Welcome, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Deanna Lee for taking time out of her busy schedule and answering a few questions for Coffee Time Romance.  Today we are asking Ms. Lee about  BLOOD MOON, and about some of her other works.  First of all Deanna, I finished the Blood Moon; it was fabulous!  Are you going to write any more Kyra Moray mysteries?

hanks, that’s always great to hear! I had a lot of fun creating Kyra and her world. I’ve plotted 6 books for the series but I’m sure I’ll have more ready to plot after I’ve written the four remaining. The next book in the series will take place almost entirely in space and is currently titled “Close Quarters”.

I noticed you made the hero black, what made you decide to use mixed couples?

Blood Moon is my third interracial title and the decision to make Alex Waters African American came rather easily. I am the white half of an interracial couple and it’s a dynamic that I find comfortable, interesting, and sexy.

When I wrote my first interracial title, Undressing Mercy (with Liquid Silver Books) I did worry how it would be received. I was relieved to discover that there was a market and an audience for the story I had to tell.

Where did your inspiration for this book, series come from?

Kyra Moray was born out of frustration. I was so tired of reading books about women that supposedly had tough jobs but weren’t that tough. They need a man to rescue them, or they are uncomfortable with their own weapon, or they’re damn near emotionally crippled by a wretched past.

While Kyra has a past—it’s something she’s dealt with in a healthy way. She enjoys her life, her job, and her man. Sex isn’t a complicated thing for her, but she does have enough heart and courage to risk getting deeply involved in a relationship.

She loves and hates with a great deal of passion, something I’ve seen often in women in my own life.

So, Kyra came first and her world formed around her. In the first few plot drafts the series was set in modern day—but my love of technology pushed me into the future. I’m a technocrat at heart—and I gave that to Kyra. I tried to picture things I would want in my world and situated Kyra in a time in place where she could have some pretty fancy stuff to play with.

Deanna, you where or how did you get the research for Investigator, cops and forensic information?  Did you interview coroners, policemen ect....?

It’s a lot of research! I love to research and since my day job is in a large university library—it’s easy to get my hands on new articles out of science and law enforcement publications.

I watch Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, The Investigators, FBI Files, and all kinds of documentaries on Court TV and A&E. I love that stuff. My TIVO is full to the brim with it.

I have a BA in Psychology and have always found the criminal mind very interesting. I have books as well on crime scene investigation and criminal profiling.  

All in all I find the human experience—criminal or not very interesting. With the first Kyra book, Still Waters, I did a lot of ‘thinking’ in the killer’s head. Getting my head around the motivations of the criminal at work in my books takes effort but I believe it pays off!

How did you come up with some of the gadgets of the future?

The technocrat in me took over. I wanted a phaser and a flippy communicator like on Star Trek—lol—when I was a kid. Hell, I still want them. When I was creating Kyra’s world I tried to keep in mind that I had built a world full of political strife, war, and drastic changes in society as far as established governments went. I opened the series only a few years after a major war.  

Why a futuristic mystery?

I love to read science fiction but I’ve come to realize that I’m not very good at writing it. Futuristic is about as close as I ever should get to the science fiction genre.

The mystery part…. Well I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Peters actually. I love a good twisty mystery and found that once I started plotting one that I was rather good at it.

Deanna, how long did you have the idea for this book, before you started writing?

I plotted Still Waters in two weeks and wrote it during the month of October of last year.

Still Waters came out in April of this year and two days after the release I started plotting Blood Moon…. And I probably spent two months on it. The plot for Blood Moon had several layers and became complicated to say the least!

Deanna, why New Orleans for location?

First and foremost, I knew I would need a southern city because I didn’t want Kyra to be in a domed city--- at least not when the series opened. I thought about the southern cities that I had visited and how each is unique but in the end I chose the New Orleans.

I love New Orleans! It was (and will be again) a beautiful city full of a rich and amazing culture. The people of New Orleans have heart, soul, and faith on a level I’ve rarely encountered elsewhere. The devastation in that area broke my heart and I’ve given all I could to the relief efforts. I hope those who can help, will.

Can you tell us where if any of your ideas for Clara the Voodoo aunt came from?

Clara is actually the brain child of my best friend, Sable Grey (www.sablegrey.com). Still Waters actually started out as an anthology idea but when that didn’t pan out—it became a stand alone full length title.

So Clara with all of her temper, zeal, and Voodoo is Sable’s fault. She’s also responsible for the scarecrow… because as creepy as I can think I never would’ve thought of that on my own.

Will the second characters, Kyra's staff, be staying with her? And if so are there any surprises for us there?

I currently have no plans to “lose” or otherwise maim any of Kyra’s staff so they will stay firmly in place through at least book 6. I dealt readers a bit of a surprise in Blood Moon in regards to Ana, Kyra’s partner, so there won’t be much else on her front to make mouths drop open.

Each of the characters will continue to grow and change in the series. I hate to see series where only the main characters ever seem to change. That just doesn’t happen in real life.

There are some painful things ahead for the series and Kyra will need all the support she can handle and then some.

Alex has a problem; do things look up in that area for Alex and Kyra?

No- currently I have no plans to see Alex’s “problem” corrected. Kyra’s response to it is important to their relationship and I think it says a lot about how she really feels about him.

Deanna, can you give us your website address?

www.deannaleebooks.com

Is there anything exciting happening to you now or in the near future?

Well... I did accept a three book deal with Kensington! Undressing Mercy will be expanded and in print next year. I just recently finished the expansion of the novella and I tried very hard to stay true to the characters and the story I told originally… I didn’t want to ruin the story for those who really loved and enjoyed it as a novella. I believe that I just made it a richer experience. I can’t wait for people to read it!

Is there any little secrets or clues you would like to give out on your Kyra Moray Mystery's?

Gosh… I’m not sure. I will tell you that there are LOTS of secrets floating around in Kyra’s world. In book 5 we learn more about Alex’s time in the military and in book 6 Kyra will learn something unexpected about her mother.

Deanna, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

If there is a person in your life that often says… “You know I always thought I could write a book” when ever you mention your own writing… slap them really hard in the back of the head because they suck.

Okay- for real- write every day but don’t forget to live your life, too. Nothing is good or healthy if you are consumed by the need to do it every minute of your day.

Thanks so much Deanna, I truly enjoyed the book and the interview!  I want to thank Deanna Lee on behalf of Coffee Time Romance for chatting with us today.