Author Interview with Nathalie Gray

General Questions

-What's your full name, if you don't mind giving it?

First name is my real one, last name isn't but shall remain protected because seriously unhinged stalkers too have access to the Internet.

-Are you married w/children and/or pets?

Married, check! Children, (child, more precisely) check! Pet, check!

-Where do you live?

We're uprooted French Canadians who get to live in Germany because of work. Life is good.

-What is the worst food you have ever eaten?

Ohhh, I have a good one to share with the class. One time, my husband ordered what he thought was rice and veal. On the menu, the meal appeared as “Ris de veau” (what he thought “rice with veal”). What he forgot is that in French (and we ARE French), rice is spelled “riz” not “ris”. But me, I knew exactly what he was ordering but kept my mouth shut because there's this Evil Overlordess in me who sometimes takes over. So the plate comes in and you could clearly see what it was. Brain. Yep. So my husband understandably goes “EEWW!” Because I laughed and started to feel so guilty I hadn't warned him, I had to taste it. I didn't like it. Okay, well, that's not quite what I meant. It was utterly, monstrously, vile! Who eats that stuff! Arghh!!!

-What is your favorite hobby at the moment?

I have none. Isn't that sad?

-What is the difference between having your book in print or in e-book form or both regarding negatives and positives?

I like e-books because the readers get them right away. I like print books because you can rub them or put them all nice and neat on the shelves.

-Which authors inspire you?

Many authors inspire me. The ones I can remember right now are R.A. Salvatore, J.K. Rowling, Christopher Moore, and Richard Morgan.

-How does writing make you feel?

Okay, writing is like a weird negative reinforcement for me (ah, yes, dig through your old psychology 101 books, it's there). If I write, then I don't get bloated and cranky. So I keep writing to feel good, knowing that if I stop, then all sorts of nastiness will ensue.

-What do your family and friends think about your writing?

They're all very supportive. Without them, my husband and son particularly, there wouldn't be writing.

-What genres are you looking to write in the future?

I've pretty much touched all the ones I wanted to. My favourites are futuristic/science fiction and historical. Yes, I know, it's a strange combination.

-What is your favorite food to eat and cook?

Sushi and pasta. Not together.

-What gives you inspiration when you write?

Everything. From the quartet of crazy geese across the street (the “street wardens”), to people eating at cafés, to stuff that only happens (thankfully) in my head.

-When you write do you use a computer or the old tried and true method of pen and paper?

It depends if I have access to it. I own one, so I do write mostly on the computer. But lack of machine won't keep me from writing. You know, machines, they're trying to take over. * Me looking over my shoulder * They're everywhere, machines. Eeek.

Questions about Wolfsbane

- Fredrick is such a strong, yet tender and endearing character. (okay, I fell a little in love with him.) Did you base him on someone, either in your experience, or historically, or in fiction?

Fredrick came from my imagination, all wrapped up with a nice bow on his head. Red, of course. I have to say he was “simple” to work with, as opposed to Scarlet, who was difficult to pin down at first.

-Katrina and Lothar reminded me of Countess Elisabeth Bathory of Hungary , historically infamous for her vampiric tendencies and murders of young servant girls. Did you intend that comparison?

I had never heard of Countess Bathory before! But you know what I did, of course, after I read your question, I rushed to the dictionary and checked her out. Oh my, she was *charming* wasn't she? Okay, Katrina is twisted, but not THAT twisted. Although that countess is giving me ideas...ohh, what if I were to write about a galaxy-destroying, female ubervillain, an arch nemesis who'll give the heroine a run for her space credits! My inner Chihuahua is getting excited!

-One more comparison, please: Fredrick and Scarlet, Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre. Again, intended?

I heard of the woman's name (author, right), but not the gent, which shows you my tastes when it comes to reading. And it also shows you how little I know about the literary classics. Hey, does that question make me look bad? Um.

-You write so excellently in historical, and in contemporary as well; do you have a preferred genre?

Futuristic/science fiction and historical. Depending on the day, I'll say one is preferred over the other but they're pretty equal in my heart.

-What do you have projected for the future in terms of works-in-progress? Is there anything you can share with us in this respect? (Devoted fan demands: More, more, more!)

Oh, baby, there's so much more! * Okay, breathing slowly here * Right now, I'm working on a novel (part of a trilogy) called Muzzle Flash...it's about werewolves in space! There are loads, heaps, bucketfuls of action in this one. It starts on page 1 and ends on page, oh, what's the last projected page, let me check...okay, the action ends on page 180. To give you an idea of the story, try to imagine a pack of werewolf mercenaries with a government spy in their midst. Now try to picture how their super-cranky-darkly-handsome leader would react if he happened to find a mole on his team...mm? He'd hit the titanium-reinforced roof. Big time.

Questions about Femme Metal

-Where did you come up with the character Sekmeth Meroh?

My seriously strange imagination did. I had nothing to do with it. Don't blame me. But I did find his name in ancient Egypt . Sekmeth was a deity and Meroh is a town.

-Where did the idea come from for that particular ring Sekmeth wore?

Ahhh, you liked the ring, did you? Mm-mm. * author grinning mischievously * A combination of pillow talk, severe head scratching and some chocolate-induced highs.

-Were you going for some type of symbolism when you, in the book referred to the practice of “being with” a woman-child as being frowned upon in the Yithian culture?

Since they live a lot longer than humans do, I figured they'd be considered adults much later. Made sense in my mind. So they have trouble having intimate relations with anyone from any race who looks a tad too young. Like Kim, who was 18 human years. To a Yithian, she'd be a little child. So the “EEWW!!” factor was very high for Sekmeth. Not for Drokesh-the-big-meanie though...but he suffers much in the sequel, so there you go. Natural justice. Ha!

-Why did you decide that Alex should have physical scars?

Because it was the most plausible outcome of living the life she's lived. With the jobs she's had over the years, I couldn't very much try to convince my readers she'd be this silky skinned, docile, bee-stung lipped little nymph. She's a woman warrior and it has to show!

-And why did you feel the need to have Alex hate the Yithians only to fall for one at the end of the story?

I felt she needed to move above her hate and air out the festering wound she'd been nursing all these years. Plus, Alex deserved a good man...er, alien, I guess...and I made sure she received one. All nice and pretty, too.

Questions about future books

-What are your next novels about and when will they be released?

So many are coming out this year! There's:

Immortalis : 21 June 06. A super-soldier-turned-vampire chick and her 700-year old Viking-vampire dude try to evade a military machination gone completely crazy.

Femme Metal 2: Hot Target : 2 August 06. The sequel to Femme Metal (Ha!) with sexy-space-dudette-weapons-designer Kim at the helm!

Bain's Wolf : 13 September 06. The sequel to Wolfsbane. Can't tell you much without giving away the punch. But as a teaser, someone will be turning 600 years old in the sequel. You get to guess who...

Sinful : 25 October 06. A medieval historical about a hardworking heiress too damn mouthy for her time and an ex-crusader with a dark past.

Book of Masks : 2007. A contemporary/paranormal story set in Venice during the carnival. Decadence with a capital D. It's part of Ellora's Cave Torrid Tarot series set to start in 2007. I chose to play with the card called “Il Tempo” (or “The Hermit” in some other decks).

There's more, but I'm sure readers are starting to yawn and skim through to the next interview. You can visit my site for more details.http://www.nathaliegray.com

Thank you for interviewing with Euro Reviews. We look forward to reviewing more of your wonderful works. Wolfsbane questions by Annie, all other by Chantay.