NALINI SINGH AUTHOR OF GUILD HUNTER AND PSY-CHANGELING SERIES EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Dawn

OBS Staffer Deanne had the opportunity to interview Nalini Singh. Read reviews of her books:

Nalini, you write such amazing stories, you paint us worlds of passion, action and characters that are vivid; it draws your reader in and makes them addicts to your novels. (I should know because I am one.) Is there something or someone that inspires you or do the ideas for both of your series (Guild Hunter and Psy-Changeling) just …come to you?

Inspiration can come from anywhere – from something I see or hear or perhaps read in the newspaper; the avenues are endless. And sometimes, a story is an amalgamation of ideas and concepts I’ve been thinking about for a while – for example, I’ve always been interested in powers such as telepathy and telekinesis, and this interest came together powerfully with my ideas about shapeshifters in the Psy/Changelings series.

Could you tell your readers something about yourself that is not common knowledge?

I used to ride a bicycle everywhere the years I lived in Japan – I loved my little basket in the front, where I could put my groceries. My favorite time of the year was when the rice fields were all golden. I’d ride beside them and listen to the swish-swish sound the stalks made in the wind.

I noticed that on your facebook page you have a weekly Friday book club, asking your followers what they are reading this week, how important is reading to you in your life and why?

Quite simply, I find incredible joy in reading – I can’t imagine not always having a book with me. I also think it’s important for a writer to read works by other authors, travel into their imagined worlds and explore.

How important is it to you to remain close or in touch with your readers?

I love being able to communicate with my readers through the Internet. This is particularly important because I live in New Zealand, and most of my readers are in other countries, so I rarely have a chance to meet them in person.

Do you have a book or author that you could not live without if so who and why? 

One of my all-time favorite series is J.D. Robb’s In Death series. I’ve read every book and the characters feel like old friends – I love stepping back into their world and their lives with each new book.

 

 


The Guild Hunter and Psy-Changeling series are both equally great. The build up and chemistry between the characters is amazing and tangible. Was it a goal to accomplish that with each of your books? Was it something you intended?

My goal has always been to tell a good story. Everything else comes through my writing/story process.

The Guild Hunter series has three books already released (Angels’ Blood, Archangel’s Kiss and Archangel’s Consort) with the 4th book Archangel’s Blade being released in September 2011. What can your readers expect from this series? I know that Archangel’s Blade focuses on Dmitri the head of Raphael’s 7. Will all 7 have their own books and how many books to have in mind left for Elena and Raphael?

 

 


I don’t have a set number of books in mind for Elena and Raphael – I’ll know when their story is complete, and that’ll be the final book.

As for the Seven – so far, we have Dmitri’s book, and Galen’s novella (out in 2012). I would like to write about the other members of the Seven, but I’m not certain all of them will get full-length books of their own.

Both series have some steamy sex scenes was it important to for you as a writer to include sex between your characters? If so why? (FYI – loved them all LOL)

Intimacy is a part of a romantic relationship, so for me, it’s natural to include it in my stories. However, I think love scenes should play the same role in a book as any other scene i.e. they should move the story forward, or contribute something to the emotional development or characterization of the people involved. So depending on the characters, there may be a love scene in chapter 1, or it may not happen till two thirds of the way through the book.

The Psy-Changeling series currently has 9 books released with the 10th, Kiss of Snow, being released June1/11, could you tell us how many books do you plan for this series? What we can expect out of them?

Echoing my answer to question 7 – because I’m quite an organic writer, I don’t tend to plot out how many books there will be in a series in advance. However, I do know the overarching story (lots more amazing developments to come!) – and I’ll know when that story arc is complete. But after that’s done, I would like to write some “tangent” books exploring parts of the world that we weren’t able to see in depth during the main story arc.

 

 


The Psy-Changeling series has a new book being released soon Kiss of Snow. I know this book is on many people’s (including mine) can’t wait to read list. Can you give us a little sneak peek into the book?

This is very much Hawke and Sienna’s book – they’ve had a long journey to get to this point, and their courtship is intense, emotional, but still playful. How could it be otherwise when you’ve got a changeling wolf in the mix?

Kiss of Snow holds such anticipation for most readers. We know that Hawke and Sienna’s road is not going to be an easy one, but it will be an interesting one. Why do you think their story holds such appeal?

We’ve seen both Hawke and Sienna develop and grow over the series, and we’ve seen glimpses of the pain that has shaped them – as an author, I care about them and want them to find happiness. I think many readers feel the same.
I also think their explosive chemistry has been apparent from the very first book, and we’re all ready to see the fireworks!