About Crimson Kisses….

Meadowlark: Tell us a little about you novella, Crimson Kisses.

VH: Crimson Kisses used to go by another name. Crimson Kisses was a short story of mine that I developed into a novella. It romantic, but wouldn't fit in romance.

M: Writers are usually told to write either a novel or a short story, and to stay away from novellas. Why did you decide to go against that convention?

VH: I tried to write it as a novel there is this whole unpublished part to it, but I felt the shorter version was better. I seem to like working on shorter works though I have done full length works as well.

M: What do you think draws so many people to vampire fiction?

VH: Fear and romance.

M: Are you going to write a sequel?

VH: I've always wondered what would happen to Charlotte, Tassmand and Juliet in 20 years? It would probably called Juliet.

About Razor in the Brain ...

M: You had a poetry chapbook published before Razor in the Brain titled Poetry Falling Into Nowhere that was published in December 1996. Is it still available?

VH: Falling Into Nowhere is no longer in print as far as I know. Though some people are still trying to get a hold of a copy. The publisher was wonderful. I can't say enough nice things about them.

M: How does Razor in the Brain compare to Poetry Falling Into Nowhere?

VH: Falling In Nowhere was a print book while Razor in the Brain is e-book. I also did the cover art for razor in the brain. I am also an artist.

M: You have a few samples from Razor in the Brain on-line that seem sad as well as dark and emotionally moving. Do you find it difficult to draw up such powerful emotions when you write?

VH: Most people only know me from my Goth poetry. Poetry is healing to me. When my dad heard some of the people at the high school he works for reading those poems, he wondered what he ever did to me. Life isn't easy, but my parents are both great.

About Two Turtles...

M: Tell us about your children's book Two Turtles.

VH: My e-book Two Turtles is a counting book. I'm so happy with it. The illustrator Karla Ferkey-Houghton did a wonderful job.

M: What advice do you have for pre-published authors who want to write for children?

VH: Read as many children's books as you can.

M: Do you think children take to e-books better than adults?

VH: I think in some ways they do, to them it's just another story that mommy or daddy will read to them.
Adults seem to go for Romance e-books. Romance E-books stay in print much longer, so it's much easier for e-book romance readers to get the fiction they want. There are so many great writers who should be in print longer.

M: What do you love most about writing for children?

VH: I love sharing a story with them, but what I enjoy most might change. There is so much to enjoy.

About writing....

M: You describe yourself as a Gothic poet, writer and artist. What does that mean?

VH: There are so many parts to me, I'm more than just one.

M: How did you come to write in such different genres as vampire novels and children's books?

VH: I wrote for underground pulp magazines and lot of them were horror and Sci-Fi, but I wasn't satisfied just doing that. There seemed something else missing. My mom told me to write a children's book. I found out I liked writing them.

M: Of your e-published novella, children's book and poetry, which has been most successful and why?

VH: I haven't yet decided.

M: Have you found electronic publishing satisfying?

VH: Yes, I love it as much as print.

M: Will you try to find a print publisher to reprint any of these books?

VH: Yes I'd like that. I'd also like to turn some of my print poetry chapbooks into e-books.

M: What are you working on now?

VH: A children's book about a girl who lives with her grandmother, called Glitter.

M: What advice do you have for pre-published authors?

VH: Market your books and try to be happy about it.

Thank you for letting me interview for Meadowlark's Out Of The Slush page for writers.

You can e-mail Valerie Hardin at valerie@tusco.net
or visit her home page