Chat & Giveaway with Thea Harrison

Thea Harrison's Elder Races books are an auto-buy for me. Her latest novella, Hunter's Season, released this month and she is here chatting with me today.  Welcome, Thea!

Thea: Hi Jen! Thanks so much for having me on Red Hot Books. It’s a pleasure to visit with you again!

Jen: Tell us a little about Hunter's Season.

Thea: Hunter’s Season is the fourth of the Elder Races novellas. It closes the story arc of the mysterious Tarot deck that began in True Colors (novella #1, Dec 2011, Samhain).

In Hunter’s Season, the story follows a secondary character from Devil’s Gate (novella #3, June 2012, Samhain), a Dark Fae assassin named Xanthe who works for the crown—who is Niniane Lorelle, Dark Fae Queen and the heroine of book two Storm’s Heart. More specifically, Xanthe works for Niniane’s lover and mate, Tiago, who heads Niniane’s security.

Xanthe has been in love with the Dark Fae Chancellor Aubrey Riordan for a long time. When he is severely injured in an assassination attempt, he and Xanthe are thrown together as Niniane orders her to look after and guard him while Tiago hunts down the would-be killers.

Hunter’s Season is an intimate story that focuses on two people who have each had a difficult time in their lives. It was very satisfying to give them a chance at happiness together.

Jen: You've said this is the last Elder Races novella. Talk to me about why you started writing these and what is prompting you to stop.

Thea: I have loved writing the Elder Races novellas because it has given me a chance to flesh out a very big world that I’ve been building, and to tell the stories of characters who wouldn’t otherwise get their own novel.

The novellas range from 26,000 – 35,000 words, which is a standard novella length for a mass market paperback collection, and I hope to see the stories distributed in print form at some point. (I’ll be sure to post about it if/when this occurs!)

The response has been really terrific, but I have noted that there have been several complaints about the novella length in readers’ reviews. Since the last thing that I want to do is foster reader frustration, I’ve decided to back off from writing more Elder Races novellas for now.

Jen: We're getting closer to Lord's Fall too! What made you decide to revisit Pia and Dragos?

Thea: I’m very excited at the Lord’s Fall upcoming November release. There’s so much of Pia and Dragos’s story to tell, so many unresolved issues that have built up over the last several books, AND more world building. When I pitched the idea to my editor Cindy Hwang, she was all for the idea! I hope to possibly follow Pia and Dragos again in later books as well. Hopefully I’ll get the chance!

Jen: Is it easier or more difficult to write for a couple with an established romantic history?

Thea: I don’t know that it’s easier or more difficult, but it is certainly different. When I started Lord’s Fall, putting Pia and Dragos back on felt like coming back to old friends. The characters were there and alive, and very much ready to have their moment again on center stage.

Jen: The love scenes in these books really knock it out of the park. What is your writing process like for hot sex? Is it hard to plot out the mechanics? And how do you pick your, er, terminology? LOL.

Thea: I do not know this terminology of which you speak. *blink blink*

More seriously, what I try to do with the sex scenes is the same thing that I try to do with every scene—write to the very best of my ability, infuse it with sincerity and emotion, and avoid clichés and overused terminology. I hope I manage to do that.

Sometimes plotting out the mechanics for the love scenes can be challenging. I can remember when I wrote the first love scene for Oracle’s Moon, I was quite excited at the opportunities for creativity that those two characters gave me.

Jen: How many more full length novels are you contracted for in the series? Is it still six? When would you know if we can have more?

Thea: Right now I am contracted for six, although my editor and I have talked about future story ideas. I’ll certainly post on my blog when I have any concrete news that I can share!

Jen: Which character intrigues you most in the Elder Races universe and why?

Thea: Okay, this answer is NOT a cop out, because it’s the truth. The characters that I’m writing at any given time intrigue me the most. I get to dig inside them and figure out how they tick, and share that with readers. It’s awesome fun.

Jen: Which character gets the most fan requests for his/her own book? Do you have a path for him/her in mind?

Thea: To date, the harpy Aryal has been getting the most fan requests for her book. (I’m finishing that story up now.) The runner up for fan requests is Graydon.

Jen: What is your number 1 most hated romance trope?

Thea: A hero who is such a dickhead to the heroine throughout most of the book, but then they end up together anyway. I can’t read that type of story.

Jen: Finally, who is the sexiest male PNR/UF hero (not one of yours) in your opinion? And what is the appeal?

Thea: Oh wow, there are so many great sexy heroes! I think my current favorite (I switch them out from time to time) is Lilith Saintcrow’s Tierce Japhrimel from her Dante Valentine series. Japhrimel has such power and devotion, and he shows genuine caring for the heroine.

Jen: Thanks so much for visiting the blog!!

Thea: Thank you again for having me!

~~~

For readers, who is the sexiest male PNR/UF hero (not one of mine) in your opinion?

Comment for a chance to the ebook of your choice from my Samhain backlist! If you already have the three novellas on my backlist, you can always give your prize to a friend!

Thea Harrison http://theaharrison.com/
Twitter @TheaHarrison
www.facebook.com|TheaHarrison

This contest is closed. The winner is Danielle.