Today I have paranormal romance author Adrianne Brennan who I have the pleasure of interviewing on here for a written interview. I will be having the pleasure of chatting live with Adrianne on my TAMFA—Phoebe Jordan podcast on Friday, January 29th at 6PM to 7:30PM EST (5PM to 6PM CST / 3PM to 4:30PM PST) if you all want to stop by and listen in. Also I will be reviewing her currently released novel, Blood of the Dark Moon, the first book of her Dark Moon series so keep a look out for the review. Adrianne will also be guest blogging about the book this Thursday, January 21st so don't forget to come back. Now onto my written review with Adrianne:

Phoebe Jordan: When did you know that writing romance was going to be the thing that you would do with your life? Which author inspired you to start writing romance?

Adrianne Brennan: In all honesty, I never set out with the intention of specifically writing romance, but just writing—namely within the paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Romance for me is something part of the plot, but I don’t consider it to be the main thing that I write. I often describe myself as writing either romantic or erotic romance fiction within those genres. With the exception of one short story that’s a lesbian sweet romance, that’s mostly what I’ve written thus far. My favorite authors in the paranormal erotic romance category include Charlaine Harris, LA Banks, and Laurell K Hamilton’s earlier works in the Anita Blake series.

Phoebe: Did you know what type of romance you wanted to write about or did you experiment with different genres before you chose the one that you felt was for you?

Adrianne: I’m definitely a “write what you love” sort of gal, and I love the realms of fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal genres and anything that exists as a subset within them.

Phoebe: What was the first fiction you ever wrote besides any school work? And do you still have it with you?

Adrianne: A rather lengthy fantasy novel. I still have it and plan to rework and submit it somewhere, someday.

Phoebe: How much research do you have to do for your novels and does it take you a long time to gather that research?

Adrianne: Depends on what I write. I mostly write about what I know, so little research is required. The most amount of research will come when I work on my Victorian paranormal erotic romance which will be the prequel to the Dark Moon series. For Blood of the Dark Moon, I actually went to the West Village to get a feel for the place and see what I’d be writing about when I wrote about it which locals may or may not recognize.

Phoebe: How did you come up with the concept for your currently released novel, Blood of the Dark Moon, which is also the first book in your Dark Moon Series?

Adrianne: Dreams and the whims of my muse. I liked the idea of exploring what it meant to be turned into a vampire for a young woman who had fallen in love, and to approach it from angles previously unexplored. I like the idea of doing for vampires what Spiderman has done for superheroes. I do not remove all of the mystique, but it’s interesting to see what new problems they have in addition to all that remains the same.

Phoebe: How did you come up with the concept for your upcoming novel, Shadows of the Dark Moon, which is also the second book in your Dark Moon Series? And what are your titles and plans for any of your future books in your Dark Moon Series?

Adrianne: I wanted to write about intrigue between the clans within the Order of the Dragon and the Rose as well as the political interaction between them and other vampires. So far we’ve only seen those within the Order. What are the rest like? Do they agree with the same principles we’ve seen our vampires agree with? I’ll be covering that and the future of the Order in that book.

Phoebe: How do you come up with each of your characters for your novels? How do you choose their names out of so many names out there?

Adrianne: The names just sorta…come to me. Sometimes I have an idea in advance of what I want their names to mean. Other times, it just “clicks.”

Phoebe: Do you have a favorite character that you really enjoyed writing about in your currently released novel, Blood of the Dark Moon? Did you have a character that you felt you could really relate to in your currently released novel, Blood of the Dark Moon?

Adrianne: I absolutely adore Merideth. She’s a quirky, shy vampire librarian with a love for mint chocolates. She has her own story in Blood and Mint Chocolates, a spinoff of the original Dark Moon series. Amanda I can relate to the most, and yet the least. She’s much more innocent, more sheltered, less extroverted than I am.

Phoebe: Do you have a favorite character that you really enjoyed writing about in your upcoming novel, Shadows of the Dark Moon? Did you have a character that you felt you could really relate to in your upcoming novel, Shadows of the Dark Moon? Adrianne: This is sort of a spoiler, but the head of the Order is the absolute most fun to write, hands down. He’ll be coming in the sequel to Blood and Mint Chocolates entitled Blood and Spice as well. :D

Phoebe: Do you have a process of how you start to write your novels?

Adrianne: Yes. The plot bunny worms its way into my brain and entices me with awesome plot, nifty ideas, and sometimes cookies. Then it multiplies. I’m forced to sit down in front of the computer and write it all before it takes over my brain. Often times it comes to me in dreams. My subconscious is my best and biggest muse. The rest I daydream out until it makes sense. I have a vague idea of where I want the characters to wind up at the end and it’s just a matter of the best path there.

Phoebe: Which do you like best, writing a series or have you considered writing stand alone novels? How would writing each be different for you?

Adrianne: I like writing a series best. It’s less pressure to get it all out in one story as often enough I have more stories in me, and I want to write it all! Stand-alones are great for short, brief spurts of inspiration.

Phoebe: What process did you have to go through to get your first book published and did it take you long?

Adrianne: I had it a bit luckier than most. A friend of mine went and started her own publishing business, and encouraged me to submit my work to her editors. I was accepted, and here I am today. That publishing company has since went out of business, but it gave me that foot in the door and encouragement I needed to meet my lifelong dream of becoming a writer.

Phoebe: Do you ever get writers block? What do you do to get rid of it so you can get back to writing your novels?

Adrianne: Oh, yes—all the time! Nine times out of ten the problem is stress. If I’m too overwhelmed with the stresses of everyday life, I’m too drained to get anything out. In that event, I just take the “me” time I require to get myself back into gear.

Phoebe: What is your biggest reader pet peeve, if you have any? (stock characters, unresolved endings, predictability, everything wrapped up hurriedly in the end, etc.

Adrianne: Too much sex, plot too predictable, characters uninteresting and too contrived.

Phoebe: Which aspects of writing do you enjoy the most and why? And what is your biggest writing pet peeve? (overuse of exclamation points, adverbs, bad guys named Wayne, etc.), if you have any?

Adrianne: The act of creating worlds and the intriguing people within them is what I love about writing the most. Biggest writing pet peeve? Hard to separate that from my reader pet peeve, but I’ll try: adverbs, run on sentences, misspellings, bad/unbelievable sex dialogue.

Phoebe: What is the one writing tool can you not live without?

Adrianne: A computer. Any computer!

Phoebe: How do you handle your writing schedule and your personal life without going insane?

Adrianne: You know…that’s an excellent question. The best way I handle it is one day at a time. That way I don’t overwhelm myself and create additional stress which I don’t need. If I have to make sacrifices, I make sacrifices. I also do my best to set priorities.

Phoebe: What do you do to relax after having spent a long while writing? Do you have any hobbies?

Adrianne: I knit, crochet, watch anime and various other sci-fi/fantasy TV shows, cuddle with my kitties, go out to wine tastings, work out on my elliptical, and practice yoga.

Phoebe: Is there any advice that you would give to an aspiring romance writer that you wish someone had given you?

Adrianne: Yes. Keep on writing and don’t give up. Also don’t be intimidated by published writers—once upon a time they were *just* like you!

Phoebe: Is there any writing tips, research tips, promotion and marketing tips that you would give to an aspiring romance writer that you wish someone had given you?

Adrianne: Be real, socialize, don’t be just about you and your books—that’s boring. Just be yourself and don’t be afraid to talk to others about your works and what makes you passionate about the genres you write in. Socialize with people of like interests. I feel VERY bad for those who are introverted; the process is that much tougher for them.

Phoebe: Do you have a favorite genre you like to read? Who is your favorite author(s)?

Adrianne: Anything in the paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy genres and their subgenres. My favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Madeleine L’Engle, LA Banks, Charlaine Harris, Douglas Adams, and also enjoy a lot of Piers Anthony’s works.

Phoebe: What are you reading now? And what do you plan to read after that?

Adrianne: I’m STILL trying to finish Eclipse but I’ll be honest, I hate the Twilight books with a passion. I’m reading them so I can respond to people intelligently when they ask me if I like them and if not, why. I plan to scrub my brains out with soap afterwards and read some awesome Cecilia Tan books that I bought at Arisia when I’m done.