Lisa Blackwood - So Many Ideas, So Little Time

Lisa Blackwood is an author who has so many ideas for stories that she doesn't think she will ever find time to write all of them. One of them was that of a gargoyle, Gregory, who just wouldn't go away and inspired the Sorceress series. As our author of the day, Blackwood chats with us about Gregory, reveals why she changed her book's name to Sorceress Awakening and what she thinks writing and orchids have in common.

Please give us a short introduction to Sorceress Awakening

In Sorceress Awakening, the reader meets Lillian, a twenty-year-old who thinks she’s human. When she was a child, a near drowning ‘accident’ stole her memories. After that she was raised as a human, knowing nothing of her magical heritage. Like other modern day humans, she is unaware that there is still magic in the world, and that ignorance nearly kills her when creatures of darkness come hunting for her. (Gregory, her gargoyle protector, is less than pleased to find vampires and other Fae hunting his lady.)

What inspired you to make a garden statue come to life for this book?

Most of my characters are born the mundane way—they come to life in brainstorming sessions. But with Gregory—he didn’t have a name at the time—there was just a ripple of shadows in my mind’s eye and he just walked into my mind fully formed, eight feet of lethal gargoyle with wings, horns and talons. I wasn’t even sure if he was the good guy. He certainly didn’t belong in the novel I was working on at the time. And he wouldn’t go away. Sigh. So he got his novel, which turned into a series and come next year, a spin off series as well. Dominate…fellow…that he is, he always gets his way.

Who are your favorite fantasy authors?

I’m a librarian. You’re really going to ask me that? LOL. Okay, I limited myself to my top three favorite authors so we aren’t here all day. Ilonia Andrews, Patricia Briggs, and L. J. McDonald.

Why is love between Lillian and her guardian forbidden? Or would revealing that be a spoiler?

Spoiler alert. Lillian and Gregory are one being in the Spirit Realm, and when they are reborn to complete a task, their soul is sundered and they both carry half. But I can’t tell you more without revealing too much. ::grins::

You originally published this book under the title "Stone Kiss." Why the name change?

The original title ‘Stone’s Kiss’ sounded too much like a paranormal romance, and while this story does have a very strong romantic plot (after all it revolves around two immortal, eternal star-crossed lovers) it is still an Urban Fantasy series at its core and I wanted the new titles to reflect that.

How does Sorceress Rising tie in with this story?

Sorceress Rising is book 2 and continues to follow the story of Lillian and Gregory. (It’s a four book series, with book four publishing late this fall.)

Where do you like go to find inspiration?

I don’t have to go anywhere. Inspiration is never in short supply. I actually have too many ideas for novels and not enough time to write them. Finding the time to write is another issue altogether.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I’ve been gardening since I was a child; now I grow orchids, too. Writing and orchids have something in common—they are both a lot of work but enjoyable at the same time.

Awakening has quite a couple of twists. Did you plan them out ahead or did they just "happen" while you were writing?

Ask Gregory. He seems to be the one in charge of this series. Lol.

Tell us a bit about your writing habits - how do you manage to be productive?

Actually, compared to many authors, I’m slow. Like, snail slow. Sigh. A lot of it comes down to work-life balance. Sometimes ‘life’ doesn’t care what ‘work’ needs done, ‘life’ will still happily toss the occasional (read: frequent) obstacle in an author’s path. But, that’s life.

If the Sorceress books would ever be made into a movie or TV series, which actress would you like to see in the role of Lillian?

TV? What’s that? I’ve found that since I started writing and publishing, my free time in now non-existent. Besides, I stopped watching TV regularly after they put off Stargate Atlantis. Although, I do still tune in for Blacklist.

Why did you decide to name your pets after Viking gods?

I’ve had a lot of pets in my life and I like unique names for them. I usually pick an ancient religion that I’ve researched at one point or another and ‘borrow’ names I like. When I run out of cool names, I move to the next religion.

What are you working on right now?

I actually have three novels on the go: Maiden’s Wolf, Death’s Queen and the fourth Sorceress novel. Yeah, I’m one of ‘those’ authors easily distracted by the next shiny new story.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

I have a website, blog, Facebook and Twitter. But I’m most active on Facebook, so start there.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Blackwood-283994288284284/

Blog: https://blackwoodsforest.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisa_blackwood

Website: http://lisablackwood.com/