This month I get to introduce one of my bestest writing friends, Eve Silver. We hit it off right away this summer at RWA—well, except that she likes to talk about germs and diseases and blood at dinner. But otherwise, she's a fabulous person, and (conveniently enough) she's also a fabulous writer. If you long for the spooky and spine-tingling Gothic romance, or even a horror novel with a happily-ever-after ending, then look no further than Eve. Her newest book, His Dark Kiss, will be the first of four books Eve has coming out in the next year, and they all promise to be dark and delicious.
Caroline: It's a convention of the gothic/horror subgenre to write only in one point of view (usually the heroine's) but what do you like about that?
Eve: Often, gothic novels are written in first person from the heroine's perspective. I varied the convention slightly by telling the story in third person from the heroine, Emma's, point of view.
The single point of view is something of a challenge, and I do love a good challenge (*grin*)… how to show the hero's development when the reader cannot glimpse his thoughts? How to show his passion and the developing love? The only recourse is to define the hero through dialogue and action, and through the heroine's impressions.
Caroline: Do you ever long to have the hero's thoughts in a book? It must be so tempting to slip into his mind, just for a paragraph or two.
Eve: I love telling the story from the heroine's perspective, but only if it is appropriate to the genre. I also write dark paranormals, as well as futuristics, and each of those books include multiple points of view.
Caroline: That's true; you write in a number of subgenres. We'll get back to that in a minute. There's a lot of medical information in your books, both in Dark Desires and in His Dark Kiss, and that's part of the dark mood you create— for me, anyway. Bloody bodies give me the creeps. How do you resist slipping into current 21st century beliefs about germs, vaccines, cleanliness, etc.?
Eve: Research, research, research. When was the term 'germ' first used? When, and how, were vaccines developed? The history of medicine is quite fascinating—
Caroline: Well, there's no reason to be too detailed…not here, anyway…
Eve: —and also quite gruesome…
Caroline: (sticking fingers in ears and closing eyes tightly)
Eve: …which is perfectly suited to a gothic novel.
Caroline: Thank you for not explaining. It's all in the books, folks! OK, let's get to more exciting stuff: your hero. Anthony is deliciously cold and remote at the beginning, yet it's clear from early on he wants Emma. How did you come up with Anthony and his story?
Eve: Anthony is a brilliant, tormented, flawed man, haunted by guilt…in other words, he is the classic dark hero of the gothic novel. He is secretive, even a little frightening, and seemingly past redemption. Where did he come from? The dark steaming cauldron of my imagination. How did I come up with his story? Once he took that first breath he charted his own course, sort of like Frankenstein's monster, but with a far nicer end, LOL!
Caroline: Yeah, I think the monster would have loved to end up with a hot wife, having lots of hot sex, instead of alone in Antartica.
But it's not an easy road to that happily ever after. In fact, Emma decides to sleep with Anthony right after he tells her he can't love her and won't promise her anything (romantically). Does that fly in the face of the genre expectations about sex being 'making LOVE'? The reader knows he'll marry her, because it's a romance novel, but her character, at the moment of that decision, doesn't expect it, and knows she's taking a horrible risk. What went into creating Emma?
Eve: Ah, but Emma does love him, and so she makes love with him. Also, despite the fact that the reader is not privy to Anthony's thoughts, his actions are those of a man with a strong code of honor. The reader cannot doubt that Anthony cares for Emma, perhaps deeper than he is ready to accept. Unconstrained by Anthony's personal demons, the reader accepts the depth of emotion, unspoken perhaps, but there nonetheless.
Emma is a product of her time, a woman whose choices were limited—even before she was born—by the circumstance of her birth. She sits on the knife's edge between respectability and ill repute, and she must have the inner strength to face all manner of terrible choices. Most importantly, Emma is strong enough to be the match for Anthony, the woman who can warm his frozen soul without sacrificing her own.
Caroline: I've always thought that a critical element in a book: that the heroine and hero are suited for each other in a way no other person could be.
Do you ever plan to write a bright and cheery novel where the sun shines all the time?
Eve: My very first attempt at historical romance was a light, regency romp.
Caroline: (Oh, boy, that I have to read!)
Eve: At least, that's what I thought it was going to be. Then I began to type, and what emerged was a dark and tormented hero, a grim setting, fog and gloom, a terrifying tower. There is just something dark about the way I write. Somehow, bright and cheery end up as a facade for frightening secrets, and even the sun feels cold and menacing.
Caroline: Well, maybe someday. But you've got a lot going on already. Tell us about your upcoming books and when they'll be out.
Eve: I'm very excited about 2007. My next gothic, Dark Prince, will be on shelves August 2007 from Kensington's Zebra imprint. Then in September 2007, my foray into futuristic, Driven, will be part of Dorchester's new SHOMI line, and will be released under my pseudonym, Eve Kenin. And then in October 2007 Warner will be bringing out the first of my dark paranormal books about sorcerers and demons.
Caroline: Your fans everywhere are rejoicing: three Eve books next year! I hope you'll put up some excerpts soon on your site.
Thanks so much for giving us the scoop, Eve!
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