Please welcome Jory Strong

Hi Jory, Thank you for agreeing to be a guest on my blog.

Thanks for asking me!

Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself?

I’m married. We live out in the middle of nowhere (3 miles to our nearest neighbor) in rough country complete with rattlesnakes, coyotes, and the occasional golden eagle. We’ve got dogs, cats, parrots, and horses.

How long have you been writing?

All my life, though sporadically until about fifteen years ago when I got serious about it.

What is your writing process like?

It varies with each book. I used to be a total pantster. Now I spend a lot of time in pre-planning before I actually start a story. I don’t plot all the way through unless I’m working on a shorter story, a “Quickie” or “Novella.” I have daily word counts I try to meet, though that’s flexible. As long as I make my weekly goal, I’m happy. On the best days, I’m finished writing by early afternoon. Other days I’m not, though I still try to break away to ride one of my horses then walk dogs, then return to the writing.

I’d like to say writing is pure joy and inspiration for me, but most of the time it’s not, it’s hard work. I grind along, fully enmeshed in the scene I’m writing and agonizing about getting it right. It’s slow going, and I wish I could write faster, but in the end, I’m always glad I “suffered” during the writing phase, because when I’m finished with the story, it’s very close to being ready to turn in. My editing phase is more about polishing and refining than rewriting/revision. Somewhere during this phase, everything comes together and I usually feel amazed at having produced such a story. And with that wonderful high, all the remembered agony fades from my mind and I can hardly wait to get started on the next project!

Can you tell us about your new release Ghostland?

Well, first I’d point out that Ghostland is a new direction for me. It’s a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy romance with erotic elements as opposed to my Ellora’s Cave titles which are all straight erotic romance.

In Ghostland, Aisling is forced to go to Oakland to perform a shaman’s service on behalf of an important man. In the course of doing it she summons Zurael, who she thinks is a demon (he’s actually a Djinn). He intends to kill her for calling and commanding him, but ends up needing to protect her instead as they both try to accomplish tasks they’ve agreed to undertake. There are powerful forces at work behind the scenes and larger goals, including the return of the Djinn and the reclaiming of Earth. Unknown to Aisling and Zurael, they are meant to play a part in preparing for the upcoming war between supernatural beings.

I was totally thrilled when Cindy Hwang, my Berkley editor asked me to write a Dear Reader letter for the Penguin Paranormal Special Interest web page. It’s up now at http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/specialinterests/paranormal/index.html.

This is your first release from a New York publisher, correct. Are you nervous?

Yes. It’s my first and I’m very nervous.

Do you have any other books coming out this year?

Spider-Touched, which is set in the same post-apocalyptic world as Ghostland releases August 4. The Fallon Mates book I’m just about to turn in will also come out this year.

What are you currently working on?

I’m finishing up a new book in my Fallon Mate series with EC. When it’s turned in, I’ll be moving to a third book for Berkley, also set in the world of Ghostland and Spider-Touched though this one will focus on shapeshifters, both those working in the brothels of the Oakland red zone and those who control wild territories beyond it. The hero is a jaguar shapeshifter, the heroine a gifted human healer.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

Any more, most of them are character driven. A secondary character from one book pops up and demands his or her story be told. To which I say, “Okay, but what’s your story about? What question or reality does it explore? Or what answer does it reveal if it’s connected to an on-going plot arc from previous stories?”

As an author, you must be an avid reader. What books do you enjoy reading? Who are your auto-buy authors?

I read a wide range of fiction. Robert Crais, P.J. Tracy, J.D. Rob are auto-buys for me when it comes to mystery/suspense. Wen Spencer, Ilona Andrews and Michelle Sagara (Cast In series) when it comes to fantasy. Nalini Singh, Patricia Briggs when it comes to paranormal romance/urban fantasy. I also love Neil Gaiman, Carl Hiaasen, and Terry Pratchett.

What books are on your keeper shelf?

The books on my keeper shelves fall into two categories. The first is what I call comfort reads, books I go to when I don’t want to start something new or when I want to escape into a world I already know I love. The second type of books are the stories I want to reread and dissect in order to figure out why they are such great reads.

What was the first romance book you read?

I’m sure it was a Harlequin, one of the series books. My Aunt Hazel would go to the store the days they came out and buy all of them without even looking at the back covers.

If one of your books was made into a movie, which book would you like it to be and which actors would like to see as the lead characters?

Crime Tells: Lyric’s Cop, though I have no idea of who the leads should be. I’ll confess, I’m much more of a reader than a TV or movie watcher.

If you could switch lives with one of your characters who would if be & why?

Tough choice. I love Dante and Benito in Crime Tells: Calista’s Men, so being Calista would definitely be fun. But being Kiziah and having my very own vampire, like Fane, and sharing him with a guy like Cable in Carnival Tarot: Kiziah’s Reading would be great too. Of the two Berkley books I’ve written, I’d trade places with Aisling (and not just for Zurael). I’d love to be able to enter the spiritlands the way she can.

When you are not writing or reading, what do you enjoying doing in your spare time?

Riding my horses. Being outside, either doing a great imitation of a lizard lying in the sun 🙂 or walking with my dogs.

If you could ask readers anyone question, what would it be?

Of the books you’ve read in 2009, what genre dominates? And if it’s romance, is there one particular type you read more than any others? I’ll start this off by answering (very easy for me because I actually keep a list!) So far, it’s a three way tie between mystery, fantasy, and romance, with the urban fantasy tipping the scales to make “Fantasy” the winner if I throw them into that category instead of Romance.

For more information on Jory Strong and her books, please visit her website at http://www.jorystrong.com/

***Jory has graciously offered to give away a book – winner’s choice of any available download book or print book.***