Interview with R.F. Long

Terry Kate: I would like to welcome Author R F Long to the Backseat today to talk a little about her books.

R.F. Long: Thanks very much for having me, Terry.

 
TK: So what is it about the genre you write that appeals to you the most?

RFL: I write in two genres, one of which came from the other. The first is Fantasy, and the second Paranormal Romance. The thing I love most about them is the sense that everything is bigger - problems are life or death, worlds can be altered by the actions of the characters, and love really can be life saving.
My fantasy stories are set in worlds of my own imagining, but the paranormal romance take place in our world, where the world of magic bleeds through. Both have their own challenges and both are really exciting to write.
 
TK: Big Drama is appealing, but would you want to live it?
 
RFL: Oh no, I'm a total coward. Especially when you look at some of the things I put my characters through. I don't think there's any way I would be strong enough!!! I'm a really mean author.
 
TK: I hear that a lot from authors. That they torture their characters, where does that come from? Any ideas?
 
RFL: I've just been reminded by my other half that when a very good friend of ours beta-read The Scroll Thief, he came into the house and the first thing he said to my husband was "I'm a little worried for you". :D
I think a lot of it is that characters torture us (by not giving us all the information we need, refusing to follow orders etc) so we have to get the last word.
It's also a case, especially in fantasy, you have to keep raising the stakes in order to see what a hero or heroine is truly made of, to see them rise about the most dreadful things. It's one of the reasons it’s such an exciting and, I believe, insightful genre.
 
TK: So are you saying you are cruel to be kind so your characters reach their greatest potential?
 
RLF: I think so.
But sometimes I'm just mean.
(Just kidding!) 
 
TK: Aren't we all.
Did you ever think you had given a character too much?
That they might not overcome?
 

RFL: I had some very dark moments writing The Scroll Thief. Trask and Malachy (the two heroes) are put through so much that I wondered for a while how I would pull them out of it. But I believe that's why the ending works. If it’s clear to a reader that it's all going to be all right in the end, they aren't going to get drawn into the suspense. Similarly with Soul Fire, the Sidhe Prince Daire has his doubts. There's no way he can win through at the end, not on his own and he has to think his way through his problem rather than just blindly attack. I love an action hero, but I like them to have a brain as well. Indiana Jones, one might say.
Oh, and with Shan from The Wolf's Sister and the forthcoming novella The Wolf's Mate... well, lets just say if you thought he had a hard time in the first two stories, wait until you see what I'm doing to him in the third (which I'm currently writing). *resists urge to laugh manically*
 
TK:  Is it only your boys your torture?
 
RLF: No, not at all. I'm mean to everyone. I'm an equal opportunities meanie.
Although I do tend to put the girls through a large amount of anguish and the boys through a large amount of physical pain. There are exceptions. The worlds in which a lot of my stories are set are pretty brutal places. Even the paranormal romances have characters that come from ancient legends - they aren't forgiving to anyone who stands against them regardless of their gender.
I'm just thinking back on The Scroll Thief and actually, I pretty much torture everyone.
 
TK:  Well I can not wait for the newest book.  I like mean authors.

RFL: Thanks again for having me here today.

“The Scroll Thief” will be out in paperback on 1^st December 2009 and is available for pre-order in all the usual places. “The Wolf’s Sister”, “The Scroll Thief” and “Soul Fire” are all currently available as ebooks. “The Wolf’s Mate”, sequel to “The Wolf’s Sister” will be out in ebook format in January 2010. You can find out more at www.rflong.com or http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/r-f-long, or follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/rflong