FAB Interview - Alyssa Day

I just love FAB weeks here at dee & Dee. I mean, we get to dish on some amazing books and dish with the amazing authors. My FAB pick this month, Alyssa Day, has absolutely had a FAB Release WEEK with her debut novel ATLANTIS RISING. It hit the BookScan bestsellers list a week before its release and next week, AR will be EIGHT on the Borders' mass market fiction bestsellers list. Absolutely amazing. I cannot think of a better book to be getting such attention, because ATLANTIS RISING is truly an amazing start to a promising new series. Congratulations, Alyssa!

Before I post my interview with Alyssa, I want to point you in the direction of some other (far better than mine) interviews done with Alyssa. Christine Feehan interviewed Alyssa here. Laura Florand posted an interview here. And PNR posted an interview here. So, once you've had a chance to read through my short interview, check out those other amazing interviews!

Chari-Dee - How did you come up with the idea for the Atlantis series? I can only imagine the amount of research that went into it, can you give some of your favorite sources for the information?

Alyssa - I’m an addict, I admit it. A mythological history junkie. If there are facts or archaeological evidence to be found that might possibly tie in with my preferred view of the universe – Atlantis really exists, Helen of Troy was real, vampires and shapeshifters are lurking at the edges of darkness – well, I’m all over it. I have been studying history and especially mythology, including lost civilizations, since I was a little girl. I have an entire bookshelf of reference books on the subject. And of course, with Atlantis, it all starts with Plato.

Chari-Dee - Can you explain Atlantis Rising in five sentences or less?

Alyssa - At its heart, ATLANTIS RISING is a love story wrapped in an epic quest. Prince Conlan’s love for Riley may force him to abdicate the throne – except that such an action may bring a second Cataclysm. Riley’s love for Conlan will drive her to sacrifice what she holds most dear in her life. Vengeful and capricious gods and goddesses have no regard for the desires of humans – but the Warriors of Poseidon will fulfill their duty to protect mankind. No matter the stakes -- no matter the cost.

Chari-Dee - How many books in the series will there be? Will each warrior have a book?

Alyssa - As many as readers want to read! I'm having so much fun with this series.

Chari-Dee - Can you tell us a bit about the next book?

Alyssa - Yes, Book Two of the Warriors of Poseidon series is actually a novella in the anthology WILD THING, coming out in May. (So not long to wait!) Bastien gets his story in Wild Hearts in Atlantis. Then in November, High Prince Conlan's brother Ven, who serves as the King's Vengeance, gets his story in ATLANTIS AWAKENING.

Chari-Dee - There has been much debate lately about the Paranormal Romance genre, and as a reader, I've noticed that the label does get tossed around fairly loosely. AR, is one of the few books that I have read that balances the two so well. There are so very many paranormal elements in AR (Atlantaen warriors, empaths, vampires, and were's) and the world building is solid, yet, the Romance is equally as solid and believable. Did you find yourself having to struggle with this balance while writing?

Alyssa - First, THANK YOU!! I'm so glad I achieved the balance, because yes, it was a struggle. I realized as I wrote ATLANTIS RISING that I had enough of the epic quest plot going on to write five books! And the romance was getting lost. So I ripped it apart and dove back in, focusing on the truly emotional love story between Conlan and Riley. And I am thrilled with how it turned out!

Chari-Dee - You also write non-paranormal under a pen-name, why not use the same name for this series as well?

Alyssa - The books I write as Alesia Holliday are very light and funny; my paranormal romance as Alyssa Day is very dark and twisty and sexy. I really wanted to distinguish the two. Incidentally, I wrote a couple of books for teens and used a different name for those, too. I didn't want a child to search out my romance novels.

Chari-Dee - As a new author in the PR genre ( a genre that is very popular right now), can you see a difference in the way you need to promote? Do you think the popularity of the genre helps or hinders, since there are so many new paranormals hitting shelves?

Alyssa - I believe the paranormal readers are extremely web-savvy as a group, so I'm focusing on viral marketing through the internet to try to get my name out there. I have a new MySpace page at www.myspace.com/authoralyssaday, for example, and a rocking movie-style book trailer up at my website, www.alyssaday.com. I also have a discussion group listserv that is already starting to fill up! I love paranormal readers - they're so intelligent and well-read and totally fun to chat with!

And then Caffey in the comments asked - Alyssa, how many you plan for the series or is it now planned for just ongoing?

Alyssa - I'm planning to write the story for as long as the stories are fascinating to me and to the readers! Bastien and Ven are up next, then Denal and Lord Justice. But I have already planned out Alexios, Christophe, Reisen, Jack the weretiger (who meets a very fascinating Atlantean warrior maiden), and of course Alaric, who is literally haunting my dreams and demanding I write his story. Thank you for asking!!

I want to thank Alyssa again, for being such a FAB author and hanging out with us this week. I'm looking forward to many more books to come set in the world of Atlantis.

Take Care