Passport Australia: Interview and PBD Proust with Author Erica Hayes
Submitted by Doll Noa on August 18, 2010 – 5:00 am5 Comments
Q&A; and Paperback Proust with author Erica Hayes
Erica Hayes, author of the Shadowfae Chronicles, lives in the luckiest country in the world (Australia!). Has done law student, air force officer, editorial assistant and musician. And now has the best job in the world — imagining.In her stories, magic and wonder abounds. But the mortal world is an enchanted place too, if you know how to look. She’s laughed atop the Great Wall, sported with the gargoyles at Notre Dame and gazed up awestruck at the Great Pyramid. Let her share that sense of wonder with you.Just because you don’t see it right away doesn’t mean it’s not there. So laugh under the stars. Dance in the rain. Howl at the moon. You never know who’s watching.
PBD: How did you get started writing professionally?
EH: I queried my novel manuscript and found an agent. Your book only has to appeal to one person to get you started. Of course, there’s more to it than that! But often it’s that one person who puts you on track to a sale.
PBD: How many books did you write before you were published?
EH: Four. A really bad one, a not so bad one, an okay one, and the one that sold.
PBD: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
EH: Bored.
PBD: What would you like people to know about you?
EH: That my books are cool, and you should read them :)
PBD: Your books are set in Melbourne, is it a magical city? What is your favorite thing about Melbourne?
EH: For me, Melbourne has a unique atmosphere — it has layers. Straightforward on the surface, more intriguing as you dig deeper. My favourite thing? Not the weather, that’s for sure :) I do like wandering along the river at night in summer. It’s dry and fragrant, and the lights are beautiful.
PBD: The Shadowfae series doesn’t portray vampires, fairies and shifters as a very light and lovable bunch, what made you choose to show a bit of a darker grittier side to the supernatural?
EH: I wanted to show my supernaturals as real people. By nature they’re a conflicted bunch, whether it’s because they’re monsters like vampires, or outcasts like my fairies. No reason they should be light and lovable, really :) And I wanted my dark characters to actually be dark, not just scowl or ride a motorbike or whatever. When you’re more powerful than everyone else, like my vampire villain Dante, for instance, the temptation would be to take advantage of it. And he does! Even the ‘good’ characters have a real dark side, in that they’re tempted by their own powers as much as the the bad guys are. It’s how they deal with that temptation that makes them heroes.
PBD: Can you share anything about Poison Kissed(Coming September 2010)?
EH: I sure can! Poison Kissed is book 3 in my series, though you don’t have to read them in order, and it’s an October release. It’s about Mina, a banshee who works as an enforcer for a snake-shifter gangster. In her world, banshees don’t sing when someone dies — they sing, and *then* someone dies. Here’s the copy:
Poison Kissed (Shadowfae)Mina is a banshee whose greatest power lies in her siren song. She’s beholden to her boss Joey, a snake-shifter who once saved her life and now employs her as a gang enforcer. She refuses to upset the fragile balance between them by admitting that she longs for him, that his embrace is the only thing she craves more than revenge for her mother’s death…When Mina learns that Joey may have been involved in her mother’s murder, fury threatens to spill out of her, note by vicious note. She and Joey have always trusted each other to stay alive, but now she’s not sure what to believe. The evidence stacked against him — or the one man who haunts her dreams and burns in her blood…
PBD: If you could be a character in one of your books (or supernatural creature) who would you like to be?
EH: All the main characters have too many problems :) I think I’d like to be one of those fairies who just hangs out and has a good time!
PBD: If someone who had never been to Australia came to you and asked you about the five ultimate things anyone visiting Australia had to see – what 5 things would be on your list?
EH: You know, this is tough because like many people I haven’t travelled much in my own country. But in no particular order: Sydney Harbour; the Great Barrier Reef; a game of Aussie Rules football; the Great Ocean Road down on the south coast; and Melbourne, of course! You might see a fairy…
PBD: One Australian export you wish no-one had ever heard of?
EH: Fosters beer. No one here actually drinks it, y’know.
PBD: One Australian thing you wish you could share with the world?
EH: Tim Tams. Actually, now I think about it, no, you can’t have them :)
PBD: Too late…;)
…And now for the grilling – PBD Proust!
• What is your chief characteristic?
Stubbornness and perfectionism.
• What you appreciate the most in your friends?
They get my sense of humor.
• What is your main fault?
Stubbornness and perfectionism. Yeah. Double-edged sword, and all that.
• What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I’m not sure there’s such a thing. But freedom would be a start.
• What is your idea of misery?
Boredom.
• How would you wish to die?
Swiftly. I don’t want to see it coming.
• What is your motto?
What’s stopping you?
• What is your greatest extravagance?
Chocolate.
• What is your favorite journey?
I love long haul flights! So long as I’m going somewhere good.
• On what occasion do you lie?
When it’s just too private.
• Who are your favorite heroes in fiction?
Indiana Jones. Han Solo. Doctor Who. Captain Jack Sparrow. And Captain Jack Harkness :)
• Who are your favorite heroines in fiction?
Ellen Ripley. Zoe from Firefly. Martha Jones. Anyone, in fact, who doesn’t feel the need to be snarky to prove how tough they are.
Erica, thank you so much for sharing and for being a part of our Passport to Australia!
Next time, the Tim Tams are on us! ;)
Want to know more about Erica Hayes?
Poison Kissed will be out on September 28, 2010!
Noa first fell in love with books when she discovered 100 acre wood and its inhabitants. To this day, the last pages of “The House at Pooh Corner” make her cry. In a good way. From“Calvin and Hobbes” to “The Iliad and the Odyssey” and lets not forget “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes”. Biographies, mysteries, history books and romances all have a place on her bookshelves. Who needs furniture? This 29 year old singleton’s dream is to invent the zero-calorie chocolate. But until that day arrives, she tries to create sweet confections with whatever chocolate she can find. An MA in conflict studies (need a mediator?) means Noa loves a good debate, especially when she wins. If she were in charge, books would be free for everyone.
Great Interview! I am definitely adding this series to my library!
Thank you!
Its a wonderful series!
Erica thank you so much for sharing!
*passes around more Tim Tams*
Thank you Erica!
No Fosters drinking in Australia? LOL
Fosters is for export.
Shadowfae is a fabulous book. It captured the dark udnerbelly of Melbourne very well and the feel of the streets.
I read it a while ago and put a review on Visual Bookshelf for anyone who's interested. I'll replicate it on Goodreads now.
Cheers!
Sal
Hey, thanks for dropping by everyone! It's great to be here talking about Australia :) and yeah, no Fosters. You can get it here, but it's definitely not a favourite.
xx
Erica.