Ellora's Cave Author Jocelyn Modo

Author Interview
1.) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
The Tell-Tale Heart. To a fifth grader who had never been exposed to secular books, T.V., music, or anything that did not expressly glorify God, Edgar Allan Poe was riveting and I was in love. Yeah, I said it. My first crush was an old dead guy named Edgar. And that’s what we call rebellion, people! - Great answer, it seems dead guys are hot these days. I'm a fan of vamps myself :)

2.) What type of genre do you write in?
Romantic science fiction and fantasy. Ooh! Doesn’t that sound professional? All bright and shiny. I thought about saying, science fiction and fantasy romance but chose to put the romance first because I write and sell mostly romance and erotic romance. Leave it to a writer (over?) analyze the correct placement of words. - Yep, we certainly do.
3.) What inspires you to write in this genre?
I love the escapist elements in fantasy and sci fi mixed with the realist elements that make-up a romantic relationship. Now, I have a character who likes to say that all romance is fantasy, but she’s jaded while I’m more of an optimist…or a hopeless romantic, depends on who you ask. Wait. What was the question? Right, inspiration. I am inspired by my love for science fiction, my love for fantasy, my love for love (or romance). And like The Beatles sang, “All you need is love.”
4.) Where do you get your ideas for your writing?
Oh, no! I hate this question because I always draw a blank. Okay, let me try to explain myself. I’m an obsessive. I fixate on an idea, a person, place, thing, and go over it repeatedly, wear it down until suddenly a new idea, a new person, place, thing, is born. But by the time I get there, by the time I’m pregnant with this new spark of life, I no longer remember how I got knocked-up in the first place. I have great feel, taste, and smell memory but sight and sound, not so much.
5.) Do you belong to any writing communities, or critique groups?
My first critique group was local with a large group of authors that split over a disagreement that I wasn't there to witness. The smaller group I joined right after the break-up had three other writers, but it soon dropped to two, then me and one other. The first to go was a man who was very analytical. He loved to do the research and world-build, but he had no interest in characterization, plotting, or telling a fully-developed story. The second writer was a gifted storyteller who became clinically depressed and dropped out of everything in her life, which included the group. The third writer refused to accept feedback from anyone except editors, agents, or (multi-published) authors so unless I found a typo, she disregarded my weekly critique. Eventually, I gave up trying to convince her that my feedback held value and dropped out of what was left of my local group. Since its slow, painful demise, I have joined CritiqueCircle, a lively online critique group. You’ll meet all kinds there, and even the least experienced writer can give valuable feedback. Like everything else in life, you just have to be open to it.
6.) What is the title of your upcoming/newly released novel, and where can we find it?
Ellora’s Cave Blush published my latest release, a science fiction romance titled Revolution Lovers, which chronicles the story of a disabled veteran soldier, Adie, and a dethroned prince, Zin, who have to work together to save their planet, which is occupied by their enemy. Adie is my favorite character out of any story I’ve ever written. She’s a total bitch and so much fun to play with. A few paragraphs into her story, she let me know that what I wanted didn’t matter. She had her own story to tell and I could either tell it for her or forget about her cooperation. Zin balances Adie, understand her, loves her. And after all horror in her life, he’s exactly what she needs.
Ellora’s Cave Aeon will publish my next release, Intimate Enemy, a science fiction erotic romance featuring a naïve but gutsy female in search of the leader of an underground movement in the hopes that he’ll help rescue her cousin and provide them both a safe place to hide. Instead she finds her intimate—the one male in the universe who matches her mind, body and soul—who doesn’t want her any more than she wants him. I had a lot of fun writing it because the characters are wild and wacky bunch.

Thank you for participating in my author interview. Good luck with your future projects, i can't wait to read Revolution Lovers, definitely a must read :)