Interview with Lori Foster

The Impalers sat down with New York Times Bestselling author Lori Foster to get her thoughts on vampires, long hair, and the favorite character she's written. Hint: Look at the cover to the right.

Thanks to Lori for answering all our random questions, and here's what she had to say...

If you could go on a date with a vampire, what would you do?
[Lori Foster] I love movies, and it’s dark in theaters, so I guess that’d work. But to keep from offending anyone, I’d make it an action flick and not a horror. ;-)

Do you prefer long hair or short hair on your men (vampires, heroes, etc)?
[Lori Foster] That very much depends on the guy, but overall, I think MOST men look much, much better with shorter hair, at least on their heads. Chest hair is good. No waxing, please. It’s for sissy boys.

What is your favorite vampire movie?
[Lori Foster] Underworld, the second one, with the romance. LOVED it. But I do like the scary vampire movies too, where the vamps are bad guys, not romantic figures.

What is your favorite of all the books you’ve written?
[Lori Foster] Right now, it’s SERVANT: The Acceptance, written under my initials L. L. Foster. It won’t be out until September, but I just finished it, so it’s freshest in my mind. I love weaving a thread of romance through horror-type plotting.

Would you like to stay up all night and sleep all day? What would you miss about day-walking?
[Lori Foster] LOL. I’m a very early to bed, very early to rise kind of person. NOT a nightowl at all. But I come from a long line of nightowls, so maybe I’d be able to adjust if I had to.

What celebrity do you suspect is a vampire?
[Lori Foster] LOTS of them! Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Johnny Dep... they all seem very vampish to me.

If you were an Impaler, what instrument would you play?
[Lori Foster] Drums! My grandson is currently very into the drums. He’ll drum on anything –and somehow I always end up drumming with him. I have zip for rhythm, but as a two year old, he doesn’t mind.

How did you start writing?
[Lori Foster] I read several really wonderful books, pondered how things would have gone if the plot were different, and ending up creating my own plots. That got me going, and pretty soon I started writing them out, then typing them out. After I sold my first book, I bought a computer.

What's your favorite song?
[Lori Foster] Hmmm. Right now, it’s “Coming Undone,” by KORN. Very intense, but with a wonderful beat.

Who is your idol?
[Lori Foster] I don’t really have idols, but I very much admire our military.

Vampires or werewolves? Why?
[Lori Foster] Vampires. I like chest hair, but not back, neck, stomach, shoulder hair. The whole dog-like thing sort of creeps me out.

Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?
[Lori Foster] Anywhere near water, but preferably a big lake with a cabin in the woods, a hot tub on the back deck, and lots of nice nature trails to walk.

If you were a vampire, where would you sleep? Coffin? Darkened bedroom? Crypt? Or other? If other, explain.
[Lori Foster] Since I already sleep in a very darkened bedroom with a sound machine and a fan, I guess that’d work. I’m something of an insomniac, so I need the right setting!

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
[Lori Foster] Either a painter, or a teacher. I love to paint, but never have enough time now, and I’ve always thought teaching was one of the most important jobs in our country.

What's the best part of being a writer?
[Lori Foster] I get to create entire worlds. I get to think about what a character should say, instead of getting caught off guard, as is the case in real life. I get to create a lot of happy endings – because I believe in happy endings.

Of all the characters you've created, who's your favorite?
[Lori Foster] My female character in my Servant series. She’s ballsy, upfront, honest, and a hero. She doesn’t have to play political games or worry about what society will think. She does the right thing, the best way she knows how. I admire her – even when she’s slashing someone to death.

What is your favorite color?
[Lori Foster] Black or bluejean. ;-) That’s what dominates my closet.

Who was a better vampire? Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise?
[Lori Foster] Brad Pitt, hands down! No matter what, he’s sexy!

Congrats to Lori for hitting #2 on the NYT with her February release, HARD TO HANDLE!

The Impalers

Ren, Drake, Johnny, Dave, Wyatt, and Vittorio (sometimes)

Solange Ayre, galaxy-hopping investigative journalist, also serves as a policy advisor to the United Conglomeration of Planetary Jurisdictions. She makes her home on Ayriana, her private island-republic in the West Caribbean region of Earth.

Her novella for Ellora’s Cave, ONE THOUSAND BRIDES, details last year’s shocking abduction of Earth women by aliens.

Would you like to stay up all night and sleep all day?
Darling, how else does one LIVE? All the fun happens at night. I haven’t seen the sun in ten years!

How did you start writing?
I started writing when I realized that my career in intergalactic journalism gave me unique insights. For instance, when the Terilian aliens came to Earth last year and simultaneously kidnapped 1000 women, I was able to communicate with their ship and get the entire amazing story.

What's your favorite song?
“Because the Night” as sung by Patti Smith. Dear Bruce Springsteen wrote the song in a futile effort to woo me.

Which Impaler would you date?
Any of you, you’re all adorable! However, my heart is still given to my dear deceased husband, St. Georges Ayre, who was mysteriously assassinated by ninjas.

Vampires or werewolves?
Vampires, OF COURSE! I dated a werewolf years ago. He wanted me to wear my furs and howl at the moon! Perhaps I would have been up for that (I was a bit wild in my younger days) but the steak tartare was simply too much for me.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
Perhaps something incredibly boring, such as an indexer of state statutes. Oh! The mind reels at the very thought!

What's the best part of being a writer?
The near-fanatical worship from my millions of fans.

Of all the characters you've created, who's your favorite?
Delos, the alien hero of ONE THOUSAND BRIDES. I love long-haired men with good physiques. And his cat ears really bring the Sexy.

Who was a better vampire? Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise?
Brad Pitt was more convincing. Since Tom really IS a vampire, he had to be careful not to give himself away. That had an unfortunate effect on his acting.

Thanks, Solange! The Impalers think being an indexer of state statues sounds sexy. ;-)

Why Vampires Hate Valentine's Day

Is there anyone dead or alive who really likes Valentine's Day? Honestly. It's a holiday just designed to lead to disappointment. Come on, you know this is true. It's one of those holidays that has all this expectation around it, but just never pans out.

Then factor in the possibility of suffering through hundreds of these days of roses and candies and flowers. And again--inevitable disappointment abounds. Why you ask?

Well, let me give you a scenario. You go out and get your love bunny a dozen roses. Good, right? Well, then February 14th comes again next year, and there will be disappointment if you don't mix it up. So you get a huge foil, heart-shaped box of chocolates for your sweetie-pants. Which is a bit of a dud gift, if you are dating another undead, but it's the thought, right? You can see a little disappointment, but you still get lucky, so okay. We'll call this one a win. Then next thing you know, yep, it's February 14th again. So you go for jewelry this time, except it's not the piece she'd had her eyes on. But how were you supposed to know she wanted the garnet earrings, not the onyx one? Okay, you could have listened. But sometimes that's hard too.

You see where I'm going here. Now do this every year for eternity.

Valentine's Day sucks.

I'm going back to my coffin now and wait for February 15th.

- Jack

Book Proceeds Go To Battered Women's Shelter

The Impalers have Rhonda Stapleton here today to talk about DREAMS AND DESIRES 2: A Collection of Romance Tales, a special anthology collection she's participating in.

From the publisher, Freya's Bower:

By purchasing this collection, you can help turn someone's nightmare into the pursuit of dreams. Every year, four million women are assaulted by their partners. At Freya's Bower, we want to do our part to bring this statistic down to zero. To this end, all net proceeds from every Dreams and Desire anthology purchased will go to a battered woman's shelter. Through education and support, we can make a difference.

Authors: (in alphabetical order of last name): Jenna Bayley-Burke, Faith Bicknell-Brown, Amanda Brice, Sela Carsen, Rachelle Chase, Gemma Halliday, Candace Havens, Zinnia Hope, Jackie Kessler, Susan Lyons, Richelle Mead, Debbie Mumford, Rhonda Stapleton, Bebe Thomas, Emily Veinglory, Sasha White, Lois Winston, Shaunna Wolf, and Kit Wylde.

Here's the amazon link to purchase this anthology and help support the cause:

http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Desires-Collection-Romance-Tales/dp/1934069736/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201326840&sr=8-3

The Impalers want to put an end to domestic violence too, and watch for info in the next few weeks about our own efforts to raise money to rebuild the battered women's shelter in New Orleans.

And now, on to the fun stuff. Our random questions for author Rhonda Stapleton:

-What is your favorite vampire movie? Interview with a Vampire is near
the top of my list, of
course, as are Blade I and II. However, my all-time favorite HAS to be
the 1979 classic, Love at
First Bite, starring our favorite uber-tanned vamp George Hamilton.

-Would you like to stay up all night and sleep all day? What would you
miss about day-walking?
For the first question, I'd definitely like to stay up all night. I
used to be a night owl, but due to my day job, had to change my sleep patterns. For your second
question, I think the obvious answer here is sunshine; however, since northeast Ohio tends to not get much of it anyway, I think I'd probably miss dumb little things, like matinee prices at the movie theater, or "earlybird" shoe sales.

-What celebrity do you suspect is a vampire?

Ooooh, good question. I think it's probably someone no one would suspect, someone who looks innocent and sweet...like Betty White.

-What food would you miss the most if you were a vampire?

Chinese food. Oh, and sushi. And fried chicken. And pasta. Dang, I'd miss a lot of stuff.

-If you were an Impaler, what instrument would you play?

I'd be a vocalist. Or a rockin' drummer...you should see me tear it up with the Rock Band video game (nerd alert!).

-What is your favorite hobby? What would your hobby be if you were a
vampire?

My favorite hobby is photography. I have an awesome digital SLR, and I love it. If I were
a vampire, my favorite hobby would be staying alive. hahaha

-Vampires or werewolves? Why?

Vampires, hands down, because they are sexy and alluring. Werewolves creep me out. *shudder* Plus, the werewolf grooming factor alone makes them too
high-maintenance for me. haha

-Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?

Somewhere warm, with good happy-hour specials! Places I've been so far fit the bill: Hawaii and New Orleans.

-If you were a vampire, where would you sleep? Coffin? Darkened
bedroom? Crypt? Or other?

I don't think I could sleep in a coffin. Claustrophobia
and all that. It would have to be a super-dark bedroom with a huge bed. I tend to wiggle and
steal covers in my sleep.

-What's the best part of being a writer?

I get to make up weird conversations and situations in my head, and people think it's mysterious and part of the writerly process (instead of me just being weird--haha).

-If you were a vampire, what time period would you have been made one?
I think I would have been turned in Pre-Raphaelite England (mid to late 1800's).

-Who was a better vampire? Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise?

Brad Pitt, definitely.

You see that, Tom? Rhonda likes Brad better too.

Thanks for dropping by, Rhonda and hopefully we'll see you in New Orleans again in 2008!

Guest Author Jamie Denton

Jamie Denton, known for her sizzling Harlequin Blaze stories and her romantic suspense books for Brava was gracious enough to take time away from writing her latest serial killer to chat with the vampire boys.

Her latest title, REMAIN SILENT, is up for Best Villian at All About Romance. Check it out at www.jamiedenton.net .

The Impalers read Remain Silent and as a result have decided that Jamie is one scary woman, and that she could easily find a way to end their undead lives if she set her mind to it.

Here's what Jamie had to say.

1. Why don’t you write about vampires?
Um…because Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love do it so much better than I ever could.

2. If you could go on a date with a vampire, what would you do?
Heh, heh, heh.

3. What is your favorite vampire movie?
Salem’s Lot, the original with David Soul. Scared the beejeebers out of me!

4. Would you like to stay up all night and sleep all day? What would you miss about day-walking?
I pretty much do that now. Maybe I’m really a vamp at heart? But I’d really miss those early bird sales during the holidays.

5. What celebrity do you suspect is a vampire?
Angelina Jolie. If there ever was a blood sucking bi…uh…woman, she’s it! Just ask Jennifer Anniston.

6. What food would you miss the most if you were a vampire?
Cheeseburgers!

7. What is your favorite hobby?
Knitting.

8. What would your hobby be if you were a vampire?
Flying. And that whole putting a glamour on someone thing seems like it’d be pretty cool, too.

9. Who is your idol?
Katherine Graham. Now there was a woman with ba…uh…teeth.

10. Vampires or werewolves? Why?
Definitely vampires. They don’t shed.

11. Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?
New York City because it’s the center of the universe.

12. If you were a vampire, where would you sleep? Coffin? Darkened bedroom? Crypt? Or other? If other, explain.
A suite at the Ava

13. If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
A millionaire.

14. What's the best part of being a writer?
No pantyhose! No makeup! And I can work all night and sleep all day if I want to..

15. If your were a vampire, what time period would you have been made one?
The Renaissance. Love the art from that period.

16. Who was a better vampire? Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise?
Brad Pitt. He’s cuter.

Thanks, Jamie! And that's three votes for Brad Pitt. Note to Vittorio: Long hair and melancholy eyes works with authors.