Author RG Dole finds her way and offers a giveaway

As a not-so-closet fan of “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals,” I was intrigued when RG Dole sent me the information for her debut novel, IMMORTAL LONGINGS. Werewolves, vampires, a struggle to belong, and a pair of star-crossed lovers? Sign me up!

After the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win an e-copy of IMMORTAL LONGINGS!

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1. Your debut novel, IMMORTAL LONGINGS, seems to have a sort of Romeo and Juliet premise—only it involves vampires and werewolves. What can you tell us about the story?

It is in fact a three-part story, beginning with the rather Romeo and Juliet look of a vampire and werewolf falling in love, knowing neither of their families will understand. But it’s more about Lexi, the vampire, running from someone who tried to kidnap her and really beginning to question her life and trying to make it on her own. The rest of the book is about their son, Eric, who is trying to discover who he is. By being the only half werewolf half vampire in existence, he feels like an outcast most of his life. There’s a lot of action and self-discovery and it even comes to answer why the vampire and werewolves exist.

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2. What do think people will love most about the book? What do you love about it?

Well at first I loved most that I was being so original in my half vampire half werewolf man … until my dad told me about Underworld … so that bubble was popped. But I hope people will love the characters and enjoy Eric’s point of view on things. I loved watching him grow and change. People think that as the author I know what will happen, but my characters surprise me at times and that’s what makes writing so much fun.

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3. Is paranormal your genre of choice, or do you read/write about whatever strikes your fancy? Where do your ideas come from?

I write about anything and everything that comes to mind, though I do seem to lean more to the paranormal side. The idea for IMMORTAL LONGINGS came from my brother-n-law, Eric, so you can see how he got his name. My sister called me saying her husband had had this dream that he was half vampire half werewolf and he was the one that had brought the two groups together. From there I created this world. But other than that they can come from anywhere. It could be a random comment someone makes, or something I see when out and about. Stories are everywhere just waiting to be discovered.

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4. What authors or stories have influenced your work?

Wow, that’s such a long list. I’ve read so many different sorts of books I know some of it has had to have leaked in. But my favorite author is Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose stories went from the center of the earth to beyond the farthest star. But what I always loved most about his works were his characters. He created strong brave characters that valued morals and honor and fighting for what was right. It’s hard to really describe what specifically made them so unique for me, but I always found that I wanted to create people like that … though I definitely wouldn’t say my writing is anything like his. I would say it was his books that really made me stretch my imagination.

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5. When it comes to being a self-published author, half the battle is getting the word out. How do you go about promoting your work?

Oh I’m terrible at that. I do have a blog, Twitter, and Facebook, but it seems every time someone asks about my book I’m like “Oh, it’s probably not for you.” I tend to be self conscious, so I’m a terrible promoter. Talking about it right now makes me nervous. But I would say what has helped me is meeting people like you, making contacts with other bloggers. And I’m not talking about using others to promote my book, but having others want to help me … learning from others that have already been where I’m going … and just keep plugging away at it.

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6. There are many rough patches on the road to publication. How did you get through the bad days?

Being self-published, I never had to worry about being turned down. But then again, when you sit around as days, weeks, months go by and no one buys your book, you feel like a big failure. But it takes time. And then when I had some people tell me my book was crap and it was a rip off, though they didn’t actually write a review, it hurts. I begin to wonder if my book really does suck. But I remind myself no book is universally liked. Some of my favorite books out there that have tons of five star reviews also have a lot of one star reviews. It’s a sad fact of being a writer that some people are just going to hate your work. They’re going to see that beautiful masterpiece (not to say mine is one) and tear it apart … so you take a deep breath, maybe look at a few of the good reviews, and keep going.

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7. Now that you’ve got one novel under your belt, what are you working on next?

I’m actually nearing the finish of THE LAST IMMORTAL, which is the sorta second Longings though it can stand alone. It deals hundreds of years after that book, so it’s a whole new world I’m delving into. And while the first book only dealt with vampires and werewolves, here we’re discovering all the other magical creatures out there. I’m also working on a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of Maleficent, though that’s not her name in my book. She’s telling how it was all a big misunderstanding, and she is in fact not the one who cursed Sleeping Beauty … though the story is sadly just creeping along.

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8. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received that you can share with aspiring writers?

“Know when it’s done” because some people stop too soon. My blog is mainly for book reviews, and there are a lot of good books out there that needed a bit more work … needed some editing that would’ve made it great. But the writer finished and they didn’t look back and now the books out there and it’s not as good as it could’ve been. But also you need to know when to stop editing … when to stop nitpicking.

I paint as well, and when I’m painting my face is about an inch from the canvas. I can see every single flaw and it’s like the painting will never be done. But I have to remind myself to step back and look at it as everyone else will, and I see that it’s wonderful. You have to do that with writing as well. You have to step back and see that it’s done.

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To keep up with RG, visit her website at dolewrites.wordpress.com, like her on Facebook, or interact with her on Twitter (@RGDole).

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