Interview with Jeri Smith-Ready

 Jeri Smith-Ready is the award winning author of romantic and Urban Fantasy novels including Requiem for the Devil, the Aspect of Crow trilogy and her popular WVMP radio Vampire series. Her debut YA novel Shade will be released next Tuesday - May 4th!
Jeri was kind enough to take time out of her insanely busy schedule to do an interview with me. Those of you who follow me know just how much I love Jeri and her writing so this is a major *squee* moment for me! So without further ado......

Shade is a story involving ghosts so we'll start with the obvious........

Do you believe in ghosts?
Jeri -Depends. Is it daylight or nighttime? Am I in my quiet house or in a haunted hotel? Am I watching MYTHBUSTERS or reading a Stephen King book? Somehow I’m a skeptic AND a scaredy cat. Does that make me a hypocrite or just human?
Example: I once stayed with a friend in the Cooper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, Arizona (an awesome little town I would move to in a second). As we were checking in, I found out the hotel was supposed to be haunted, a fun fact that my “best friend” had “forgotten” to tell me. At the front desk, they had a “Ghost Book,” where guests could describe the spooky things they’d seen and heard during their stay.
I told myself, Jeri, don’t read that. Jeri, don’t read that. Jeri, SERIOUSLY, PLEASE, don’t read that..
Of course I read it. For three nights I insisted on sleeping with the lights on (not that I slept much, or even closed my eyes). I only let my friend leave me alone when I had to go to the bathroom, and then I wouldn’t look in the mirror because I just knew that something would be staring back at me. *shudder*

What's your favorite thing about being a writer?
Jeri - (I almost said, “Working in my pajamas,” but then realized I was a writer long before I was doing it full-time.)
My favorite thing is the day-dreaming: thinking about the characters when I’m driving or cooking or walking the dog. I love playing out the scenes in my head like a movie, sometimes rewinding and trying a different ending. I also love the very last stages of a book where I polish the prose to make the words have the effect I want. It’s amazing how the addition or subtraction of one or two sentences can have a huge impact on the way a reader feels.

Which one of your characters would you most like to meet? Why?
Jeri - Hands down, Shane the vampire DJ from WICKED GAME and BAD TO THE BONE. I would leave my husband for him in a New York minute. But I don’t think it would last—we’re too much alike.
From SHADE, I would probably most like to meet Zachary, the Scottish guy who has his heart set on Aura. But I’d prefer to meet him when he’s about twenty years older. It’s probably safe to assume he’ll still be cute and charming.

Song stuck in your head:
Jeri - The last few days it’s been a medley of Coldplay songs. I find them very soothing—I call them my “musical Valium,” so when things get stressful (like, oh, I don’t know, around the release of a new book), I put them on and feel better.
I’ve also been listening to the Shade soundtrack a lot lately. (http://www.jerismithready.com/books/shade/music/ ) Unlike the WVMP playlists (http://www.jerismithready.com/books/wicked-game/music/ ), it consists of more than just the songs mentioned in the book. I rounded out the Shade soundtrack with some other songs that fit the characters and pivotal scenes. I’m really happy with the results, so I’ve been listening to it A LOT. Last night I had “Sleeping With Ghosts” by Placebo haunting my dreams.

What book are you currently reading ?

Jeri - I was privileged to get an early copy of Enchanted Ivy, by one of my favorite YA authors, Sarah Beth Durst. It features a sixteen-year-old girl who visits Princeton, her dream school, and is presented with a mysterious test. If she passes the test, she’ll be automatically accepted, but the test itself could drive her mad or even kill her. It’s got a cast of otherworldly beings, including scary gargoyles and a very cute college boy (more than one, actually). It comes out in October, and you will definitely want to read it!

On to the Lightning Round......

*spring or fall ?
Jeri - Fall. It has pies.

*chocolate or potato chips ?
Jeri - I don’t have to choose—have you ever tried chocolate-covered potato chips? They’re like chocolate covered pretzels, but a hundred times better. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

 *vampire or werewolf ?
Jeri - I think vampires have a lot more variety, but maybe that’s because they’ve been written about more. We’re seeing some innovative new werewolf books these days, like Shannon Delaney’s 13 TO LIFE, that get away from the “Alpha bully” mentality.
My exception to this rule is with TWILIGHT. I am 100% Team Jacob.

*Halloween or Christmas ?
Jeri - You are killing me with these choices! I adore Halloween (how could someone who writes urban fantasy NOT love the holiday?), but Christmas is a really special time for me and my husband. We make time to watch every Christmas movie we have on videotape (most we’ve also bought on DVD, but a few can’t be found, like the original version of the Muppets Family Christmas—they chopped up some of the scenes on the DVD because of royalty issues with the modern Christmas carols. Ripoff!).

Thanks so much for having me to For What It’s Worth—I love this blog!
I also love to hear from readers, so I encourage people to come visit me at www.jerismithready.com , or even better: www.facebook.com/jerismithready  or http://twitter.com/jsmithready .

* Great answers!! Shane would definitely be my pick for character to meet!!.....and Snow Patrol is my "musical valium"

*Thanks to Jeri for stopping by and for always being so kind to me & not slapping me with a restraining order!! Check out the carousel at the top of my blog to see all of Jeri's books. And come back Monday for another Jeri inspired contest where I will be giving away ALL six of Jeri's adult/UF books to one lucky winner!! ( What can I say??? She's my favorite)

Be sure to enter my contest to win your very own copy of Shade Here!