MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CARMILLA VOIEZ

 

 

What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

My name is Carmilla Voiez and I tend to write in a number of genres including Gothic Horror, Weird, Urban Fantasy and Erotica.

 

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

My newest release is a relaunch of my debut novel Starblood, offered by Vamptasy Publishing. It is the first book in a series of at least four novels. The story centres around a group of Goths. As a lifelong Goth quite a few if the characters have been inspired by people I have known and met, including myself. The title is from a song by Cranes called Starblood, and the main female protagonist is called Star.

 

 

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

I’ve always loved horror and dark fantasy. I am obsessed with magic and altered perception. I find it the perfect genre to ask certain questions about what it means to be a young woman who is trying to carve a space in the world.

 

What kind of research did you do for this book?

I researched a lot of magical and esoteric traditions and alternative ideas about the Garden of Eden and Lilith.

 

Can you tell me about your Series?

At the moment it contains four novels – Starblood, Psychonaut, Black Sun and Ribbons. Each of them is named after Goth music, and each contains the same characters (apart from any we lose along the way). Yes some of them die. It is a mix of Gothic Romance, in the tradition of Wuthering Heights; Horror, both supernatural and human cruelty; Fantasy, demonology and other worlds. The series spans a period of five years  and sees the characters grow up and learn important lessons. It’s a female centred series, although there are male characters present and active in the plot. The following three books will be released in 2019, approximately three months apart. Together with artist Anna Prashkovich, a series of graphic novels based on the story are being developed.

 

 

Do you have a favorite book out of this series?

  My favourite is the second book, Psychonaut, as it is a pretty impressive work of imagination and I wowed myself writing it.

 

 

Where did you get the inspiration/idea for your series?

A lot of the inspiration came from my life and changes therein, including motherhood and a marriage break-up. Other ideas came from the magical works I read and people from the Goth scene I had the pleasure to meet and know. The songs I used for titles also provided some writing prompts for some of the scenes. The first scene I completed was chapter two of Starblood. I wrote it as a violent short story before I decided I needed to write more about the woman in that scene and make her my antagonist.

 

Was it always meant to become a series?

No. When I wrote Starblood it was meant to be a stand alone. I was inspired to write the next two novels soon after the first was completed and I wrote them as a trilogy. Years later one of the background characters of Starblood who was quite active throughout Psychonaut started plaguing my thoughts and telling me I needed to complete her story and give her a happy ending. I make no guarantees that her end is happy, but I was compelled to write more of Freya’s story in Ribbons, making it a series of four books. Is the series complete after four books? Actually I’m not entirely sure about that either.

 

 

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

I have a day job, working at a stately home. I tend to write early in the morning when I’m working and during the day when I’m not out at work. I also make sure I spend time promoting the books and writing blog posts. The days when an author can concentrate solely on writing are long gone for most.

 

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

I am completing work on book four of the series, Ribbons, and Anna is painting pages for the third graphic novel Black Sun. I have two other novels and a couple of short stories on the back burner to pick up again once Ribbons is complete.

 

 

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Starting. That blank page moment always intimidates me. On the flip side I find rewriting and editing relatively easy.

 

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I love book trailers. My partner composes music so I am lucky to have some pretty awesome trailers for my books.

 

 

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

How to choose? I’m proud of being a published author and the great reviews my books get. I’m proud to be able to financially support my family, and proud to edit some amazing books for fellow indie authors. I’m proud of both my daughters. I really can’t say what my best accomplishment is. Maybe I haven’t done it yet.

 

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Being creative. Weaving ideas into stories that entertain and often soothe others. It sounds strange to say my writing soothes readers considering the dark subjects I choose, but I argue that the horror genre is an effective comfort blanket.

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Still writing and hopefully earning a decent living from book sales.

 

 

Have you always liked to write?

Yes, even as a child, but I was 40 by the time my first book was published.

 

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Keep writing. Don’t get overwhelmed about quality when you’re working on the first draft. Get it written then make it beautiful with rewriting. Never underestimate the importance of editing and proofreading.

 

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

I used to run a Gothic Clothing company, so probably something in fashion.

 

 

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I always read reviews. I am aware that my style and chosen subject matter doesn’t appeal to everyone, but I also ensure that I make my stories as beautiful as I can. Keeping both of these in mind I am never upset my bad review for more than an hour. I take what there is to take from them and move on.

 

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Promotion. I find that part extremely difficult and awkward.

 

 

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

Excerpt from Ribbons –

From force of habit, Freya picks up the book on her bedside table. It is “The Book of Lilith”. Once upon a time she followed the goddess, blindly. Now anger and hatred replace that devout love. Acidic hate that chills her blood. The last time she felt like this she ran to Star’s house with murder on her mind, but she already knows that it’s harder to reach Lilith. She has no desire to traverse that unending desert and risk meeting the wyrm again. Summoning the goddess seems the smarter move. Apart from her sweet daughter she has nothing to entice Lilith to her side, and Jasmine is something she will never risk losing. Her heart aches for the baby. She prays that Jasmine is safe somewhere with Freya’s mother and father. Deya says she is, and she has always told Freya the truth in the past. When the rain stops her parents will return, or she will go out and search for them. When the rain stops.

She wonders whether dear Mr McInnes is still alive. The last time she saw the shopkeeper she was exchanging dried menstrual blood and demonic semen for a thousand pounds. She wonders whether he used the paste himself or sold it on. In a world so restricted by rules the bookseller had represented freedom. But he was a fisherman and “The Book of Lilith”was his bait. The world he opened to Freya was no better than the one her family tried to protect her from. Worse perhaps, for it had rotted her soul until she could no longer tell right from wrong.

She has never considered this before. Is the rain that batters against the bedroom window part of her now? Is it making her see things she never before acknowledged? In her sacred space, beneath the willow tree, she had felt free, but it was simply another prison. She’d been losing pieces of herself in exchange for this fake freedom years before the wyrm bit off her arm.

Deya tries to console her. Her other self realises the danger of this train of thought.

‘Be strong for Jasmine,’ Deya says. ‘You can’t change your past, but we can survive it. We can be better.’

A yawn breaks free of Freya’s lungs and she drags the duvet across her body like a cocoon.

 

 

Where did your love of books come from?

I was an avid library user as a child. I found few things more exciting than choosing and reading a new book. I wasn’t someone who found making friends easy. Characters in books filled that hole.

 

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Rosie Garland, Iain Banks, Storm Constantine.

 

 

 

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I’ve never been one to follow trends, and considering that writing a novel can take years I couldn’t write one fast enough to react to a current trend. I write about what interests me or things I’m passionate about.

 

Where can your fans find you and follow??

I’m on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter. I have a website that I work hard on and update regularly. My blog is there too. Www.carmillavoiez.com

 

 

Thank you for taking your time to do this interview ❤

Thank you for asking me.

My promo videos, if you want links, can be found on my YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/MircallaCarmilla