A Blogger Girl Q&A with Mary Calmes

Nikyta: I’ve been reading Mary Calmes for years and she’s consistently been one of my favorite authors since I first discovered her. I reread her books all the time and honestly, I couldn’t even begin to explain why I love her writing so much. When I found out she was going to be in Atlanta at GRL 2013, I was so excited! I was going to get ALL of my paperbacks signed AND get a picture and I totally fangirled all over her at the book signing! But imagine my disappointment when I came home from GRL and realized I NEVER GOT A PICTURE WITH HER! *palm meet face* When she agreed to be part of our first Author Week and do an interview, I could not for the life of me figure out any questions to ask. So, while I’m a total Mary Calmes fan, I want to thank Gyn for thinking of these awesome questions! We hope y’all enjoy this Q&A as much as we did 🙂

Q&A with Mary Calmes

Mary: First off I would like to thank you all for having me on your new blog; I’m so honored to be here.

TBG: No, thank you for agreeing to come! Now let’s get this party started! What inspires you to write your stories and how do you come up with the intensity that is in all of your books?

Mary: There are a so many different things that inspire books. Sometimes it’s a song like it was for Mine, or a painting like it was for Acrobat or an ad campaign like it was for A Matter of Time. Hard to know what will click beforehand, but when it does, watch out! I take fast notes and try and get home as fast as I can. My husband will ask, are you sick? And then he’ll whisper, do you need a bathroom? And I have to tell him, no, must…get…to…the computer! He’s used to it by now and just makes it happen. I have come out of the shower with soap all over my body because I thought of something and have to go type it into a book. As far as intensity…really? I don’t think of my books as being terribly intense. I try and make sure that the love comes through, that’s the most important thing to me so I always focus on that.

TBG: With so many series and great characters, how do you move on to something new and how do you decide when you are done with a series or certain characters?

Mary: I move on to something new when I feel that there is no more to tell. Like with Jory & Sam in AMOT, their story was complete with But For You. That doesn’t mean though that Sam couldn’t make a small appearance in Parting Shot or that he can’t show up somewhere else. Basically, I never go home with him again, we see him through others, never Jory. I like to follow a character until they’re all grown up and we’ve seen them become the best possible version of themselves.

TBG: Do you have more planned for the Change of Heart series and will that include getting to know Jin and Logan’s child? Also, can we look forward to seeing more of Domin and Yuri’s relationship?

Mary: Yes. Yes. And no. I have a last CoH book featuring Wick & Dov who are globetrotting werepanthers who police the world making sure no one knows that shifters exist. So the premise of the last one is that Domin sends them to check in on Logan & Jin because they are not taking his calls, answering email, etc. The last book goes back to the house in Nevada where Jin & Logan’s son is growing up, where everyone is, and to face the problems there. It’s hard to end a series but it’s time. I won’t have another book specifically about Domin & Yuri either because I think Domin is as good as he gets, facing everyday deciding to be good. I want the series to wrap with a new couple but on familiar ground.

TBG: Speaking of the Change of Heart series, how did you manage to create a language so unique to that world? Were you inspired by something specific and was it difficult to work it into the story?

Mary: When I created my werepanthers, I wanted them to be as separate from werewolf lore as possible. Since a lot of that comes from Europe, I went in the opposite direction. And cats were revered in Egypt so it seemed like a good fit. I have so many, too many, books on Egypt, and so I took real words, real festivals, and incorporated them with some words I made up. What’s interesting is that there are more real words in my glossaries then made up ones. And I didn’t have trouble putting it in the story because in the world I made, those are words everyone knows. Amy Lane says that world building all starts with what does your character say when he stubs his toe? Does he swear? What would he/she say? Does he take his deity’s name in vain? If so, who is that deity? It’s about really small things, not big ones. That’s what I tried to do with my werepanthers.

TBG: You’ve written quite a few other books that are standalones; do you have plans to continue some of them into a series or at least write sequels? Specifically for Heart of the Race, Any Closer, Steamroller, Frog and Mine? (Hehe)

Mary: I am going to write a sequel for Mine because I got interested in Conrad Harris and who he is. I gave him a walk-on part in Parting Shot to see if that would be enough for me but it wasn’t so that is on my list for this year. I have 5 sequels to get done in 2014. Heart of the Race, no. Any Closer, I haven’t decided yet. I had an idea for a book about Charlie’s ex so I’m on the fence about that. Steamroller, I don’t think so but I haven’t completely ruled it out. I actually started and didn’t like it but whereas I used to just delete everything, Cardeno has helped me see the error of my ways. Now I keep things and revisit. Frog is a firm no, there’s no more to tell there. I don’t like to write sequels if there is no new information for the reader to learn. I do love when I’m asked though, about any book, because it means that some part of that story touched some part of the reader and that makes me deliriously happy when that happens.

TBG: Now for some fun questions: Which character do you think most closely resembles your own personality?

Mary: I mostly resemble Sam Kage. I am opinionated and obnoxious and get mad too fast and don’t think when I should. I try every day to be better.

TBG: What does your workplace where you write look like? Are there any weird or interesting things you surround yourself with? Any quirks you have that gets the inspiration flowing?

Mary: I write at my desk in a corner of the living room because I have a desktop and not a laptop. I had a laptop but it kept getting too hot. So now I am surrounded by bookcases, sticky notes everywhere, and my things like my lucky cat, the Jin doll Tiff  made me, my Cris-Art cup of Billy & Teddy, my Liverpool cup Lori Toland brought back from England for me, and did I mention the books?

Mary’s Writing Space

TBG: Thank you so much for stopping by!

Mary: Thank you so much for having me.  🙂

About Mary

Mary Calmes lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and two children and loves all the seasons except summer. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Due to the fact that it is English lit and not English grammar, do not ask her to point out a clause for you, as it will so not happen. She loves writing, becoming immersed in the process, and falling into the work. She can even tell you what her characters smell like. She loves buying books and going to conventions to meet her fans. You can find her at www.marycalmesbooks.com.

Don’t forget to check out the giveaway and enter to win an eBook copy of Old Loyalty, New Love!