Interview with Linda Wisdom

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Linda Wisdom. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy again, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.


I understand you have a new release that will be out at the end of the month called Hex At Midnight. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

Hex At Midnight is Thea's story where she's down on her luck due to a cheating business manager. Along with her python necklace, Cedric, and Lloyd, her flamingo personal assistant, Thea's invited to an old world hotel in the Hollywood Hills along with several celebrities, along with her ex lover demon archeologist, JT Morgan. Except the hotel isn't what anyone thinks it is as rooms change personality in the blink of an eye, the residents start turning into dolls, and skeletal bellhop, Julian, hints there's a lot more going on there than the usual. All Thea and JT can do is figure out what's going on in the hotel before they turn into witch and demon action figures and just maybe this time they can reconnect for good. Hex At Midnight is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

I wanted to stay with the Hex titles and it seemed to fit the story line.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

Paranormal books have been a favorite for years. I wrote my first one back in the late 1980s and was lucky enough to have Harlequin American Romance publish A Man for Maggie about a psychic seeing a murderer’s handiwork. It was harder to sell in the genre then and I only managed to get a few more accepted, but I refused to stop while writing my category romances.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

I’ve always loved the idea of haunted and/or cursed hotels, so that was easy for the background. Plus I wanted Thea, who’s an incredibly strong personality, to have a very alpha counterpart. JT is that.

What are your favorite paranormal research books or sites, and why?

I have some great non fiction books by Yasmine Galenorn, Embracing the Moon, Totem Magic, and others, along with books on spells and magical creatures, superstitions, and tarot. My laptop was recently upgraded with a new hard drive and I lost all my bookmarked sites, so I’m starting over.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

Of the witches, it will always be Jazz since she started the witches. And I’ve been told she’s a lot like me. She’s showing up in other books and I’m seeing more sides to her each time she appears.

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing? How does your research and/or world affect your character development?

I do have character files for each one because I need to keep the information straight on each of them. I also add to them every so often. I think my characters affect the world more than the world affects them. Probably because all of my characters tend to have a mind of their own. :}
How do you go about building your world if you use one? Do you use maps, charts or drawings? The world begins in my head like a movie, so then I work it out on paper and transfer to a computer file. I’m using more paranormal worlds and I need to keep it all straight.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Yasmine Galenorn, Simon R. Green, Jim Butcher, Cathy Clamp, Ilona Andrews, Laura Bickle, Annette Blair, Rob Thurman, Mark del Franco, Anton Strout. A lot!

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

Wow, I’m not sure if any one thing has. I have offered hexy baskets once in awhile and now offer witchy goodies and signed bookplates for fans who email me.

What do we have to look forward next?

Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend will be out in April 2011. It will feature witchy Maggie, who you met in Hex in High Heels and an incredibly sexy half demon, Declan. I had so much fun writing this book and I really hope my readers have fun reading it.

Thanks, Linda!

To celebrate her book release, Linda is offering a free book of Hex in High Heels to one lucky commenter on today's blog. (please check the blog Monday night to see if you won. Chances of winning determined by the number of entries.)

She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Check out author’s website at http://www.lindawisdom.com/ for more details on Hex At Midnight here.