1. I read that you worked in the theater before you started writing. What, if any, influence did this experience have on your writing and story ideas?
As an actor, I loved creating a characters and playing a role, telling a story, trying to make the audience connect with the character and root for her. I get to do the same thing as writer, but I don’t get to dress up in a costume. On the flip side, however, I don’t have to stay on a diet.
I think that all had a lot of influence on my writing. Creating a character on the page is also roleplaying, only you get to live out extraordinary things, and be anyone. You’re not limited by your age, body type, gender, or even species. Plus, theatre gave me a sense of dramatic timing, an ear for natural sounding dialog and the natural act structure. But I don’t have to worry about a special effects budget, either.
2. In your book, The Splendor Falls, the heroine Sylvia has a few haunting encounters. Have you experienced any haunting or paranormal encounters?
Nothing definite. I’ve been places that have given me the creeps, seen glimpses out of the corner of my eye, and scared myself pretty good after watching a spooky movie. (A overactive imagination is an occupation hazard, I guess.)
3. What is your favorite paranormal creature?
Fairies, probably, just because they come in so many shapes and types. But I like the angel and demon types, too, possibly for the same reason. There are so many tales of spirits, good and evil, from so many different cultures, that there’s a lot, as a writer, to explore.
4. Texas Gothic is set to release May of next year; can you tell us a little about this book?
Like The Splendor Falls, Texas Gothic is a twist on the gothic novel, this time set in, um, Texas, obviously. It takes place on a ranch, but it’s not full of cows or stereotypes. It’s full of ghosts and mystery and magic. Amy Goodnight is house sitting for her witch of an aunt. A modern mystery mixes with an archaeological dig plus a healthy dose of spooky stuff and good bit of romance and humor.
The Spendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (August 22nd, 2009) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 518 pages Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship.
Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand.
Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?
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