Interview with Dakota Cassidy

Interview with the Fun Dakota Cassidy!

Dakota, welcome to Deb’s! I’m so glad you could join us!

Hello, hello, and thank you for inviting me!

First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. Your background, family, etc.

Well, I’m almost forty-two (EEK. LOL), I was a housewife for 19 years, then found myself getting a big ole divorce. I have no formal education—so it was a hairy time in my world. But I had some really terrific friends and family who helped me through it. It was when I got really serious about my writing because I couldn’t seem to find a job—not even in places like Wal-Mart or the 7-eleven. It’s true, swear… Writing was sort of the only thing that gave me hope. At that point I’d only been writing e-books for a little over a year.

After my divorce I moved to Texas because the cost of living here as compared to the NY/NJ area is so much cheaper. I brought my two boys (now teenagers), my mom, my dad, my crazy uncle Harry and my pets. We bought a big house (because well, the divorce turned out A-okay for me), and I got serious about making a living writing. By that time I, through the fabulous Kate Douglas, had an agent, and I was focused on getting on my feet.

For our readers unfamiliar with your work, please tell us what kind of books you write.

I began writing e-books, a contemp here and there, but mostly I stuck to erotic paranormal comedies.

Hw did you get started in your writing career? Are you a full time writer now? And if not, how do you manage to fit everything into your writing schedule?

My writing began on a whim. I was reviewing books for an online site, and I’d gotten my hands on some e-books. They were like crack! I couldn’t get enough of them, and one day, I was just playing around, sat down and with the encouragement of my friend Sahara Kelly, I wrote one. Can’t say why, can’t say if I even intended to try and sell it—I just wrote it. I sent it to her, she said it was a riot, she said I should send it to an e-publisher—I did, and bam—they hopped on the crazy train and bought it. That was back in late 2003.

I am a full time writer now—and I still don’t manage to fit everything into my schedule. LOL

Your first mainstream release, The Accidental Werewolf, a Berkley Publishing, (February 2008) release is a marvelously funny irreverent look at life and I enjoyed it tremendously!

Please tell us about The Accidental Werewolf and is it related to any of your previous books?

Oh, thanks, Deb! I appreciate it. I was sick with nerves over its release, but things have been going far better than I could have hoped. First, no, The Accidental Werewolf isn’t related to any of my e-book werewolves. Though those werewolves are just as crazy J

The Accidental Werewolf focuses on Marty Andrews, a multilevel cosmetics saleswoman for a company called Bobbie-Sue (think Mary Kay). She’s kind of self-centered—kind of what might appear to be shallow because she’s so into aesthetics. She has two new recruits, Nina Blackman, and Wanda Schwartz, who’re kinda crappy at selling much. She’s out one night, walking her teacup poodle Muffin with them when Muffin spies a large dog and attacks, because as we all know, small dogs can be very territorial.

Marty attempts to yank her precious poodle off the poor beast and in the melee, she’s accidentally bitten. And then all hell breaks loose J The dog that bit her shows up in human form, claiming he’s the dog that bit her (yeah, nuts, huh?), she’s kidnapped, and she realizes how little value and effort she’s put into life, versus her drive to be a Bobbie-Sue dynamo.

Will there be more in this series? I sure hope so!

Yep! Next up is Accidentally Dead—that’s Nina’s story and will be available July 1, 2008. Then comes Wanda in The Accidental Human, sometime in 2009.

From what I’ve learned in my research, this is definitely not your first published work. I know you have many E-books published and even anthologies with popular authors Angela Knight and Tina Gerow.

Oh, yeah, I’m prolific and, gurrrrlll, I’ve been around. LOL. I never truly intended to do the NY thing—that just sort of happened through a series of what I often call “happy accidents”, but I did love writing e-books, and I was managing to get on my feet with the profit from them after my divorce—so I kept writing them. Sincerely, it was the best training ground I could have ever stumbled upon when I was working out my kinks. I’ve met awesome people like Angela (who nabbed my second agent for me—I know craaazy, right?), and Margaret Riley of Changeling Press who let me write, write, write as much as I wanted. I learned a great deal in the three years I wrote e-books, found some awesome friends, and in general became empowered in making this my career.

Please tell us about your books and your fun view on life and love. Do you enjoy writing a continuous series of books? Are any of your books stand alone books and if so, which do you prefer to write?

Well, there isn’t a single book of mine that doesn’t have humor in it. I can’t say why that is either. I don’t sit down and think “I have to be funny.” It just happens. In fact, typically what cracks me up at four in the morning in my office, ain’t what everyone ends up talking about in one of my books J I also lurve the ironic. I love wondering “what if”, I love wondering what if and finding the nutty in that.

I love a good series, yes because I feel like it gives you the chance to really get to know not just the H/H, but some secondary characters, too. I love the friendships between women—so typically my series related stuff has to do with friends. Though I’ve done brothers and families, as well.

I do have some stand alones—I’ll have one for Berkley in 2009 called Kiss and Hell. Many of my e-books are definitely related. Mostly the stories at Changeling Press because that’s a series/serial related pub.

And I love both J Some stories have no further purpose than to be told and walked away from—some need further introspection J

How many other books, including E-books, do you have out now? Are they all paranormal in style or do you have a variety of stories out there?

Wow—I dunno. LOL. I have like three anthologies, three stand-alone novellas, several series, some quickie short stories, and I think two full length books. I lost count back around twenty, but I’m sure I’m pushing thirty e-books in various lengths and types/genres J

Most are paranormal, all are humorous, and I have like some intermingled Urban Fantasy (think superheroes), and a few contemporaries.

What are you working on now and do you have a release date?

Right now I’m working on The Accidental Human for Berkley—Wanda’s story and it’s due out in 2009. I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say it’ll probably be around February 2009 again J

What drew you to write in a paranormal vein so to speak? Is this an area you also enjoy reading? Do you find yourself avoiding books in the same genre while you are writing?

Paranomral was becoming a huge seller in the e-world and one day, while I was just messing around, I thought that “what if” thing I do. I wondered, what if a vampire was narcoleptic and he fell asleep on a park bench, the cops picked him up because well, he doesn’t breathe, thought he was dead, and dropped him at the morgue? That’s how the paranormal craze started for me. It was called It’s A Vampire Thing.

And yeah, I love to read a good paranormal. Nina Bangs does a fantastic crazy take on paranormals—and she’s what made me decide to give one a shot in e-books.

I do avoid a lot of stuff in my genre, but mostly it’s because my time is so limited these days for reading. Believe me when I tell you, I miss chillin’ with a good book J

Do you have any favorite books or authors you would like to share with our readers?

NinaBangsNinaBangsNinaBangs! I adore her. I also love Michele Bardsley’s stuff—she’s such a riot and her humor is soooo sophisticated compared to mine. Definitely give Because Your Vampire Said So a try. I also love James Patterson, Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

Do you think your writing style has ever been influenced by earlier authors? If so, how and who would it have been.

I think I’d have to say that’d again be Nina Bangs. When I first picked up one of her books, it was after a slew of very serious takes on the paranormal, and I thought, “Holy Cow! This is soooo what I’d think to myself when I read stuff that was sort of angsty.”

She took fun and fresh and spun it on its head. She was the reason I decided to take a chance with my paranormals.

Not that I don’t love me some angst—I do—I just can’t write it J

What kind of research do you do for your books? Is this something you enjoy doing? Approximately how long do you research each book or is it an ongoing process?

Most of my writing, though paranormal, is in a contemporary setting—so not a whole lot of research is required. Though I do have a vampire who’s five hundred and I had to make sure I got the century he was born in right, what they’d have worn etc. My characters are almost always up-to-date because you sort of have to be if you’re going to live in today’s world as a vampire. They change and adapt with the times.

As for my werewolves, I did study a bit about wolf packs, they’re habits, mating season and such. However, because my werewolves are half human, they probably have more human traits overall in terms of interaction with full humans. Some of the rules for a wolf pack just didn’t work for me when you involve a human in the mix. Humans have the ability to express themselves in ways wolves don’t. So I kinda just make it up J

What style of writer are you? A strict outline and plotter or a more of a seat of the pants writer? Somehow I find it hard to think of you being a strict plotter.

LOLLOL—well, you have me pegged. The one and only book I’ve ever outlined was The Accidental Werewolf and that was because my agent sold it on proposal. I usually have a shell of a story—tiny tidbits of beginning, middle, and end. Then when I’m in total panic mode, and I’ve written myself into the proverbial corner, I call my bud Renee George up, and she takes my hand, yanks me out of the corner and helps me plot J

If you could write any other genre of book, what would it be and why?

Without a doubt it’d be YA. I just recently wrote a proposal for three books in that genre and I loved every second of it. I think I’m still fifteen in my mind… LOL

What do you do for fun after a hard day of writing? Do you have a favorite way to relax? A good book, movies, lots of chocolates?

I love to hangout with my honeybunny, Rob. We watch TV or go to dinner. We go to the movies a lot, so that’s a huge relaxer for me. I also love a nice hot bath, or a swim in my pool. I also play a lot of Wii with my youngest. My oldest is faaaarr too busy to chill with me these days, but when he’s home, he asks me for money. LOL

Do you have any hobbies or collections you would like to share with our readers?

Is collecting bodies too creepy for your readers? LOL. I’m kidding.

There was a time when I loved to make my own hand painted furniture. I had a business when I was still married, and I loved my power tools—sadly, I don’t have the time anymore, but I’d give my eyeteeth to have my band saw back.

I’d definitely say one of my favorite things to do these days is garden, but I live in Texas, and it gets so hot here, it makes it hard for me to garner much enjoyment from it.

What was the best piece of advice you have been given as a new author and how did it affect you and your writing style?

Shut. Up. Seriously. Write your books, and when you’re done, keep your mouth shut and write some more. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s worked for me. I didn’t know a whole lot about how to write a book, the mechanics of it and such. I still don’t think I get character arcs and passive voices. I just did it. I focused on exactly what I wanted to say, executing it with good grammar (well, minus my potty mouth), and making sure my characters developed and grew. I wrote and I kept writing—which is evident in my backlist of e-book backlist, and still there’s so much more to learn. Nothing I write will ever be perfect—but I hope I’ll keep growing.

Also, learn to handle criticism. Not everyone’s gonna love you and you can defend your motives in a book to high Heaven, but some people just won’t get it—and that’s okay. It’s the people who do get it you need to focus on, but pay attention to the negative reviews—sometimes they hold real value and will give you food for thought for the next book. Everyone has an opinion—it’s what makes the world colorful and interestingJ

If you have one piece of advice to give to a new writer, what would it be?

Shut. Up. LOL. Truly—write, write some more, focus on your goals, if someone cuts you a favor—be humbled by it—be grateful. No one owes you anything. Pay it forward whenever you can. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by some pretty awesome role models who’ve taught me the value of true friendship in this author stuff and have handed me a fork so I could share a piece of their pie. They taught me to always remember, you’re your next book could be your last—write the best one you know how just in case J

And again, learn how to handle criticism. Get yourself some crit partners who won’t lie to you—they read your stuff to begin with because they liked it—if they tell you something isn’t working for them—suck it up and give it thought. Don’t get defensive. Writing isn’t for the faint of heart, nor is it for someone who can’t be honest with themselves. It’s all about your gut and the love of telling a story. Find out what your weakness’ and your strengths are—make the weak stuff stronger, and the strong stuff stronger still J

Above all, shut up and write J

Dakota, thanks so much for joining us here! It’s been a pleasure chatting with you! I wish you continued success! Know I can’t wait for more of your fun books!

Thank you, thank you for interviewing me, Debbie! The buzz for The Accidental Werewolf was great and you were a part of that—know that’s it’s appreciated J

You can learn more about Dakota at her website www.dakotacassidy.com