Wednesday, August 05, 2009

What, Where, When, Why, How with Silver James

Welcome to Silver James...my new BFF. Why? Because she is both silly and sarcastic!! We could be twins. Give her a great big howdy -- AND, she's giving away a $10 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press to one commenter today! So read, talk, share with a friend! :-)

So, Silver, do tell: what is your favorite beverage?

Caffeine. Liquid. Solid. Filleted. Fried. Stewed. Fricasseed. Whipped. Wait! What? Whipped? But mostly liquid. In coffee flavors or Diet Coke with Lime®. Iced tea is good and the beverage of choice when dining out. Unless it’s the Super Bowl. Or the World Series. I fall off the wagon then and have a Killian's or Harps beer, or three, on special occasions. For REALLY special occasions, I prefer light, sweeter wines or single malt Scotch like Glen Fiddich or Glen Livet. Are you bored yet? When it’s just for fun and I’m not the designated driver, Margaritas on the rocks with lots of salt rock my socks. Pay no attention to those rumors. I swear I never sang “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” in public. Srsly.

When did you start writing?

I can remember, at the age of four, lining up my stuffed animals for Story Time, telling them tales I made up. At thirteen, I committed my first “novel” to paper – in a spiral notebook with a black and white plaid cover. “The Talisman” had a decent plot along the lines of “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” though processed through the brain of an adolescent girl. Needless to say, it was abysmal. There were boys. And kissing. And time travel. Did I mention kissing? No petting. Life was much more innocent back in the dark ages. My BFF at the time and I were the heroines and I believe Davy Jones (The Monkees) and Peter Noone (Herman of Herman’s Hermits) were our love interests. I have mentioned that I’m older than dirt, right? Technically, I suppose it would have been considered fan fiction, if the term had been in use at the time. Trust me, the whole thing was truly cringe-worthy.

In the story, our intrepid teen exchange students were whisked back in time to medieval England where they saved the kingdom, fell in love, and then got shuttled back to the present, where they met their teen heartthob rock stars. Said stars looking, talking, and kissing suspiciously like our two medieval heroes.

Wait! That plot sounds vaguely familiar. In my novel, Faerie Fate – to be released in 2010 by The Wild Rose Press – my heroine is sent back to 10th century Ireland to "get it right" with the love of her lives, clann chief Ciaran McDermot. Yes. You read that right. Lives. The books in my Tír Nan Óg trilogy deal not only with the Tuatha De Danaan (the faeries of Irish mythology), but with reincarnation and finding true love life after life.

Where is the best tourist spot in your town?

This is Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains. A lot depends on your tastes. Many people are drawn to Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial downtown. We have wonderful museums – art and historical, a water park and a theme park, the venerable Frontier City. In the fall, we have football. In the spring, we have…tornadoes. Srsly. Tourists pay money to chase tornadoes. I mean…dude! How stupid is that? We have wonderful historic districts, too. And restaurants. Bricktown is the place to be for nightly entertainment, plus we have Triple A baseball and the OKC Thunder, our NBA team. The Oklahoma Museum of Art has an incredible collection of blown glass by the renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly. The Western Heritage Museum houses an extensive collection of western art and sculpture. The Oklahoma Heritage Center provides a glimpse into the state’s past. I could go on and on. The Zoo. Remington Park Race Track. The Firefighters Museum. ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, home of the Women’s College World Series.

Did I misread that question? I did, didn’t I? You asked about the best tourist spot. Singular. Sorry. Take your pick. Considering our rather red-neck and unsophisticated reputation, Oklahoma City offers amazing sights, sounds, and tastes.

Why does "I" come before "E" except after "C"?

Wait. Is this a trick question? You know, like “There is no I in TEAM”? Or, shall we sing it altogether now? M-I-C “See you later” K-E-Y “Why? Because we like you!” M-O-U-S-E. That doesn’t quite fit either. *blink* What do you mean you have no idea what that song is? Didn’t you ever watch the Mickey Mouse Club? With Annette Funicello? Oh. Right. We’re back to that “older than dirt” thing.

Okay. Best answer. “I” comes before “E” except after “C” because some old dude in robes and a long beard (who faintly resembles Richard Harris as Dumbledore) decided to play with our minds and create English as a first language. English is such a mongrel of other languages I am absolutely amazed on a daily basis that we can write anything at all and make sense. All the synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, homophones, and other grisly creatures of language usage are designed to drive writers, editors, and readers completely bonkers. As an example, you might check out this Language Lesson. I actually have a "100 Things To Do Before I Die" list and number 42 on that list is "Learn to spell 'ridiculous' without having to look it up." (Yes. I spelled it right, but I had to look it up to be sure I'd spelled it right.)

Still, as a writer, I find language to be a delicious feast for the imagination. Alliteration, adjectives, and adverbs! Oh, my!

How do you drink your coffee?

I came to truly appreciate coffee late in life – my thirties, in fact. Newly married at the time, my husband was a coffee drinker. Back then, I drank it with a lot of milk and sugar. Accompanying him on a business trip to New Orleans, I spent a morning at Café du Monde drinking café au lait and pigging out on beignets while he was in meetings. It was…orgasmic. Really. *points to answer to first question* Coffee is now my preferred drink of choice. Year round. In the summer, I’ll add crushed ice. And chocolate. Mmmm. The rest of the time, café au lait with a bit of Splenda® is my IV drip of choice from my first cup of the morning throughout my day. Being a lazy sort, I simply put my light soy milk in a large, plastic travel cup, zap it in the microwave, add sweet and coffee. I sip while I write, guzzle when I’m blocked, refill often. My husband teases and says the only exercise I get is trudging back and forth from my computer to the kitchen for refills. Coffee is my BFF. Truly, madly. *nods*

You gotta, just GOTTA go read Silver's bio. It's a hoot. Srsly.

http://www.silverjames.com
MySpace - Silver James Romance
Silver James at Live Journal

27 comments:

Ceri Hebert said...

LOL Awesome reading! Brings me back, recalling my first finished manuscript with my heroine and her perfect Australian boyfriend (Tristan Rogers from General Hospital) and her perfect horses. Oh, and I did a Battlestar Galactica fan fic.

Thanks for the laugh, Silver! Good way to start my day.

Judy said...

LOL.. OMG.... Silver, you are truly a merge of me and Marianne. I get the age part, because I SO remember Annette (I even had several murder mysteries she starred in...did you ever have those?) Marianne gets the Diet Coke w/lime, the soy milk, and we both get the infamous top-line Maggie on the rocks extra-salt (I have to admit, she converted me).

Silver James said...

Good morning! Ya can't have too many BFFs in this ol' world! Marianne, thanks so much for hosting me today. You know what they say about jail and BFFs, don't you?

Ceri, I wonder how many of us started writing "fanfiction"? And how many of us would actually admit it? Ooh-ooh-ooh! If I ever get to interview a famous author, that will be my zinger question! Which version of BG? I can remember wearing a bib to watch the original. I think my love affair with Starbucks coffee stems from craving Starbuck.

Judy, the only thing better than those Annette mysteries were the beach movies with Frankie Avalon! I snort Coke out my nose (the LIQUID variety! What were you thinkin'?!?) when I catch on on TV and the DD simply stares in fascinated horror.

Thanks for stopping by, gals!

Sarah Simas said...

Hi Silver! I enjoyed your post. I love your humor!

I'm diet coke gal, too. Now, for a margarita, my mom converted me to Patron. Isn't that funny? My staid mom is a tequilla snob. LOL

I can remember the original Mickey Mouse club because we had cable when I was younger and the Disney channel would re-run them along with the old Mickey cartoons. I'm a huge Disney fan.

Thanks for a good laugh! Great way to start the day!

Cate Masters said...

Delicious interview, Silver and Marianne! What a great pick-me-up for midweek. I love the premise for Faerie Fate (and the cover!). Looking forward to its release (as I'm sure you are as well!). I'm now going to get a cup of coffee!

Silver James said...

Sarah, MmmmMMMMMmmm - Patron! Yeah. That's the good stuff all right. Your mom has excellent tastes! I have to admit that I'm still a Disney fan, too. Shhh. Don't tell.

G'mornin', Cate. I'm flattered that you stopped in here before grabbing a cup of coffee...or was there some sort of sublimal message? I only have 8 months and 25 days until FAERIE FATE releases. It's like being pregnant. Only not quite as much fun conceiving...

The official release date for ebook format is April 30, 2010 and the print version will be available May 28, 2010. I was lucky enough to have the extremely talented Rae Monet for a cover artist! She rocks!

Thanks for stopping by, ya'll!

Paula R said...

Hey Silver, dropping by to show you some love. You are too funny...I remember the original Mickey Mouse Club AND Battlestar Galactica...so there...*tongue sticking out*....okay, you met me, soyou know how young I am...hahahha...I also remember Land of the Giants...that wasmy show back in the day...

8 months and 25 days is too long a wait...I want to read your book NOW...okay, my age is showing, but seriously, after meeting and talking with you, I am excited to read your book. It talks about a lot of things I like to learn about,and the Celtic theme just sucks me in...

LOVE YOU!!!!....see you back in the shadows and swinging on the vines in the jungle...

Peace and love,
Paula R.

Anonymous said...

What a great interview, totally made me LOL which let my boss know I wasn't working on that boring report lol. Love the book cover and this book sound so interesting.

Helen Hardt said...

Fun interview, ladies! I really enjoyed it. And Silver, your cover is amazing!

Helen

Silver James said...

*waves* Howdy, Paula. I'm sooo feelin' the love! Thanks! See you back in the shadows and the jungle! For once, I wish time would hurry. It was so nice to meet you at RWA in DC. I can't wait for Nashville!

Oops. Sorry, Anna-Katherine. Hope you won't have OT to finish that report. Wouldn't be nice if reports could be funny instead of boring? Or at least have...uhm...I don't know...Chippendale dancers on the cover? That works for me!

Hi, Helen. Rae really captured the essence of the story - standing stones, the fires of Samhain, and Becca and Ciaran. The Celtic heart plays a central role, too. Check FAERIE FATE for the blurb and excerpt.

Paula R said...

I know what you mean...btw, I loved me some Frankie Avalon when I was younger...I always thought that he should be married to Annette...hahahhaahaa

Peace abnd love,
Paula R.

Anonymous said...

We have tourist spots? I should leave my office more.

Funny interview, Silver. When my kids want to interrupt my writing, they come with coffee. :)

Silver James said...

Smart kids, Rinda! And we do - at least according to the Chamber of Commerce. LOL

FYI, if anyone here likes Alpha males in uniform, check out Deadline Dames for Rinda's announcement about a new anthology she's in!

mslizalou said...

Silver, I really believe you could write a book with your daily musings and make millions.

I'm a diet coke girl myself too. Can't wait to go out for drinks in Nashville next year.

Mary Ricksen said...

I got a kick out of your interview. My first book, if you can call it that, had Michael Landon, from Little House on The Prairie in it.
When he was still hot. Needless to say It never got published. Ha!

Silver James said...

*blush* Thanks. I wish I could be that funny all the time. I'd love to make millions writing!

*bounces with excitement* Nashville is gonna rock, Liza! Can't wait. FAERIE FATE will be out in ebook AND print and I'll get to do the literacy signing. How cool is that?!?

Emma Lai said...

What a fun interview, ladies!

As a child, we spent two weeks at the Grand Lake of the Cherokees...beautiful!

Silver, have you ever tried Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk over ice?

Silver James said...

Hi, Mary! Michael Landon was soooo hot! I watched Bonanza just for him! I think we all need to blog about our first story/book and who our Romantic Male Lead (RML) was!

Emma, I have and it is yummy! In fact, I buy my Cafe du Monde Coffee at the local Vietnamese Supermarket. Grand Lake is gorgeous but it's up in the NE part of the state. Trivia nerd that I am, I'm going to mention that Oklahoma has approximately 11,611 miles of shoreline, slightly less than the estimated combined general (nontidal) coastline of the Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, and Arctic Coasts (12,383 miles). Who knew? Who cares?

Skhye said...

Hi, Silver! Faerie Fate sounds awesome. And I love the cover. As for sightseeing in Oklahoma... uh, yes, I do agree with you. It's all in tastes. LOLLLLLL Best of luck with your release. :)

Rancourt said...

Silver, serious props for quoting Between the Lions. It is well and truly the coolest show on earth for the young reader, and one of few shows to actually have an educator-proven track record improving early literacy. But then, you've heard all of this from me many times already.

- Justin

Silver James said...

*waves to Skhye and Justin* Hey, I've been to Houston in August, Skhye. Just sayin'...

I miss Between the Lions, Justin. It was an amazing show. Thanks for stopping by to say hi!

In case ya'll missed it, go back to the interview and click on link: LANGUAGE LESSON in the English question. It's worth the two minutes. Trust me!

Debra St. John said...

Ah, Silver, Richard Harris is my favorite Dumbledore. I miss him.

Silver James said...

He was mine, too, Debra. And I adored him in Camelot as an aging King Arthur. I miss him.

ev said...

It appears that there are a bunch of places I missed visiting when I was in OK City this spring. Good reason to come back! (although I would go back to brick city and do some more looking around, besides just Toby Keith's bar-even if some guy did try and pick me up. Maybe I will keep an eye on the concert schedule in that area.

I prefer my coffee iced year round. You can keep the tornadoes, but I will gladly send you some rain.We have had enough.

Hubby stated that he spent enough time at Ft Sill, and I can go back alone. LOL Still working on him. I suggested he could go visit his bank account personally instead of online.

Silver James said...

Come back to visit anytime! And bring the old man. We'll leave he and Lawyer Guy to jabber and we'll go have some fun! Thanks for dropping by here to say hi!

Silver James said...

It's after 10:00 p.m. Do you know where your romance hero is? Since this old lady needs all the beauty sleep she can get -- it doesn't help but I pretend a lot -- I'm going to announce the winner. I listed the commenters in the order of their comments, minus mine and counted them. There were 16. I then used the handy-dandy random number generator on my iGoogle page and....drum roll please....The winner is DEBRA ST. JOHN! Debra, I'll email you the details on your Wild Rose Press gift certificate. Congratulatons and I hope you enjoy it!

Debra St. John said...

I just got my certificate! Thanks so much Silver. And thanks Marianne for hosting her.