BBB: What is the strangest thing you ever did to research something for a story?
MK: It was for my Harlequin Nocturne Cravings story, which had to be very, very sexy…and it involved my beloved. That’s all I’m saying.
BBB: What character was the toughest for you to get onto the page, and why? How did you finally crack it?
MK: Lol, the toughest character to write is always the new one I’m working with…it’s a lot like getting to know someone new — exciting and fun, but also a gradual process…full of surprises.
BBB: Have you ever had second thoughts or regrets after killing off a main character?
MK: Lol, I haven’t killed of a main character yet…but I did regret killing off Obaachan, grandmother of the heroine Lynn from Wildfire. She’s an awesome character and I missed her. I might have to write something, a prequel short, just from her POV.
BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?
MK: A fan was kind enough to put a Djinn World bible together for me, and for my dragon books, I’m putting one together in Microsoft OneNote.
BBB: Please tell us more about Wildfire and the storyline that drives it.
MK: Lynn Hana Alexander is a 25-year-old Japanese American shape-shifter haunted by guilt. She’s been questioning herself and her dragon abilities ever since she failed to save her grandmother.
When her best friend is threatened by mysterious fires burning up acres of West Texas, Lynn rushes to the rescue determined not to fail again. However, with a tempting firefighter, a flirty city developer and dragon pheromones distracting her, how is she going to find the arsonist?
And worse: is her primary suspect a malicious rogue dragon or the love of her life?
To me Wildfire is Lynn’s story, it’s about her accepting what she can and cannot do with grace and wisdom.
BBB: Is Wildfire a stand alone book or part of a series? If it is part of a series, how many more books will there be?
MK: I started writing it as a stand alone, but then the characters came alive and had their own ideas…so now I’m working on a sequel. There is a prequel and a third book waiting their turn too.
BBB: What sets Wildfire apart from other books in the same genre?
MK: I wrote Wildfire because I wanted to read about a female Asian American dragon shifter…something a bit different from what can be typically found in the genre (where the dragon shifters mostly tend to be males and based on Western mythology).
BBB: What types of creatures/characters can readers expect in your world?
MK: In Wildfire, they can expect delicious dragons and in my Djinn books they can expect intriguing elemental genies.
BBB: Did you do any kind of research to determine the details of your characters lives / lifestyles?
MK: I did quite a bit of research into Japanese folklore. My dragon mythology is based on the tragic love story of Kiyohime. “Kiyo,” a beautiful tea waitress falls in love with a priest (forbidden to be with a woman). In the beginning, he falls for her too and they are both happy, but then he suffers from guilt and breaks things off. Kiyo transforms into a dragon or a serpent (depending on the version) and kills her faithless lover.
I went onto find different versions of the tale. I strongly believe fairytales and myths provide a foundation for people’s understanding of the world. So I took bits and pieces of the different versions and melded them together to give Lynn and her grandmother a cultural reference point. I love that sad fairytale.
BBB: Are you a plotser or a pantser? or a Planster (a combo of both)
MK: I’m a pantser, but I prefer the term “organic writer.” It sounds better, lol, and reflects the importance of instinct and emotion in the writing process.
BBB: What’s the best thing that anyone said to you when you were in a writing low spot?
MK: “Rejection simply means the other person can’t imagine the possibilities you can.” ~ told to me by Cookbook Author Nancie McDermott
BBB: Do you set a daily word count goal, time limit goal, or just go with the flow?
MK: Lol, I should set daily goals…but really, I go with the flow.
BBB: What’s coming up for you for the rest of 2014?
MK: I have a djinn novella coming out in a group anthology this summer, some other djinn projects and the second dragon book that I’m working on and a secret project that’ll probably surprise a lot of people.
BBB: What was the BEST book you read in 2013?
MK: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs & Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews (sorry, couldn’t choose one!)
10 Quick Things About Mina
- Favorite Food? Pasta
- Favorite Color? Yellow
- Favorite Movie or TV Show of all Time? Castle
- Favorite Drink? Diet Coke
- Favorite Book? Not fair…I can’t choose one.
- Favorite Season? Fall
- Favorite Online Hangout? (think FB, Twitter, Goodreads) FB
- Favorite Animal? Kitties!
- Favorite Band or Musician? I love, love,love Lindsey Stirling, a very talented violinist and performance artist.
- Mode of Travel? (Trains, Planes or Automobiles) All (I love traveling)
- Favorite Vacation Destination? I love traveling, so anywhere new and interesting
Buy a print copy of Wildfire from Amazon by clicking here.
Buy a Kindle copy of Wildfire from Amazon by clicking here. – ONLY $3.99!About Mina Khan
Author Bio:
Mina Khan is a Texas-based writer and food enthusiast. She writes about djinns (genies), dragons, hunks and whatever else sparks her fancy. She also writes a weekly food column for her local newspaper. Originally from Bangladesh, she is now a proud West Texan.
Connect with Mina
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