Tell us about
yourself.
My name is L. J.
LaBarthe. I'm just shy of the big 4-0, and I live in Australia. I share a
rather nice little flat with a cat who is longcat. His name is Castiel and he's
adorable, when he's not being a bitey, scratchy demon.
When did you
know you wanted to become a writer?
I was thinking about
this the other day, actually, and I think I knew from when I was very young. I
have these vague memories of little me writing stories to go with my drawings
of cats and horses. Although I didn't admit to myself that I really did want to
be a writer – as a kid, I wanted to be a vet, then as a teen, I wanted to own a
record company – now as an adult, I'm very aware that being a writer is what I
want to do.
Who and/or what
prompted you to write your first novel?
I'd been writing
novel length fiction for some years. I'd written a series of stories with a
very good friend of mine, which were designed solely to entertain ourselves and
they started out as shorts and grew to 100K word epics in an amazingly short period. I'd also done
Nanowrimo for the last ten years, and I found Nano to be a really helpful
experience. The prompting to write was, first, to get the stories that were in
my head out and down on paper; my friends seemed to like what I wrote, so I
wrote more and after having several short stories published, Dreamspinner Press
is publishing my first full-length professional novel, "No Quarter."
They're also publishing the sequel, "No Surrender, No Retreat," both
of which are out this year.
What made you
chose to write erotic literature in particular? And is there any other genre
you’d like to write? And if so, why?
I guess because
I like to read it, mostly. I write what I like to read, which is plotty stories
with sex. I don't mind a good plot-what-plot, but my first love is a story that
has a lot of heart and soul to it as well as sex and passion. I've been
looking back over older manuscripts and while I've written a lot of dystopian
future novel length stories and fantasy/sci-fi, they all have some element of
romance in them and at least a touch of erotica. So I don't know that I could
really write a story that didn't at least have one kiss in it.
Which appears
first when contemplating a new project: A character, the plot and/or the title?
A scene,
actually. Usually I'll get a scene play out in my mind's eye, or a snatch of
dialogue, and I'll build on that and find the characters and plot grows
organically. Unfortunately, for me, titles are my nemesis. I have a really hard
time with them. My good friend and fellow author, Meredith Shayne was actually
the one to come up with the title for "No Quarter."
What’s the
hardest part of a novel for you to write: Beginning, middle and/or end? Why?
Each novel is
different. "No Quarter" was a breeze until about three-quarters of
the way through. I had to stop and look at my zillion notes in messy scribble
that passes for my handwriting to figure out how to make sure I didn't write
myself into a corner. "No Surrender, No Retreat," the sequel, was an
absolute joy from start to finish. It just seemed to flow so easily. On the
other hand, though, "No Shadows Fall," the sequel to that, kicked my
butt around 2K words shy of the middle. Again, I don't
want to write myself into a corner and I don't want to contradict myself. Some
of my favourite series' have been less so when reading later books and finding
that the author has changed things without any seeming rhyme or reason. I don't
want to do that, so I need to make sure that I'm not going off into wild
tangent land or contradicting two prior novels.
Writing sex/romantic
scenes can be a challenge for some authors. Do you find it difficult? If yes,
how do you compensate? If no, where do you draw your inspiration?
No, not really.
I don't know why that is. Reading, watching movies and TV (and no, not all or
even most are porn!), sometimes the thing that frustrates me is the seeming
limited nature of the English language. There's only so many ways you can say
cock without it sounding repetitive or hilarious. Sex can be hilarious, it's
true, but I don't want readers to be convulsing in laughter because I've just
decided that I'm suddenly going to call Character A's dick his 'hot meat
injection' for instance.
Who is your
favorite character, which you’ve created? And why?
Oh, all the
Archangels, without a doubt. There are ten in total. They aren't fluffy bunny
manifestations of Heaven. They're flawed, noble, sometimes they're right
bastards. Sometimes, they're unlikable. They have the best intentions and they
do whatever they're ordered to by God, but they also have free will. However,
they're still learning, because at the end of the day, they aren't human. They
don't really understand everything it is to be human, even those of the
Archangels who have lived on Earth for millennia.
They aren't
brothers, either; they're a species of a race, the race being Angelkind.
They're also a Brotherhood, like a monastic order, with more sex, violence,
swearing and vices. Writing these near-omniscient creatures that are learning
about humanity and life on a daily basis, learning how to cope with
relationships and how quickly humanity changes when they have lived forever, is
fantastic. I'm having so much fun writing them. There's a lot of joy in writing
these characters, for me, it's taking something that has had one meaning to me,
because I was raised in a religious home as a child, (although I am not
religious these days), and totally turning that meaning on its head without
losing – I hope – the spiritual holiness of these characters in the process.
My
Dreamspinner Press author page is here:
No Quarter - Released April 2!
You would never know
it from his flamboyant lifestyle, but Gabriel’s not just the cheerful,
fun-loving adoptive father of a pair of indulged young adult humans. He’s an
Archangel, commander of Heaven’s legions of Seraphim, and despite his apparently
easy virtue, he’s harboring a serious crush on his superior officer, Michael.
For years,
Michael has devoted himself to developing a team of humans, the Venatores, to
aid in the fight against Hell. He’s been pining after Gabriel for centuries
without hope, believing himself to be too serious to attract the other
Archangel’s interest. He’s happy to discover that he’s wrong, but their
burgeoning relationship is stymied by a major problem: an egomaniacal human is
recruiting demons and fallen angels in a bid to take over the world. It’s up to
Michael and Gabriel, and the rest of the Brotherhood of Archangels, to beat
back the forces of Hell before the Earth is overrun.
Ebook No Quarter
Paperback No Quarter
What’s your
newest WIP? And when we can expect a publication date?
I've got a few
things on the go at the moment. One is another Archangels novel, another is a
novel length sequel to my Byzantine Empire era short, "City of Gold."
The sequel is called "City of Jade," and it's taking me quite a while
to write, because I have so much to research. That is set in the late twelfth
century and is basically a road trip novel – along the Silk Road, from
Constantinople in Turkey to Hangzhou in China. I'm also working on a novel
about extractors, people who rescue those who are trapped in cults or gulags.
Just for
fun–
What is your favourite colour(s)?
Black and red.
Which do you
prefer a great hero or a great villain?
A great villain.
What is your
favourite movie, and why?
"Red
Cliff." The five-hour director's cut. Until I saw that film, I would have
hemmed and hawed in indecision, but after having seen this movie just recently,
it's definitely the most perfect piece of cinema I've ever seen. The characters
are all three dimensional and engaging, the attention to detail in sets and
costuming is amazing, the story, about the Battle of Red Cliff in China during
the Third Century A.D. is exciting. The score is perfect, the direction is
flawless, the acting is brilliant, and it's just the most wonderful,
spectacular film. John Woo did a magnificent job with it. I can't recommend it
enough. Especially if you like historical epics and non-English language film.
(I must add, I have this film on DVD and it is absolutely awesome!~Blak)
If you could be
anyone in the world, who would it be?
You know, I'm
pretty okay with being myself.
Where do you see
your writing career in the next five to ten years?
Hopefully
continuing. I don't want to burn out and fade away. If I can get a book a year
out, I'll be very happy with that.
Thanks so much
for having me, Blak! J
Website: http://www.ljlabarthe.com
Purchase links/blurbs http://misslj-author.livejournal.com/16737.html
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brbsiberia
Letterboxd
(film blog): http://letterboxd.com/star239/
PLEASE NOTE THAT IN CELEBRATION OF HER NEW RELEASE, L.J. WOULD LIKE TO GIVE-AWAY 2 PDF COPIES OF "NO QUARTER" TO 2 LUCKY READERS! *Make sure to leave your comments and name with an email address in the comment section of this post!
Not a problem at all, hun! It was wonderful to have you. I wish you the best success with your new release and those in the future! ~ Blak Rayne
Thanks again for having me, Blak. :D And to anyone else commenting here, leave your email address and go into the draw to win a copy of "No Quarter" on release day - there are two copies of the PDF to give away. :D
ReplyDeletePlease note: as the aforementioned good friend, I should not go into the draw. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's only so many ways you can say cock without it sounding repetitive or hilarious.
Ain't that the truth!
I'm very much looking forward to this book coming out. It's a great series, and I'm sure everyone will love it. :)
great interview. And I love a great villain too. The story sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeletejanadenardo@yahoo.com
Thank you for doing the interview, L.J.! The new release sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview, I'd love to read this book sometime!!! :)
ReplyDeleteinsane_insomniac16@hotmail.com
I really enjoyed the interview!! :D
ReplyDeleteand I look forward to your coming books! No Quarter sounds like a great read! ooh~ I really am excited for it's release!
Heh... and I agree! I just LOVE A great villain! >3
If It's still open, please enter me in the contest too. :3
Judi
arella3173_loveless(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks everyone! The book is out on the 2nd, so I'll let Blak know who won and send you your books on the day! :D
ReplyDelete