Guest Author: Nalini Singh

Today’s guest author, Nalini Singh, has been a bank temp, candy factory general hand, English teacher lawyer and librarian. She says these many changes in occupation were all “grist for the writer’s mill”. These days writing contemporary and paranormal romances is, of course,  a full-time occupation and among many accolades, she is a NY Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best seller.

Born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand, her books have reached all corners of the world. Among the many awards and accolades, she is a frequent ARRA Award winner and has a huge fan base in North America and in Germany.

Welcome Nalini, and thank you so much for being my guest today.

Thank you for having me, Alyssa.

Would you tell us about your latest release and whether it posed any particular challenges for you?

My next release is WOLF RAIN - out this June. This is part of my Psy-Changeling series, and features a wolf changeling, and a Psy with dark abilities no one quite understands.

Alexei, the hero, was probably the most challenging part of the book. He’s not a man who trusts easily, and despite his golden good looks, he can be a bit of a grump. He is also incredibly alpha. He has to be—he’s one of the lieutenants of the biggest wolf pack in the world. As a result, he’s the definition of stubborn.

However, his heroine, Memory, is more than strong enough to take him on. And when you chip off Alexei’s hard exterior, what you discover underneath is a hero to fall in love with. Their story is intense, fun, emotional, and I had such a wonderful time writing it. I get a goofy grin on my face when I think about their courtship and relationship.

You can read an excerpt from their book at: http://nalinisingh.com/books/psychangeling-trinity-series/wolf-rain/

Sounds fabulous!! What appeals to you most about writing paranormal romance?

I love the broad canvas, and the ability to go wherever my imagination takes me. As long as I follow the rules of my own world, there are no limits. I can take characters into the sky on powerful wings, and I can teleport them from one end of the world to the other. There is so much to explore, so many new worlds to discover.

The stories you create are a testimony to just how far your imagination takes you as a writer, and in turn is able to transport us as readers!

Turning books into movies is fraught with difficulties. Readers often don’t like the screen version. In fact, some authors are disappointed with the screen version because the artistic interpretation has been different. If you could have one of your very popular series appear on the screen—with your creative input so it would come to life as you see it in your mind’s eye—which series would you choose?

That’s an incredibly difficult choice for me to make. I think it really would depend on who was offering to make the project and on what media. For example, a television series vs a single big movie. Each would suit a different book/series.

In more general terms, I see film/TV and books as two different art forms - to do justice to a book on screen, it has to be adapted to suit the different storytelling format. As long as the heart of the story isn't changed, I'm open to viewing it through a different lens. But yes, I’d definitely always want some creative input!

You’re a fairly prolific writer and I know you’ve said being able to swap between contemporary and paranormal romance keeps things exciting and fresh for you, but you’ve also stressed the importance of down-time for writers. Do you give yourself a couple of days break between finishing one book and starting the next?

Absolutely. I think it's really important to give my brain time to breathe, time to settle into new ideas, and time to just relax. Though my idea of relaxation might not be everyone’s — the last time after I finished a book, I spent the day tidying up my office and my desk. It was deeply satisfying 😊 and left me in a good place to begin work on my next book.

Other times, I might do some gardening, go out for a long lunch with a friend, or read a book that I've been saving up as a reward. So I'm not rigid about what I do after I turn in a manuscript; it all depends on how I’m feeling and what will refresh me.

There are also times when the break has to wait a little while because something else - like a set of edits - needs to be turned in. That’s fine too. I feel like if I generally try to have a balanced writing life, I’m in a good place to handle the odd period of back-to-back deadlines.

Overall, I work on the long term view – I want to write all my life, which means I need to pace myself.

Fans will be anxious you do pace yourself so that we can enjoy your writing for the rest of your life!!

What is next for you as an author?

I'll probably be getting the edits for my September book, ARCHANGEL'S WAR, very soon. After I complete those, I'll start work on the next Psy-Changeling book. However, I'm also making notes on my next contemporary story, featuring a professional rugby player hero who is also a single father. And, I’ve begun to sketch down ideas for my next thriller.

(Can't wait!!)

It's a busy period, but in the best way. I won't work on all these projects at the same time, of course, but right this moment, I'm in a period where I'm organizing myself for the rest of the year. It's fun and it will set me up for the second half of 2019, and into 2020.

It's certainly a busy time so thank you once again, Nalini, for finding time to be on this blog!

If you’d like to find out more about Nalini and her books, you can visit her website at: http://nalinisingh.com/

                                                                     ***

As subscribers to this blog are aware, the weekly posts underwent a bit of a hiatus in April and May due to my publishing schedule. 

I returned last week from the inaugural Booklovers Convention in New Orleans (which was fabulous!!) and have hit the ground running this week in my day job as a Speech Pathologist. Next week I'm travelling interstate for a national speech pathology conference. So, please have patience with me for the next few weeks. I have a host of wonderful authors lined up from the NOLA convention, but I need time to get the questions to them and give them time to get back to me, so I'll return as soon as possible to weekly posts but the weekly schedule most likely won't be up and running again until July. My apologies, I'm doing the very best I can right now, juggling all my different roles and responsibilities!

Happy reading and best wishes,

from

Alyssa.

www.alyssajmontgomery.com 

_____________________________________________________________________________

About the Blogger:

Alyssa J. Montgomery is an Australian contemporary romance author who is published by Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia). She also 

writes medieval romance as Alyssa James,