The Speculative Fiction Showcase welcomes Desireé Moon, author of the Black Oak Shifters series:
- These days, most writers are glued to their laptops, tablets, and/or e-readers. A few still swear by print books and typewriters, the question is: Do you move at all?
Ha! Trust me, I’d like to just lie in bed all
day, but that doesn’t get too much writing done. I’m an active person. Always
have been. I enjoy pretty much anything about the outdoors. Plus, I have a dog.
So, I’m moving about pretty frequently.
- Apple or PC?
PC. I want to get a Mac. Are you
offering one?
- Do you use Scrivener or Word?
Word. I’ve got Scrivener on my laptop. Bought
it during a sale. Still haven’t used it.
- Do you have any pets? Do they influence your writing?
If by pet you mean a little furry hellspawn…
Yup, I got one of those. I’ve got a mutt named Mac. If he influenced my writing
it would be hella boring. Pages and pages filled with characters sleeping, fart
noises and barking at their own shadows.
- Would you rather see your stories on the big screen or the little screen?
Both, really. I think every writer dreams of
that. I’d love to see the urban fantasy series I’m currently working on to be a
TV Show—especially a cable or a streaming network, like Netflix.
- Are you hooked on any science fiction or fantasy TV shows? If so, which one(s)?
How much time do you have? Seriously.
Sci-fi/Fantasy is my fave. Unfortunately, because writing is my job, I have very
little time to just veg out like I used to. Mostly, I binge watch shows like
The Flash (love it!), Gotham, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story and I’m
looking forward to Westworld on HBO. I also like a lot of cartoons like Steven
Universe, Adventure Time and One Punch Man.
- Do you own copies of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings DVDs? The extended version? Do you ever watch them?
I do own the whole trilogy, but only the basic
editions. And yes, I probably watch the trilogy at least once a year, when I have
down time. Usually around the holidays.
- Have you seen the The Hobbit trilogy?
You’re gonna hate me, but I’ve only
seen The Desolation of Smaug.
- Your Black Oak Shifters series is a paranormal romance featuring were-grizzlies. What is it that draws you to shifters in general and bear shifters in particular?
Shifters
are sexy as hell! They are driven by instinct. They know what they want. And best
of all, they know how to get it. Were-bears are cool because they’re so strong
and cuddly. Shifters have an interesting world that draws several parallels
thematically to the real world. Many shifter novels describe how shifters are
discriminated against or are marginalized for being different—which
unfortunately, I know all too well. The
character in my new series is a were-panther, however.
- What are your favourite speculative fiction writers and books?
To spare you a long list, I’ll keep
it short. Personally, I like a lot of dark sci-fi/fantasy/horror writers. One
of my all time favorites is Robert McCammon. His writing is so visceral and
gritty. Steven King, Joe Abercrombie, Justina Robson, Jennifer Ashley (for
shifter novels). There are lots more, but that would literally take all the
space of this interview.
- Are you a Luddite? Or do you prefer to be on the bleeding edge of technology?
A Luddite? Not at all. Bring on our robot
overlords, please! I can’t wait for self-driving cars, lab grown beef, and
affordable 3D printers. However, I feel policy wise, at least in the U.S., our
society is not ready to manage all of the people who will be made redundant by
advanced tech. I support a basic income for that reason.
- Are you--or have you ever been--a gamer?
Hell yes. I’d like to start up my own stream,
actually. Future plan! I love Mass Effect, Halo, Little
Big Planet, Okami, Metal Gear Solid (My favorite!), Last of Us, GTA, and I want
to play the division when that comes out.
- What kind of foods do you eat? Are you a health-food-nut or is it strictly junk?
I love me some junk food, especially ice cream.
I make a lot of homemade ice cream myself. However, I’m generally a healthy
eater. I’ve only got one body, might as well treat it right. So, typically I
eat a lot of beans and rice. Steamed vegetables, chicken meals—all of the
boring stuff, ha!
- Do you cook? What is your best/favourite/most popular recipe?
Yes, I cook. The question is how well… I can
whip up eggs PERFECTLY in pretty much any style. Sunnyside up, poached,
scrambled or hard-boiled. Lots of compliments from friends about my egg-game.
Eggs were a staple in my college days.
- Have you ever heard of or had a green smoothie? If you’ve ever had one, what did you think about ?
Yes. I down a few green smoothies every now and
then. I prefer them to the fruit-based ones.
- Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown your own food?
Aww, I wish. No garden. I’d like to someday.
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at hydroponic gardens.
- Have you ever been to Starbucks or any other coffee shop?
Of course, it’s kinda hard to avoid the place.
However, we got some nice local coffee shops here in Atlanta (Woot!) like
Octane Coffee or Dancing goats.
- Coffee or Tea or Water? Espresso, Drip, Instant, or French Press? Bag or Looseleaf? Bottled, Filtered, Tap or Rainwater?
Coffee—by far! My coffee maker is on the fritz.
I now drink instant. I know the coffee snobs are rolling their eyes at me, ha!
But I really like Jacob’s instant coffee. Or, if I’m going on the cheap end,
Kroger Instant coffee.
- Do you wear socks?
Yup, I wear them mismatched too. I even have
socks for different holidays. It’s a staple gift from my friends.
- What are you wearing right now?
Ooooh, cheeky. I promise you it isn’t
sexy. I’m wearing a sweatshirt and flannel. Yeah, I warned you.
- How often do you wash your hair?
I haven’t washed my hair in ten years. Kidding.
I have an afro, so it’s a process for sure. It gets curly and frizzy and a hot
mess, basically. I wash it once a week. But I love being natural. It makes me
different.
- Do you do your own laundry?
Does making my dog do it count?
- Does life fascinate you?
Yes. The thing about life is one day you will
die (That’s actually a title of a book, lol!). So you might as well live it up.
Realize lots of things are out of your control. Don’t compare yourself to
others. Don’t be judgemental. Be self-aware and mindful of your time. Work hard
on the things you love. Take risks. Accept failure. Get up and try again. When
I was a lot younger, I was more emo and less optimistic, but I realized it’s
easy to be cynical. It’s much harder to believe and take a stand for something.
I choose optimism.
- What would your animal totem be?
I’d like my totem to be a Raven.
- Do you recycle?
Yes. Mostly.
- Do you do Yoga? Meditation? or Deep Breathing? Does it help you cope?
I don’t. I should. I’m not religious, but I
really do like a lot of Buddhist philosophy. I think being present and
self-aware is essential to living a good life. Sometimes, when I have way too
much time on my hands (rare!), I have many existential crises, ha! But learning
to be present and realizing all there is is
the present—really helps to keep me focused.
- On a scale of 1-10, how eccentric are you?
20. Ha!
- What’s your astrological sign?
I’m a scorpio.
- Do you consider yourself a slave to the muse?
Nah, maybe when I was a much younger writer.
Like in my high school days. I thought everything I wrote had to say something
novel about the human condition. But now that writing is my job, I treat it
like a job. I try to stay focused. I don’t wait to be inspired, because my
landlord won’t wait to take my rent, ha! It has helped me stay detached from my
writing. Usually, my goal is to write as fast and as much as possible in a
month.
About Desireé Moon:
Desireé Moon is an Atlanta based author and a sci-fi and fantasy
addict. When she's not dreaming up sexy alpha heroes, she's probably
somewhere watching cartoons. Yeah, she's pretty awkward and proud of it.
Currently, her biggest hope is to survive the inevitable zombie
apocalypse. Sign up for her newsletter for exclusive freebies, teasers
and ARCs!
