This week I am very honoured to have author Jeri Smith-Ready as my guest and she has also been nice enough to donate a contest prize! So keep reading and don't forget to enter your name into the pot!Here is what I thought of Wicked Game!
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Amber - First I want to say a huge thank you to Jeri for taking the time to answer my questions and for visting Amberkatze's Book Blog! Her amazing book 'Wicked Game
' has been one of my favourite reads so far this year and I love her leading lady Ciara!To start things off could you maybe tell us a little about your book 'Wicked Game' for the people who haven't read it yet?
Jeri - WICKED GAME
is a fun, sexy, dark urban fantasy. Here’s the back cover blurb (which I helped write, so this isn’t a total cop out ;-):Late-night radio you can sink your teeth into
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.
Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.
To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around—next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher-and the perils graver-than any con game Ciara’s ever played…
Amber - Wicked Game
blew me away! While being typical in some ways you also put your own unique twist on things. How did you come up with the concept? Jeri - It was total serendipity. I was driving to work flipping the dial and came to a classic rock station playing “Bad Company” by the band of the same name. I thought, Hmm, “Bad Company” would be a perfect title for a paranormal book with a shady main character. Ooh, and there could be a whole series with “Bad” songs as the title: “Bad to the Bone,” “Bad Medicine,” “Bad Moon Rising”…
By the time I got to the office, I had a fully formed idea for vampire DJs stuck in time and a heroine with a criminal past. If I hadn’t been listening to that station at that moment, the series would have never been born. (Cue Twilight Zone music…)
The punch line is that even though it all began with “Bad Company,” the publisher ultimately asked me to change the title.
Amber - Lots of authors have been putting playlists into their books lately but you have taken that a bit further by bringing the music into your books. How long did it take you to come up with the playlist or did the playlist come first?
Jeri - The story came first, with the music in it. For instance, in a given scene a song might be on in the background, or Shane might play something for Ciara on the guitar. Music is really integral to the novel. Sometimes it transforms a character’s mood and therefore that of the entire scene, as it does at the end of Chapter One.
So my publisher asked me to make a list of all the songs mentioned in the text, and that became the “playlist” that is literally a soundtrack to the novel.
The fun part of forming the list was figuring out which songs to choose when they were mentioned only obliquely. For instance, the text in one of the creepier scenes said that a Cure song was playing on this 1940s-era radio, but it doesn’t say which song. I chose “10:15 Saturday Night” because it’s a particularly haunting tune, providing great atmosphere. Also, that bass line would sound bizarre coming out of a Mono speaker.
Even though the playlist came from the novel and not the other way around, there was one instance where I changed a detail: I went back and put "a Liz Phair song" in the background of one scene, so I could add "Flower" to the playlist. It's a perfectly raunchy song for Ciara and Shane. Every line fits the way she feels about him at that point in the book.
Amber - You obviously listen to music but are you a fan of the music you are writing about in 'Wicked Game
'? Do you have any other favourites that didn't fit into this book?Jeri - I’m a passionate fan of every kind of music in the book—-blues, rockabilly, psychedelic, reggae, punk, Goth, indie, and grunge. Each of these genres were revolutionary in their times, which fits nicely with the counterculture nature of vampires.
I love all kinds of Celtic music—from traditional to rock to New Age. It’s just in my blood, I guess. I also love bluegrass and classical. But none of these are really associated with a specific time period, so they don’t fit the framework of the book.
You never know, maybe one day there could be a swing or jazz DJ from the 20s!
Amber - Reading through the book it came to my attention that some, if not all, of the chapter titles are names of songs. Was it hard work coming up with those titles?
Jeri - I knew I was going to name the chapters after songs, so over the course of writing the book I collected cool song titles from the radio, and then of course from my own CD collection. Unlike the “playlist” tunes, these would all be relatively popular songs (i.e., released as singles, no deep album cuts) that at least some readers would recognize.
Then I wrote for myself a brief paragraph about what happened in each chapter. Lastly, I paired up the songs with the events and made sure I didn’t repeat any artists or have too many from any one decade. These last two steps took a full day.
The chapter title playlist can be heard on the Wicked Game music page. A fun game for readers would be to go through the book and try to name the artist from the title, then look it up on the website to see if you’re right!
Or at least, I think it’d be fun. But maybe I’m just a total geek.
Amber - Ciara and the vamps are very interesting characters. Any similarities to yourself there? ;) or anyone else you know?
Jeri - Hah! I wish I could have Ciara’s self-confidence, not to mention her acting ability. I’m a terrible liar--a polygraph machine would laugh at me. (Unless I’m lying about that.) She’s way more practical and realistic than I am. Publisher’s Weekly called her “irrepressible.” I, on the other hand, am easily repressed.
I relate most easily to Shane--not just his age and taste in music, but his idealistic pessimism. He wants the world to be perfect but knows more than most people how much it can suck. I wonder if but for the grace of good fortune, I’d be as haunted as he and his hero Kurt Cobain were during their lifetimes.
Regina is a tiny bit inspired by my best friend from college, who first turned me on to punk and Goth music. But I didn’t realize this until just now. Wow. No wonder Regina totally kicks ass. *waves to Anne Marie*
Amber - I hope Wicked Game
wasn't a one off and we will be seeing more of Ciara and the crew! What can we expect in the future? Jeri - Absolutely! A sequel, BAD TO THE BONE, will be published May 2009. To tide readers over until then, I’m writing a series of tie-in short stories, to appear on my website every other month beginning at the end of June, that depict the “turning” of each of the vampire DJs. These are very secret stories they only share with people they trust with their lives.
Also, subscribers to my totally-unannoying-quarterly newsletter will get early access to each story, as a gift for putting up with me. There’s a sign-up box for the newsletter on pretty much every page of my website.
Hopefully there’ll be many more WVMP books to come after BAD TO THE BONE. I have big plans for Ciara ‘n’ Crew! (Heh-heh, little do they know… *rubs hands together, Montgomery Burns-like*)
Amber - Wicked Game
isn't your first book. I know I have your other books on my wishlist and hope to get hold of some of them soon. Maybe you can tell us a little about your previous novels?Jeri - My first book, REQUIEM FOR THE DEVIL
, is most like WICKED GAME in terms of tone and story, because it's urban fantasy. It's a love story but not a romance. Can't guarantee an HEA for that one. But I've reformed since then--no more tragedies for me. ;-)My other series is a romantic epic fantasy trilogy called ASPECT OF CROW. It takes place in a world where everyone has magic according to their Guardian Spirit Animal or totem. I guess it’s kind of Native American-esque, but they’re not meant to be Native Americans. The totem animal concept is universal to shamanistic cultures around the world.
ASPECT OF CROW follows the same heroine through three books: EYES OF CROW
(November 2006), VOICE OF CROW
(October 2007), and THE REAWAKENED 
(November 2008). Each has a romance subplot. They're quite different in tone and style from WG, in that they're serious and dark (and somehow with no profanity!). But if you like animals and magic, you might dig this series. I’m really proud of it.Amber - What books do you enjoy reading when you aren't writing your own?
Jeri - I tend to read widely rather than deeply and seldom follow series for more than a book or two, unless I can slurp them up all in a row (like I did with Harry Potter last July). So I’ll read Book One, then if I like it I’ll wait until they’re all out and read the entire series at once.
And if a series shows no sign of ending, like, ever? Forget it. Just send the 55-volume box set to me at the nursing home, okay?
My current favorite authors tend to write stand-alone novels or loosely connected series, usually either fantasy or mainstream fiction: Neil Gaiman, PC Cast, Charles de Lint, Christopher Moore, James Morrow, Caprice Crane, Nick Hornby, and John Irving, to name a few. They also tend to be funny.
Amber - If you could only take 3 things on to a desert island what would they be?
Jeri - Assuming that basic survival needs like water, food, shelter, bathroom facilities, sunscreen, and my husband and pets are provided…
Music and a way to play it (iPod, victrola, whatever)
Books
My favorite stuffed animal Nork. He’s sort of a cat, and my mom gave him to me when I was 16. I take him traveling with me everywhere—he’s been to the Grand Canyon, the Bahamas, and even the Situation Room at the White House.
For more about WICKED GAME, check out My site. To visit the DJs, listen to a musical sample of their shows, and get yourself some cool Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll, swag, go to WVMP Radio. Jeri and Ciara can also be found on MySpace, though mysteriously never at the same time.
Amber - Thank you Jeri for the great interview! I will be checking out more of Jeri's books and I can't wait for 'Bad to the Bone'.
If you want a little sample of Jeri's work then go here to read 'The Wild's Call' a Free online short story!
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Contest time!So when I asked Jeri if she had time to be interviewed I also mentioned giving away my copy of 'Wicked Game
' for the contest. However the lovely lady said (and I quote) I'll give away a signed copy of WICKED GAME to a randomly drawn winner. :-)
So who wants a copy of Wicked Game
? And signed? How to enter -
To enter the contest to win a signed copy of Wicked Game
make a comment here on this thread letting us know what songs you would have to put on your songlist!But wait...you can get an extra entry if you post about this contest somewhere else (you need to post a link so I can confirm your entry)
And you can get another entry if you sign up for my newsletter! (entry form below and in the sidebar).
So you could get up to 3 entries if you play along!
Also feel free to ask Jeri questions! She may pop by and answer them if you are really lucky!!
The contest is open till Sunday 6th of July (9pm CET) and you have to send me your full name and address if you win.
So enter away!!! Good Luck everyone!
Labels: Book Talk, Contests, Jeri Ready-Smith, Just for Fun, Music, signed copy
At 29 June 2008 at 16:49, 
Jeri
*waves to Arwen*
If anyone has any questions or comments, I'd be happy to answer them. And since it looks like the links in the last paragraph aren't working (freaking Blogger software), I'll put them here, since I know it's already past midnight Amber's time:
More info on WICKED GAME
WVMP's website
my MySpace
Ciara's MySpace
Thanks for having me, Amber!
At 30 June 2008 at 04:06, Cherie
Alright, consider me entered, 3 times! :)
For songs that would HAVE to be in my song list.
- Island in the Sun by Weezer
- Mr. Jones by the Counting Crows
Off the top of my head those are my top two I've got... :)
Oh, and I posted a link to your contest over on my own blog:
http://books.cheriepie.com/2008/06/contest-wicked-game-by-jeri-smith-ready.html
I luvs the contests!
My playlist? Metalic Rain by Vangelis, the Eyes OF Truth by Enigma, Rubycon by Tangerine Dream. I'm a huge rocker but can't sit still when the stuff is playing so when I write I go for electronic and soul-lifting for my "white noise". As for a link, I've posted back on my blog like usual. Would have anyway because it was a great interview!
Too early for good questions to Jeri (seeing how you took all the really good ones) but looking forward to reading WG. Sounds like a blast.
At 30 June 2008 at 12:05, Icedream
I have been hearing so much online about this book! I would love to win a copy. My play list would have to include Enter Sandman, Heart Shaped Box and Freak. I blogged about your contest, you can link to it here, and I subsribed to your blog. Keeping my fingers crossed!
At 30 June 2008 at 12:23, Unknown
I've been eyeing this book ever since I first saw it in a contest in Rachel Vincent's blog, so I'm so in. :)
I like hearing music but I'm not usually one that's very into the musical trends or groups/singers (I can love a song without knowing who the heck sings it) but I'm fascinated with the following songs so I'd definitely have them on a playlist.
If I Fall - Aqualung
Gravity of Love - Enigma
Apologise - OneRepublic (non-Timbaland version, by the way)
Can't Take it In - Imogen Heap
Thanks for offering this one, Amber!
Rita (Xeyra)
At 30 June 2008 at 16:56, Kathy
I posted your webaddy on my blog: http://kathyschaos.blogspot.com/
My playlist(Current favorites) on my IPod includes:
Nobody But Me - Blake Shelton
Cry Lonely - Cross Canadian Ragweed
How to Save a Life - The Fray
Troubadour - George Strait
Make Her Fall in Love - George Strait
Making Memories of Us - Keith Urban
Hard Man to Love - Kevin Fowler
I'm with the Band - Little Big Town
Stay - Little Big Town
A Hard Secret to Keep - Mark Chesnutt
Thanks, everyone, for stopping by! I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have. Good luck in the drawing!
Cherie: Mr. Jones is one of my favorite songs ever! It was one of the songs I gave when someone asked me for three that would be the soundtrack of my life. :-)
Ruth: Hey, thanks for the review and linking to the blog! So glad you enjoyed WICKED GAME. Good luck in the drawing.
Pike: Thanks for linking! Wow, I haven't heard Enigma in forever. Definitely good stuff for writing. I have a whole playlist called "Nondistracting background music."
verses_that_hurt: I LOVE "If I was Your Vampire"!
Susan: Thanks so much! WICKED GAME totally covets you back. ;-)
icedream: Thanks for linking! I love your choices. HEART-SHAPED BOX is my birthday song this year (the first song I hear on the radio after my birth minute).
Rita: OK, I'm definitely going to have to go dig up some Enigma. I'll have to check out your other bands, too. (I'm clueless as to a lot of what's out there.)
Jennybrat: I love Evanescence. (I think there's a rule that all female dark fantasy authors have to love Evanescence. :-)
Kathy: I'm not that familiar with country music, but I *do* know that Keith Urban is hot (and looks a lot like I imagine Shane in WICKED GAME).
Rachel: Thanks for the link! I love that song. That whole album is brilliant. I heard it was a great concert, too--they did half the concert as MCR and the other half as The Black Parade (different costumes, set, etc).
Christine: I've heard great things about the new Weezer. I'm off to check it out right now.
At 2 July 2008 at 02:34, Harry Markov
Oh, I finally got time to respond. If I have to put songs on a playlist they would be quite many, but for my novel project:
"Don't Blame Your Daughter" by Cardigans
"Path" - Sandra Nassick / Apocalyptica
"Push it" - Garbage
"Bite the Hand that feeds you" - Nine Inch Nails
"Bliss" - Tori Amos
"When I grow Up" - Pussycat Dolls
Oh and I signed for the newsletter.
great contest and i loved reading the interview
for the ipod, how about
broken - by seether
frail by .. (i dont know the name)
and anything by cradle of filth
i had a question for ya (or two if thats ok) ..
what's the best advice you've ever been given? :)
and if Wicked Game were to become a movie, which actors would you choose in the lead roles and why?
daelith: Color me envious on the new iPod--have fun with it!
popinfresh: Ooh, Rise Against--I love them! Must look them up again soon.
reeva: Hmm, the best advice? Be a professional. Authors should try to understand the ins and outs of publishing as much as we can so that we know what to expect, and to understand that the world does not revolve around any one author (especially me).
Also, shoot for a ten percent reduction in book size from first to final draft. I don't know if that applies to everyone, though--I tend to write overstuffed first drafts. :-)
If WICKED GAME were a movie, I'd cast Scarlett Johansson as Ciara, Cillian Murphy as Shane (since Keith Urban doesn't act), and--just figured this one out the other day--Christian Bale as David. And definitely Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Franklin.
night critter: Those are great choices! Good luck in the drawing.
kisakat: wow, that's so funny. There's a Green Day song and a Rob Zombie song on the WICKED GAME playlist. Not only that, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is one of the chapter titles.
To hear the music of WICKED GAME, you can visit the book's music page.
theresa n.: I'm a *huge* Bowie fan. We play DIAMOND DOGS every Halloween when we carve our jack o' lantern. It's a little tradition we have. :-)
At 3 July 2008 at 13:04, Unknown
So many interesting choices so far!
I have to admit that I have been a little boring lately, music wise.
My ipod is filled with KMFDM, KGC, TheStart, iLiKETRAiNS, Portishead and anything Anneke from The Gathering is singing on.
Maybe when I am on holiday I will get the dusty cd box out and have a listen to some good old Nirvana, NIN, Faith No More etc
At 3 July 2008 at 21:43, Breanna
Great contest Amber! I really want to read Wicked Game. I'd love to have a copy. =) So lets see. Songs for my playlist. I'd have to go with...
"Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat
"The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Hero/Heroine" by Boys Like Girls
"Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
"Pictures of You" by The Last Goodnight
"I Know" by Save Ferris
"C'mon C'mon" by The Von Bondies
"Shake It" by Metro Station
I could add a lot more but those were the first that came to my mind, lol. I'm also posting about the contest on my myspace at
www.myspace.com/johncusackrules
and I'm going to sign up for your newsletter!
-Breanna
At 4 July 2008 at 01:26, Dawn M.
I tend to listen to whole albums rather than single songs, so my current playlist would include: Blue October (Foiled For The Last Time), Breaking Benjamin (We Are Not Alone & Phobia), Poets of the Fall (Signs of Life, Carnival of Rust & Revolution Roulette) and Snow Patrol (Eyes Open).
I followed a link from The Book Girl's blog, so this was my first time here. I enjoyed the interview and signed up for your newsletter. Thanks!
My computer is retarted and deleted my other comment sorry if this gets posted twice.
A great interview. I'm glad that I happened upon 'Wicked Game' while browsing the library. I really enjoyed the book and can't wait for the next one.
My song that I would add is 'Stay with Me' by Danity Kane.
I posted about the contest on my blog. http://johnsbeautifulangel.blogspot.com/2008/07/wicked-game.html
And I signed up for your news letter.
At 5 July 2008 at 15:52, LadyVampire2u
Great interview! I'd love to get this book. Have it on my wishlist. For my playlist:
Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie
Wish I had an Angel by Nighwish
Wake Me Up Inside by Evanescence
Absence of Light by Symphony X
I Stand Alone by Godsmack
Iron Man by Black Sabbath
Carry On by Manowar
BTW, I am signed up on your newsletter too.
At 5 July 2008 at 20:45, Lori T
Hi Amber and Jeri~
Great contest...and I know Jeri..I have gotten a bit lax in my stalking duties...darn real life.
Hmmm...song for my playlist would have to include
Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield...I know this dates me but the song just makes me smile when I hear it.
Anything by Alkaline Trio.
Seize the Day by Avenged Sevenfold.
I hope everyone had a great 4th.
Amber, I signed up for the newsletter.
Amber: Thanks so much for having me! I sheepishly admit I've never heard of any of the bands you list (except Portishead). I'm just getting back into indie music after a long time away.
Lorna: Thanks for your comments! So glad you enjoyed the interview.
Paula: Those are great choices! I'm a huge fan of Paul Simon's GRACELAND and RHYTHM OF THE SAINTS albums.
Peppervl: Love that song! And thanks so much for linking.
Breanna: Great to see you here! I never noticed that your MySpace URL was "johncusackrules." He certainly does. :-)
Dawn: I've really liked what I've heard of Snow Patrol--I need to check into them more. *makes note*
booksforever: I think I love you just for your username. Thanks for stopping by!
Jennifer: Thank you thank you for the nice things you said about WG on your blog! Made my day. :-)
anonymous: Eddie & the Cruisers--wow! I used to have that on vinyl, believe it or not. Need to grab the CD or the download and hear it again.
ladyvampire2u: Great list! I'm a huge Evanescence fan--then again, I think it's required of all female dark fantasy writers. ;-)
Lori: Hey, where ya been? ;-) I love love love "Jesse's Girl." Rick Springfield was my very first concert.
Thanks again to everyone who commented and linked, and especially thanks again to Amber for having me as a guest! Hope everyone had a great weekend.
*waves*
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Great interview! Jeri is a fave of mine. :) I posted this on my LJ and MySpace pages. You can see one at http://www.myspace.com/tarotbyarwen and the other at http://stephanielynch.livejournal.com/920279.html
and no, I don't think I get more than the one entry for the extra promo. I just like Jeri. :)