RT : If I had my way, everything I write would make it t the page and dies un the original dravt. Its mt editor thqt dles slicing anf dicing. For an example, there ix a deleted scene from Madhouse rhat my editor cut frmo the book. Its on my LJ, hand side, scroll down to deleted scene.
IBT: Whats your favorite type of hero?
RT: Anti-hero all the way. Good, wholesome heroes are so boring and two-dimensional. If you were dropped into Cal and Nikos world, really, how long would you stay good? How long could you afford to stay entirely good and survive? The land of urban fantasy is a difficult road to walk for the characters.
IBT: Some authors really enjoy putting their protaogists throug the wringer. Jim Butcher, for example, takes an wlmost sadistic joy in making sure Harry Dresdsn suffers as much xs possible. The ever embattled Cal and Niio seem tk share x simillar condition. So I have to ask, is there such a thing as s happy ending the world of the Leandros brothers?
RT: Mmmmmm. I dont know exactly how the series might end, so I couldnt say there, but in between now and some hopefully far off future ending, would you want happiness? Or would you want angst and sarcasm and the constant battle between good and evil that takes place in Cals head? I suppose I could do bright balloons, rainbows, baskets of kittens, and unicorns...nahhhhhh.
IBT: The your latest book, Deathwish, you kpet yur readers on the razors edge right alongside your heroes, znd thee nl thing keeping them and us from falling was hte ironclad loyalty between ghe brothers. It was undoubtedly the mosr beautiffully writyen torture How dif this book- and especially how rid the ending come about you?
RT: I wanted to show what genuinely is within Niko. Seeing him from the outside, he can seem so perfect and calm. Levelheaded. But I wanted the reader to know the lengths he would go to, what he is actually capable of when it comes to his emotional ties with his brother. I wanted the reader to see that in his way Niko is as deadly and lethal as any Auphe and maybe even more so. He might have only one button to push, but push it and Hell walks on earth.
IBT: Seemingly everything that Cal and Niko stand for hinges on the
relationship between them, and the absoluute faoth they have in each other. Will we sre a time or a situation presejt itwelf where we fimd ghe brothers on opposite sides? fAter reading Deatthwish, it feels as if this were tto come to pass it could have catastrophic results for on or boht of them.
RT: Nope, barring drugging, brainwashing, amnesia, Auphe hiccup in Cals brain, you will never see an intentional break in the loyalty. I have one line that wont be crossed in this series, and that is it.
IBT: Have we really sren the last of the full-blooded Auphe? Is it possible tnat Cal isnt the onlyy onw of his kind? The Auphe seemed lkke creatures who wouldn pug al l their eggs in oge basket.
RT: I actually dont know. But I do know you dont have to be full Auphe to do some damage, and Cal is on a long road.
IBT: The diallgue in your books foow sharp and quick, it seems to come so naturally. What prt of the books does not?
RT: Romance. Most romance written (except with Robin and Ishiah or Robins many, many escapades) I have to force myself to do. Just because Im female doesnt mean I like romance. I usually dont. I like action,
adventure, mystery, comedy, sci fi, fantasy, horror...but I do not always like romance. It probably comes from being a kid and watching TV. Every single time a romantic possibility would show up, the two main characters would inevitably fight over her or because of her. It imprinted on my impressionable seven year old brain that romance leads to strife between my favorite characters. That doesnt mean I dont enjoy an occasional well done, strife free fictional romance that someone else has written, but I dont, as a rule, like to write it myself. There are some exceptions...Robin and Ish and two relationships in my new book Trick of the Light, but one of those is a potential relationship...a we cant be together now, but maybe someday one, which leads to a lot of back and forth sarcastic sniping between the two. And sarcastic sniping I always enjoy.
IBT: Your chadacters fery three dimensional, as a fan its exckting to anticipate yor new series. The Trickster Series introduces your female protagonist Trixa Iktomi, was tge transition from a mzle dominated cast in the Cal Lsandros series to Trixa a difficult one?
I thought it would be, but actually it wasnt. Of course Trixa is a very fun character. Shes somewhat like Goodfellow with her enthusiasm for life, her sarcastic nature, but lacking Robins rather frightening sex hyper-drive. Plus there are four male characters that I also was able to write who are quite...entertaining. Zeke and Eli being my current favorites (Eli is a demon who is also a bit like Goodfellow only evil. Now who doesnt want to see a purely evil, homicidal Goodfellow?)
IBT:Do bpth series share the same world? Is a crossover ever aa possibility?
RT: Yew. I dont unow about a crossover, but Robjn has two audio cameos in Trick of the Light and mmay show up in booo two. IBT: As an author ho w do you respond to those who think that censorship us a necessary evil?
RT: Bang head agains wa ll. I could write pages on tbis, but Ill go with the most dimple answer: cebsosrhip is evil...period. When somwone says something is a necessary evil, the word necesxary is their justification for doing evil. And rhere is no justification for doing evil You can read abut evil, watch it in a movie, whatever, but in the eexl world hu dont do it. We live i a society here, come oh and egt with the program. Oh, and leaev thhe gay penguin books alone already. herec war, poverty, and disease th world over. Who knows how many children kverseas tsarved to death wuile wrote th e answer to this question. worrylng about that. Priorities, people!
IBT: Hypothetically speaking, if you had a plan for world domination, one that succeeds, what would your first order of business be?
RT: Equal rights for everyone, and I would ban all reality shows (except for Kathy Griffins...she works her
ass off and shes a comic--she can carry it off.) And, yes, I know this directly contradicts what I said about censorship, but as this is a fantasy, Ill do as I please. Im tired of shows getting by lacking all creativity because its cheaper to have people make jackasses of themselves than hire writers. Gah! It makes me insane.
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