Continuing our periodic "Meet the Authors Who Create the Magic" feature, today we're interviewing R. L. Naquin, whose book MONSTER IN MY CLOSET, Releases on July 30th!
Tell us a little about yourself: I always hate this
question. My standard bio says, you know, one husband, two kids, three cats,
and an imaginary dog named Waffles. Yawn. I’d rather talk about my books. Or
urban legends. Or the fact that Marvel
movies are better than DC movies, but I only read DC comics. Except for lately,
since DC totally screwed up the entire universe and Donna Troy doesn’t even
exist at the moment, rendering my collection of Donna Troy/Wonder Girl/Troia
action figures a little ridiculous. I like cake better than pie, though pie is
good, too. Animals in human clothes make me laugh. Every time. Without
exception. Also, spontaneous combustion. I don’t even know why that makes me
laugh, but there’s something seriously wrong with me.
What’s your writing
process? Where do you write?
My writing process is filled with complicated pre-steps in
the planning stages. Index cards, magnets, a big white board, a notebook,
multiple word .docs. When I finally settle in to write, play time is over.
Mostly after that, I plow through it. I write on the couch. At a desk. In
coffee shops. At the park. Wherever my laptop can go. It’s acting weird lately, though, so the
battery only gives me two hours before I have to plug in somewhere. I’ve been
known (after two hours) to pack up from a coffee shop with no outlets, drive
across town, and plug in at another coffee shop so I can keep going.
Which five people
(real, fictional, historical) would you invite to dinner and why?
Anastasia Romanov, Amelia Earhart, Lizzie Borden, the
captain of the Mary Celeste, and Nostradamus. The first four so they can tell
me their stories and solve the unsolvable mysteries they left behind. The last
one, well, just give me five minutes with him so I can see exactly how crazy
and/or drug-addled he was.
VS sez: I love your choices!!! Wow, the mysteries you could unravel at this dinner!
What has surprised you about being a published
author?
Being a published author! That was a huge surprise all in
itself. Holy cow. You mean I don’t totally suck?
Do you do a lot of
research for your books?
I get bogged down in research sometimes. I once wrote a
short story about a psychic fortune-cookie maker. I watched every YouTube video
and read every article I could find on the subject. I spent days on the
research. Once I wrote it, the story had maybe two lines describing her
actually making the damn things.
Have you ever used an
incident from real life in one of your books?
I pillage my own life for content all the time. Mostly, stupid,
little things. In the second Monster
Haven book, Pooka in My Pantry,
there’s a conversation Zoey has with a guy who’s hitting on her at a party. He
teaches fourth grade and tells her that some girls in his class “decorated” in
the girls bathroom using yogurt, milk, and a peanut butter sandwich. True
story. My best friend did that. To this day, I’m not sure if I was upset that I
wasn’t invited to participate or if it was because they used my unwanted
sandwich I’d cleverly tossed in the bathroom trash so I wouldn’t have to eat it.
I carried a lot of guilt for years over having left behind the materials. She
got into a lot of trouble.
Quickfire:
Favorite TV Show:
Once Upon a Time
Favorite Movie:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Favorite Flower:
White Roses
Boxers or Briefs:
Boxer briefs
Favorite food:
Popcorn
Favorite time of the
year:
Summer
Please answer finish this sentence:
“I believe in the Magic of……Disney." I am a Disney girl to the depths of my soul.
What are you working on next?
Fairies in My
Fireplace, book three of the Monster
Haven Stories.
What one question do you want to ask your Readers today?
What monsters do you believe are lurking in your house?
(Kids, partners, and pets don’t count.)
Where can your Readers find you online?
Buy Link for MONSTER IN MY CLOSET:
I have to agree with you about the "Magic of Disney", especially at our house! Best wishes with the new book!
ReplyDeleteDisney made me who I am. I truly believe that. Thanks for the wishes, Veronica!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have brownies lurk in my house and take care of all that pesky cleaning...
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the first chapter of Monter in My Closet and am looking forward to reading the rest.
Thanks, Nicole. I hope you enjoy the rest of it!
ReplyDelete"Or the fact that Marvel movies are better than DC movies, but I only read DC comics." — this comment made me think we might be soulmates. Maybe twin soul is the better description. Seriously, you're scaring me with some of your answers here. I'm backing away carefully and taking my collection of DC figurines (yes, even my Wonder Girl one) with me.
ReplyDeleteThat said. Looking forward to reading your series! Sounds awesome.