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I had the opportunity to chat with talented
author. So, without further delay let’s hear from…
Zoe LaPage
Did you
always know you wanted to be a writer or did you have
something else in mind?
I've always had a really strong grounding in the arts. I knew that
I had a talent for drawing and painting at five when I used to sit
with my little ink set and do Chinese brush painting. That became
my focus, but it went hand in hand with a love for Ballet. I drove
my parents crazy in grammar school and high school, because I was
one of those little girls who ate, drank and breathed Ballet. When
that evolved into doing theater dance, I found that being a chorus
girl in musicals was the most fun I'd ever had. However, I always
made my living through graphic design, technical writing and
training. Fiction writing came much later than art and dance. It
grew out of my love for literature.
I read you were
a dance major, boy, you are talented on so many levels! Do you still
dance?
Oh, thanks! I stopped dancing when I started having a job that
required travel. Working out at the gym and running replaced the
dancing. I do occasionally take hip hop dance classes at the gym.
Tell us what
makes Zoe…well, Zoe.
I've always been different. When I was younger, that translated
into not fitting in and being a social outcast, but now I think
people appreciate my uniqueness. I have a home dungeon where I sit
by candle-light listening to the splash of water from my lion-head
fountain. On the whole, I think I never do what's expected. Even
though I have a pretty straight corporate job, I still like getting
gothed-out and going to a concert. I like transforming my look once
in a while, too.
You write
paranormal stories. What draws your interest to this genre? Do you
see yourself trying something different down the line?
I
started out writing horror, but it was always more a psychological
kind of horror, and it always had a love story in it. Someone told
me I should write paranormal. At the time I’d never heard of it,
but it does really suit my personality. I also write young adult
novels and I have one published (AltDeath.com) under the name, Sally
Bosco. I'm still working on writing YA, either horror or unusual
subject matter. I have an urge to write an experimental horror
novel, too.
Tell us some of
your favorites…foods, movies, music, authors, books, colors, and any
others you want to share?
My
favorite foods are sushi and Indian. I could eat mali kafta every
day. I’m a vegetarian but not a strict one. My all time favorite
movie has to be Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Favorite books are “Cities
of the Interior” by Anais Nin and “Dark Dance,” by Tannith Lee. A
new favorite is “How I Live Now,” by Meg Rosoff.
What is your
perfect writing environment? Do you have a writing schedule you
follow?
It’s tough finding the time to write. Most of us have full-time
demanding jobs. What is really productive for me (and what I really
enjoy) is having café writing days. I like to take my laptop and go
café hopping. I usually start out in a breakfast joint, and move to
bistro by the water in downtown St. Petersburg, FL, then perhaps sit
in the atrium of the Fine Arts Museum. I often go to The Globe, a
local counter-culture coffee house. I end up either at Starbuck’s
because they’re open late, or in my home dungeon. I turn on the
lion-head fountain and fogger and get lost in my imagination.
During one point when I was writing Shadow Cat, I felt as though I
was wandering through Jules’ fantastic topiary gardens.
Do you enjoy
hearing from your readers and what is the best way to contact you?
I
LOVE to hear from readers. Please e-mail be at
zoelapage@mac.com,
or e-mail me through my web page,
ZoeLaPage.com
How do your
story ideas develop? Do they start with a character, a scene, a
location, or some entirely different way?
I
generally start with a premise (like what if Nefertiti had been a
werecat?), and I populate it with interesting characters. But once
I have the characters, I like to let the characters drive the plot.
If you could
bring one of your characters or any character to life, who would it
be and why?
I’d like to bring Jules (the handsome French werecat from Shadow
Cat) to life and marry him! (He is a lot like my boyfriend, Mark.)
Do you have any
advice for aspiring writers? What was the best advice you received
when you started out?
My
advice is to take classes, join a writers group and resolve yourself
to the fact that you have to write a lot of practice novels before
you’ll have one that is publishable. I think a lot of new writers
don’t realize that they have to pay their dues. Also, read a lot,
and read outside of your genre. (See my web page http://zoelapage.com
for my Quickie Plot Outline method of formulating a plot.)
How do you
promote your work?
Most of the success I’ve had with writing has come from networking.
I go to writers’ conferences to meet people and promote my work. We
have a Florida Horror Writers’ group that does group book signings,
and I often do signings with my friend, Lynne Hansen. Since Shadow
Cat is starting out as an e-book I’ve changed my tact in doing
online chats, sending out copies for review and posting on
paranormal bulletin boards.
What do you
consider your greatest strength to be? Any weaknesses?
My
strength would be that I’m blessed with a wild imagination. I can
think of a million plots for novels. It’s just getting the time to
write them. My weakness is that I could stand to be more
aggressive. I’m too nice and passive.
How would you
spend a perfect day?
I’d like to spend it with Mark, my boyfriend (and cover model for
Shadow Cat) doing anything at all. We don’t see each other that
much, because we live far apart.
What do you find
to be the most difficult part of being a writer?
The most difficult thing is the rejection. You put your blood,
sweat and tears into a book and somehow it’s not quite right for
anyone’s list. I determined from the outset that I was going to
persevere.
Is there
anything else you would like to share with us? Any new or upcoming
releases?
Right now I’m working on the prequel to Shadow Cat that takes place
in 14th century France at Mount Saint Michelle, a castle
that becomes completely surrounded by water during high tide. The
story goes back into Jules’ father’s lineage. During the dark days
of the black plague, people were sometimes sold as slaves. A
baron’s daughter sees him (as a young boy) being sold as a slave in
the town square, takes pity on him, (not to mention she notices that
he is quite the young hunk), and purchases him. This begins a
Wuthering Heights type of love story. It’s a saga in which the
dynamics of their relationship seesaw over the years as one or the
other gains power and dominance. I enjoyed adding the twists and
turns their lives took during this tumultuous period.
Thank you!
Love,
Zoe
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