Ask the Author: Christopher Rice
Answered Questions (64)
Christopher Rice
I take into account the stories of successful authors who faced rejection after rejection. From agents, from publishers. Rejection is built into the process and a fair amount of it is part of any successful author's journey. It helps living in Hollywood, where people are working (and getting paid) all the time to develop projects that never get before the cameras. It rolls off their back and they move on to the next thing. The path between where you are and where you want to be won't be a straight line. A rejection in one place might lead to an acceptance in another.
Christopher Rice
It's imperative to stay connected to people who nourish your spirit, even if it's just by phone. And to have a cut off time each day so you can step back and disconnect. The reason the solitary aspect can be challenging is because writers often have obsessive natures. Whatever they focus on gets bigger in their minds. Without others around to pull focus, a solitary writer needs to find a way to shift that focus on their own power, especially if they write primarily dark material.
Christopher Rice
That's a tough one. I was very young when I read it. It's got a very different feel from the film. Brody's marriage to his wife is kind of lousy. There's infidelity. A major character who lives in the movie dies in the book. The big finish is very different. Honestly, I'd have to go back and revisit it to see how I feel about it today.
Christopher Rice
Reading, for the most part. Reading brings me great joy. Also, as my with my writing, in life I'm very location specific and I draw focus and inspiration from specific atmospheres and environments. I'm a California boy through and through, and there's nothing I love more than a long walk on a beach, even if it's on a paved bike bath or walkway. Santa Monica is one of my favorite places for this.
Christopher Rice
Since I rudely ignored this wonderful question for two years -- where have I been?! - I can now happily tell you that Books 2 and 3 are both out. Book 3, BLOOD VICTORY, just came out today as I'm typing this. And thank you for your kind words about BONE MUSIC.
Christopher Rice
Thank you so much, Debbie. I try for a semi-regular daily word count of 1,500 to 2,000 words per day, but I'm not perfect. And that's in the first draft stage. When I'm revising, I go much faster. I do a fair amount of outlining, but I find it's impossible to outline down to the finest detail. And an idea that seemed great in the outline stage sometimes won't work when I get to the scene and I have to be willing to adjust to the flow. I do write chapters in order. In fact, I don't think I've ever written scenes out of sequence on a first draft. That said, sometimes I'll end up moving a scene in revision because it's found a new home somewhere else on the book's timeline.
Christopher Rice
Thank you, Cheryl, fr these kind and generous words, and I'm so sorry it took me this long to answer. Just today I release the third entry in the Burning Girl series, BLOOD ECHO.
Christopher Rice
Neither. Goodreads is now cool because you joined. I am not cool for taking 3 years to answer this question.
Christopher Rice
Thank you for this, Joseph. Truly. Yes, I've got many more books plotted out int he Burning Girl series. There's a whole world out there for Charley to conquer.
Christopher Rice
Absolutely. And it releases in just a few days! It's called BLOOD VICTORY.
Christopher Rice
He was so great. My fondest memories of John are of sending faxes back and forth. That's right. Faxes. It was the mid 80's and we were one of the only homes I knew that had a fax machine. And John also had a fax machine. I thought fax machines were just the coolest thing that had ever been invented ever anywhere and so I would fax John all the time. And he would fax me back, these kind and funny letters. He was one of my mother's closest friends. His death leveled our family. It just leveled us.
Christopher Rice
I'm actually seeing some of the first serious film interest in the project...well, ever. From folks who might have the power to get it made. It's way too soon to tell at this point, but I'll release any updates as they happen.
Christopher Rice
Watch this space. That's all I can say.
Christopher Rice
Moonstruck. It ages well. I find it as hilarious and heartwarming today as did when I used to watch it *incessantly* as a kid.
Christopher Rice
We never know what the next trend will be. Never. If it's what you're passionate about, go for it. This advice is easier to give than take, I know, but when it comes to predicting viable directions for future writers, your guess is as good as mine. When Robert Crais started his career, they told him PI fiction was dead, and now he tops bestseller lists and just released his 20th book in his series. When my mother started writing, no one took vampires seriously. Think back a few years and imagine a novel as explicitly erotic being stacked next to the register in airport book stores. Can you imagine it? I can't. Go for it. Go with your gut.
Christopher Rice
I love your podcast, Tim, so yes, let's see if we can make this work!
Christopher Rice
Isabel. Thank you. I'm always pleasantly surprised when someone has words of praise for 'Light Before Day'. Among people who like my books, it's a divisive title. They either love it or hate it. I'd suggest reading 'Blind Fall' next; it has a similar hardboiled California vibe, but it's a much leaner book, focused on a single relationship rather than a vast, overarching conspiracy.
Christopher Rice
THE DESIRE EXCHANGE series features a breed of immortals called 'radiants', but they're not vampires. They feed off sexual energy and give humans the ability to materialize their deepest sexual fantasies. I'm not sure, given the obvious reasons, I'd ever be able to write about a full-on, blood drinking immortal. But I'm not hesitant to use other constructs to explore some of the themes vampires stories kick up for many readers. How to maintain a love for life and humans when you live forever. How to cope with the feeling of being an alien among "normal" men and women. Those can come into play whether I'm writing specifically about vampires or not.
Christopher Rice
Never say never!
Christopher Rice
I'm terrible at answering this question. Most writers are. We can rarely narrow it down to a list of two or three authors, which is what most people seem to want, so I try to divide the list into two groups, Writers I'm Loving Right Now and Writers Who Have Influenced Me. The "Influenced Me" group is made up of writers I read at a young age, whose work impacted not just how I write today but how I view the world in general. My mother, being the most obvious one, for a variety of reasons, but also Stephen King, John Irving, and my good friend, Eric Shaw Quinn, who authored one of the first novels about a gay character I ever read, SAY UNCLE, that wasn't about hunting for sex dying of AIDS. During my mystery/thriller days I discovered a lot of authors in those genres I felling love with. James Lee Burke, Blake Crouch, Gregg Hurwitz, and the classic dead white guys of detective fiction, Ross MacDonald and Raymond Chandler. I realize I'm about to create three categories to this list when I promised two, but in the third category, the Writers I'm Loving Right Now group, I'd place a lot of really great authors of gay romance I've discovered over the past few years. Tere Michaels, Amy Lane, Damon Suede, Heidi Culinan, Anne Tenino. There are almost too many to include on any list. But Tere Michaels is a particular favorite of mine.
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