Note: This is book of a series. While it is not necessary to read the predecessor, Virtue of Death, before reading this book, it is highly recommended.
INTERVIEW WITH RANDI PERRIN
Randi, how did you get started writng?
I started writing poetry, actually. That’s how I was first published, back when I was thirteen. My degrees are in Journalism and Mass Communications so writing has always been there, it’s just at work I write non-fiction. But that never satisfied my soul, I always had something knocking at me. For years I denied the muse—I was in my early twenties, and I knew better than everyone, and writing wasn’t what I wanted to do, despite the fact sometimes ideas would come to me and not go away. When I had a health crisis, my entire perspective changed, and I realized life was too damn short not to do what you want to do, so I started writing. (You’ll actually see this referenced in the dedication of the first in the Earthbound Angels series, Virtue of Death.)
Do you write every day?
No. I don’t. I just don’t have it in me, I have to take a break from time-to-time, plus I would like the chance to hang out with my daughter before she hits her teenage years and hates me for existing. I’ll have plenty of time to write then when she’s slamming doors and avoiding me.
What’s more important – characters or plot?
Characters! I’m a big fan of letting the inmates run the asylum—I mean letting the characters write their story—so the moment they finally step up and throw my original plot for a loop is when it starts to get good. If the characters are strong and have a mind of their own, in my experience, the plot is better. I’ve started pieces where the characters never really became real for me, and those pieces were abandoned. I don’t believe in forcing it. When it’s ready to be written, it will be.
What books do you currently have published?
There’s the Earthbound Angels series and the first two books are out.Virtue of Death, which is Sera’s story, and Promises of Virtue, which is her best friend, Cheryl’s, story. There
will be one more in this series.
I’ve also got a m/m romance novella out, called Wreck You. This story is a slightly heavy
read, insomuch as it touches on addiction and depression. It’s a story of second chances and
miscommunication.
I’ve also been in an anthology here and there. There was Unintentional: North American
Edition, which is a collection of friends-to-lovers tales. In late April, I’ll be a part of another
anthology, called Food & Romance Go Together.
What’s the oldest thing you own and still use?
My husband?
No, really, I’m a book nerd like none other. When I was a teenager, I started collecting really old books, starting with a biography of Robert E. Lee from 1895 (don’t judge, I grew up in Virginia and we believe he walked on water there). I’ve learned how to spot good ones and some of my favorites include a dictionary from 1865; a first edition, fifth print of Gone With the Wind, a first edition, first print of Charlotte’s Web; and a printing of Mary Poppins with the spine printed upside down. I don’t crack the spines on these (for obvious reasons), but I do use them to make people jealous.
If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Food Network.
I absolutely adore watching people cook, and I have since I was a kid. My mom used to catch me watching cooking shows on PBS before there was a Food Network. Virtue of Death actually features a baker, because I love baking (cheesecake is my specialty) and wanted to use all the cool baking knowledge I had both from experience and countless hours in front of Food Network shows.
Where is your favorite place to visit?
Paris, France and the surrounding areas (particularly the Loire Valley). I’ve been twice and if you asked me to start planning my next vacation tomorrow, I’d do it again. I just can’t get enough of it. There’s something so freakin’ cool about standing on the ground where French monarchy stood hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Therefore, it should come as no big shock that Promises of Virtue is all about Cheryl visiting the amazing places France has to offer. She’s obsessed with fine art, and there’s definitely plenty of it to spare in the City of Lights.
Would you rather be a movie star, sports star, or rock star?
Rock star. Oh, what I would give to be able to sing. I absolutely love music, so it seems a cruel joke that the tone-deaf fairy beat me mercilessly with the tone-deaf stick early in my life.
If you could be any movie star, sports star or rock star, who would you want to be?
Nicole Kidman, because she’s married to my favorite male on the planet, Keith Urban.
Have you ever killed off a character fictionally, as revenge for something someone did in real life?
So far, none of the characters I’ve killed have been based on real people, though my buddy Gen Ryan writes romantic suspense and she actually killed off a character based on a guy I was complaining about.
I have, however, written a villain with a particular person in mind. I have one novella that’s coming out this summer, called Anticipating Temptation, and one of my beta readers told me, “I want to throat punch Lee.” I laughed and told her that the person he was based on deserved it too.
What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Just one? Come on, that’s hard. The list is long and distinguished.
Nope. Sorry. Gotta narrow it down.
All right, if I have to pick just one, I’d say poor grammar. I have a shirt that I’m surprised isn’t threadbare yet, because I wear it all the time. It says “I am silently correcting your grammar.” It’s true. Some people consider good looks a turn-on, for me, it’s if that person can speak the English language properly. (Okay, good looks doesn’t hurt. Neither does having a good sense of humor. Call me selfish, but I want all three.)
What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Half a gallon of milk, some leftover pizza, a quarter a bottle of red wine that I’m not really
digging, a whole bunch of Redd’s Apple Ales (I keep them on hand because I always bust out a #RejectionRedds for days when I receive a rejection.) Oh, yeah, there’s some healthy stuff in there like fruit, yogurt, and cheese, but you don’t want to hear about that.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
The work-in-progress I’m working on now would be. It tackles some really dark issues that I have experienced in my life (so the emotion in it is coming from a very real place). Part of the difficulty stems from dredging up emotions I don’t want to feel again, part of it comes from the desire—nay, the need—to get it right to do the characters, and the people they are based on, justice.
You have a personal chef for the night. What would you ask him to prepare?
His name would be Gordon Ramsay and if Gordon Ramsay is in my kitchen, that man can prepare whatever the hell he wants. I’m a picky eater, but if he makes it, I’ll at least try it.
What’s your favorite smell?
I grew up in Virginia Beach (and that’s where Virtue of Death takes place!), so I spent a lot of time on the water. For me, it’s the very first whiff of salty sea air that hits my nostrils when I get home. Now, it’s really true of any beach, but all beaches I’ve been to smell different. (Believe it or not!) It’s a great smell elsewhere, but that first whiff of Sandbridge (my favorite beach back home), nothing can top that.
OTHER BOOKS BY RANDI PERRIN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A pop-culture junkie, she has been known to have entire conversations in movie quotes and/or song lyrics. (You'll see this come up in her writing as well.)
She is the author of Virtue of Death, Promises of Virtue, Wreck You, and a story included in the anthology Unintentional.
Connect with Randi:
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Buy the book:
Hot Tree Publisher | Amazon
