Kiki: What is your favorite genre to read in, and what is it about that genre that attracts you to it? If you like a specific mix of genres, please state that particular combination.
Belinda: Wow, I like an awful lot of genres, but I probably have to go with urban fantasy as my favorite at the time. I do like mix ups, like a combination of sci fi and shape shifters. I suppose its because once you throw reality out the window, why worry about rules? Since I read for entertainment, and to escape reality, my preferences usually have little to do with the real world.
Kiki: What is your favorite author to read in that genre, and why? Also, please tell me a little about the best book by that author you have read.
Belinda: I don’t have any hard and fast single favorite. Right now, I’m enjoying so many authors: Charlaine Harris, Marjorie Liu, Patricia Briggs, Laurell K Hamilton, and so forth. As to favorite books, I adored the Harper Connelly series as a whole, Ms Harris did such a beautiful job with those books.
Kiki: Do you have a Favorite Book of All Time? Of course, please tell us what about that book makes it your favorite.
Belinda: Actually, I have two favorite books of all time, and since they’re linked, I’m going to mention them both. The first is “These Old Shades” by Georgette Heyer. Justin, the Duke of Avon was written as an almost lascivious character, and was probably the prototype for many anti-heroes. There is so much suggested in that book…And of course, Justin’s son in the book ‘Devil’s Cub’ followed up that grand and slightly wicked anti-hero. Both men are self-indulgent to a fault, and nearly amoral, but when they love, they are dangerous to anyone who threatens that.
Kiki: What is the best book you read last month, and would you recommend it to a friend?
Belinda: Last month is was ‘Silver Borne’ by Patricia Briggs. And of course I’d recommend it to a friend!
Kiki: What are your reading habits like? For example, how many books do you read on average in a week, what format do you prefer to read in, what time of day do you read, and what setting is ideal for you to get lost in that book?
Belinda: I don’t have any set reading habits. When I’m working on a deadline or just in the groove, I don’t take much reading time until I’m finished. Otherwise, I read when I can, which might be bedtime, or when I’ve got care of my niece Kjirsten. (She’s disabled and needs the constant presence of a caregiver.) I read any format, and am currently wildly in love with my Nook. Since I’ve been a voracious reader all my life, any setting is ideal. I’ll go through an average size paperback at the rate of one a day if I have time.
Kiki: If pressed, could you chose a favorite from the books you have written? Why is it your favorite?
Belinda: Wow, it’s a toss-up between ‘Belle Starr’ and ‘An Uncommon Whore.’ They’re set in the same fictional universe, but the chemistry of the two books is so different. Both books have strong protagonists that just grabbed me and carried me along. Both Belle and Helios had a lot to say, and really just cracked me up with their attitudes.
Kiki: How do you become inspired to write?
Belinda: Well, the thing with writing is that you have to approach it as a job. Inspiration certainly plays into it, but it’s more about discipline. I use inspiration to give me ideas and plots. When I sit down to write, that’s my job. If I allow my inspiration to plot the course, then I can write whether I feel like it or not. If I wait to become inspired to write, then not much would get done.
Don’t get me wrong, there are times that I just feel like I’m on fire to write, and that’s wonderful. But there are times when weeks will pass and I don’t really feel the desire to write. So those are the days I sit down and approach it with a no nonsense attitude. My earlier inspiration has given me the blueprint, so I won’t get hung up or blocked.
Kiki: What part of the story do you think is your strength to write?
Belinda: That’s a question that I grapple with often. Sometimes I think my strength is in my action scenes, other times I think it’s my world building. I really don’t know. Judging by the feedback I get from readers, my stories carry an emotional impact. Maybe that’s it. In the actual context of the manuscript, I’m pretty good at kicking the book into high gear right off the bat. I hate slow openings with lots of back story. I like to get engaged, and then show the exposition throughout the story.
Kiki: Please share with ABA readers something I did not think to ask you about.
Belinda: Sometimes stories come to me from the oddest of places. I was inspired to write ‘Black Planet: Dragon’s Blood’ when I was donating blood. Other times, I see a scenario being played out in real life, and my imagination just grabs it and runs. I rarely just sit down and concoct a story. However, that does happen on occasion. ‘An Uncommon Whore’ was like that, I just sat down and wrote it without any ideas of who or what I was dealing with. I don’t think that writing will every become stale or boring for me!
Belinda McBride
Romance That’s Wyld By Nature
