Five Questions With....Serena Robar

We're back with SERENA ROBAR!!



What is your normal writing process? Do you keep a set schedule every day, or write when your Muse feels like it?
Normal? Do I do anything remotely normal? I try to write during the day when I have the least amount of interruptions but with 3 kids, that is not always easy. Two of my three are still in diapers so I have learned to write with constant interruptions. I can hold an ansy toddler on my lap and type my story with one hand. Certainly not the preferred method but hey, you do what you have to do.

The Muse is an evil mistress at times and she usually strikes me while I am driving in the car. I have a notebook and pen in the door slot next to the driver's side and have been known to jot down quick thoughts at traffic lights, much to my family's chagrin. I also get inspiration when I lay down to plot my books. This looks an awful lot like napping but don't be fooled. My eyes maybe close but I am 'watching' the story scenes unfold in my mind. The snoring is all part of the creative process.


Why were you inspired to write Braced2bite? How did the character of Colby arrive in your mind?
Braced2bite started out as a bit of a dare. I'd just returned from National convention in Dallas (almost 2 years ago) and was driving down the street when a crazy thought struck me. I'd just read Undead and Unwed and wondered what a vampire would do if they didn't have any fangs. How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire had just been bought and the concept of a vampire breaking off one of his fangs and needing a dentist to replace it before sunrise was pretty funny. I remembered when I was 16 and had oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth and 2 others in preparations for braces. They took two canine teeth so if I turned into a vampire, how would I be able to feed?

Thoughts started to perculate and pretty soon I had a great fish out of water story about a popular cheerleader who turns Undead but needs special headgear to feed, making her the biggest geek in the vampire world. I called my friend Shannon McKelden and told her, very much joking, about my idea and she dared me to write it. At Nationals in Dallas all I heard from editors was make the story unique. Give it your own twist. Don't be afraid to really go for it. So I did.

Hollywood options Braced2bite. Give us your choices of who should play Colby, Aidan and others. Were these actors at the forefront of your mind when you were writing the series?
Ohh, this one is easy. I had just seen Bend it Like Beckham for this first time and totally fell in love with Jonathan Rhys Meyers character and he was my inspiration for Thomas. So definately him. I would like to see some relative unknown in Colby's role. When I research a book, I search the internet and try to find a picture of someone who would represent my characters I actually searched on modelling sites for Colby and found a cute, little blonde teen model whose name happened to be Colby and viola, my Colby was born.

Summer Bites is a great promotional idea! When I was younger, I used to look forward to summer because I could spend all day inside reading books!! Who came up with the initial idea? Will Summer Bites be continuing for all of your books?
Summer Bites is a joint promotional effort between myself and Marianne Mancusi. We both write vampire YA for Jam and our books come out right after each other. We wanted to do a vampire theme promotion and we came up with summerbites.com. We created a YA paranormal authors blog including MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi (Jennifer Scales series), Gena Showalter (Oh my Goth), Bev Rosenbaum (I was a teenage popsycle) and PC and Kristen Cast (The House of Night). We hope to grow summerbites and make it a destination for teens who love a good read.

What's next up in your career? Any chance of visiting Colby and friends again some years down the road?
Oh,you haven't heard the last of Colby and her friends. Currently I am contracted to write 3 books and 1 novella set in Colby's universe. Braced2bite is out now, Fangs4Freaks is out Nov 06 and miSTAKEn is out May 07. In July 07 I am part of a wonderful YA vampire anthology with the very talented Julie Kenner and Johanna Edwards called Fendi, Ferragamo and Fangs where one of my secondary characters finds true love with a teen vampire supermodel. As for more books than that, well, that's up to the fans.

THANKS SERENA!!!

To Win a copy of Braced2bite, answer this question:

Which OOTB author is one of Serena's critique partners and dared her to write Braced2bite?

E-mail janajhanson at yahoo dot com with the subject line "Braced2bite again" and tell me your answer!

GOOD LUCK!!!