Welcome multi-genre author, Chris Marie Green, to Love Romances & More. We are excited to have the opportunity to speak with you and learn more about your work. 

How long have you been writing; was it something you have always wanted to do? 

I’ve been writing since I was really young—as soon as I could form decent sentences, really.  It started with grade-school short stories, some of which were pretty twisted, but that’s my dark side for you.  I also wrote Superman and Indiana Jones adventures—action with the romance tied in.  In high school, I moved on to competitive essay writing, which trained me to compose quickly and efficiently.  In college, I embarked upon an epic historical romance, which will never, ever be published. 

What influenced you to get published? How long did it take you to get your first book published? 

I thought I’d see if I could get that epic historical romance published, so I attended the excellent San Diego Writers’ Conference.  After that, I joined Romance Writers of America, and I learned enough about the business and writing itself to tell me that my first book was not really publishable, LOL.  But the organization taught me to get published, and it happened probably a year and a half after I joined RWA. 

Often a writer’s first book is the toughest to write. Was this true for you? If so, what helped you get through it? If it wasn’t the first, which one was the most difficult to write? The easiest? 

It took me a couple of years to write that first book—the awful epic historical romance.  But I had a lot of fun doing it, and that’s what pulled me through.  I just wasn’t terribly committed and I also kept rewriting and rewriting, so getting to the end was a journey in itself.  However, I wouldn’t say it was a “tough” process.  I’d say my vampire books are the toughest because they’re pretty complex with their world building.  They also revolve around mysteries, which require an author to keep track of who knows what and how each character will or won’t react to any new revelations.

This sounds weird, but at the same time, the vampire books are the easiest ones to write, as well, because I love the characters and the breakneck speed of the plots. 

How did you come up with your Vampire Babylon Series? Can you tell us a bit out this series of books? 

I came up with the concept for this series after writing my first vampire book for the Silhouette Bombshell line.  Vampires were on my mind, and I was watching some kind of entertainment show that referred to a young, rising star as “the new James Dean.”  I started thinking, “What if the new James Dean was actually the old James Dean?” and it went from there, evolving into what my editor calls “mystery-fantasy-vampire-noir.”   

There was no way I could cover the story I wanted to tell in one book, so thank goodness Penguin signed me to an initial three book contract that would allow me to spin out the character and mythology arcs over an entire tight-knit trilogy.  NIGHT RISING was the first book, and MIDNIGHT REIGN just came out in February, 2008.  After the third book, BREAK OF DAWN, is released this September, there’s going to be a second trilogy starting in April, 2009.  Basically, I look at these trilogies as one long book in themselves, but each individual novel starts out with its own mystery—like Jesse Shane’s murder in NIGHT RISING—and that one mystery is solved by the end of that particular novel.  Any other bigger, far-reaching mysteries that have more to do with character or mythology development are solved by the end of the trilogy.  In a way, the trilogies are like TV seasons. 

For those who haven’t read the series, the action starts when a stuntwoman on the skids returns to Hollywood to check in to the disappearance of her estranged father.  She discovers that he was involved with a paranormally inclined “private investigation” business, and that leads her to a vampire Underground filled with beautiful creatures and creepy agendas.  To make matters worse, she might be more connected to this Underground than she ever suspected…. 

The third book in the series BREAK OF DAWN and a Vampire Babylon-related novella FIRST BLOOD will be released later this year. Can you give us a teaser about them? 

Oh, yeah!  Readers who have been waiting to know more about the heroine’s mysterious is-he-bad-or-is-he-good boss will find out all about “The Voice” in BREAK OF DAWN.  In fact, that’s the main mystery in this book—solving who…or what…he is.  It also ties up that first trilogy.  FIRST BLOOD is a Berkley Sensation anthology that also contains novellas by Susan Sizemore, Meljean Brook, and Erin McCarthy.  The theme is a “first bite.”  I took a couple of minor characters who’ve been referred to in NIGHT RISING and MIDNIGHT REIGN—Sorin’s missing-in-action vampire “daughters”—and spun a tale about why they never returned to the L.A. Underground.  I got to write about Studio 54, so that was a lot of fun! 

You also write Silhouette Special Editions and Harlequin Blazes. Do you work on more than one project at a time? Do you find it difficult to go from one genre to the other? 

I try to work on one project at a time.  It’s just easier to submerge myself in a fictional world when I can give my full attention to it.  That’s why it’s not too tough to go from one genre to the other, even though each “line” has a specific feel.  I write a decent amount of books per year, and working with different genres presents a challenge that drives me.  

Do you plan each book out before you begin writing or do you “go with the flow’? 

I work with the publishing companies on this—whatever they need, I do.  With the Special Editions and Blazes, I need to submit a proposal (a synopsis and three chapters), so I plan before I dive in to the bulk of those manuscripts.  With the Ace Vampire Babylon books, I don’t have to submit that proposal; I have an idea of plot and scenes, but I don’t develop a synopsis.   

And do you write a first draft before editing or do you edit as you write?   

I write a chapter the whole way through without revising, but then I take some time to revise that chapter before sending a few at a time to my critique partners, Judy Duarte and Cheri Feather/Sheri Whitefeather.  Then I adjust what needs adjusting, and that makes for a pretty easy read-through before I turn in the manuscript. 

Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you? If so, who are some of your favorites? Have any influenced your writing? 

I love reading!  It’s hard to do when I’m in the midst of a manuscript though, because my eyes have been watching the computer screen all day.  So I’ve learned to like audio books.  (That said, I still read the old fashioned way!)  I’ve always admired Stephen King’s mastery of words, plot, and character.  Larry McMurtry is a genius at using dialogue to evoke time, place, and character.  Donna Tartt’s settings and characters inspire me.  As you can see, all three of these have character in common, because that’s a big reason we all come back to certain stories and love them. 

Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life?  

Yes—but some characters tend to hang out with me more than others.  The only way they take over my life, though, is when my thoughts wake me up at night.  I keep paper next to my bed and have resigned myself to rolling off the mattress and scribbling in the dark.  I have had a few characters come more alive than others: an example of this would be Kiko from the Vampire Babylon books.  He’s a talker, and whenever he’s in a scene, he pretty much writes himself. 

Do you find it difficult at times to write love/sex scenes? 

Not at all.  In fact, those are some of the most fun scenes to write…unless the characters are presenting chemistry challenges, LOL.  Some couples just spark when they’re together, others have to be a bit persuaded.  When they’ve got chemistry, the words fly onto the screen.   

What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing? 

I’m a movie/pop culture freak.  Love to read.  Love to walk.  Traveling is a huge part of my life, both for research and personal education. 

I see you used to be an eighth grade teacher. Did any of your students’ mischievous endeavors ever end up in one of your books? 

LOL—my first published book for Special Edition had a boy named Trent who was basically a mix of every nerve-testing, charming student I’d taught up until that point.  Otherwise, nope.  I actually don’t write about younguns a lot, even though I do miss them.  They had a lot of contagious energy. 

What is your idea of a romantic evening? 

This is how boring I am: watching a funny or scary movie on an awesome home theater system while drinking wine and eating a nice meal would make me so happy.  The main part is laughing with the person you’re with, whether it’s at a joke in the movie or because you jumped during a scary part.  I’m not hard to please, LOL.  Then again, I could definitely get into a gondola ride in Venice, too. 

What do you think readers would be surprised to discover about you? 

That I’m really boring, as I’ve just illustrated above.  <G>  Or here’s something else: people always seem surprised to know that I read and collect comic books.  I’m not hardcore, but I learn more and more every day about this literary, artistic form that’s too easily dismissed as “silly.” 

If you could write and be guaranteed publication of any genre of book, what would it be? 

I would love to do a straight, mind-bendingly disturbing horror book.  When I was younger, I read John Saul stories, and those were fabulously creepy!  But horror stories also make you think, if they’re done well.  That’s why they’re horror—because the stories’ outcomes are hard to face. 

Are you working on anything right now? Can you tell us a teaser about these projects? 

I’m just getting started on a Blaze.  It takes place mostly in Tokyo, and I’m using my research from a trip I took to Japan a few years ago.  And when I talked earlier about characters having chemistry?  No problem with this hero and heroine—they’re making my job easy.  J 

Any final advice to aspiring authors? 

Check out conferences and attend them to network with agents and editors and to absorb the information from workshops.  Research the market before sending out your work.  And write, write, write! 

Thank you so much for spending time with us at Love Romances & More. We wish you the greatest success in all of your future endeavors. 

Thank you—and the same goes to you and the readers! ; )