TANTALIZING TUESDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome A. Faris

Please welcome A. Faris into the Moonlight. A. Faris is the author of Out of Joint and The Golden Harp, which will be released by Decadent Publishing.

Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all of A. Faris' deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know A. Faris.


MLM: Do you have any holiday memories from 2010 that you would like to share with us? (Memories can be nice and sweet, naughty, or just plain goofy!)

A. Faris: My sister loves to travel and when she came to visit me last December, she insisted on going around in the dead of winter. I refused to take any part in such foolery but sisterly affection has a way of working on one. Which was why I had found myself at the top Broadway Tower (in the Cotswold) in the middle of the coldest winter England has seen. My three-year old hugged me tight, too cold to whine, just burrowing into my neck, trying to escape the wind.

My sister took one look around at the fantastic view, then said, “Let's go back.” This, the woman who helped build a school in Cambodia despite a gastric flu bug, travelled in deep snow to get to Avebury, and climbed the Jungfrau with no winter coat (having forgotten it, bless her).

Finally, something has defeated the tourist who knows no illness, weather or inconvenience. English weather. Gotta love it.


MLM: With the beginning of each New Year, many people make resolutions to change something about their lives. Do you make resolutions each year? Why or why not? In other words, what’s your philosophy behind your decision to make or not to make resolutions?

A. Faris: No. There's no philosophy, just plain laziness. I have a vague life plan and that is enough for me.

MLM: The buzz all over Tweetland and Facebook is how stressful many of us tend to find the holiday season (Thanksgiving through the New Year). This year they’ve seemed to be even more so with everything that’s been going on in the US and abroad. Stress isn’t usually conducive to writing, so we need to shed that stress, clear our minds so the words will follow. How do you plan on recharging your soul? Any relaxation tips you’d like to share?

A. Faris: The television is very good for numbing the brain, I must say. But sometimes, even that can get to be too much for me. What I like to do is spray on a comfort scent (Ambre Narguille by Hermes is my favourite at the moment but anything that makes you happy works), put on some music (KYO, a french rock band, Andrea Bocelli and Maria Callas are some favourites), and lie in the dark.


MLM: One of the greatest things about the Internet is that we can connect with writers of all kinds from all over the globe so we want to know:

a.) What area of the country/world are you from?

A. Faris: I live in Oxford, England.

b.) What are the average temperatures of your area?

A. Faris: 2-3 C

c.) What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today?

A. Faris: Thermal underwear, sweaters, winter coats, hats. But there have been a few nutters in short-sleeves and short skirts (when I say short, I mean really short). Really, someone should explain to me how these people keep warm.

d.) What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

A. Faris: Good boots. I had bought a cheapie which fell apart on me in one month and my feet weren't exactly happy with me in that month either!


MLM: Say you’re at a cabin in the mountains, and it’s not exactly warm out and you had the option of where you wanted your hot tub to be. Would you have the hot tub inside or outside the cabin? Why?

A. Faris: Outside the cabin. It sounds insane, but I can vouch for this option, having actually gone for a dip in a hot tub in winter while in Rotorua, New Zealand. The cold against your face while the rest of you is wonderfully warm, and the litter of stars above you. Fantastic.


MLM: If you could go anywhere in the world for the holidays, where would you choose to go? Why that destination over others?

A. Faris: Mexico. Why? Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza. That's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?


MLM: We’ve had our fun, now it’s time to switch the focus to your writing. Why time travel and fantasy? What was the draw for you?

A. Faris: I am just starting out, so I am actually experimenting with many sub-genres of romance. I can't say that I will always write fantasy romances, or time travel romances, although I have had a great time with both. The former was an off-shoot of an idea I had while telling my son the fairytale 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. The former...I think I might have been watching too much Dr. Who at the time!

One thing is for certain, though, I LOVE writing romance. You won't find me apologizing for it, years down the road, I hope. LOL. I find the character development love can bring (in real life and in books) fascinating and the draw of romance, for me, is that change love can bring, despite the circumstances.


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words hot, steamy, mysterious, paranormal etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

A. Faris: Believable.

No matter what story I am writing, at no point do I want the reader to think “Jeez, that is just stupid. No one would ever...*insert character's behavior*” Even if it is a fantasy, time travel, space age, apocalyptic (and other variations thereof) romance, I wish for the readers to be able to identify with the heroine, want to meet the hero, and pretend to inhabit the world I have created.


MLM: Earlier we discussed stress and the holidays. While stress may not always be conducive to writing, do you find that the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how? How tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode? What does it take to get you back on track?

A. Faris: Holidays are a paradox. While I find it disturbs my schedule, the forced break from writing always produces many ideas for exploration later. It is actually quite good for the creative process, but not for the actual writing itself. But I don't really find it hard to get back into writing mode. I get back on track as soon as I get over jet lag!


MLM: Who decides what the characters/creatures you write about do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

A. Faris: I like to think my muse and I are in a partnership. She gives me ideas and I make sure they are presented in the best way possible.


MLM: Of all the stories you’ve written, which character did you have the most fun creating and why?

A. Faris: Jack in The Golden Harp. I have a tendency to favour beta-males with strict codes of honour in my stories and Jack is unlike my other heroes. It was fun to write an alpha-male with an uncertain moral compass. He could act in ways that is less than ideal, yet I found him appealing. Maybe I am developing a taste for bad boys? :)


MLM: Thanks so much for joining us, A. Faris! It's been a treat getting to know you better!

Website: http://afariswrites.wordpress.com/

Buy Link: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/

You can also find me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Allyson-Faris/100001634614828

BLURB:

“Out of Joint”

Rebecca Guthrie is a governess in the Wentworth house. In love with Bennett Wentworth, brother to her young charge, she does not realize the family harbours a secret, well beyond the scope of her imaginings. Ashamed of the family curse, the werewolf hero has vowed never to marry, denying the very real attraction he feels for her. It takes a tangle in time to uncover their secret passions, and bring the two together. The only problem is the same glitch in time threatens to tear them asunder.

“The Golden Harp”
Serving a bond of debt, Callie Harper chafes under the rule of the ogre, Alfred. When a new girl escapes Alfred's clutches, Callie is sent to retrieve her from the protection of Jack Spriggins, the upstart looking to undermine Alfred's rule of the criminal world.

All Callie has to do to gain her freedom is to overcome her conscience, and her blossoming love for Jack.