The following is a fun interview with M.J. that I thought we’d post here on the blog –

Exclusive Bitten by Books

Interview with Author M.J. Rose

Hi M.J.!

Welcome to Bitten by Books, we are excited to have you here today!

I would like to thank you taking the time to join us for the question and answer session with our readers. It has been very interesting to get to know more about you and what makes you tick as a writer! Readers, if you haven’t done so already please stop by and get your copy of M.J.’s latest release The Memorist.

BBB: First off, CONGRATULATIONS on your very recent release of The Memorist this month! Are you excited?

MJR: Very! I love this book and it makes me really happy that its getting such terrific praise – much like one of your kids getting an A in school – esp in Math.

BBB: What do you find the most challenging aspect of writing?

MJR: I don’t even have to think about this. Creating memorable characters that people can care about. And it keeps me up at night. A lot! Since they are in my own head and I see them so clearly I have a hard time assessing if I’ve given the reader enough or too much information and characterization.

BBB: What is the most rewarding aspect of writing for you?

MJR: While I’m writing it I’m very happy – I feel the most alive when I’m sitting typing and the world around me disappears and I’m in the story. That and when its all done and I get letters for readers. That’s astonishing to me – every time it happens. I cherish every one of them.

BBB: What or who was your muse that got you started writing?

MJR: Loneliness as a child.

BBB: What do you feel are the benefits of the new electronic readers? Such as Kindle or the Sony Digital Book Reader to the environment?

MJR: Well they use less paper but a lot of books are printed or can be printed on a recycled paper. And I believe long-term electronic books are just another form – not the one form that will replace all others. We’ll have paper, electronic, audio – and we should have all those forms. Books are objects as well as stories and information.

I think the biggest benefits to electronic are in the ways it can offer both practical opportunities and creative opportunism we never had before. For instance electronic books make traveling with books much more efficient – it’s much easier to carry a Kindle than heavy books. Ditto for students. Also electronic readers/the internet make it possible – and we’ll see more of this in the future – for us to buy only portions of books which will be great with cookbooks, travel books, health, how to – in non fiction mostly – it will be great to buy just what you want. Also I’ve done a lot of research into electronic textbooks and the possibilities are so far superior to what paper books can do. Students will save money, be able to email sections of the book to teachers with questions, lessons can be interactive, they can move, you can zoom – you need to see an art history ebook/text book to get the full impact – how the student can zoom in on a painting to see the brush strokes them zoom out to see the painting in context in a history timeline. Also electronic books are so cheap to produce that publishers could – and should start – e only books that they offer for much less to get writers careers started. The same way they start certain fiction writers now in paperback only – they could give more writers opportunities in e only and see how they do. It’s very expensive to publish a book and we can’t allow the economics of that to curtail the number of writers we give opportunities too.

BBB: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors in the end? Do you feel they have a negative impact, positive, or no impact at all that you can see?

MJR: Only positive. A book is a book and a sale is a sale. The best bottom line opportunity is that we can give out free ebooks without it costing us anything and introduce people to our books who other wise might not have been wiling to test us out.

BBB: Who among your characters is your favorite and why?

MJR: My mother used to say I love all my children equally and I think I’ll stick with that answer.

BBB: How do you like interacting with your fans at events? Do you feel shy or are you right out there bigger than life?

MJR: I’m not shy but I’m not bigger than life either. I’m just sort of normal I think and I do love meeting fans.

BBB: Can you tell us if there are any sequels planned after The Memorist and when we can expect them? Or what your next releases will be if they are stand alone titles?

MJR: The next book will be the next in the series and I’m writing it now.

BBB: Succubus or Vampire. Which would you choose to be and why?

MJR: Succubus definitely – having sex with men who are asleep sounds infinitely more interesting to me than drinking blood.

BBB: How would you describe the genre of The Reincarnationist and The Memorist? Serious dark paranormal or a cross between chick lit and paranormal?

MJR: Definitely not chick lit. (Not that there is anything wrong with it as Seinfeld would say). The books fall into the “smart suspense” category with a splash of “paranormal.”

BBB: How do you keep track of your characters and world building?

MJR: I write the whole book from start to finish and then go back after the first draft is done and read it 3 to 5 times and make a few notes to keep track of dates and minor characters and then revise, revise, revise.

BBB: What is your favorite paranormal fiction book of all time?

[click here for the complete interview and more]

Dalai Lama may appoint a regent to succeed him

(Times Online)

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, is considering appointing a regent to lead the Tibetan movement after his death until his reincarnation is old enough to take over.

The idea was discussed this week at an unprecedented meeting of 600 Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala, the northern Indian town where the Dalai Lama set up his government in exile after fleeing Tibet in 1959.

It is the latest proposal intended to ensure a smooth succession after the death of the Dalai Lama, who is 73 and has been suffering recently from ill health. The Tibetan exiles are keen to prevent China from hijacking his reincarnation, as it has tried to do with other of the most senior positions in Tibetan Buddhism.

The most likely candidate for the regency is the 23-year-old Karmapa Lama, the third highest in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, who was born and raised in Tibet but escaped to India in 2000 in a huge embarrassment for China’s government… [the rest]

TIBETANS PLOT FUTURE, DALAI LAMA REINCARNATION

BEIJING – As more than 500 Tibetan exile leaders gather in Dharmsala, India, this week to discuss their struggle against Chinese rule, their movement appears to be at a crossroads.

They are expected to debate whether or not they should abandon the Dalai Lama’s longtime attempt to compromise with Beijing, by pursuing a path known as the “middle way,” or if they should go for a last ditch attempt at independence.

But overshadowing those issues, and heightening the urgency of the gathering, is the age and health of the Dalai Lama himself – he is now 73-years-old and has had two hospital treatments since August.

AP

Tibetan Buddhist monks carry a portrait of the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala, India, on Monday.

He called the meeting in the Indian hill town that is the base of Tibet’s self-proclaimed government in exile, but was not expected to attend the meeting because he said he did not want to tilt the debate on future strategy.

But as the Tibetan spiritual leader, his continuing influence on the movement is undeniable… [the rest]