Writers in their own words-GCC

I first introduced you to Jackie Kessler in a GCC post last fall and she's back with Hotter Than Hell, the third entry in her Hell on Earth series.



She's been called "the goddess of paranormal romance" (Dark Angel Reviews) and Publisher's Weekly refers to her book as "Sexy and bold."

Here's Jackie in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
Ever since Jezebel mentioned her buddy, the sexy incubus who could make her sweet spot tingle without even touching her, Daunuan refused to be just a minor character. Originally, he was going to be the one who shot Jezebel in Hell’s Belles and then he was going to get killed by Paul. But the book took a completely different direction from what I’d imagined, and next thing I knew, Daun was (shudder) helping Jezebel instead of hunting her.

And then in The Road to Hell, his feelings for her became quite clear—to me, if not to him and Jesse. Demons don’t love, after all. So what he was feeling must have been nothing more than indigestion. (No one ever said demons were the smartest creatures out there.)

I knew that I wanted to write Daun’s story, but it took a while for me to figure out what sort of story it would be. Daun’s in Hell, and Jesse’s with Paul, which doesn’t do much for a happily ever after for him. Did Daun even deserve a happy ending? He’s a demon—an Evil creature who has sex on the brain pretty much all the time. What would he know of love? What if he had to find out the hard way? Poor Daun. He never knew what hit him. (Hee hee hee…) And so, HOTTER THAN HELL (August 5, 2008).

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
Daun, absolutely. He’s an evil bastard. In a cuddly sort of way.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
Usually, I write first thing in the morning, before my day job, and then at night, when my Precious Little Tax Deductions are sleeping. (Yeah, I get very little sleep.)

My home office is, simply put, utter chaos. But as long as I can see the monitor and I have a clear path to my keyboard, I’m golden.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
Man, there’s no rush like when you’re on a roll, and you know every single word you’re crafting is exactly right.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
To paraphrase author Cindy Procter-King (Head Over Heels), there are three things you need to get published: talent, persistence, and timing. While it’s difficult to write to the market, you absolutely can hone your craft and develop a thick skin. Write. No matter what, write. And never be daunted.