Mundie Moms

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Author Interview with Under My Skin author Judith Graves

Tomorrow night we're very excited to be chatting with debut author Judith Graves. Judith's book, Under My Skin will be released this coming Saturday, March 27th!!

What can you tell us about the Under My Skin series?

UMS is the first book which sets the stage for the rest of the Skinned series. New girl, Eryn McCain, has trouble fitting in at Redgrave High, but she has a lot of potential - potential to dismember. Kill. You name it, because despite the manipulations of her chemist father, Eryn’s not quite human. Redgrave High has been anything but dull. Werewolves, missing pets, stilted family relationships - not to mention the two hot guys who just might want to kill for her. Or kill her.

Befriended by Brit, the school’s only goth chick, Eryn discovers the mysterious Alec Delacroix and his family are out to rid the town of werewolves. Too bad. If he finds out the truth about Eryn, he just might want to do her in before she can wrangle a kiss. Wade Gervais, resident hottie, serves as a bit of a distraction, until it turns out he used to date Eryn’s cousin, Paige, and his father, the Police Chief, might bring police brutality to a whole new level. Eryn must battle werewolves, vampires, Paige, a corrupt police force, and the growing urge to free the beast waiting under her skin.

Thing is - can Alec, Wade, and Eryn stop snapping at each other long enough to save Redgrave? Will Eryn’s dream of running with the wolven become all too real, in a bloodbath--everyone-dies kind of way?

What author or authors influenced you growing up?

A weird blend of authors like Douglas Adams, John Wyndham, L.M. Montgomery, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Attwood, John Saul, and Robertson Davies.


How would your describe your main character Eryn?

Eryn is hard candy shell with a gooey fudge filling. She’s tough because she has to be. She has an overdose of loyalty, though, and once she considers you pack...consider yourself protected to the bitter end.


What has your writing process been like? What is one piece of writing advice you could share with other aspiring writers?

My process has been an experiment in lots of different writing processes. Over the last two years, I’ve finally settled on a routine of writing in the morning, jotting notes on my lunch break at work and then revising at night. The best advice resides in the lyrics to Journey’s classic 80’s tune “Don’t Stop Believing”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=barLaHrtvoM


What kind of research, if any, did you do for you book?

I read up on wolf behaviour and pack structure and that information was worked into Eryn’s character. I invested many hours flipping through books on mythology, the occult, and symbolism. I also hung out at some really cool Wicca/new age shops. I’m still trying to build up the nerve to ask if I can job-shadow the employees for an afternoon (but that’s research for another project).


We're wolf girls at heart! In three words, how would you describe your werewolves?

Hmmm…you might find my “werewolves” off putting (but my wolven – you’d dig). Okay, the three words: Monstrous. Bloody. Soulless.


Have you read any good books lately that you'd recommend us reading?

Sure! Here’s a list in random order: Freaksville, The Splendor Falls, Goth Girl Rising, The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, Evil Genius, Three Rivers Rising.


Thank you Judith for taking the time to answer our questions. Judith will be stopping by our blog tomorrow night to chat with us at 8 pm CST.

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