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Your Wednesday Author Interview: Tate Hallaway/Lyda Morehouse
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Wednesday, June 7, 2006
2:10:00 PM EDT
Hearing Vacation -- The Gemz
Like romances? Like supernatural heroines? You're in luck, because this week's author writes the former, with the latter. Meet Tate Hallaway, whose debut paranormal romance Tall Dark & Dead has bounded up bookstore bestseller lists with its entrancing mix of magic, romance and wit. There's another side to Tate as well: Lyda Morehouse, award-winning writer of science fiction. Why two names? Why two genres? You'll find out -- and how one writer is making it big in one of today's hottest genres.
1. Quick! Tell us a little bit about yourself and Tall, Dark and Dead.
My official biography as Tate will claim that Tall, Dark & Dead is my first published novel. It's not. Roc published a tetrology of mine collectively called the AngeLINK series under my given name Lyda Morehouse. Those earlier books include Archangel Protocol, winner of the Shamus for best original paperback featuring a P.I. (2001); Fallen Host, which made the preliminary Nebula Ballot (2002); Messiah Node (2003), and Apocalypse Array, winner of the Philip K. Dick Special Citation for Excellence (2004.) All the books in that series are now remaindered. Meanwhile, Tall, Dark & Dead has been on a number of best seller lists since it debuted last month.
I like to say that while Lyda Morehouse was the award winner, Tate Hallaway is the best seller.
Quite honestly, I like both sides of me. A lot of people want me to dislike my new incarnation because, you know, clearly writing funny, chick-lit, vampire paranormal romance is a sell out. Thing is, I don't believe I could have written a book like Tall, Dark & Dead if I wasn't previously a closet vampire fan.
But it's true that the AngeLINK series is where I put a lot of my heart and soul. Those books are especially dear to me because they tackle two of my favorite subjects: religion and politics.
If you want more personal info: I'm five foot two with eyes of blue. I currently live in Saint Paul, Minnesota with my partner of twenty years, our nearly three year-old son, and five cats. I was born in another capitalcity Sacramento, California in 1967 and despite my very weird first name (pronounced LIE-duh), my parents swear they weren't hippies. I was raised as a Unitarian Universalist in the mostly Catholic town of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, home of the world's largest six-pack (yes, seriously.)
2. As an outside observer, it seems the "supernatural romance" genre has been on the rise recently. As an inside observer, what are your thoughts on the genre – and is there room for this genre to grow?
When I asked my then editor at Berkley, John Morgan, if he didn't think the market would be glutted by yet another vampire book, he said that as far as he'd heard they intended to keep publishing paranormal romances until the bottom fell out. A recent article in Romantic Times/Bookclub gives paranormal romance two more years. I think the answer is somewhere in between. Vampire paranormal fans are legion. Despite what seems to me to be an amazing run near the top of the best seller lists in my category (which is trade paperback romance or fantasy, depending,) I suspect this is par for the course for this kind of book.
I confess to being a reader of paranormal romances and I'm finding hard to keep up with all the titles that come out in a year. To me, that's a sign that that the end could be in sight. Although, I'm an atypical reader of romances because I can't read very fast since I'm mildly dyslexic. I know a number of women who've read books like mine in six hours. So who knows?
My luck, if the market is to die, it will be at my hands. I sometimes feel responsible for putting the final nail in the coffin of cyberpunk, and if it happens again I may have to consider purposely setting out to destroy subgenres I loathe. Inspirational romances, you could be next!
3. What are the challenges of writing supernatural characters in the mundane world?
The biggest hurtle I think you have to jump is the "outing" factor, which is to say, deciding how much does society at large know about the paranormal element, be it vampires or werewolves or magic. I think this is tricky because part of the appeal, at least for me, of reading contemporary settings is the sense that the events could happen to the reader. If the author makes the world at large too accepting, the story is no longer contemporary, but pure fantasy, because, obviously, we don't have laws regarding vampires, etc., on the books right now. But, if you make everyone surprised to see a real, live werewolf, it makes your protagonists seem stupid since your reader has no doubt already guessed the supposed secret by the time the hero/ine figures it out. It's tough to find that balance. My trick in Tall, Dark & Dead was to make my heroine one of those chosen few "in the know."
The other challenge I've had writing about vampires, specifically, is trying to come up with something new to add to the myth. Vampires have been done to death (pun intended), and it's hard to avoid clichés when writing about them. I had some fun going back to some of the folklore about vampires and reviving them (more puns, see what I mean about vampires?!)
4. Share a piece of writing advice you've been given.
The best piece of writing advice I've been given no one told me. I read it. Strunk & White said that the most important thing to strive for in your writing is: "Be bold. Be clear." I rarely listen to them (as you can see by random application of commas), but I try.
5. As a writer, I haven't been able to write what I think is a good sex scene. From what I've read in Tall, Dark & Dead, you don't have this problem. What's the secret? Can it be taught?
Thanks for the compliment, first off. It was very strange when I got my editorial letter from Anne Sowards and the first thing she wrote to me was that everyone in the office thought my sex scenes were hot. I felt very… exposed, somehow.
But, as for can it be taught -- of course it can! After all, I had to learn it. It ain't no innate woman thing, because I'm writing about a kind of sex I don't practice. (I'm not straight. Not even in the slightest.)
I think the secret is to make the scene about something other than the act itself. There's a website all about writing good sex scenes (which I wish I could remember, sorry,) that taught me the idea that if you make the tension of the scene something outside of just getting down and dirty, the excitement factor for the reader increases. Even if all you're doing is adding a bit of mystery about the characters that other focus can add depth to the scene… and in a lot of ways take the pressure off the author – because then suddenly it's not only about the performance, if you will.
I did have to ramp it up for Tall, Dark & Dead. In my previous books most of the sex happened off stage. Because Tall, Dark & Dead is a romance, I had to put more detail in than I'm normally comfortable with (see above, re: my own preferences.) That was a challenge. Luckily, I had outside consultation from my straight women friends.
6. As you noted earlier, in addition to Tall, Dark & Dead, you have written books in the science fiction genre as Lyda Morehouse. What advantages does writing under more than one name provide for a writer? What are the drawbacks?
The only drawback I can see right now is the weird anonymity of being this other person who doesn't exist. I've had to invent a whole new life for her that bears some resemblance to my own, but which isn't the usual me I put forward. For instance, I had to write a bio for Tate that is enough true not to be a lie, but different enough so that one doesn't immediately think of the real me. I've been running two blogs, have two different email accounts, and I have to remember to sign books "Tate," which has been really, really strange. Imagine not writing your own name in a book you wrote!
Plus, sometimes I feel like the good things that are happening in Tate's career aren't happening to me -- all because it's someone else's name on the book.
The advantage is simple. My career continues.
----
Next week: Uh, still working on that. But soon I will have a schedule -- and lots of writers ready to chat. Be here next Wednesday for the next installment!
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
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2:10:00 PM EDT
Hearing Vacation -- The Gemz
Your Wednesday Author Interview: Tate Hallaway/Lyda Morehouse
Like romances? Like supernatural heroines? You're in luck, because this week's author writes the former, with the latter. Meet Tate Hallaway, whose debut paranormal romance Tall Dark & Dead has bounded up bookstore bestseller lists with its entrancing mix of magic, romance and wit. There's another side to Tate as well: Lyda Morehouse, award-winning writer of science fiction. Why two names? Why two genres? You'll find out -- and how one writer is making it big in one of today's hottest genres.
1. Quick! Tell us a little bit about yourself and Tall, Dark and Dead. My official biography as Tate will claim that Tall, Dark & Dead is my first published novel. It's not. Roc published a tetrology of mine collectively called the AngeLINK series under my given name Lyda Morehouse. Those earlier books include Archangel Protocol, winner of the Shamus for best original paperback featuring a P.I. (2001); Fallen Host, which made the preliminary Nebula Ballot (2002); Messiah Node (2003), and Apocalypse Array, winner of the Philip K. Dick Special Citation for Excellence (2004.) All the books in that series are now remaindered. Meanwhile, Tall, Dark & Dead has been on a number of best seller lists since it debuted last month.
I like to say that while Lyda Morehouse was the award winner, Tate Hallaway is the best seller.
Quite honestly, I like both sides of me. A lot of people want me to dislike my new incarnation because, you know, clearly writing funny, chick-lit, vampire paranormal romance is a sell out. Thing is, I don't believe I could have written a book like Tall, Dark & Dead if I wasn't previously a closet vampire fan.
But it's true that the AngeLINK series is where I put a lot of my heart and soul. Those books are especially dear to me because they tackle two of my favorite subjects: religion and politics.
If you want more personal info: I'm five foot two with eyes of blue. I currently live in Saint Paul, Minnesota with my partner of twenty years, our nearly three year-old son, and five cats. I was born in another capitalcity Sacramento, California in 1967 and despite my very weird first name (pronounced LIE-duh), my parents swear they weren't hippies. I was raised as a Unitarian Universalist in the mostly Catholic town of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, home of the world's largest six-pack (yes, seriously.)
2. As an outside observer, it seems the "supernatural romance" genre has been on the rise recently. As an inside observer, what are your thoughts on the genre – and is there room for this genre to grow?
When I asked my then editor at Berkley, John Morgan, if he didn't think the market would be glutted by yet another vampire book, he said that as far as he'd heard they intended to keep publishing paranormal romances until the bottom fell out. A recent article in Romantic Times/Bookclub gives paranormal romance two more years. I think the answer is somewhere in between. Vampire paranormal fans are legion. Despite what seems to me to be an amazing run near the top of the best seller lists in my category (which is trade paperback romance or fantasy, depending,) I suspect this is par for the course for this kind of book.
I confess to being a reader of paranormal romances and I'm finding hard to keep up with all the titles that come out in a year. To me, that's a sign that that the end could be in sight. Although, I'm an atypical reader of romances because I can't read very fast since I'm mildly dyslexic. I know a number of women who've read books like mine in six hours. So who knows?
My luck, if the market is to die, it will be at my hands. I sometimes feel responsible for putting the final nail in the coffin of cyberpunk, and if it happens again I may have to consider purposely setting out to destroy subgenres I loathe. Inspirational romances, you could be next!
3. What are the challenges of writing supernatural characters in the mundane world?
The biggest hurtle I think you have to jump is the "outing" factor, which is to say, deciding how much does society at large know about the paranormal element, be it vampires or werewolves or magic. I think this is tricky because part of the appeal, at least for me, of reading contemporary settings is the sense that the events could happen to the reader. If the author makes the world at large too accepting, the story is no longer contemporary, but pure fantasy, because, obviously, we don't have laws regarding vampires, etc., on the books right now. But, if you make everyone surprised to see a real, live werewolf, it makes your protagonists seem stupid since your reader has no doubt already guessed the supposed secret by the time the hero/ine figures it out. It's tough to find that balance. My trick in Tall, Dark & Dead was to make my heroine one of those chosen few "in the know."
The other challenge I've had writing about vampires, specifically, is trying to come up with something new to add to the myth. Vampires have been done to death (pun intended), and it's hard to avoid clichés when writing about them. I had some fun going back to some of the folklore about vampires and reviving them (more puns, see what I mean about vampires?!)
4. Share a piece of writing advice you've been given.
The best piece of writing advice I've been given no one told me. I read it. Strunk & White said that the most important thing to strive for in your writing is: "Be bold. Be clear." I rarely listen to them (as you can see by random application of commas), but I try.
5. As a writer, I haven't been able to write what I think is a good sex scene. From what I've read in Tall, Dark & Dead, you don't have this problem. What's the secret? Can it be taught?
Thanks for the compliment, first off. It was very strange when I got my editorial letter from Anne Sowards and the first thing she wrote to me was that everyone in the office thought my sex scenes were hot. I felt very… exposed, somehow.
But, as for can it be taught -- of course it can! After all, I had to learn it. It ain't no innate woman thing, because I'm writing about a kind of sex I don't practice. (I'm not straight. Not even in the slightest.)
I think the secret is to make the scene about something other than the act itself. There's a website all about writing good sex scenes (which I wish I could remember, sorry,) that taught me the idea that if you make the tension of the scene something outside of just getting down and dirty, the excitement factor for the reader increases. Even if all you're doing is adding a bit of mystery about the characters that other focus can add depth to the scene… and in a lot of ways take the pressure off the author – because then suddenly it's not only about the performance, if you will.
I did have to ramp it up for Tall, Dark & Dead. In my previous books most of the sex happened off stage. Because Tall, Dark & Dead is a romance, I had to put more detail in than I'm normally comfortable with (see above, re: my own preferences.) That was a challenge. Luckily, I had outside consultation from my straight women friends.
6. As you noted earlier, in addition to Tall, Dark & Dead, you have written books in the science fiction genre as Lyda Morehouse. What advantages does writing under more than one name provide for a writer? What are the drawbacks? The only drawback I can see right now is the weird anonymity of being this other person who doesn't exist. I've had to invent a whole new life for her that bears some resemblance to my own, but which isn't the usual me I put forward. For instance, I had to write a bio for Tate that is enough true not to be a lie, but different enough so that one doesn't immediately think of the real me. I've been running two blogs, have two different email accounts, and I have to remember to sign books "Tate," which has been really, really strange. Imagine not writing your own name in a book you wrote!
Plus, sometimes I feel like the good things that are happening in Tate's career aren't happening to me -- all because it's someone else's name on the book.
The advantage is simple. My career continues.
----
Next week: Uh, still working on that. But soon I will have a schedule -- and lots of writers ready to chat. Be here next Wednesday for the next installment!
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has 10 comments: (Add your own)
-
thanks John! very inersting picks!
hugs,natalie -
I still don't get it... why the two names? She is being totally up front that the new name is her... I will get the book though... I love paranormal books, romantic or not!
be well,
Dawn -
"Everyone you interview is sci-fi."
Not true. This is paranormal romance, which is a separate genre (although the author has also written science fiction), and Julia Spencer-Fleming is a mystery writer. On the slate in the future I also have other non-SF writers, and I've made it a point to let authors know the interview series is open to all types of writers, including non-fiction.
That said, yes, since I'm an SF writer, SF writers are more aware of this than others. You'll be seeing a lot of SF authors here, I expect, because they're letting me know they're out there. But I do hope for a good mix overall. -
This will sound like a complaint, but isn't....
Everyone you interview is sci-fi. I assume it's because you're in that clique, and these are the authors you can get to interview the easiest. Am I right... and will you be featuring authors who write stuff that doesn't involve spaceships and strange viruses?
6/8/06 1:25 PM