Pippa Jay: Meet the #Author Monday

Please tell us a bit about yourself: I’m an Aries-Taurus cusp who’s impatient as get-all, and for any of you Parks and Rec fans, I’m known as Leslie Knope amongst my friends. Love chatting and meeting fellow geeks, and in general I just love passionate people. I’ve dabbled in dozens of hobbies, from beer brewing to soapmaking, and am always on the hunt for a new craft to learn.

Tell us about Hunting for Spring:

What inspired you to write this particular story?: I drew some inspiration from the fairy tale Connla and the Fairy Maiden—has similar themes in the sense of forbidden love and a guy falling for a fairy girl. The rest was a mish mash of my love for gritty cities and sort of a conduit for the loneliness I was feeling earlier in the year. You’ll notice both Conor and Brenna are loners who both deal with that emotion heavily. Writing’s terribly therapeutic that way.

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?: Character’s personality comes to me first, then most often their zodiac sign oddly enough, and then a mixture of their name and looks at the same time. I sort of launch into books haphazardly and fill in the blanks as I go, so it’s a changeable whirlwind until I get to the end.

Any tips for aspiring authors?: Weirdly enough, I’d say be realistic. Sure, writing’s inspired and you need those big dreams to keep you going, but I also think part of the pressure and heartbreak involves misunderstanding the reality of the business. Part of that comes with time and experience in the field, but I do think being well informed on the industry will only do you a service. After all, very few have the genius stroke of luck/land an agent on first try/sell a million copies path ahead of them. Sounds nice, but for most people, it’s a lot of hard work, tears, and unrelenting determination. If you’re forcing yourself down one singular path, you’re limiting yourself to thousands of opportunities that could come your way, so I say to keep an open mind and be realistic.

Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, Butterbeer or Romulan ale?: Butterbeer!! Ever since I read about it in Harry Potter, all I wanted was a cup of my own. One Halloween party years ago we made batches of butterbeer and it was super delicious! My husband came up with Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters for a different shindig, but…well, they held up to the brain smashing properties and I couldn’t tell you what was in it for the life of me.

Which fictional spacecraft would you like to own, and why?: Serenity,

Coffee, tea or wine?: Oh man, can I choose all three? I’d say out of the three the weakest link is wine—I’m a scotch girl, but I just can’t pick between coffee and tea. I usually drink coffee in the summer and tea in the winter, or coffee in the morning and tea at night. I rotate them a lot based on the day.

Which fictional universe would you like to live in and why?:

Definitely not ASOIAF universe—bleak, bleak, and more bleak. Hm. That’s a really tough one, because each time I venture into a book I fall in love with so many different worlds. While I fell in love with Chronicles of Narnia early on and those whimsical adventures, I think I’d lean towards Harry Potter. It’s a fantastic blend of the magical and current. While I love the *idea* of medieval times and such, I don’t think I’d like the actuality—my modern conveniences are rather nice. With Harry Potter, I wouldn’t have to give up any of them, and I could have the addition of awesome new ones. If not Harry Potter, I’d say the Dresden Universe’s Chicago would be a pretty fascinating if not dangerous place to live in.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):

Though I saw it as a movie first, this tale resonated with me as a kid and never left—The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. I can read the book over and over again—the language is lush and gorgeous, and the story was one of the first as a kid to introduce a bittersweet ending. I really appreciated the realistic element of regret in that story, hence why it resonated with me all these years.

Favourite genre and why?: Urban fantasy, though fantasy as a whole stole my heart long ago. I’ve always loved the creative escape of fantasy, however urban fantasy and paranormal romance are my most frequent go-tos. The grittiness has a level of realism I enjoy and speaks to the violence of battle in a way that pristine landscapes sometimes don’t—at least for me. I love the snappy dialogue that tends to work its way into those stories as well, since I’m a sucker for some wit. To crown it all, the noir flavor that blends into a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal romance just really works for me. It’s my favorite genre to read and write.

Favourite colour?: When I was a kid I used to staunchly say purple, though nowadays I think I’d say red or ocean blue. Don’t quote me on that though—I’m sort of in love with the way colors are used and how they appear rather than any specific one.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?: So, I just re-released my first novel, An Airship Named Desire, and I’m thrilled to announce the second one, A Tale of Two Airships, will come out later in the year. On more Airship news, I am actually running a murder mystery tea at Fan Focus Convention in April, which will take place at the Sheraton in Wilmington, Delaware. Best thing about it? The murder mystery is set aboard the airship Desire : )

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Hunting for Spring Blurb:

Hunters are a lonely breed, and Conor’s no exception, until the day he meets Brenna. Even though she slinks in unannounced and kills the wight he was hunting down, the girl’s a mystery and he can’t get that blinding smile or those gorgeous curves off his mind. Since they’re both after the same caster who’s unleashing these monsters, he suggests teaming up, and despite her initial reluctance, the hungry way she scans him down promises something powerful.

However, her secrets have repercussions, and faster than Conor can lift his Glock, he’s drawn into the web of kidnappings and Unseelie mischief, all concealing the machinations of a darker foe—one that plans to bring Philly to ruin.