Interview with JA Huss
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing fiction for about two years and non-fiction for about six years.
What inspired you to write the Rook and Ronin series
TRAGIC was a fluke. I was looking at stock art, trying to find a smexy picture of lovers to use as a cover for another book, and I started wondering if the passion in some of these images was real or whether or not they were faking it. I thought I could tell the difference, you know? Like the passionate ones weren’t faking it, but really feeling it and that’s what made those pictures stand out from the others. So I decided to write a story based off that premise.
Did you plan for it to be a series?
Yes. I knew Rook had issues to deal with from her past and I thought it was unreasonable and unrealistic to expect her to do that in one book. I wanted to give her time to figure out who she is, make mistakes getting what she thinks she wants, then learn from them and make new mistakes. Life is a process and I wanted Rook’s character arc to follow this process.
Which of your characters do you relate to most and why?
Rook. I’ve been Rook. I escaped a very bad relationship by moving to a new city with two kids. I didn’t get a modeling job out of it, but I did get a master’s degree.
What is a secret about you that nobody else knows?
Secret that no one knows, that’s tough. I don’t think I have any of those! But I’ll tell you something most people don’t know – I’ve seen Metallica in concert five times.
If your real life was a fictional book, what would you, the main character, be like?
It really depends on what life stage I was in. I’m very mellow and easy going now, but I wasn’t always like this. My life could make up a whole month’s worth of Lifetime Movie of the Week docudramas. It’s been a crazy ride.
What book have you read too many times to count?
Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan. I can almost recite this book in my sleep.
What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
If you want to pay your bills as an author, write what people want to read. Also, write a crapload of books. Even if the first ten suck, you get better with each one and you never know which book will appeal to a large audience.
If you could hop into the life of any fictional character, who would it be and why?
Cinderella, for all the obvious and shallow reasons.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Well, for TRAGIC, I think I learned that I like writing humor. This book has a few funny parts that I love and my SF series is very dark, so it was a nice change for me. Also, sexy scenes don’t always have to have sex in them.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Read mostly, but I like watching movies and wasting a bunch of time on Facebook and Twitter, too!
Are any of the things in your books based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
A little bit of both. Obviously a lot of my science fiction stuff is made up, but there are lots of places and things that are real, even in that series. Almost all my books take place in Colorado and that’s because I live here. Tragic and Manic take place in Denver and Panic takes place mostly in Fort Collins, which is where I went to college for undergrad. All the modeling and body painting stuff from Tragic and Manic is all made up. I have no idea how any of that is done, but I imagine artists are particular. If Antoine Chaput wants to run his studio a certain way, no one can tell him he can’t. I like to go with that assumption when I’m creating a setting and characters. That way I own everything about that world.
Thank you for having me on your blog today and I hope you enjoyed the book! :)
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