Author Interview:
Can you, for those who don't know
you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an
author?
Hi! My name is Alexa Piper, and I
write paranormal romance books that have been known to make people
laugh out loud in public. Some stories I write are downright dark
though, and if those make you laugh, I compliment you on a singular
sense of humor. I started writing fantasy and science fiction several
years back and then later branched out into romance. With several
series out now, it gives me room to let my characters grow and
experience more, which is a lot of fun for me to write about.
What is something unique/quirky
about you?
Orchids seem to like me. I've been
known to get even the lost causes to bloom.
What are some of your pet peeves?
I am a terribly picky reader. If I
don't like something about a book, if it's not well written, I can't
go on. The more I write, the more critical I become of all media I
consume, so I tend to spend time on only things that I really enjoy.
Frees more time for making my own stories.
Where were you born/grew up at?
Aw, I love to let people guess, so I
cannot give that away! A lot of the time, they guess wrong.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow,
how would you spend your last day?
Like I spend a relaxing Sunday: some
reading, connecting with friends, take a day trip to a pretty city
maybe.
Who is your hero and why?
Whichever person in a room full of
people speaks out when they see something wrong happening.
What kind of world ruler would
you be?
Benevolent Dictator Squid because
squids are awesome, and they have many arms. (Being a squid isn't
against the rules, is it?)
What are you passionate about
these days?
Do not waste my time. No, really;
don't.
What do you do to unwind and
relax?
Sleep, have coffee, make pancakes
(and eat them.) And I cannot do all of them at the same time, which
is a shame.
Describe yourself in 5 words or
less!
...Benevolent Dictator Squid?
When did you first consider
yourself a writer?
When I sold a poem for actual money.
Which of your novels can you
imagine made into a movie?
All of them! And they would be
R-rated and full of great acting and well-made special effects,
because my Fae need to look shiney.
What literary pilgrimages have
you gone on?
I went to the Whiskey Museum in
Dublin. That counts, right?
As a writer, what would you
choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Benevolent Dictator Squid.
What inspired you to write this
series?
The first book was the kind of story
that just hits you over the head, nearly fully formed. I wrote it in
ten days or so, that's how badly it wanted to be on the page. Even
now, there are situations that I see playing out in my head like a
movie, and they are usually these hilarious character moments. In the
second book, when, uhm, in spoiler-free terms, when Heath puts his
foot down before the big highlight event in that book, that was one
of those scenes. There are just so many characters in this universe
that I love to bits, even if I feel that as an author, it is my
sacred responsibility to keep an open mind about possibly having
very, very bad things happen to them. (Then I remember I am a
Benevolent Dictator Squid, and I try being real nice, but as a result
the goat had to die in book 2. Go read it, it'll make sense.
Probably.)
What can we expect from you in
the future?
More books. In my Fairview
Chronicles series, I seem to have discovered the lovely niche of
furniture porn since one of my characters is a desk who is very horny
all the time, so more of that, but just more books in general. (Since
I have not said the word squid in a while, I would like to point out
that I have a book with a kraken demon in it, and he doesn't just use
his tentacles for tickling, if you catch my drift. It's called Loved
by a Kraken. Check it out!)
Can you tell us a little bit
about the characters in your Dusk & Dawn series?
Sure! There's Maxim, the bardic
vampire hunter who loves a pun. Clement is a household guardian
called a Lar who spent some time as a poltergeist and is a bit of a
misanthrope. Gordon is a forensic pathologist, and one item on his
bucket list is probably to dye his hair in all the colors of the
rainbow, though I don't know if he has a bucket list. Oh, and if you
are into really evil characters, Laurenzio dazzles in all the ways he
is despicable. I'm sure there are also level-headed characters who
simply have a plan and can handle stressful situations like
unwrapping mummies and things, but it looks like I forgot all about
them.
What did you enjoy most about
writing this book?
I want to know what happens next! I
may have a somewhat better idea of that than the reader, but I only
find out when I sit down and write it, and that is really the best
part!
Tell us about your main
characters- what makes them tick?
Obviously, they all want world
peace. After all, I made them in my image, I, your Benevolent
Dictator Squid.
Did you learn anything during the
writing of your recent book?
I write furniture porn, and there is
no denying it, not since the desk had that wet dream about a foursome
on top of it.
Anything specific you want to
tell your readers?
I know that whenever someone picks
up a book from a new author, it's like an advance in trust. I'm
grateful, and I'll do my best to earn it! To returning readers:
thanks for buying another ticket! I hope you enjoy this ride as much
as you did the last!
Are your characters based off
real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
They invade my imagination, and a
lot of the time, they don't ever leave.
Advice they would give new
authors?
You must practice. Writing is like
any craft; it can be learned, but it takes repetition and the
strength to handle rejection--a lot of rejection--to improve. And let
me stress again: you must practice, meaning, sit down and write.
What makes a good story?
Beginning, middle, end.
What is your writing process? For
instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I'm a pantser, aka discovery writer.
This means I just sit down and write the story as it comes to me. It
took me some time to realize this, because a lot of writing advice
focuses on outlining. I think that advice is useful, but in my case,
I had to give myself permission to just enjoy the process of telling
the story, and outlining robbed me of that joy.
If you could tell your younger
writing self anything, what would it be?
Write more!
