character dies on the last page. But it's hard to do when there's a sequel in the works. :-)
In the Aspect of Crow series, people who die have the experience of being carried away by a loving Crow Spirit, and death is very much portrayed as part of the cycle of life, so it's ultimately peaceful.
Hopefully by the time the book comes out, you'll have forgotten all about this. ;-)
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| rowans |
| 2008-01-05 05:21 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
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after reading this it just makes me more impatient for the release of Wicked Game. The release date can't here quick enough.
btw: I'm known as Cap'n on MySpace
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-05 16:45 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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Hi Cap'n!
You think you're impatient? I started writing it in May 2005. ;-)
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Thanks! I'll be sure to tell my webmaster next time I see him, on the other side of the bed. ;-)
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| (Anonymous) |
| 2008-01-05 19:05 (UTC) |
| Heya |
Really cool Jeri, though I would have been interested in knowing if you still watch cartoons. LOL.
Kathy
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LOL! Sorry, that would break the rules, and I'd have to ask you to forget one of my other answers in exchange.
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| (Anonymous) |
| 2008-01-05 21:22 (UTC) |
| Pick Six interview |
What a great interview, Jeri, and your sense of humor still slays me. (Cat culinary supervision.)
Ciara is a great character and I can see why you love being in her head. (Thanks for the ARC.)
Adrian
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-06 01:54 (UTC) |
| Re: Pick Six interview |
| Wicked Game |
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Awww, thanks!
Everyone, here's an awesome vampire novel you can read right now: A RUSH OF WINGS by Adrian Phoenix. It comes out next Tuesday and is already available on Amazon. Vampire rock gods, fallen angels, FBI conspiracies--what more can you ask for?
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| zootdingo |
| 2008-01-07 06:16 (UTC) |
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I adore your books. And to "hear" your voice in interviews and reading your blog is a riot. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits, and I have been known to eat an entire can in a single sitting. Not to mention having it in my wedding cake (we had a melon ball cake, Midori liquor, pineapple, orange liquor yum!). Funny thing is, when my SO and I went to Italy 2 years ago we missed our train and had to sneak aboard another one to get to a city where we could catch a flight home. No room in any of the sleeper cars meant we had to stand outside the bathroom with 100 pounds of luggage each. It was a killer 4 hour ride, and to keep ourselves awake we sang irish drinking songs.(We were in dublin for St Pattys day, but that is another story). Although a nightmare at the time, it is a wonderful and slightly woozy memory.
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-07 20:31 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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The key to surviving travel nightmares is to have a sense of humor and be with someone who has the same. Sounds like you made a great memory!
I think any trip that doesn't end up in a morgue or prison is a good one.
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Great interview! Hey and can't wait to read more about Shane ;) Think he might be a good one!
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| jer_bear711 |
| 2008-01-08 20:51 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| Wicked Game |
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Thanks, Suzanne. Hey everyone, Suzanne just made her first major sale: three urban fantasies! Woo-hooo!
OK, now that I've embarrassed you, where were we? Ah yes, Shane. Sigh...he is a good one. I have to be careful that I don't fall so much in love with him that I never let him get hurt. Always a danger.
*off to slaughter Shane's entire family, whistling merrily*
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