New Author Blog Hop: Interview with Kendare Blake

I'm so excited to participate in the New Author Blog Hop co-hosted by Michelle and Saba. Go and check out their blogs to find links to other amazing giveaways!

As for me, I'll be hosting a giveaway where you can win a $25 e-gift card for Barnes & Nobles. You might even want to use it to purchase Kendare Blake's debut novel, Sleepwalk Society.You can find my review of Kendare's new release, Anna Dressed in Blood tomorrow.

Requirements for the giveaway are at the bottom of this post. Check out the interview, check out the review tomorrow, and leave a comment for Kendare!

___________________________________________________________________________

Please give a warm welcome to Kendare Blake!

Could you briefly tell us what ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD is about?

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD is about a ghost-killing guy and a dead murderous girl. They meet. Blood flies. And in the midst of all the flying, dismembered limbs, the guy manages to make some real friends, and the girl manages to not tear his head off. Right away.

What inspired you to write ANNA?

I wanted to do something gory. Something ripping and gritty. I wanted to play SILENT HILL but I was too scared. It wasn't until after the book was written that I started to think of it as 'horror'.

What made you want to write a novel with a male POV, and how did you get into a teenage boy’s head so well?

The fact that people seem to think it was done well, is such a relief! I've written in men's heads before. I've got a pretty butch brain, myself. And I'd double check a lot, with dudes. As for why I wanted to write a male POV, I didn't. It's just a matter of who should tell the story. And Cas was the one to tell the story. If Anna had told it, we wouldn't have seen half as much. She's trapped in her house, after all.

In your book, Anna is something of an urban legend. Is there an urban legend you’ve heard that makes you shake in your boots (or preferred footwear)?

Always the one about the corpse stuffed into the box spring of a hotel mattress. Every time I stay in a hotel, I wonder what's dead inside the bed. And then I figure, "well, it's dead, and I'm tired. It won't care if I sleep on it."

ANNA is definitely in my Top 5 best book covers of the year. What was your first thought when you saw it?

Mmm....I can't exactly remember, but it was probably something like, "Oh, holy crap. Holy crap crap. Holy, holy crap." The art department, the artist, and my editor did a great job coming up with that. I'm glad you like it! I think it's pretty darned pretty. (And if I'm honest, the real words out of my mouth when I first saw it were probably lots and lots of swear words. Happy, happy swear words.)

What was your publishing journey like?

Long. I've been writing now for over a decade, studying in a master's program, churning out short stories. My first novel, SLEEPWALK SOCIETY was a small, indie press book. I sold it right before I started writing ANNA. But since then, everything's been fantastic. I lucked out with a great bunch of people, from my small press publisher to my editor, Mel Frain, at Tor, and my agent, Adriann Ranta at Wolf Literary. Of course, the publishing journey can never really be talked about in the past tense. Unless you just give up and quit. So who knows what lies ahead?

Personally, I am a huge fan of horror movies. Do you enjoy them too, and what are your favourites?

I do enjoy them! But I enjoy them best when I'm watching them with someone who is a huge chicken. I really liked INSIDIOUS this past year. I love the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, even though they're not scary. Hopefully they come out with something else soon that's wicked creepy. I still haven't seen the Paranormal Activity movies. I don't know. They don't seem like my cup of tea.

I procrastinate a lot during the writing process. Do you also procrastinate or are you very motivated when you write?

I procrastinate right at the start. Before I start a book, I'll do just about anything else that could possibly need doing. But once I start, it's on. I'll write straight through (with only minimal procrastinating) until the end.

What are your three favourite books of all time?

Oh, that's a hard question. I mean, there are books that are my favorite to read over and over, and then there are books I've read once that still resonate. There are guilty pleasures, and books I admire. And you want me to name the three favorites of ALL TIME? Impossible. So I'll just name a bunch.

HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy by Philip Pullman. THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley. THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES by Anne Rice. STEPHEN KING stuff, by Stephen King. 20th CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill. JANE EYRE, by you know who. AMERICAN PSYCHO by Bret Easton Ellis. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING by Milan Kundera. Holly Black.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Read! Read the writers that you love and find new ones. Think about the stories you enjoy and why you enjoy them. Notice how writers you love handle certain things, like the passage of time, or revealing back story. Read, read, read. And then, write, write, write.

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Thanks so much for having me on the blog! Cheers, Kendare.

To find out more about Kendare, visit her on the links below:

http://kendareblake.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4086715.Kendare_Blake

http://twitter.com/#!/KendareBlake

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000419817410

__________________________________________________________________________

Requirements for the giveaway:

- This is an international giveaway

- You must be over 13 to participate

- You must be a follower of this blog

- You need to leave a comment and your email address so I can get in touch with you.

The winner will be picked at random and will be announced on December 1. Don't forget to check out all the other blogs in the hop!