Dark Age Doings with Julia Phillips Smith

Posted by Jan 6 2012, 12:12 am

by Anna Campbell

What a treat I’ve got for you today. I’ve long admired Julia Phillips Smith’s wonderful A Piece of My Mind blog which covers all sorts of arcane and fascinating topics with the lightest and wittiest of touches. So when Julia asked me to read her debut paranormal-historical romance, SAINT SANGUINUS, I was delighted. This book kept me awake into the wee hours as I devoured the dramatic, passionate story of Peredur and Tanwen. After that, I just had to bring Julia into the lair to chase the cabana boys…uh, tell us about her books.

There’s a very dramatic trailer for SAINT SANGUINUS which you can see here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Dcv_qhXjM

Julia’s website is here: Website: http://juliaphillipssmith.com/

If you click on the cover of SAINT SANGUINUS, it will take you straight to the Amazon link (the book’s currently only 99 cents – BARGAIN!).

You can find the book on Smashwords at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/105486

Julia, welcome to the lair! Great to see you here. Congratulations on the release of your historical paranormal debut SAINT SANGUINUS which as you know I loved and called “a dark, dramatic take on the vampire genre.” Can you tell us about this story?

First of all – thank you, Sven *winking as I scoop up my prosecco from the tray* – my smile is impossible to tone down today, because I’m so thrilled to be here at the Banditas Lair.

My story is a Dark Ages vampire superhero origin story. Quite a combination, but there you go.

I’m a big fan of superhero origin stories. Wolverine, Green Lantern, Thor, Harry Potter – I can never get enough of watching the genesis of a hero as he steps into the role that destiny assigned to him. The more epic the scope, the better. That’s why the superhero genre always delivers for me.

But I also love all-too-human heroes and their stories. 300, GLADIATOR, Horatio Hornblower, the Sharpe series with Sean Bean – I love watching these natural leaders emerge from among their peers. SAINT SANGUINUS follows the tradition of these stories and introduces readers to a man destined to become something quite different than he could ever have expected from the opening scene of the novel.

Here’s a taste:

An elite brotherhood stands between humans and vampires, preventing one side from annihilating the other. Who are called to this service? Only those warriors who curse God with their dying breath.

Welsh warrior Peredur falls to a spear before he can claim Tanwen for his bride. Raging on the battlefield, Peredur utters the curse that seals his fate and leads him to another life. Using the power of a saint whose bone makes up an amulet, Peredur takes on the trials to become a true member of the brethren. Yet his need for the chieftain’s daughter Tanwen still burns.

Tanwen resists her father’s command to take a husband. The only one who understands her sorrow is Cavan, the wise woman’s son. When he promises that he can reunite her with her beloved, she agrees to his terms. But does Tanwen truly understand the depth of the price that must be paid?   

Wow! Lots happening there! What were the inspirations behind this book?

My initial inspiration was the Count Saint-Germain series of books by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. As a running theme throughout her series, Ms. Yarbro addresses the more day-to-day (or should I say, night-to-night) problems of being a vampire with a long lifespan. How does one hold onto different properties stashed here and there? How would you keep leaving these holdings to a future descendant, and how would you eventually claim your homes and businesses as your own ‘descendant’ after enough generations had passed, so that the locals don’t recognize you anymore?

I just love how her main vampire character has to deal with problems that don’t usually surface in vampire fiction. Although, if you think about it, Bram Stoker dealt with Count Dracula’s transportation-of-Transylvanian-soil problems in the beginning of his story.

So this got me thinking about the kind of scenes that don’t often appear in the vampire genre. My main character Peredur’s transformation from man to vampire was the launch pad for me. I wanted to really experience how it felt to take those first vampire baby steps. 

I found the setting so intriguing. Can you tell us about your fascination with Dark Ages Britain? Did you come across anything unusual or unexpected when you were researching the period?

I can pretty much say I’ve been fascinated with the Dark Ages since late elementary school, when I went to a Christmas Tea and Sale at the neighbourhood church where I went to Girl Guides. I bought a paperback copy of Mary Stewart’s THE CRYSTAL CAVE in the used books section. Not only did I inhale every beautifully crafted line of that book, but I couldn’t get enough of her Author’s Notes detailing her historical research and her decisions as to naming conventions for towns and villages in post-Roman Britain.

I then gravitated toward all things Arthurian. Arthur Pendragon is the ultimate seize-your-destiny prototype hero for me. The Arthurian romances also whet my appetite for courtly political intrigue. But I tended to collect non-fiction research books on Arthur, ever since high school, including ARTHUR’S BRITAIN by Leslie Alcock and THE QUEST FOR ARTHUR’S BRITAIN by Geoffrey Ashe.

A few years ago I blogged about the unexpected discovery of Dark Age artefacts in Staffordshire, England:

http://julia-mindovermatter.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-heart-all-aflutter-over-dark-ages.html

Of course, I wouldn’t claim to know EVERYTHING there is to know about Dark Age life. Right, Anna? (ANNA: Hey, what’s a potato or two between friends?)

The power vacuum created in Dark Age Britain by Rome’s withdrawal always fascinated me. In contemporary times, the same situation replayed itself in the Eastern Bloc countries as the Soviets pulled out. I find that sort of scenario irresistible as a writer, and it’s one of the issues I’ll be exploring as I continue the series. I love to see who steps to the front of the pack to take charge of all the squabbling.    

What’s next for you?

I’ve been posting serialized fiction on my blog for a little over a year, now, following the dark fantasy tale of a boy once brought up to be a noble, but never claimed by his family when it came time to leave the nursery. Instead, he’s raised by a falconer to be his apprentice, until a fateful hunt while in his teens sets him on an unexpected and dangerous path.

I’ll be wrapping up this storyline soon, and then shaping it into novel form which is due to be released in the spring. It’s packed to bursting with deadly power plays within the noble houses, threatening to pull down servants like my hero Scorpius along with them. That will be book one of a trilogy, so I’ll have book one of two separate series out, and then continue on with both series.

You can read about Scorpius here:

http://fictionexcerptarchives.blogspot.com/2010/04/weekend-writers-retreat.html     

Sounds great. And another hero thrust into the role! You live in a really beautiful part of the world that one day I hope to visit. I’d love you to tell us about YOUR Nova Scotia. Do you think that dramatic landscape inspires your writing?

I grew up in Halifax alongside my cousin Julianne MacLean’s family. Our dads were both scuba divers, so we spent many dreamy days running over the granite bedrock along the Atlantic Ocean as the men went on their dive and the moms set up picnic base camp.

As you can see in these two pictures, it’s a landscape that invites gothic tales to run rampant in my mind. That’s a shot of my dad back in the day, and the other one is of the four of us: back row, my sister Daisy Piper, my cousin Charlie. Front row, Julianne MacLean and me.

(My sister’s website: http://daisypiper.com/ )

So besides the gorgeous ocean, my favourite thing about Nova Scotia is the woods. The province is still heavily forested, with large tracts of undeveloped land, and in my own neighborhood we have a greenbelt running through the subdivision. Walking in the woods really renews me.

My local RWA chapter – Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada – has a yearly retreat which takes place at White Point Beach. These two shots were taken there and showcase both of my favorite things.  

I’ve long been a fan of your blog, A Piece of My Mind. You range so widely when it comes to topics. I’d love you to talk to us about keeping up the mojo for a long-running blog (when there’s only one of you!) and ask if you have any advice for would-be bloggers.

Thanks, Anna! I’ve actually given a workshop on blogging at my RWA chapter, because not every author enjoys blogging. Yet my chapter knows how much joy my blog gives me. And that’s really the secret.

Not helpful, I know, if writing blog posts feels like donating a kidney, minus the anaesthetic.

When I started A Piece of My Mind, a lot of the blogs I followed were written by authors about the writing life. However, I was four years away from this debut release, and my own interests ran to the full range of the arts. I decided early on to let my blog follow my heart, and after taking part in a year-long Blog Improvement Challenge in 2009 run by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness (http://www.sophisticateddorkiness.com/) I defined my blog as an arts blog.

I soon devised a weekly schedule, which I kept up solidly for four years: Poetry on Mondays, Arts features on Tuesdays, Photography on Wednesdays, Lists of 13 Things on Thursdays, Music on Fridays and Serialized fiction on Saturdays. Each of these features was attached to a meme hosted by another blogger, which carried its own readership (except for my arts feature, which is my very own.)

This year, however, as I put the push on to either sell or self-publish SAINT SANGUINUS, I realized that I couldn’t hope to keep up my regular blog schedule.  I pulled back on three of the weekly features – Poetry, Arts and Photography, shuffled the serialized fiction from Saturdays to Wednesdays, and had to cut way back on how much I visited with other bloggers.

This is where I can see the shine coming off of blogging for writers who feel that it takes away from their fiction writing time. Let’s take the cooking analogy for blogging. I come from a family of cooks, and though I adore eating delicious food, I’m not a cook. Every moment spent in the kitchen is a precious moment of life I’ll never get back.

Meanwhile, my mom lives to cook. She expresses herself through preparing food. It’s an art form for her, and each ingredient is a color or texture. That’s what my blog is for me – a way to express myself and to connect with people with similar interests. I’ve made so many friends through blogging, from all over the world. Like you, for instance, Anna!

So for writers who are thinking of attaching blogs to their websites, my advice is this. If you suspect you will run out of things to blog about in a matter of months, perhaps your best bet is to hook up with a group blog where you will only be required to post once a month.

Another idea is to find memes that interest you and take part in them. This gives you ready-made subject matter and helps your blog to schedule itself. For example, on Fridays I take part in a music meme called 5 on Friday, run by Travis at Trav’s Thoughts (http://travsthoughts.blogspot.com/). We post five tunes (which I link to on You Tube) and that’s that. Easy peasy.

Yet another way to shake up your blog schedule is to take part in a blog carnival or festival, or a blog challenge. Carnivals can be huge affairs, with literally a thousand bloggers signed up. A carnival is centred on a time-limited event, such as the A to Z Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/) which takes place throughout the month of April. Or the Movie Madness challenge (http://reviews.blueteacup.com/?p=2134) I’m joining this year.

Which brings me to something I’ve bumped into on blog sidebars here and there: Blogging Without Obligation buttons, started by Tiffini at Down the Rabbit Hole (http://www.tartx.com/blog/?page_id=233). For me, blogging is fun. My enjoyment with it is contagious. Try to capture a sense of play when blogging. It’s like a giggle – before long, your fun will ripple out to readers, who will then want to know more about you – and discover you’re an author, with a book they’ve just got to read!    

 Julia, is there anything you’d like to ask the Bandits or the Bandita Buddies?

I’ve had the good fortune to meet six blog friends In Real Life. I’d like to ask Romance Bandit readers if they’ve had the same pleasure – or if the Real Life meet-up brought surprises?

Julia has very generously offered a commenter today a copy of SAINT SANGUINUS! So get commenting, people! 

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112 Comments

Comments

112 thoughts on “Dark Age Doings with Julia Phillips Smith”

  1. 1
    Helen says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:19 am

    Is he coming to my place

    Have Fun
    Helen

  2. 2
    Jo Robertson says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:31 am

    What a delightful and interesting blog, Anna and Julia.

    Helen, I was so sure I was going to get the rooster, but I stopped to download Julia’s book and LOST OUT!!

    Congrats, anyway, even though I feel a bit cheated. I’m never up at this time!

  3. 3
    Jo Robertson says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:33 am

    Julia, everything you’ve talked about loving is similar to what I enjoy!

    Love the Arthurian legends and that period of England’s history.

    Saint Sanguinus sounds like my cuppa for sure! I look forward to reading it. I’m just afraid I won’t be able to pronounce the names LOL. Great vidio trailer!

  4. 4
    Helen says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:33 am

    Julia and Anna

    I have to say this book sounds great I will be off to get it very soon.

    I love visiting blogs and try to make it to as many as I can although I seem to be slowing up these days not a lot of time. But I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful authors that I have met on blogs Anna Campbell, Christina Brooke, Sharon Archer, Rachel Baily, Robyn Grady, Anne Gracie just to name a few and I was totally over the moon I feel very honoured to have met these wonderful authors in person and I am hoping that one day I may even get to the States and meet the rest of the Bandits.

    Congrats on the book JUlia of to Amazon to pick it up

    Have Fun
    Helen

  5. 5
    Virgina says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:45 am

    Great blog post! Your books sound fabulous! I will have to say I have met a lot of wonderful authors and people on the blogs but I have never got to meet them in person, maybe one day who knows.

    Congrats on the GR Helen, have fun with him.

    • 5.1
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:15 am

      Virginia, I have to say I’m yet to have a vastly different experience of someone in person to what they’re like on the Net. I think if someone’s nice, it comes across electronically. I can imagine it might happen – and I wonder about some people who marry people they met on the net without getting to know them in person. But it’s all been a good experience for me.

      • 5.1.1
        Julia Phillips Smith says:
        January 6, 2012 at 11:44 am

        I have two friends who married people whom they first met online. Neither sites were dating sites, so they met through shared interests and noticed they were always going off-loop to email privately. And then that led to In Real Life meetings, and so on, and so on, and so on…

  6. 6
    Fedora says:
    January 6, 2012 at 1:01 am

    Lovely to meet you today, Julia! Hi, Anna! Julia, your book sounds most intriguing!! So many compelling elements to hold our attention!

    As for meeting blog or on-line friends in person, I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting one so far (hi, Tawny! ;) ), and it was a treat! I am absolutely looking forward to having the chance to meet more in the future, including Anna! One of these days!

    Helen, have a delightful time with the GR–I can’t imagine he was improved at all from his visit here yesterday, alas!

  7. 7
    Pat Cochran says:
    January 6, 2012 at 1:24 am

    Hello, Julia, it’s so nice to “meet” you! Hi, Ms.
    Anna, lovely to see you today!

    I’ve enjoyed meeting so many authors and
    blog members over the past several years.
    ( I started to say “ladies,” then thought of
    p226 and Wayne!) I am enjoying the many
    online friendships but hope that someday
    I may actually get to really meet them!

    Julia, Your book sounds wonderful!

  8. 8
    Anna Campbell says:
    January 6, 2012 at 2:15 am

    Pat, it’s lovely to check in with all our friends all over the world, isn’t it? Would love to meet you in person too! Maybe one day.

  9. 9
    Anna Campbell says:
    January 6, 2012 at 2:15 am

    Seriously, check out the trailer. It’s AY-MAY-ZING!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Dcv_qhXjM

  10. 10
    Aretha zhen says:
    January 6, 2012 at 3:23 am

    Hi anna and Julia ! Congrats on your debut Julia ! I love books and I meet a lot of books lovers in facebook . I met a lot of them in reality and I was lucky enough to find out that they are all awesome book lovers. I often gets books from them n barter my books w them:)

  11. 11
    Barb says:
    January 6, 2012 at 3:41 am

    Well done Helen… I will be up to check he is behaving himself…. I could have baby sat GR while you went out lol

    Congrats on your book Julie…. hi Anna …I have met you along with some more of the Aussie authors and ,of course, Cindy Gerard at ARRC 2011…. have met a few of them at the lunches we have every month

    Barb

    • 11.1
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:33 pm

      Barb, wasn’t it fun seeing everyone at ARRC 2011? It was lovely to meet you! Can’t wait for ARRC 2013 which is in Brisbane not very far from me.

    • 11.2
      Julia Phillips Smith says:
      January 7, 2012 at 7:45 pm

      Is this the Australian Romance Readers Convention? Do you get many North American or European/UK authors attending? Meeting up with all of you there would be a blast!

  12. 12
    Mary Preston says:
    January 6, 2012 at 3:52 am

    I have never met anyone in real life that I talk to via blogs.

    I enjoyed the post immensely & got to thinking how long ago I first read Mary Stewart’s THE CRYSTAL CAVE. Too long I think.

  13. 13
    Dianna aka Hrdwrkdmom says:
    January 6, 2012 at 5:43 am

    I got to meet some of the Banditas and the GR of course, Joan, Donna, Nancy and Cassondra came to Charleston and when I walked into the restaurant they asked if I was there with the Golden Rooster. “Yes, as a matter of fact I am!” It was a blast and a better group of ladies you will find hard to beat.

    I already downloaded Saint Sanguinus, can’t wait to read it.

    • 13.1
      Donna MacMeans says:
      January 6, 2012 at 11:27 am

      That dinner was so much fun, Dianna. I’m so glad we set that up. Remember the looks of the other diners when they saw the Golden Rooster?

      What Dianna didn’t say is that she brought gift bags and roses or each of us. Totally unnecessary but memorable. Great food, great times, great memories.

      • 13.1.1
        Anna Campbell says:
        January 6, 2012 at 1:35 pm

        Donna and Cassondra, it sounds like such a fun get-together! So glad you did it – even if you did bring that pesky rooster ;-)

      • 13.1.2
        Dianna aka Hrdwrkdmom says:
        January 6, 2012 at 7:04 pm

        He was wearing sunglasses and a Lei Donna, he was definitely noticeable. All the girl squeals and huggies kind of got their attention too….LOL

        • 13.1.2.1
          Julia Phillips Smith says:
          January 7, 2012 at 7:50 pm

          Our RWA chapter (Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada) meets for lunch once a month before our meeting, and the local restaurants now know they need to put us in a separate room or at least off in a corner somewhere – because there is a LOT of animated conversation between bites of lunch!

    • 13.2
      Cassondra says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      Oh, Dianna, that was SUCH a good time

      I think of it every time I have to drive through your beautiful state.

    • 13.3
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:34 pm

      Dianna, sounds like you had a whole Bandita party going on there! You’ve been such a marvellous supporter of the blog – we all really appreciate it.

    • 13.4
      Nancy Northcott says:
      January 6, 2012 at 4:10 pm

      Dianna, that was a great evening for us, too!

  14. 14
    Julia Phillips Smith says:
    January 6, 2012 at 6:18 am

    Hi Everyone! Thanks for such a warm welcome! And thank you Anna for hosting me here at the Lair – I’m thrilled to be here today.

    As I mentioned in the post, I’ve met with a few blog buddies In Real Life and have been overjoyed each time. I deeply hope that I can meet up with many more of you in the years to come.

    • 14.1
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:38 pm

      Julia, I really missed not coming to RWA last year and catching up with all my friends (and making new ones!). It’s always wonderful to see people face to face, wonderful as it is to keep in touch on the internet.

  15. 15
    Julianne MacLean says:
    January 6, 2012 at 8:18 am

    Hi Julia and Anna! I loved reading the blog, and need to shout out loud from the rooftops: SAINT SANGUINUS is a magnificent book!! I completely devoured it, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

    And I love the pictures you posted! We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful inspiring place. Love you cuz!

  16. 16
    Jeanne Adams says:
    January 6, 2012 at 9:46 am

    Hi Julia! Welcome to the Lair! This was a wonderful introduction to a new author for me, Anna, so thanks! :>

    Julia, I’m definately going for your book, as I love the Yarbro St. Germain series. In fact, it’s been one of the only vampire series I’ve liked and re-read (apologies to those who love the genre, but I…really don’t that much!).

    Also, I love, love, love the Atlantic Canadian coast. I’ve never visited but have always wanted to since reading Captains Courageous and all the Anne books by LM Montgomery. :> My DH and I plan to get up there sometime soon, so…I’ll look you up!

    • 16.1
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:40 pm

      Oh, Jeanne, wouldn’t it be cool if you and Julia hooked up? I’m starting to sing “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”. By the way, when I was a wee young thing, I always thought that song was about someone making smoking aids. ;-)

    • 16.2
      Julia Phillips Smith says:
      January 7, 2012 at 7:57 pm

      Hi Jeanne – hope we get to be match made sometime, so we can talk Saint-Germain and LM Montgomery.

      Did you ever get a chance to watch the Canadian series Road to Avonlea? It was based on The Story Girl series of books by Montgomery – a massive favorite of mine (both the books and the show. Worth checking out, if you can find it.)

      Or did you ever hear of the musical Anne of Green Gables? It plays every year at the Confederation Center in Prince Edward Island, if you ever get a chance to go. I saw it there, and it’s unforgettable.

  17. 17
    Ellie says:
    January 6, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Congratulations and best wishes, Julie. Your book sounds compelling and special. I know that I will be reading it soon. I love N.S. and have been there when I ived in Canada since I am Canadian, but live in the U.S. now.

  18. 18
    Ellie says:
    January 6, 2012 at 10:57 am

    What a great post today. Your unique book is extraordinary. I have a fondness for the Maritimes. I travelled there many years ago and enjoyed the summer journey in N.S. N.B. and P.E.I. Unforgettable.

  19. 19
    Donna MacMeans says:
    January 6, 2012 at 11:32 am

    Welcome to the lair, Julia – Your book sounds awesome. Very unique.

    As to blog friends that I’ve met (beyond the other wonderful Romance Bandits) – Dianna mentioned above about our dinner. I’ve also had the pleasure to meet Kim from Hawaii on a couple of occasions and LilMizMollie as well. I’ve met Limecello who we just don’t see as much of anymore.

    But I’d love to meet more – so if I’m ever close to your town at a signing or conference, give me a yell. We’ll see if we can meet at least for a drink.

  20. 20
    Trish Milburn says:
    January 6, 2012 at 11:54 am

    Hi, Julia. Welcome to the Lair. This sounds like a great story. I love books where it’s obvious the author has done a lot of research and really loves her subject and setting. To me, when the setting reads like a character itself, that makes a book really enjoyable.

    • 20.1
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 1:45 pm

      Trish, I agree with you about setting. I think that’s one of the real strenghts of Mary Stewart’s writing. She does setting better than anyone I can think of. Fantastic stuff.

    • 20.2
      Julia Phillips Smith says:
      January 7, 2012 at 8:10 pm

      Hi Trish – I’m often commenting over at Supernatural Sisters. I believe we’ve met there in the comments section. So I have to say I believe we’d have loads to talk about In Real Life.

  21. 21
    Gail Nichols says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting any authors yet but I would love to see Austrailia and meet Anna Campbell. I would also love to meet Colleen McCullough author of “The Thorn Birds” I would love to do a real love scene on an Australian beach with my hubby. I would love to sit down with those wonderful ladies and talk romance:)

  22. 22
    Louisa says:
    January 6, 2012 at 12:50 pm

    Oh Helen if anyone can handle the GR in a restaurant, you can!

    What a great interview La Campbell and Julia !

    I’ve met many of the Banditas and Buddies on the blog first and then later in person. And they are ALL delightful! Meeting them has been so much fun! In fact my tour of writing blogs has garnered me many wonderful, wonderful friends and filled my life with much laughter and conversation.

    Now the book sounds INTRIGUING ! I will have to download it onto my NEW KINDLE !!! My FABULOUS critique partner gave me a Kindle Touch 3G as my Christmas/ Birthday gift !

    And I met my CP via the internet almost six years ago and didn’t meet her in person until two years ago.

    Off to check out Julia’s blog!

    • 22.1
      Anna Campbell says:
      January 6, 2012 at 2:07 pm

      Hey, cool on the Kindle, Louisa! Great CP!!! Actually you’re a prime example of someone who’s a darling online and then even more of a darling in real life. I so missed catching up with you this year. I love our rambunctious lunches at RWA!

      • 22.1.1
        Louisa says:
        January 6, 2012 at 9:00 pm

        Oh aren’t you sweet, La Campbell! I feel the same way about you. You are SUCH a dear online and ten times more dear in person AND ROWDY !! We have had some madcap lunches at RWA and I truly missed you in New York. Heaven knows what mischief we might have caused there! So we will have to be double trouble this year !

    • 22.2
      Julia Phillips Smith says:
      January 7, 2012 at 8:14 pm

      2013 isn’t so long to wait if there’s rambunctious and rowdy to look forward to!

  23. 23
    Tara MacQueen says:
    January 6, 2012 at 1:27 pm

    What a great blog post!
    Love those family pics.

    Can’t imagine scuba diving in our winters but that’s the same way I feel about our winter surfers – brrr! Ice cream headaches all around…

    Tara

  24. 24
    Cassondra says:
    January 6, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Hi Julia, and welcome to the lair!

    Your book sounds amazing! It reminds me, in tone, of some of Anna’s work…the way she delves so deeply into the psyches of her characters. Yours sounds as if it does that as well…absolutely have to get this.

    Just the sound of maintaining that blog on your own makes me tired. I don’t know how you did it, but a big toast with a glass of Cabernet to you.

    As to meeting folks from the internet. I frequent a couple of forums, and have been lucky enough to meet in person with some folks who’ve since become good friends. And of course, I’ve been so lucky to meet a number of our Bandit Buddies while out and about at conferences. One of the best things, of course, was getting to have a lovely Italian dinner with Dianna when I was staying in her town for a bit. I don’t recall having any surprises really, except for one.

    When I flew to San Francisco for the 2008 conference, I was standing on the sidewalk waiting for a shuttle to take me to the RWA hotel when someone to my right said, “You’re Cassondra, right?” I know my mouth had to drop open. I live in Kentucky, and had never been to California before that. I turned around and looked at a dark-haired beauty I’d never seen before. I said, “Yes.” But I know I had a “what the heck?” look on my face.

    It was Deb Marlowe, one of our Bandit Buddies, and she recognized me from my picture on the blog of course. I was so flattered that she had even paid attention, that I didn’t know what to say.

    Not the kind of surprise you were asking about, but it surely was a shock. A pleasant one for certain!

  25. 25
    Pearl says:
    January 6, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    An enthralling book and post today. What an idea and story. Love the area and locale where you are located, just spectacular.

  26. 26
    Jenie Marsland says:
    January 6, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    Hi Julia and Anna! Great interview. And isn’t Julia’s trailer terrific? Her film background really shows. And Saint Sanguinus is a wonderful book!

  27. 27
    Anna Campbell says:
    January 6, 2012 at 3:05 pm

    Jenie, so glad you enjoyed Saint Sanguinus too! And isn’t that trailer spectacular? Did you check out the second part?

  28. 28
    Nancy Northcott says:
    January 6, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    Julia, welcome to the Lair, and congrats on your debut! I love super-heroes and am heavily into all things Arthurian. Origin stories are great!

    I’ve been lucky enough to meet many internet friends and enjoyed each encounter.

  29. 29
    Anna Campbell says:
    January 6, 2012 at 4:48 pm

    Nancy, it’s funny – when I was reading Saint Sanguinus, I kept thinking it was YOUR sort of book! And I know you like different settings too.

  30. 30
    Mozette says:
    January 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    I’ve put a couple of my books on a blog each… one is called ‘Fry Nelson’ and it’s about a Bounty Hunter here in Brisbane, Australia. The year is 2030 and Fry Nelson is a man who doesn’t know all that much about himself… let alone has that many friends. However, the more he figures out about himself, and closer he becomes to anyone, the more enemies he tends to make and less people he can trust – or can he? check it out here:

    http://bountyhunterbrisbane.blogspot.com/

    Then, there’s my weird short story blog… it’s a mixture of interesting and vampire works. Some of them have been published into an e-book on Bibliotastic.com if you’d like to download them. But the blog is here:

    http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com/

    The consent forms are put into place because there’s sex scenes and a touch of violence, and I don’t wish to be kicked off Blogger by Google… so just click through and have a read. I’ve had these going for about 3 years each now.

  31. 31
    Julia Phillips Smith says:
    January 6, 2012 at 10:10 pm

    I’ll be back to comment tomorrow.

    My precious dog Xena had a health crisis this week and passed away this evening. I left my day job early so my husband, my mom and I could take her to the vet, but she didn’t make it.

    She was my dearest little girl, and I miss her with a gaping, shredded hole in my heart.

  32. 32
    catslady says:
    January 6, 2012 at 11:04 pm

    I’ve been conversing with a girl from England for over 10 years now. She was planning a trip to NY and then a visit here in Pgh. but then 911 happened and she canceled :(

  33. 33
    eli yanti says:
    January 7, 2012 at 4:30 am

    hope i’m not late ;)

    i love to join blog and knowing new person and make a relationship =D

  34. 34
    Anna Campbell says:
    January 7, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Thanks, everyone, for swinging by to say hello today. So sad that personal circumstances spoiled Julia’s fun day with us. Julia, thanks for being my guest today.

    And guys, don’t forget to check back to see who won the copy of SAINT SANGUINUS!

    

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