|
Interview with Caridad Pineiro
Q: How long have you been writing paranormal fiction?
A: If “writing” includes imagining stories in my head, since I was about ten. I was always mentally “writing” tales that had supernatural elements, but it wasn’t until 2001 that I turned my attention to putting one of those stories on paper. That first paranormal – DARKNESS CALLS – was a blend of my favorite elements, namely, vampires, a mystery set in Manhattan involving a serial killer, a tortured kick-ass heroine and a dark antagonistic hero.
Q: Why do you write paranormal romance fiction?
A: Paranormal romance lets me explore the more intense and tortured elements of my characters, both human and supernatural. It lets me push them to extremes, which helps create stories that are rich with conflict and emotion. It also lets me develop my own mythology of how modern day vampires live in Manhattan. I started off THE CALLING vampire series with a story that blended a vampire tale into a real life mystery. Each subsequent book in the series has helped build the vampire mythology by adding information on how the vampires feed, die, turn others and how they have “keepers” to help them. Each book has also established the tone for the unique vampires and their relationships with humans. With the other paranormals I am working on, I’ve likewise taken advantage of the freedom of being able to create a new world or mythology to explore some aspects of human behavior.
Q: Have you noticed any recurring themes in your stories?
A: There are a few recurring themes. First, my heroines are as alpha as the heroes. I like strong women who can handle any physical situation, but who have a lot to learn about themselves in other ways. Secondly, I’ve discovered that it’s often the humans in the stories who are scarier than the supposed monsters. That’s helped me explore the dark side of not only the villains, but the supposed heroes. Last, but not least, the juxtaposition of the immortals and their needs against those of the humans in their lives has proved to be a great ongoing source of tension and emotional conflict.
Q: What other types of fiction do you write?
A: In addition to writing for Silhouette Nocturne, I also write romantic suspense for Silhouette Romantic Suspense and women’s fiction for St. Martin’s and Pocket Books/Downtown Press. My heart though, calls me back time and time again to my paranormals.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for your first Silhouette Nocturne novel, Death Calls?
A: Death Calls from Silhouette Nocturne is actually book # 4 in THE CALLING vampire series which began with Darkness Calls in March 2004. I knew when I finished Darkness Calls that the story of the two main characters – FBI Agent Diana Reyes and vampire Ryder Latimer – still had more to be explored as did the mythology of the vampire world I had created. Death Calls revisits these characters again, but the novel does stand alone for those who haven’t read the earlier stories. Death Calls propels the mythology by introducing a vampire elder for the first time. The elder, Stacia, is nearly 2000 years old and has more power than any of the other vampires that have appeared in the earlier books. The confrontation between her, Diana and Ryder creates sexual tension, but also highlights the different paths that humans and vampires must face. This conflict is set against the backdrop of a tense suspense as Diana’s career as an FBI Agent has her fighting to stop a terrorist attack in Manhattan. The combination of paranormal elements with suspense has proved to be something that readers have really enjoyed.
Q: What can we expect you from you in the future? What else do you have in the works?
A: THE CALLING vampire series will continue within Silhouette Nocturne in January and May 2007 with Devotion Calls and Blood Calls respectively. I am working on a proposal for additional books in the series. In August 2007 I return to romantic suspense with The Lazarus Code from Silhouette Romantic Suspense. September 2007 will find me celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the sequel to my 2006 women’s fiction release, SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS. To bring in the Halloween season, I am participating in a paranormal anthology from Pocket Books together with Maggie Shayne, Susan Sizemore and Lori Handlehand. In the meantime, I am working on some new projects: another three books in THE CALLING series, an urban fantasy with a twist on werewolf mythology as well as a paranormal suspense series that I like to call a combination of Bones meets Buffy!
Q: What is your writing routine like?
A: If I’m not faced with a pressing deadline, I write every day on the train to and from my full time job as an attorney and for about 3 hours each day on Saturday and Sunday. If I have to finish a book ASAP (sometimes schedules get changed and conflicts arise), I will add another hour or two once I get home and for long stretches at a time on the weekend. The longer hours on the weekend are rough so I try to do about 3 to 4 hours and then take an hour or two break. Then it’s back to writing for another 3 or 4 hours with another break or until the brain is empty and the fingers are bloody stumps.
Q: What is the easiest part of writing? What about the hardest?
A: The easiest part of writing is having a story where the characters and plot just fly off your fingers and into the computer. I’ve had that happen a few times and when it does, the story is generally amazing! The hardest is the act of juggling my personal, professional and writing lives. Since I have a family and a full-time job, I need to balance the demands of those with the demands of writing. That is certainly the most difficult thing I have to do.
Q: Any advice for all the aspiring writers out there?
A: Never quit. We all get rejections, even after we get published. Someone said that success is 90% perseverance and 10% talent and that is very true. The writers who keep on putting their work out there and keep on trying to improve their craft will eventually get published.
Q: Who are some of your favorite writers?
A: Besides my fellow Silhouette Nocturne writers? Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb, Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong. Jacqueline Carrey’s KUSHIEL series is absolutely amazing. Basically, I lean toward stories that have strong empowered female heroes, new twists on existing mythologies or stories where the author builds a compelling new world.
Q: So what are you reading these days?
A: Right now I’m in the midst of a horrible deadline crunch, so no reading for me. As soon as I’m done though, I’ve got J.D. Robb and J.R. Ward in my to-be-read pile.
Q: How many Nocturne books do you envision yourself writing?
A: I’d love to be able to write two or three Silhouette Nocturne title per year. They would be a mix of books in THE CALLING series along with some other new stories that I’ve been playing with in my head. Right now I have one story screaming to be written. It’s about a mercenary who is sent to capture a genetic experiment that’s gone wrong.
Thanks so much for your time.
Silhouette Nocturne is a trademark owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. | 
