The wait is nearly over! The next Night Huntress book At Grave's End is due out next week! Author Jeaniene Frost was nice enough to take some time to answer some of my questions and also offer a nice prize! So find out more about Cat & Bones and then enter the contest for the chance of a nice Christmas present :)--------------------------
Amber - Jeaniene! Thank you so much for taking the time to visit Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is an honour to have you here! I am sure the majority of my readers have read your books already. However for those who haven't had the pleasure, could start things off things by telling us a bit about your Night Huntress series?
Jeaniene – Hi Amber, thanks so much for inviting me. The Night Huntress series features half-vampire Cat Crawfield, who was raised to hate and hunt all vampires. Then her prejudices are challenged after Master vampire Bones forces her to work with him. The first book in the series is HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE and the second book is ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE.
Amber - So far there are 2 books in the Night Huntress series but the third book At Grave's End is due out very soon. Can you tell us a little about the new book? What will Cat and Bones get up to this time (although I think they have done everything now ;))
Jeaniene – In At Grave’s End, Cat has to deal with a LOT of issues. Her cover at work has been blown, an ancient Master vampire with ties to Bones seems determined to kill her – and that’s just the beginning of Cat’s problems. At Grave’s End really delves more into the vampire world than the two previous books. There are a lot of changes and revelations in store. Amber - How was the Night Huntress series born? Was it a long process?
Jeaniene – The idea first came from a dream. In my dream, I saw a man and a woman arguing, and I knew she was a half-vampire, he was a full vampire, and they were arguing because he was mad that she’d left him. Coming up with who those people were, why she’d left him – when I knew she hadn’t wanted to – and why a half-vampire and a full vampire existed anyway, became my first book. From initial dream to typing The End, it took me four months. Getting the book into shape where an editor eventually acquired it? That took almost two years.
Amber - Did you have to do a lot of research to write the series so far?
Jeaniene – A fair amount. It’s funny, I seem to do a lot of research for what later amounts to only two or three sentences in a book. For example, my series is set in contemporary times, but my hero is a centuries-old vampire. So in my opinion, I couldn’t just plop him in the story with no background information on the things that would have molded him. I did a lot of research on 18th century London life and the conditions Bones would have grown up in. Then I did research on crimes that were punishable by deportation in 1788 and what Bones would have experienced on the ship over to the South Wales penal colonies. Then on what life would have been like as a prisoner once he got there, etc. So multiple hours of research, for all of about a paragraph of description in the first book when Bones tells Cat how he turned into a vampire.
Amber - I know book Night Huntress #4 called An Early Grave is due for release in July 2009. But how many more Night Huntress books can we expect? Do you see an end or do you want to keep Cat going for as long as possible?
Jeaniene – Right now there are seven Cat and Bones books contracted in the series. I do see an end for the series, and it might happen with book seven. Or it might take another book or two to wrap up their storyline. I don’t see it going past eight or nine books, though.
I’m also contracted to write two “side character” books from the series. The first one will feature Spade as the main character, the second will feature Mencheres as the main character. I’m very excited about this and I’d like the opportunity to give more secondary characters their own books. If that happens, then even when Cat and Bones’s storyline comes to an end, readers will still get to glimpse them on the sidelines, when stories centering around another character in the Night Huntress world gets told. Amber - Who is your favourite character in the series? Are any of your characters based on people you know? On yourself?
Jeaniene – For favorite characters, it’s a tie between Cat and Bones. I really love both of them, but for different reasons. In a lot of ways, Cat is more noble than Bones, but she’s also so damned stubborn that I want to smack her at times. Bones is such a multi-layered character that he constantly surprises me, but then again, his perspective also scares me at times. If he were real, I’d want to meet him, but I’d also be afraid to meet him, lol.
Are any of my characters based people I know? No. Writing is an escapist pleasure for me, so writing about people I don’t know is half the fun.
Are any characters based on me? Hell no. When my characters consider curling up with a good book as a fun way to spend the evening, instead of hunting the undead or kicking ass, then you’ll know I started basing some characters on me ;-).
Amber - If your Night Huntress books were going to be made into a TV series or Movie who would you pick to play the main characters?
Jeaniene – Ha, I had fun with this same question on my own blog. To save time, you can go here to see who I’d cast for my characters, if I had to pick from today’s Hollywood actors/actresses:http://frost-light.livejournal.com/79035.html
Amber - You took part in the anthology ' Weddings from Hell'. Are you working on any other projects you would like to tell us about?
Jeaniene – I have a busy release year for 2009, with AN EARLY GRAVE, book four in the series, coming out July 28th, 2009. Then I also have three short stories in anthologies coming out in 2009: Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance April 13th, Four Dukes and a Devil June 30th, and Unbound, August 25th.
Right now I’m writing Spade’s book, which will probably release in 2010. As per my usual tendency, while writing his book, I’m developing an unhealthy obsession with my characters :).
Amber - Did you always want to be a writer? Have you had any interesting jobs?
Jeaniene - I knew I wanted to write a book ever since I was twelve. It just took me until I turned thirty to actually do it (never say I can’t procrastinate with the best of them!). Interesting jobs? So far being an author has been my most interesting job. Before that, I was a data processing manager, a medical bookkeeper, and a hospital employee in pre-admitting.
Amber - How do you relax? Do you enjoy any particular music/bands/TV/Games? Do any of your tastes influence your writing?
Jeaniene – I read, watch TV, and listen to music to relax. I don’t have many favorite bands, but I tend to like light alternative/light rock as far as music. As far as my tastes influencing my writing…hm. Maybe I wouldn’t be the best person to answer that. I’m probably blind to it, if it does.
Amber - What books do you like to read? Any favourite authors or series that you have to have?
Jeaniene – Oh, I love so many authors and series that I’d need several pages to list them all. I do have favorite authors listed on my website here (http://www.jeanienefrost.com/links-of-interest.html ), and as for series, if it’s urban fantasy or paranormal romance, there’s a good chance that I’m hooked on it. Amber - What have been some of your author ups and downs so far?
Jeaniene - I’ll start with the ups: Having readers email me and tell me what they loved about my books is so neat I can’t even begin to describe it. Then my books hitting the USA Today and the New York Times lists were huge ups (I still pinch myself over those!) I’ve also become friends with several people through being an author, and that has been really special. Some of those friends have saved my sanity on occasions.
The downs: It’s always a bummer to hear a reader was disappointed. I wish every reader was happy with the time they invested in my story/characters (no author strives to disappoint). But of course, it’s impossible for any book to be universally loved by all who read it.
Amber - You are stranded on a desert island. What 5 items do you hope to have with you?
Jeaniene - *grin* A satellite phone with GPS locator, crate of bottled water, box of Power bars, a tent, and a crate of weapons. You know. The usual.
Amber - Thank you so much for your time Jeaniene! I hope you will visit again!
Jeaniene - Thank you, Amber! This was fun.
--------------------------
Contest Time!Jeaniene has nicely said she will send a copy of her new book At Grave's End to one lucky winner!
So to enter the contest all you have to do is tell me what do you want Santa to bring you this year for Christmas? If you don't tell me then you don't get entered ;)
To earn yourself another entry you can post about this interview somewhere on the net. Make sure to post the link otherwise I can't confirm your entry!
The contest will stay open until Sundy the 28th of December 4pm CET and al entrants should check back to see if they have won. I will not hunt down winners and I will
At 21 December 2008 at 09:03, 
cheesygiraffe
What a great interview. I wished I could be a writer but my grammar, sentence structures and brain are all scattered. I've always wondered if authors got ideas from dreams because I usually remember mine and they are some wild ones. ;)
Only thing I want Santa to bring me for Christmas is my family down safely because of the bad weather this time of year. You worry about wrecks. Oh and I wouldn't mind a copy of At Grave's End. heehee
At 21 December 2008 at 09:10, thebluerose
Truthfully, I would just be happy to get any kinds of presents, especially when we are in a recession. What I wanted this year is a digital camera, but the good kinds are expensive. I found out a few days ago that my parents fixed the old one that was broken. As long as they don't give me that one, I don't really care what they give me this year, as long as they don't spend a lot on me. I was the lucky one that got more presents from my friends than my siblings, so I would rather give than have Santa Clause bring me a present. Even if Santa Clause brings me a present, I would give it away to someone who needs it more than I do.
I hope I win this contest so I can give the book away to my sister. She's crazy about vampire books. The library doesn't have that many vampire books and my mom wants to save up money to buy other stuff than books. =(
http://etewxok.livejournal.com/14287.html
Enjoy the holidays everyone! =)
At 21 December 2008 at 09:12, Jackie Uhrmacher
We have a safe home, my son has more clothes than he knows what to do with, and my cats are fat so I want Santa to do something for me: magically purchase a ticket for the RT convention in April. : ) Beyond that, books are always a huge request from me. I have pretty much anything else I need. You know, beyond a million dollars that is.
At 21 December 2008 at 10:42, Vickie
Amber and Jeaniene: Fab interview. I read the first book in the series, have the second one on my nightstand as next up read and really hoping to win the third one....
What I want for Christmas....I am hoping that the side trip to B&N my DH took (while I went into DSW for shoe shopping) involved a giftcard....oh please oh please oh please. And I want my own stovetop popcorn popper. A good book and some popcorn (and a Diet Pepsi and some Hot Tamales) are a perfect combo.
At 21 December 2008 at 13:54, drey
Great interview! I'd love a Kindle from Santa. Or the new Sony eReader. =)
My blog post for this giveaway is here.
At 21 December 2008 at 22:25, Amy
I also enjoyed the interview!
I'd like to find books or gift cards under our Charlie Brown tree (it really is a branch, LOL! We waited too long and all my kids found tonight were 5 trees, each 9-10 feet tall that were way over our budget, so they brought in a big branch from one of the huge trees in our yard). Other than that, what I'd really like is the gift of time for friends and family to help me sort, purge and organize my house in preparation to selling it.
At 21 December 2008 at 22:57, Caffey
Count me in! I'm so excited about the new book and visiting with Bones again!! This is one Urban Fantasy that I was hooked within the first few pages!
Gosh, beside GC for books, LOL. (I know, many of us are saying that but we are bookacholics!), but too I'd love one of those wrap blankets where they almost like a robe but also a blanket. Would so much help with being my house being a couple of blocks from the River so we get so much cold air and hate when the door is opened here! They look so warm and comfy!
At 22 December 2008 at 05:43, Unknown
I would love Santa to bring me a TON of books! HAHA I have a HUGE wishlist on Amazon! Its like 2 pages long of just books haha! I'd also love for my baby to grow an remain healthy! I posted a thread on Kelley Armstrong's website!
http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=16;t=25088;r=1 This is the link!
At 22 December 2008 at 06:46, Kathy
Well, kind of a boring Christmas this year. I broke my camera so I would like a new one and then gift cards to bookstores or clothing stores. Secretly, I'd like to get George Strait, but we won't tell my husband that!
I listed the contest on my blog http://kathyschaos.blogspot.com/2008/12/jeaniene-frost-contest.html
KathyB
Hmm... what DO I want for Christmas? Since my gf dumped me this year, I think I'd want a nice book to occupy me with the shift of 2008 to 2009. A book like At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost. I love her books and can't stop rereading those. It's one of my favorite series at the moment.
If I didn't have my Cat to keep me warm through the last hours of the crappy year of 2008, I don't know what I would do...
It feels like I have been waiting forever for At Graves End to come out! lol.
I seriously read a lot! I read about 5 (sometimes 6 if the books keep my interest) each week...no joke! My fiance is the one that makes the money and he gets really really mad because imagine how much money Barnes & Noble makes off of me each month!
So, because of this, I want Santa to bring me some books or just a gift card for books. And of course, like everyone else, I want a copy of At Graves End...like now...lol. I entered every contest that I could find to win an ARC of it but didnt win any of them :(
At 22 December 2008 at 16:24, Nancy
Amber, another great interview! I loved learning more about you, Jeaniene!
I don't need a thing now, but would love for Santa to put some nice outdoor furniture on hold for the spring. Which comes early in Florida. :)
Otherwise, I want peace for all my family and friends!
Light,
Nancy Haddock
Last Vampire Standing, May 2009
To be honest, i wish Santa would bring me money :) or gift cards. Just because i'm a weird person and i enjoy going into the store and look around until i find something i want to buy. There's just something exciting about going to the book store the day my favorite book is released or when i see something i want somewhere and i don't have to pay for it :D
At 22 December 2008 at 21:04, Jessa Slade
Great interview. I just -- as in this morning -- finished One Foot in the Grave and it was wonderful! I will posthaste (as soon as I dig my car out of the snow) run to Powells Books to get book 1 to tide me over until At Grave's End.
For Christmas I'd like to know that the economy has bottomed out already and will start making a comeback.
At 25 December 2008 at 02:44, LadyVampire2u
Such a wonderful interview!! And a great prize too. I am dying to read this latest book.
This Christmas I'd really like to get an ebook reader if possible. While I don't mind reading ebooks on my PC it would be very nice to have the ability to move around when I need or want to.
Thanks for entering me and Merry Christmas!
Another great and interesting interview!
For Christmas I would like a new printer, ours stopped working a bit ago (first no black text, then nothing at al) and it's difficult to survive without.
And a nice book to read would be a wonderful extra (hint-hint-hint ...)
And of course lots of more interviews and interesting texts to read here!
At 27 December 2008 at 12:22, Jo Anne
Hi Jeaniene: No fair posting, you can't win. LOL Unless of course you are going to donate the book-to me then of course its ok LOL. Its cool that there will be two more books about different characters. Do you ever find that a character wants to take over? That you have to write a bigger part or a whol book for that character?
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Nice interview! I love this series!
Of course I want Santa to give me books... lots of books, lol. ^__^