Calista Fox talks about her release Thunder and Lightening.

1). What went Between the Sheets of this book?  Either what was happening in your life when you wrote it, or what was happening with the book as you wrote it.

CF: I love writing about vampires, but to keep these types of stories fresh, you need a particular spin on the vampire hero who doesn't suck his heroine dry. When the internal desire to drink is powerful and he has to fight it, that naturally creates conflict. However, I wanted to add some unique twists to life as an immortal and some new rules to the game. Therefore, I made the heroine an immortal descendent of the Aztec Rain God, Tlaloc, with some unique traits and dangerous rules of her own! The internal and external conflict between Cane and Bev, along with the plot twists, created an incredible amount of sexual tension and also helped to make this a very emotionally charged story that I think readers will love!

2). Take us through a typical writing day and your creative process.

CF: Until the beginning of this year, I worked full-time and traveled extensively, so it was very difficult to find time to write. I learned to tune out the noise around me and concentrate on my stories so I could write while on an airplane, in a hotel bar, in a cab, or at an executive aviation terminal. I ought to be less pressed for writing time now that I'm doing it full-time, but it still seems as though I'm trying to cram in writing between everyday life and promotional efforts and whatnot. I do feel less stressed about deadlines, though, which is nice.

A good writing day for me starts with a two-mile walk around 9:00 a.m. My dogs are big walkers, and I enjoy it as well because it's the perfect time for me to brainstorm. Afterward, I spend two hours on emails, blogs, marketing and errands. I generally work on the plot of my next book(s) over a quick lunch, and then start in on writing around 12:30. Early afternoon is my favorite time to write, so I have to set an alarm to make me stop around 3:00 to walk the dogs again or play with them. Then it's back to writing for several hours, until dinner. I'm not big on TV, but I do love Two and Half Men, so I catch the reruns over dinner, make some phone calls and do any sort of outstanding administrative work from the day. When my plate is clean, I'll do research or write some more. If I'm feeling stressed or need a break, I'll play a game on my computer. I'm addicted to the The Sims™!

3). Are you a visual writer?   Do you see scenes and characters in your head?   Or do you hear the characters voices?

CF: All of the above! I have an extremely active imagination and I typically get my story ideas from dreams. It's probably why I love to sleep so much! I'll play the whole story in my head several times before I start writing it, getting to know the characters and the plot and trying out different scenarios and endings. I use a storyboarding technique for larger stories that have complex subplots so I can keep details straight. From time to time, I'll pin photos of places or actors to the board for inspiration, but I generally don't associate characters with actors. I like to keep them unique and also generic enough that readers don't get stuck with a particular actor in their mind for a character because they may not like the same actors as I do or feel they fit the character, so I leave that to readers' imaginations.

4). What is your re-writing and editing process?  Do you let anyone read your work in progress before it goes to your editor? 

CF: The first three chapters of the book are the most difficult for me. I'm not a heavy plotter because I like to let the characters take over, but I have to feel confident about the opening chapters before I can move on, so I'll work on them extensively before I get into the heart of the story. Once I feel I've nailed the opening, the story seems to flow easily for me. I do a lot of editing because it comes naturally to me, and also because I want my editors to focus on the content more so than grammatical or typographical errors or inconsistencies. If I have time, I'll let my critique partner, author Rachelle Chase, read the first three chapters. I don't think she's ever read a full manuscript before it was published, but again, it's those initial chapters that I need to have in place before I can fully develop the story.

Here's a cool idea for anyone working with a critique partner and needing to stay on-task and focused. Rachelle and I will often do timed writing on the weekends. We'll IM each other and set a goal for the hour. Then we'll go offline and work until our agreed-upon deadline, then stop and check in with each other to report our progress. It's extremely helpful in that it holds us accountable for hitting our goals and making progress with our books. It really sucks to have to admit you didn't hit your word count because you were checking your email!

5). How is your family affected by your writing career?

CF: I'm fortunate to have a very patient and supportive family, and that includes my two puppies! I've always been a writer in some form or another, so my family and friends are used to me doing three-day-weekend-write-a-thons, where I basically eat, sleep, walk the dogs and write. I've been known to write a novella in its entirety during one of these write-a-thons...it can be done if you apply yourself!

6). Were you an avid reader as a child?  What did you like to read?

CF: I couldn't get my books delivered fast enough when I was a kid! We had a great system in school where you ordered books on Monday and they were charged to your parents' account and delivered on the following Monday. It was a great supplement to the library. Thank goodness my parents have always been avid readers as well, otherwise, they likely would've cut off my relatively expensive habit!

7). Who or what influenced you to write and what inspires your imagination?

CF: Hands down it was Sydney Sheldon! Not that I ever met him, mind you, but I was so fascinated by his books in the '80s that I began to dream of being a writer. His stories have an international flair that I love and I learned a lot of life experiences from his books.

I can't name anything in particular that "inspires" my imagination. My head is pretty much a satellite dish with lots of different channels. Thankfully, my muse rarely sleeps!

8). How important is self promotion in today's publishing market and what do you do to promote your books?

CF: It's absolutely critical, especially in this economy. I'm fortunate in that my publishers are generous with their marketing dollars. Red Sage routinely runs beautiful, full-color ads in Romantic Times Bookreviews magazine and I've only come across one in the past several years that didn't feature one of my books. However, you can't rely solely on your publisher to get your name out there and advertise your book. We're lucky to have the Internet as a means to market our work. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and blogs are excellent ways to reach your audience. I typically do an online book tour before a new release and that's a lot of fun in addition to being an economical way in which to promote a book. Having an up-to-date website and regularly sending out a newsletter is helpful as well. It's not easy to stay up on these things and it cuts significantly into writing time, but it is imperative to building your readership and increasing sales.

9). What are you working on now?

CF: I'm expanding some of my older works for re-release, but I also just came up with a fantastic idea for a series over the weekend. I'm working on the proposal now and writing the first story. I hope to have it developed enough in the coming weeks to be able to share it with my readers! Follow my blog for sneak peeks! www.calistafox.blogspot.com

10). What advice do you have for aspiring writers?  And how did you keep your spirits up until the first book was published?

CF: This profession isn't for everyone. It's difficult to break into and you really have to be willing to put your heart and soul on the line. You also have to recognize whether or not you're a talented writer. Like American Idol, not everyone has what it takes to succeed. If you truly have a great book, then don't give up on finding a home for it. The fact is, most writers don't break into the business for a number of years, if at all. On the other hand, some people contact the right publisher/agent at the right time with the right manuscript and magic happens. It's very rare, but it does happen. I sold the first manuscript I ever wrote to the first publisher I submitted it to and that was a huge coup for me as a new author. By nature I'm a confident person, thanks to my parents, and I work really hard to not let the neurotic writer take over. It sucks to be rejected in any form, but it's part of the writer's life. If you want to be a published author, you have to have a thick skin, you have to be willing to take criticism (I mean really be able to take it!), and you have to be strong enough to persevere, especially in today's market.

All that said, I also believe that understanding your genre and the publishing business is a tremendous asset to aspiring writers. If you treat your writing career as a business rather than a hobby and approach it in a professional manner, you exponentially increase your chances of succeeding!

© 2010 Interview by BetweenYourSheets.com

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