Interview with E.S. Moore and Giveaway - January 3, 2012

Please welcome E.S. Moore to The Qwillery as the first of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge interviews. To Walk the Night (Kat Redding 1) is published today.  Happy Release Day to E.S. Moore!

TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

ESM:  Not sure it's interesting, but I'd have to say my biggest quirk would have to be my near obsessiveness when it comes to when and how I write. I follow nearly the same pattern every single day and if I veer from it in the slightest, the day is usually wasted. I literally have to get up, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, and then sit down to write right away or I struggle to get into it. And then I have to write at my desk, with my laptop, with no music or sound, with hazelnut coffee first, followed by a root beer, or I struggle. I can sometimes work at night, but it is rare because I want to follow my morning routine beforehand.

TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

ESM:  Some of my favorites are: Stephen King, Brian Lumley, Kathy Reichs, Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, Simon R. Green, George R. R. Martin, and Brandon Sanderson. All of them have influenced my writing in some way. And there are so many other authors in so many different genres, it would be impossible to list them all here. I'd like to think that everything I read makes me a little better in my own writing. You can learn something from everyone.

TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

ESM:  Depends. I used to be a 100% pantser, but that slowly evolved over time. To Walk the Night is actually the first book I plotted beforehand. I still do a lot of writing without plotting, and even then, the plotting is usually no more than two or three lines per chapter of what I think should happen. I still like to let the story guide me more than trying to force it down a certain path just because I plotted it one way. There are still stories I am working on that have no pre-plotted elements and others where I plotted it out, wrote a first draft, and then totally changed everything in the second go round.

TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

ESM:  Deciding what to work on! I have so many ideas, it will be impossible for me to ever write all the stories. While I love coming up with new ideas, it makes it hard to focus sometimes. I've had weeks where I've desperately wanted to work on book A, but book B kept demanding to be written. By the time I was ready for book B, book C and D were jumping up and down, waving their arms, asking for a little love. I sometimes have to force myself to stay focused because I want to get to them all!

TQ:  Describe To Walk the Night in 140 words or less.

ESM:  To Walk the Night is a gritty urban fantasy novel where the vampires and werewolves rule the night. Kat Redding, a vampire herself, hunts the monsters, earning herself the nickname Lady Death. She reluctantly teams up with the Luna Cult, a group of werewolf worshipers, to take down a vampire House who is looking to increase their power. The story is dark with quite a bit of bloody action.

TQ:  What inspired you to write To Walk the Night?

ESM:  It was one of those freak idea flashes that came out of nowhere. I had a fleeting thought about what my next project should be, thinking it would be urban fantasy, but wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go. Then it just sort of came to me and I plotted it out in a day. Oddly, I never once thought of the movie Underworld when plotting or writing the book. It wasn't until after people started reading it and comparing them that I even thought about the movie.

TQ:  What sort of research did you do for To Walk the Night?

ESM:  There were a few location things I researched, but I live near enough to Columbus, Ohio, I didn't have to look much up. Kat's motorcycle and gun were my biggest research problems. I knew absolutely nothing about either of those things. I did most of my research online because I can't stand to be around guns and would rather just get what information I could online or talking to some people rather than actually seeing them in action. Some day I'll probably need to get hands on experience, but for now, I'm happy with what I have.

TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

ESM:  I think Ethan is the answer to both questions! I struggled early on to come up with his personality and even age and skill sets. In the first draft, he was completely different than he ended up by the time the book was ready to submit. His first incarnation didn't work with the rest of the story and only added to the dark tone, rather than add a little relief from it. Once I stopped trying to force him into something he obviously wasn't, it went so much better. He is a lot closer to me in his personality, which makes him easier to write. He's sort of my anchor when it comes to characters who are reserved and have clean mouths. I need him so I can get away from all the cursing!

TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in To Walk the Night?

ESM:  The scenes between Kat and Ethan are my favorites. I love their interactions. They can be intense, but also have a little comic relief that I think is important to any book that has a lot of bloody scenes. You've gotta sit back and breathe every now and again, right?

TQ:  What's next?

ESM:  Book 2, Tainted Night, Tainted Blood will be released July 3, 2012. I'm also putting the final touches on book 3, Blessed by a Demon's Mark, which will come out sometime later.

TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

ESM:  Thank you for having me!


About To Walk the Night

To Walk the Night

Kat Redding 1
Kensington, January 3, 2012
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Even a vampire has to face her inner demons…

Kat Redding is the very thing she hunts: a vampire, thirsting for blood, capable of killing any creature unlucky enough to get in her path. The difference is, Kat kills her own kind in order to protect human Purebloods. She’s good at what she does. Good enough to earn the nickname Lady Death—and the enmity of every bloodthirsty being around. But now a vampire Count is intent on merging his House with a werewolf cult to create a force of terrifying power.

Kat can’t allow that to happen. Even if it means taking on a den of weres and a vampire more ruthless than any she’s encountered before. She has the weapons, the skill, and a few allies. But that may not be enough to eliminate the Count before her own dark nature rises to the surface—and costs her whatever is left of her humanity…

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About E.S. Moore

E.S. Moore is the author of the Kat Redding urban fantasy series, starting with To Walk the Night due January 3rd, 2012 and continuing with Tainted Night, Tainted Blood in July. He lives in Ohio with his wife and son. You can find him on the web at www.esmoore.net.

E.S. Moore's Links

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads





The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  Two commenters will each win a Mass Market Papberback copy of To Walk the Night (Kat Redding 1) from The Qwillery.

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

Who is your favorite vampire slayer from books or film?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)   Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*