Made it to Orlando/visiting dignitary for tomorrow

Hi Guys! Wanted to post earlier, but was on the road to RT in Orlando. Safe trip. Good flights. All is well. OK. On to Yasmine Galernorn's post:

Cie: So, welcome to the blog. Now if you just cooperate, it won't hurt a bit, and I'll hand you back the keys to the handcuffs. . . Oh, dear, we have an audience. Hello readers. Cie waves. (Sotto voice to woman in chair --"Wave your free hand at the readers and smile. NOW.")

ANYWAY, I’m going to dive right in. Is there any one character you’ve written that is your absolute favorite? Why?

Yasmine: I’m giving you a two-fer here. ~grins~ As far as main characters go, yes—Camille D’Artigo, of my Otherworld Series. Why? She’s free spirited and uninhibited. She’s a witch, a wild woman in many ways, we have similar tastes in fashion, makeup and men *koffs*…she’s lucky enough to have three lovers who accept that she’s not a one-man woman (albeit with some grumbling and testosterone wars). She’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind and yet—beneath it all, she feels intensely responsible for her family and takes care of her obligations before her personal interests. She often says, “I’m my father’s daughter” and means it—her father is a guard in the Des’Estar—the elite corp back in Y’Elestrial, Camille’s home city in Otherworld. She wants to make him proud and so she willingly does her duty, even when it means facing death and disaster.

My favorite villain so far (ha! Sneaking in one of the bad guys), is Karvanak—who was in both Dragon Wytch and Night Huntress. Karvanak was a demon—a Rāksasa, and he was one of those hedonistic sociopaths who cares only for his own pleasure. He had no compunction on using torture, he wasn’t swayed by pity or pleas. And yet he was calm, smooth, collected, and frightening in his cold-hearted nature.

Cie: Writing is hard work! Have you ever had the dread WRITER’S BLOCK? If so, what do you do to get past it?
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Yasmine: Um…no. I know you’ll hate me for this, but I don’t get writer’s block. What happens when I’m stuck is that I realize I’m not hearing the real story or the I’ve been trying to force the character into a situation/nature that simply isn’t right for the book or for them. I go back then, I let myself putter with what I’ve done, I take a day to think about it, and let the work settle into my subconscious. And usually, within a day of just mulling over what I’ve done till then, I’ll find the answer to why things aren’t flowing. Every book and every series has a different mood, a different nature, and I have to make sure that I’m not still hung up in the last one I wrote—that I’ve let that go for now and moved fully into the headspace for the current WiP.....

Cie: Almost every author I’ve met gives back to the community by supporting favorite charities. Do you have one? Could you tell me about it? Is there a particular reason why that charity?
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Yasmine: Three, actually. My husband and I regularly donate to Meow Cat Rescue—we’re ailurophiles, we adore cats and love them, and try to do our part toward supporting no-kill rescue centers. We also donate to Northwest Harvest. When I was in my 20’s, my ex and I were so poor that many times we had no idea how we were going to eat, let alone pay the bills. The food bank kept us alive more times than I want to remember. So I give back now that I’m in a position to help others—there are so many families struggling to make ends meet and they should not have to worry about how to feed their children, or where they’ll find their next meal.
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We also support Brenda Novak’s annual Juvenile Diabetes auction—I’ve been part of it since the first year. My husband has Type 1 diabetes and we know how harsh this disease can be. We live with it daily. This year I’m donating three things—a large Otherworld Faerie basket filled with wonderful goodies, a signed-by-the-artist print of Morio, the youkai-kitsune from my series (gorgeous!). There’s only one other one out there right now—the one in my office, and I commissioned my cover artist to paint it. I’m also donating a lunch with me and critique of your first chapter from your WiP. You can find the information for everything (along with pictures) on my website.....
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Cie: So, what does your schedule look like for the next few months? Anything new coming out that we should keep an eye out for? Tell us a little about it.
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Yasmine: Well, as far as new releases: On June 2, 2009 Demon Mistress, the sixth Otherworld book, hits the shelves. On November 3, 2009, an anthology called Never After will be released—it has Laurell K. Hamilton, Marjorie Liu, Sharon Shinn, and me in it. The novella I wrote for it is called The Shadow of Mist and is an Otherworld novella surrounding one of the secondary characters—Siobhan, the selkie.
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January 5, 2010—I have both Bone Magic (book seven in the OW series) and Inked, another anthology with another OW novella in it (Etched in Silver—the story of when Camille and Trillian first met and how they became sexually bound to one another).
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And in June 2010, Night Myst will be released--the first in my new Indigo Court urban fantasy series. After that my OW series will be releasing in January, the IC series in June.
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Berkley is also re-releasing my entire Chintz ‘n China series this year with new covers. I won’t be writing any new books for it—but Legend of the Jade Dragon will be in print again, and the new covers are fantastic.
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I’m also writing a short story for a Gardner Dozois anthology called Star Crossed Lovers, which will be out from Pocket, but I’m not sure when.
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Cie: What type of books do you read for pleasure? Any favorite authors?
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Yasmine: Favorite authors of all time: Ray Bradbury, Daphne du Maurier, Amy Tan, JRR Tolkien, Richard Adams…currently I’m hooked on the House of Night Series by PC & Kristin Cast, the Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine, the Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs, the Dresden Series by Jim Butcher, and I’m reading so many more books—I read in almost all genres and you can find just about everything on my shelves. *pouts* I want more Thrall books, btw, from you and Cathy. ....
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Cie: Do you have a day job, or do you write full-time?
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Yasmine: Oh man, I passed having the time for a day job years ago. I write 50-70 hours a week, including research, admin, promo, etc. Been a long, long time since I had a day job though I’ve only the past year or so reached the live-off-my-writing stage.
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Cie: Do you have any hobbies?
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Yasmine: I used to have more but now I don’t have time for many. I love movies, TV, music, am a major audiophile and every book has a playlist. I love playing with our cats, hanging with a few close friends, playing hostess and cooking for friends, decorating (as in the house), makeup…are those hobbies? ~laughs~ I’m also heavily tattooed, but I don’t consider that a hobby in itself. LOL
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Cie: OKAY, I’m going to do one of those short MEME things here.
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Yasmine: ....
Favorite song: Depends on my mood, right now? Dream Killers by Gary Numan and Social Enemies by Orgy.
Favorite movie or TV show: Again, depends on mood but my overall favorite movie is Rebecca, and my favorite show is InuYasha.
Favorite color: Hmm…plum, burgundy, and black.
Favorite food: Tomatoes. Steak. Lobster. Chocolate.
Favorite drink: Iced triple shot soy lattes.
Is the glass half-full or half-empty: If I don’t like what’s in it, half-full, if I like what’s in it, half-empty.What animal do you think is most like your personality? Black panther is my main animal totem. Vampire/Werewolf/Other: Magical Fae. And not like the Victorians pictured them—the Fae are wild and don’t play by human rules.
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Cie: If you could only give one piece of advice to new or aspiring writers, that would help them in the business, what would it be?
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Yasmine: You must persevere if you want to make it—your words are not set in stone and you have to learn how to take critique and separate yourself from the work in order to make it the best it can be. It can take years—I have seven novels in the closet that will never, ever be in print. They weren’t good enough. They were, however, practice for where I am today.
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Is there any upcoming event you'd like to tell us about?
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I’d like to invite people to join us at the Tukwila WA Barnes & Noble on April 25th, where I’ll be answering questions and signing books with Jayne Ann Krentz and Cherry Adair, and then on May 2nd at the Covington WA library, I’ll be part of a paranormal panel and signing books again at an all-day Romance Extravaganza. You can find out more about both on my schedule of appearances.

Cie: There now, that wasn't so bad was it. Now where did I put that blasted key?

Yasmine: Hey, you should have used velvet. MUCH nicer on skin than nasty old steel. ~grins~
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Bio: USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy for ..Berkley..: both the bestselling Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon Series for Berkley and the upcoming Indigo Court urban fantasy series. In the past, she wrote mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and nonfiction metaphysical books. Her books have hit the New York Times and USA Today extended bestseller lists numerous times.
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Yasmine has been in the Craft for over 28 years, is a shamanic witch, and describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in ....Bellevue.. ..WA.... with her husband Samwise and their cats.
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Yasmine can be reached via her website at www.galenorn.com, and via MySpace: www.myspace.com/yasminegalenorn. She is also the co-founder of the Witchy Chicks.