Author Spotlight Interview with Roxanne Bland

Please welcome Roxanne Bland, author of The Moreva of Astoreth, to Genuine Jenn!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why/what inspired you to write? When did you start writing?

I’ve been telling stories—some would call them lies—since I was a child. I wasn’t writing, because it never occurred to me to write them down. But the seed was planted when I won a city-wide writing contest when I was about ten years old. It took that seed a long time to take hold, because I didn’t write for decades after that, outside of a few short stories. I started writing seriously about fifteen years ago after a bout with illness that, during the recovery process, left me bored out of my skull. So I started writing to pass the time. It took me years to write, but I eventually ended up with a book. People liked it, and I’ve been writing ever since.

What was your inspiration for The Moreva of Astoreth?

The first inspiration was a story a friend and I collaborated on while in college. The details escape me—it was more years ago than I care to remember—but the story’s basic outline stuck with me. Then I read Zechariah Sitchin’s The Earth Chronicles, in which he posits and ancient astronauts came to Earth, created humans as workers, and founded the Sumerian civilization. I took these two disparate elements and melded them into The Moreva of Astoreth.

What three words would you use to best describe The Moreva of Astoreth?

Science-fiction, romance and adventure. In that order.

What was your very first book that you wrote?

The Underground. It’s about a werewolf who falls for an amnesiac alien who might be a serial killer. Or is she?

Can you tell us if you’re working on anything else at the moment?

The sequel to The Underground. In it, our heroes have lost most of their paranormal powers due to a witch’s spell gone wrong, and despite their distrust of one another, must team together not only to get their powers back but, along with the now-recovered alien, stop an imminent invasion of Earth by the alien’s enemies.

Other than your own, what are your favourite books?

The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, just about anything by Stephen King, Robert Heinlein and Ray Bradbury.

When you are writing do you like to listen to music? What is on your playlist?

I don’t listen to music while I’m writing anymore. I found it too distracting, especially Beethoven. I’d follow the music instead of writing. So I experimented with different types—Michael Jackson, Don Henley, Grace Jones—people like that. But in the end it was still too distracting. So now I work in silence.

Who is your favorite character in your books?

In both the Underground and the Moreva of Astoreth, the male love interests. Though one is not based upon the other—not consciously, anyway—they’re actually a lot alike. Both leaders of their respective people, quick-thinking and decisive, and though they can be harsh and cold, at the core they’re really quite warm and loving. My ideal men—which can only be so, since I created them.

Do you ever take characteristics or nuances from close friends or family when working on character development and if so has that friend or family member noticed and what was their response to it?

No—not so far, anyway. I suppose it’s because I tend to create my characters based on my own experiences, or out of whole cloth. Besides, I don’t think anyone in my family would appreciate being a character in one of my books.

What’s your favorite treat?

Vanilla salted caramel ice cream.

What’s your Favorite place to read/write?

For reading, I have an old rocking chair. Lamplight spilling over my shoulder, drinks tray off to the side…pretty much perfection. As for writing, I write in my office. Sometimes, when I’m out and about, I see people sitting in coffee shops or on the grass, writing on laptops. I almost envy them. I never could use a laptop very well. Maybe the keyboard is too small.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Oh…let me see. Morocco, I think. Casablanca or Marrakech. So much history, so picturesque, beautiful people—and the climate’s temperate. That’s very important to me. And I can already tell you that the food is wonderful!

Thank you Roxanne for taking the time to chat with us on Genuine Jenn!