Writing the Danger

I’d like to give a warm welcome to N. D. Hansen-Hill aka Melody Knight, a talented and prolific author, with Red Rose Publishing.

 

Melody Knight is the alter ego of N. D. Hansen-Hill. ND writes fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and horror novels, while Melody pens romantic prose. Whether a horror novel or erotic novella, all ND’s and Melody’s books are suspenseful. When she’s not writing, ND oil paints; her work is in 8 countries. She studies archeology with the goal of doing contract archeology throughout the Pacific Rim. Her books are published widely, with 35 published or contracted by Cerridwen Press, The Lotus Circle, Five Star, Linden Bay Romance, Red Rose Publishing, Fictionwise, Drollerie Press, and Cyberwizard Productions.

 

 

I’d like to discuss the origins, the process and the early days of your writing.

 

Where do you think your writing comes from?

 

Research—tons of research!—lateral thinking, and a vivid imagination. I research everything I write, and love the thought of incorporating new discoveries or a new take on old theories. Certain people, certain places, certain objects inspire me, but then, I tend to think “inspiration” is something of a catch-all for your experiences, reading, and research being reflected, then resurfacing to nag you <G>.

 

When and why did you begin writing?

 

 

Twelve years ago, I went to the local library, checked out eleven books, and couldn’t “get into” any of them. I decided right then to write what I wanted to read. That’s how I ended up with my first fantasy novel, “Trees”. I was amazed at how entertaining writing scenes could be. When I write, I’m THERE, climbing cliffs, defending myself against the baddies, dealing with ghosts, romancing the hero.

 

 

How do you come up with your ideas and settings?

 

 

Once again, we’re talking heavy research, and that may involve Googling images of locations, visiting travel sites, delving into historical research. Visuals are a wonderful source of “inspiration”, and if I can’t see it in my head, I cannot describe it for my reader. Writing is just another way of creating visuals for readers to interpret; only these pics are drawn inside, relating to their own experiences. I want mine to mesh enough with theirs so what is happening in the book is potentially “real”.

 

 

What is your process? Do you have any rituals? Do you adhere to a writing schedule?

 

 

I write about a 1000 words a day minimum, and it usually turns out to be more. I rise quite early to deal with writing and promotion, before going to my other job. At 3:30, though, when my daughter gets home from school, that’s it. I’ll only go back to the keyboard if she’s involved in a book or with friends.

 

What motivates Melody Knight?

 

 

Dreams, I believe. Dreams of success are part of it, but I’ve been doing this for a while, so I have to admit I love the camaraderie of my author groups, the interaction, and the thrill of another publishing contract arriving in the mail/email. I like creating fairy tales, in whatever genre. It’s great fun. I think eventually I would like my writing to finance trips around the world, where I would write about some of the places and people I have visited. Being an author is great fun. You can go from sitting at the keyboard in your piggy slippers, to donning finery for an author event. Grudge to glamour, in a matter of hours.

 

 

Tell us about the early days in your writing career. What was the first piece you wrote?

What inspired you?

 

 

That was “Trees”. Funny, that—the only fantasy I really enjoyed at the time was Terry Brooks, but my writing has no similarity to his. I was, literally, penning what I wanted to read, and it was a bit of a wild ride. The beginning of that book now seems slow to me, but I discovered that I couldn’t (and never have been able to) write without “twists”. There will always be something unexpected in a N. D. Hansen-Hill or Melody Knight book, and readers have written to tell me they never know where I’m heading next. LOL! That’s because the author doesn’t, either—until she writes it. That’s part of the fun, for me and them.

 

 

What do you read for pleasure? What’s the book sitting on top of your to read pile?  

 

 

I’m reading Michael Crichton at the moment, along with Amanda Quick. Generally, I don’t read much fiction. I tend to trawl through the science news sites (bio, archeology, mycology, even physics) instead. Terrible admission, but with time constraints, I often need to concentrate on research for the books under construction.

 

 

What has influenced you the most in your writing career?

 

 

My family, I believe. Many of my early fantasy creatures were based on them. I read John Steinbeck when I was a teenager at school, and was always struck by how he could take the mundane and turn it into an event, or describe a person others despised in a manner that made him or her lovable. It was his appreciation, I believe, for even the small things, that was stirring. My science background added to this concept. How can a person look at a flower, and not see the wonder of it? It’s not just a color or a pattern, but a layering of chemical reactions, of cause and effect, of pigments reactive to light, of hyphae from visiting fungi, of cellular divisions to produce pollen, of a stigma rich with ova… What I want to know is how can a person NOT be moved by the world in which we’re living? I’m an oil painter, too, and have had classes in color theory. This also opened my eyes to nuances of color around me. Amazing place, this Earth!

 

 

What’s on your desk right now?

 

 

Contracts, canisters with undeveloped film, a loooong ruler, stacks of papers with businessy stuff, and heaps of “objects” from my kids and friends. Mini paintings, a wooden lizard, a dinky frog, a frog keyring. Lots of bits and pieces.

 

 

What’s in your future? What are you planning to do next?

 

I have 3 books in progress (paranormal, fantasy, SF) to get back to. I also want to write a couple more short stories before Christmas. I have 2 novellas to edit this week, and I will have another edit or two coming in before the end of the year. I need to get a frame on a painting I just finished and get the next one underway. I’d like to finish another couple of paintings before the end of the year, too. I just started painting again after a 2-year hiatus, and I’m always afraid I won’t be able to “do” it.

 

 

Now I’d like to discuss Emerald City, your paranormal/erotic-romance novel.

 

 

What is the premise of Emerald City? Tell us a bit about the book.

 

 

Emerald City grew out of a class I took in Egyptian history, my archeology studies, and my love for writing paranormal. Berenike, where the book opens, was the ancient center for the emerald trade. The mines south of there were once the source of emeralds for the known world. In my research I read that Cleopatra used to give visiting dignitaries emeralds to take away that were inscribed with her image. This fascinated me and I elaborated on this for the story. Claudia is a newly qualified archeologist on paper, but she is a newbie at digs. She comes to the dig to work, only she has baggage—unwanted company, so to speak. Nigel is an ethereal lover who has been with her for the past 6 years. When Claudia meets a flesh and blood man and begins to fall for him, she has to choose between life…and death.

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for Emerald City?  

 

My archeology background, I believe. I became really fascinated by the emerald trade.

 

Did you know from the beginning how you would end the book?  Are you a methodical plotter or do you let the book lead you?

 

 

I research like mad, but I don’t plot anything. I frequently have no idea how a book will end until I’m in the last chapter. If I have a certain word count I’m dealing with, I begin to wrap up the story about 20,000 words from the end. In the case of Emerald City, a novella, I began the wrap-up about two-thirds of the way.

 

 

Is there a message in the book you’d like your readers to grasp?

 

I think that all my books ask the readers to be open-minded, and to temporarily accept this alternate reality. Also, since I do the research for my novels, my readers don’t have to. I hope they enjoy some of the facts I toss in from time to time. It’s all part of making the experience “real”.

 

Where can we learn more about Melody Knight?

 

I have a website: www.MelodyKnight.com, or you can visit my other site: www.NDHansen-Hill.com . At MySpace, you can find me at www.myspace.com/ndmanuscripts. I’m terrible at updating. Basically, there is never enough time to do it all…but I’ll keep on trying.

Thanks so much for this opportunity, Joyce.

 

Thank you, ND, it was a pleasure. For more about Melody Knight, follow the links above. N. D. Hansen-Hill will return in January to discuss The Hollowing her latest ND novel.

On December 17th, Melody is giving away a copy of her book Emerald City. If you’d like a chance to win, leave a comment. 

Thanks for reading and come back again.

All the best,

Joyce Adair