Author Interview: Jessica Andersen

Jessica Andersen graciously agreed to answer some questions about her new paranormal series (among other things), and we hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as we did. Check back later today to find out how you can win a copy of Nightkeepers!

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Book Binge: Can you tell us a little bit about selling Nightkeepers, Book 1 of your Final Prophecy series?

Jessica Andersen: After finding the reference to the 12/21/2012 doomsday that inspired the series (see below), it took me nearly eighteen months of in-depth research, worldbuilding, writing and re-writing before I had a strong proposal that not only had the cool 2012 doomsday concept going for it, but also had compelling characters, an intricate plot and a romance strong enough to pull off the concept.

Within two weeks of submitting the proposal to a select few agents, I signed with the wonderful Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency. I told her that my dream editor/publisher would be Kara Cesare at NAL, because of the amazing job she’s done with my critique partner’s stories (J.R. Ward and her awesome Black Dagger Brotherhood series). Within a few days of Deidre sending the proposal to Kara, NAL had pre-empted, and we were on our way!

Thus, while the actual ‘selling’ process (from getting my dream agent to signing with my dream editor) took under a month, it was the end result of two longer processes, namely eight-plus years of honing my writing chops, first as an unpublished author, then as a romantic suspense author for Harlequin Intrigue, and more than a year and a half of building the Nightkeepers’ world before even submitting the project.

BB: You have written quite a few books for the Harlequin Intrigue line. What’s the difference in writing for Harlequin vs. writing a single title like Nightkeepers (aside from the obvious paranormal aspect)?

JA: My first science-based Intrigue came out in late 2003; my eighteenth and nineteenth are out now (TWIN TARGETS, 5/08 and WITH THE MD… AT THE ALTAR? 6/08). While working on the Intrigues, I kept submitting single title proposals that never really went anywhere, I think because I was trying to write a medical romantic suspense that was longer without really being bigger. It wasn’t until I stumbled on the Nightkeepers’ world that a storyline really grabbed me and demanded that I write it… and the Nightkeepers’ story isn’t just big, it’s huge.

NIGHTKEEPERS is three times the length of one of my Intrigues, and it contains not only several intertwining storylines that are resolved within the book, but also begins a number of storylines that will finish in future books, some stretching all the way to the end of the story arc in December 2012. So in that way, it is very different from my Intrigues. However, the books are similar in that I enjoy bringing details into my stories; I love when I learn something new while reading a book, and hope I bring that to readers. Whether it’s a science-based Intrigue or a Mayan mythology-based paranormal, I’d like a reader to walk away from the story knowing something she (or he) didn’t know going in.

BB: How did you get started writing?

JA: During the 90s, I did a double stint at Tufts University for an undergraduate biology degree and a PhD in genetics. During grad school and for a year after, I worked at the New England Eye Center, helping search for the genetic mutations responsible for certain types of glaucoma. It was very cool work, but the writing aspect of science suited me far better than the labwork. It wasn’t until the head of my thesis committee complimented my thesis by saying it “read like a mystery novel” that I admitted I was… um… writing a romantic suspense novel in my free time. Soon after, I left the lab and spent the next couple of years freelancing as a scientific editor while I worked on getting my writing career off the ground.

BB: What’s your typical writing day like?

JA: I’m generally up around 6 a.m., surf the web for a half hour or so over my first cup of tea, and then get to work. If I’m at the beginning of a story, I’ll write on my main computer and answer email as it comes in, poke around a bit more on the web as I need details to flesh out the bones of the plot, etc. If I’m deeper into a story (i.e. a deadline is on the horizon), I’ll use a laptop that’s not connected to the internet in order to avoid distraction. I eat lunch at the computer and work until I hit the ‘afternoon groggy stage’, at which point I head outside to do chores (we have a small working farm). I’ll usually be on the computer another couple of hours in the evening, answering fan mail, doing guest blogs, promos, etc.

(Holly: No Coffee?? That’s just not right!)

That’s on a productive day. On a less productive day, I do lots of mindless stuff (mowing, weed whacking, mucking, etc.) while trying to figure out what’s not working in the story. For me, writer’s block is typically my subconscious saying ‘Warning! You’ve just gone off the rails! Back up! Don’t keep writing until you figure it out!’

BB: Do you outline/plan before you start writing a book? If so, do you generally find yourself following the outline/plan?

JA: Because the books of the FINAL PROPHECY series are interconnected (each is a stand-alone with a complete romance, but they add to each other within the larger save-the-world story arc) I definitely plan and outline prior to writing. For each book, I know where each of the characters and plot lines begins and approximately where each should end up, and I’ve got some major scenes and turning points sketched out.

However, when I’m actually writing the story, I often find myself getting to a point where I’ve planned for something to happen, and realizing that because I’ve planned it that way, I’ve made it too obvious. I’m a huge fan of being surprised in books/movies/TV shows, and I’d like to give readers the same experience. Thus, when I get to a point where the next step seems obvious, that’s exactly where I say to myself ‘What else could happen?’ and go with that option as long as it makes sense with the character and situation. Life is unexpected, so as far as I’m concerned, stories should be unpredictable within the rules of the world.

BB: Can you tell our readers the premise behind the Final Prophecy series?

JA: The ancient Mayan Long Count calendar ends on December 21, 2012. On that day, the sun, moon and earth will align at the galactic center, in a conjunction that some scientists predict could trigger cataclysmic upheavals (sun spots, magnetic reversals, etc.). The NOVELS OF THE FINAL PROPHECY tell of the ancient Mayan myths that come to life in the last four years before 12/21/2012, and their opposition by the Nightkeepers, descendants of an ancient magic-wielding race sworn to protect mankind from the apocalypse.

In NIGHTKEEPERS, the last king of the magi is forced to team up with a Miami-Dade narcotics detective in order to reunite his scattered warriors and fight the gods of the Mayan underworld. Wielding ancestral magic based on bloodletting and sex, the king will have to choose between his duty and his love for the human woman who is the gods’ destined sacrifice.

BB: How did you get the idea for the series?

JA: One of my most vivid early memories is being on a family vacation and climbing up inside the big pyramid at Chichen Itza to see the jaguar throne. People were packed nose-to-butt, crouched down in the narrow stairway, with everyone on the right side going up and the ones on the left coming down. It was dark and cold, the stones were slippery, and I’m claustrophobic. But dude, seeing the jaguar up close and thinking about the people who’d carved and worshipped it… that’s something I’ll never forget.

Then, years later when I was working on a suspense proposal that involved poisonous snakes, I had a total “ooh, shiny!” moment when I pulled up a website on Mayan serpent rituals. From there, I found a reference to how the Mayan Long Count calendar ends on December 21, 2012, coinciding with an astrological event that scientists think could trigger sunspots and magnetic reversals, and maybe even knock the earth off its orbit. And I sat there thinking: Holy crap, this is it. This is what I want to write about.

BB: I would imagine the research you had to do for the series was exhaustive. Can you tell us a bit about the process and how you keep everything straight?

JA: My formal training as a researcher definitely helped me track down the information I needed and wanted when I was working on NIGHTKEEPERS. I keep both hard copy and spreadsheet information files, and have a bookcase stuffed full of references, all of which are cited on my website. I love the history and the science of the Nightkeepers’ world, so the research has become as much a hobby as a job. That’s the good news. The bad news is that as I write, I keep wanting to include all the cool details I’ve learned about. . . and usually wind up with a 700-plus page manuscript. Thus, as I’m cutting down the story, I keep in mind one of my mottos as a scientific editor: This is an interesting detail, but how does it specifically relate to the matter at hand?

BB: Do you already have the story arc or the number of books in the series planned?

I have basic plots and hero/heroine pairs planned through the entire story arc, which carries us up to 12/21/2012… when the world either does or doesn’t end. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that NIGHTKEEPERS and the subsequent books, DAWNKEEPERS (1/09) and DEMONKEEPERS (6/09) find an audience that will keep reading the books through to the end!

BB: Though we all like discovering new authors…why should we try Nightkeepers? What makes it unique?

JA: NIGHTKEEPERS has a ton of plot and action, and a mythology that is very different from most of what the genre is currently offering. It’s sort of like Indiana Jones meets Heroes, with a fully realized love story and some major end-of-the-world stakes. All in all, I wrote it because it’s the sort of story I want to read. . . and I hope there are readers out there who feel the same way, and that they enjoy the heck out of the story, because it was a ton of fun to write!

BB: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

JA: Keep writing, revising, submitting, rewriting, re-revising and re-submitting, even when it feels like you’re having your teeth pulled while trying to pass a kidney stone. Many of the wonderful writers I know had put six to ten years in the business before becoming “instant” success stories, and some others are still in the process of getting there. Work on your craft, and write stories that you would want to read!

Now on to the Really Important Questions (haha):

If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
Bummed. LOL- no, seriously, I tried out a bunch of other stuff on the way to authordom- from marine mammal stranding rescue to cloning genes for blinding eye diseases- and none of them have fit me nearly so well as writing. Being an author allows me to pretend to be someone who’s an expert at all the stuff I like to dabble in. . . and it means I don’t have to commute to work, which I hate like poison.

Who is your favorite romance author?
It’s a toss-up between J.R. Ward and Suzanne Brockmann, both of whom are hands-down phenomenal writers.

What is your favorite romance novel to re-read?
Hrm. I’m not much of a re-reader, and almost never of romance. The two books I’ve re-read so many times I wore out my first copy and had to buy seconds are STARTIDE RISING by David Brin and THE BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER by Richard Bach. If I had to choose a romance, it’d be GABRIEL’S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair. I’m a sucker for an awesome space opera with a rocking love story.

Pepsi or Coke? LOL! Diet Coke with lime before noon, caffeine free after noon.

What’s your biggest weakness (shoes, books, chocolate, etc)? Chocolate. My diet pretty much consists of Diet Coke (see above), chocolate and salad. With the occasional chicken breast or burger thrown in for protein.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!!!!

Coffee or Tea? Tea; specifically Tazo Awake. The taste of coffee makes my nose hairs curl.

Favorite movie? Anything with heroic main characters, lots of stuff blowing up or being otherwise destroyed, and a happy ending of some sort. No subtitles need apply (except for the single exception of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is better with the subtitles, imho)

Favorite T.V. show? It’s a toss-up between the new Battlestar Galactica and Bones. Those’re the two shows during which nobody is allowed to speak to me, on pain of death J. Oh, and Red Sox games are always a good bet (talking is allowed during baseball ).

Favorite color? Teal.

Mexico or Hawaii? Mexico, of course! I’m a total Mayan ruin rat.

Fly or Drive? Fly. It’s one of the few times I actually have an excuse to read a book instead of working on something else.

Beach or Mountains? If I’ve just got a couple of days to relax, then hit me with the beach. More than two days of sitting around, though, and I’m bored silly, so I’d do the mountain thing for a longer trip.

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Jessica, thank you so much for the wonderful interview!

Go pre-order Nightkeepers now!!!

Read more about the 2012 Doomsday Prophecy here, the Nightkeepers here and the Maya here.

Read Holly’s review of Nightkeepers here. Check out the excerpts here @ TGTBTU and here on Jessica’s website. Visit her newly revamped website here. Join her message board here.

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