Author Lisa Kessler Interview and Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE Here!
BBB: What is the strangest thing you ever did to research something for a story?
LK: I traveled to Cancun so I could tours lots of Mayan ruins while I was researching for the Night Series. I even hiked the big pyramid at Chichen Itza. (back when they still let people go up) It was so steep my kids and I had to crawl/walk up and then it was so high at the top that my fear of heights kicked in big time! My son was small then and had to convince me to sit and scoot down one step at a time… LOL Without him I’d probably still be stuck up there! BBB: What character was the toughest for you to get onto the page, and why? How did you finally crack it?
LK: I’m lucky, my characters are usually very ready to get themselves on the page. 
BBB: Have you ever had second thoughts or regrets after killing off a main character?
LK: I’ve never had regrets, but I did have one character that I REALLY wanted to figure out a way to keep from having to kill him… *sigh* Without any spoilers, it was in Moonlight - Book 1 of the Moon Series at the end of the book. I loved him so much and I wrote and rewrote to try to figure out a way for him to live, but in the end I had to let him go… I cried writing it! LOL
BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?
LK: I keep word files for each series and as I add something in a current book, I copy and paste important info into the series file so I can refer to it later… I’d go crazy without it! LOL
BBB: Please tell us more about Night Child and the storyline that drives it.
LK: If you’ve read Night Demon, then you met Issa there. He’s the Mayan God of the West and that makes him the God of Sacrifice. He’s the one who has to pluck the hearts from the chests of the sacrifices and he’s SO tortured and tired at the opening of Night Child that he’s ready to just let the world fade away. Muriah is a spunky heroine and the only heroine in the Night Series who knows Night Walkers exist. She lured Issa back into the world and challenged him to rediscover who “he” is underneath his duty and loyalty. It was an exciting book to write and super emotional for me. I bawled writing it. A lot! LOL
BBB: How many more books will there be in this series?
LK: This is it.. Night Child is the final book.
BBB: What sets Night Child apart from other books in the same genre?
LK: Night Walkers are similar to vampires, but they’re descended from the Mayans, so they’re a little more tied to the earth and not as flashy as vampires. They also have a spirit animal they can shift into at will.
BBB: What types of creatures/characters can readers expect in your world?
LK: I pull in a lot of true history as well as mythology from the Mayans, Native Americans and vene Celtic and Egyptian. The Night Series has had some crazed priests, Mayan demons, an evil French vampire, a Celtic water horse and Night Child boasts Apep, the Egyptian God of Chaos.
BBB: Did you do any kind of research to determine the details of your characters lives / lifestyles?
LK: I actually sat down with a psychic for a few hours and interviewed her about psychometry so that I could write Muriah as true as possible. I didn’t want her psychic power to be a plot device I wanted it to be a part of her, so the psychic let me pepper her with zillions of questions…
BBB: Are you a plotser or a pantser? or a Planster (a combo of both)
LK: Panster! But I do know how the book will end before I start it, I’m just never sure of exactly how I’ll get there until I sit down and write it…
BBB: What’s the best thing that anyone said to you when you were in a writing low spot?
LK: I met Ray Bradbury when I was just about to give up pursuing my dream of getting Night Walker published. I asked him how I could improve my writing, thinking he would recommend a book, and instead he challenged me to write a new short story every week for a year. I ended up taking up the challenge and had so much fun I continued every week for 18 months! It was so much fun and rekindled my love for writing. I also wrote two more novels and ended up selling the Night Series to Entangled… Ray Bradbury was a genius!
BBB: Do you set a daily word count goal, time limit goal, or just go with the flow?
LK: When I have a looming deadline I have a daily word count goal and I keep track of my word count to be sure I keep up.
BBB: What’s coming up for you for the rest of 2014?
LK: Blood Moon, book 3 in the Moon Series will be out in August and possible an indie vampire book at the end of the year for Halloween!
BBB: What was the BEST book you read in 2013?
LK: Ugh! That’s a SUPER tough question…. Probably 13 from Kelley Armstrong. Her Women of the Otherworld series is still one of my favorites.
10 Quick Things About Lisa
Favorite Food? – ice cream
Favorite Color? – Purple
Favorite Movie or TV Show of all Time? Movie Rocky, TV Show Angel
Favorite Drink? – hot chocolate
Favorite Book? – Mists of Avalon
Favorite Season? – Spring
Favorite Online Hangout? (think FB, Twitter, Goodreads) – Twitter
Favorite Animal? – Horses and dogs
Favorite Band or Musician? – Kathleen Battle
Mode of Travel? (Trains, Planes or Automobiles) – Car
Favorite Vacation Destination? – Disneyland or Disney World
Buy a Kindle copy of Night Child from Amazon by clicking here – ONLY .99 Cents!
Books in the Night series in the order they should be read: Book 1: Night Walker (Calisto & Kate) Book 1.5: Night Thief (Kane & Rita) Book 2: Night Demon (Lukas & Gretchen) Book 2.5: Night Angel (Colin & Juliana) Book 3: Night Child (Issa & Muriah)
About Lisa Kessler
Author Bio:
“I have always loved to make up stories. My first published work was The Wonders of Unicorn Creek in 6th grade. The 9 page epic was published by my tiny elementary school.
Since then I’ve published short stories in anthologies like: Dead Souls, Ladies of Horror 2009, Hell Hath No Fury, and magazines like: Sinisteria, Horrorfind, Twilight Times, The Writers Hood, Savage Night, The Murder Hole, Behold and Shadowkeepzine. My story ”Immortal Beloved” was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award, and my story “The Third King” won second place in Behold’s short story contest.
When I’m not writing, I also sing. (You can hear song samples here on my website. I’m a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies.”
Connect with Lisa
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