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For
those of you who might not know, the Moira Rogers writing
team is made up of Donna and Bree. I was excited to have the
opportunity to chat with this dynamic duo.
How
did Moira Rogers come about?
Donna:
Bree and I have been writing separately and as a hobby for
years. Last fall, we were talking about books and genres we
enjoyed, and one of us (I don't even remember who) suggested
writing something together. So we came up with some
concepts, toyed with process, and practiced until we felt
confident about showing other people our combined efforts.
It only took about half a million words. LOL
Bree: We've
both always been great at concepts and a little lacking in
the follow through. It turns out all we needed to do was
combine forces and know that the other person was going to
kick us in the rear if we slacked off.
What was the first story you sold? Who did you tell first?
Bree:
Moonshine was the first story we sold, and the situation
surrounding it is actually rather amusing. We'd entered
Cobblestone Press's Wicked contest, and as a lark I talked
my friend Andy (writing as P. Andrews) into entering a story
as well.
I was in
the shower when the announcement went up that Moonshine had
finaled, but Andy called me at once and somehow relayed to
my husband that I had to get online because there had been a
"porn emergency." So I didn't even get to tell anyone first,
because I was too busy leaping from my shower wondering what
on earth constituted a porn emergency.
Donna: I
was away from my computer at the time, so I, too, got a
phone call about a porn emergency. Then I told my husband
and gleefully showed him the email.
When Moonshine was published, what were your
expectations/hopes?
Donna: My
hopes with regard to epublishing have always revolved around
exploring what, to me, is an exciting new medium as well as
venue. I live out in the country, and I do everything I can
on the internet, from pay bills to shop for Christmas
presents. I love the instant delivery offered by
ebooks, and I love the fact that there are so many new
devices being marketed now, which make ebooks as portable as
paperbacks. (Like my new iPod Touch, which I LOVE.)
Bree: I'm
with Donna. It was really exciting to not just have people
interested in reading my stories, but being involved in an
exciting digital adventure. I'm a technophile with a
Computer Science degree who builds websites for fun.
Epublishing and I are a good fit.
Your website is practically an all-you-can-eat buffet.
There are several series and loads of free reads to choose
from. I have had the pleasure of reading the Last Call
stories and a few from Mystic Valley but I am way behind.
How do you keep it all straight?
Bree: A
wiki. Literally! Hidden on one of the fifteen or so domain
names I own is a top secret wikipedia filled with nothing
but facts about our projects, our characters, our plots and
our universes. It's really the only way to keep it all
straight!
Donna: We
keep track of current stuff as well as vague or not-so-vague
ideas for future development. It's an invaluable resource;
as long as we're diligent about recording stuff, we never
have to worry about having a character's eyes change color
between books.
How
does your writing team work? Is Donna the hero and Bree the
heroine? What about ménages? Who gets to be 2 people?
Bree: No,
we are flexible, like ninjas. Sometimes we divvy up the
characters based on personal experience. Donna studied
forensics and nursing. I am a computer programmer. The
natural division of cops & doctors vs techies is
self-explanatory. However, it can be overruled by a more
pressing question: is the hero a broody, alpha bastard with
a tragic past? If so, he is mine. ;) If you want your
hero a little more well-balanced with a snarky sense of
humor, Donna's the one to go to. At the moment, I am on
Tough Guy Strike and am writing a deliciously awesome Beta
man to shake things up, though.
Donna: If
there are more than two main characters, sometimes it comes
down to flipping a coin, or one of us just being willing to
take on that extra character.
Let's talk logistics. Do you bunker down in a cold dark
room together, furiously plodding through edits or do you do
it separately in luxurious writing caves?
Donna: My
"luxurious cave" is a corner of the kitchen. But, usually,
we write in our respective homes and just toss stuff back
and forth. Only one of us can work on edits at a time, to
avoid confusion, so we usually do those at home, too. We
try to brainstorm and plot when we're in the same room,
because those things are easier that way. But we try to at
least keep Bree's office warm and well-lit while we do so.
;)
Bree: And
it is well stocked with chocolate, delivered by our adoring
husbands whenever they do something they'd like us to
forgive them for.
Can
you tell me a bit about your upcoming releases?
Bree: We've
got a busy schedule for 2009 already! Our first full length
urban fantasy novel is coming out from Samhain in March, and
we're both super excited about it. Crux is the book that we
started first, the one we spent months plotting and planning
back when this whole writing adventure was still purely
hypothetical.
Donna:
It's maybe still my favorite universe, too, because those
months of plotting weren't just spent on the first book.
There are character arcs and major events and all those
other things they warn you not to get too invested in, just
in case that first book doesn't sell. So Crux being
published is a huge thing.
Do
you get nervous about new releases?
Donna:
Each one is nerve-wracking in its own way, but I'm slowly
getting used to them. We've got a system, one that mostly
involves Bree dealing with the practical stuff and me
gnawing off my fingernails.
Bree: Being
the webmonkey has its advantages. I don't have time to be
nervous most of the time! My nerves come later on, when I
wonder what I’ve forgotten to do.
Do
you have a favorite character or title from the books you
have published so far or your WIPs?
Bree: I
love Connor and Zoe from Last Call: Kamikaze, but I think my
favorite character of all is Dylan from the Red Rock Pass
series. We don't get to tell his story until the third
book, but we're working on it now and I'm remembering why
sometimes the man you want isn't necessarily the alpha
man--it's the beta man who doesn't care who's stronger than
him when it comes time to do what needs doing.
Donna: Oh
dear. Dylan might be my favorite, too. He's so cute!
Do
you have a favorite author?
Donna:
Stephen King, I think. He's a great storyteller, and I cut
my teeth on his peculiar ability to find the horrific in the
everyday. As you can imagine, Bree has to rein that in. A
lot.
Bree: I
have a handful of favorites, but the ones who grace my
shelves the most are Anne Bishop, Melanie Rawn and Kelley
Armstrong. I love fantastical worlds and anyone who can
bring them to life for me has a devoted fan.
Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.
Bree: I
lived in Austria for a year and sometimes still dream in
German.
Donna:
I've blown up a cinder block with an Uzi.
Where can readers find you?
We're all
over the place! A few of the places we keep an online
presence include...
Website:
http://www.moirarogers.com
Blog:
http://www.moirarogers.com/blog/
Announcement Only List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/moirarogers/
Chatty
List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahalias/
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/moirarogers
Livejournal:
http://moirarogers.livejournal.com
Twitter (Bree):
http://twitter.com/moirarogersbree
Twitter
(Donna): http://twitter.com/donnajherren
Is
there anything else you would like to share with us?
Donna:
Writing is so much fun, and so is the chance to explain a
little of the method behind the madness. Thanks for having
us!
Bree: Yep,
Donna pretty much wrapped it up. Now it's time to sneak
back to our writing caves and work some magic. |
