Interview with Gena Showalter

Please help me welcome the always fun and fabulous, Gena Showalter, to the Fictionistas today! Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance, and Young Adult novels from a multitude of publishers. She has appeared in Cosmo and Seventeen magazines, on MTV, and has also been featured on many regional and national news programs.

And get this, one lucky commenter is going to win a signed copy of Intertwined, her amazing new YA novel!

Tell us something surprising about yourself. I recently polled my friends (Jill Monroe, PC Cast and Kresley Cole) on this very subject. They said they were surprised to know how shy I really am, that I was once a cheerleader, I’m deathly afraid of fish, I firmly believe snipes sneak out of my closet in the middle of the night to nibble on my toes, and I like to wear boy underwear.
How did you get the inspiration for Intertwined? One day I saw a (sexy) teen boy in my mind. (Yes, I’m a cougar) He was talking to himself and everyone assumed he was mental. Only he and I knew he was actually talking to the souls trapped inside him. Intertwined was born from there.

What authors do you read? Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole, PC and Kristin Cast, Meljean Brook, Nalini Singh, Karen Moning, Stephenie Meyer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, Jeaniene Frost, Deidre Knight, Candace Heavens, JR Ward, Jessica Anderson, and so many more! I love me some authors.

Who is your favorite character (of your own or another book)? I have two. Edward from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. And Lachlan from Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other. Both men are SEXY. Maybe because they are beyond powerful and willing to sacrifice themselves for the women they love. Lachlan even chews and claws off his own leg to escape his chains and reach his woman. I’m still waiting for my husband to do something similar for me.

What five things are always in your purse? A Wisp (it’s a small, packaged toothbrush that has a drop of toothpaste in the center), blotting paper, a tiny notebook, a pen, and my Blackberry.

What music are you currently listening to? The Veronicas

Tell us about your pets. I have three slobbery English bulldogs, and they like to sleep under my desk while I’m working. Two words: toxic gas. You might understand why my muse fled for her life a long time ago.

One item of makeup you can't live without. Chapstick. Is that makeup, though? I only wear the other stuff when I’m at a writer related function. But chapstick. . . it’s my one true love. (Baby, if you’re reading this, you’ll be my own true love just as soon as you claw that leg off!)

First thing you drink in the morning. Coffee. Always. Characters tend to die when I write without coffee.

Worst high school memory. So many choices, so many bad decisions . . . Let’s see, let’s see. Okay, I know. I’ll go with something cosmetic. First, some backstory. (Hey, I’m a writer. It’s necessary.) See, I have naturally curly hair. Or rather, naturally wavy hair. But back then, tight curls were in, and so, hoping for a little extra poof, I got a perm -- and I walked out of the salon looking like a poodle. Though it’s been fifteen years, I’m still battling those stupid curls.

If you could go back in time and talk to the teenage you, what would you tell her? First, I’d dropkick her for getting the perm. (Not that I’ve repeatedly dreamed of doing that or anything) Then I’d tell her to follow her heart and start writing now rather than waiting until years later.
What are you working on next? Unraveled, the sequel to Intertwined. The stakes are higher and the romances between my leads are heating up. Aden still has the souls trapped inside him, knows his own death is closer than ever, and has all manner of creatures hunting for him.

Thanks for the great interview, Gena! And y'all don't forget to comment so you're in the running to win a signed copy of Intertwined! (You might want to follow us too, just so you don't miss the announcement of who wins.)