I’d like to welcome Diana Rowland to Writings of a Wicked Book Addict. But first, I must joke on Diana a bit. I had sent Diana the interview questions a bit ago & wondered why she never responded. I asked her via Twitter today if she forgot about me…turns out Diana had emailed the interview to a different Natasha. *snort* So welcome Diana, to the right place this time! *hands out GPS*

1. WLP: Your first book, Mark of the Demon was released June 23, 2009 by Bantam Books; can you tell us about it?

DR: Mark of the Demon introduces readers to Kara Gillian–a homicide detective in south Louisiana with the ability to summon supernatural creatures known as Demons. When Kara finds traces of arcane power on a murder victim, she quickly realizes that the serial killer known as the Symbol Man is back, and that he too is well-versed in demonic lore.

However, when she attempts to summon a minor demon to help her with the case, something goes wrong and the Demonic Lord Rhyzkahl is brought through instead. And then things get really complicated!

With the aid of an FBI agent who may be more than he seems, Kara must stop the Symbol Man, while at the same time defying the Demonic Lord’s demands that she summon him again–an action that could make the phrase “Hell on Earth” seem tame.

WLP: Where did the idea for a Demon Summoning Cop (Kara) come from?

DR: I worked in law enforcement and death investigation for close to a decade, so writing a police procedural was a bit of a natural for me. However, my geek/nerd roots run deep, and I absolutely love paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and anything of that ilk! I simply couldn’t write an “ordinary” mystery/thriller. I wanted to have all of the fun and chilling supernatural stuff in it, so when I was first brainstorming my characters, I knew I wanted my main character to have an arcane ability that could be used to help her solve crimes. However, I wanted her to still be completely human–with human weaknesses and foibles. Therefore it made the most sense for her to have the ability to summon and use creatures that were not human in any way.

WLP: What about Demons inspired you to write about them?

DR: Well, first off, my demons are not “demons from hell.” I wanted to have supernatural creatures in the books, but I wanted to steer clear of vampires, werewolves, and that sort of thing. I also didn’t want to get into the various religious aspects of heaven/hell and their various denizens, so I decided to go a little sideways and make the creatures from an alternate plane of existence instead. I also wanted to have the flexibility of variety, which led me to create twelve different levels and varieties of demons, each with their own particular abilities and strengths. I had a lot of fun creating them, and my plan is that by the end of the series the reader will get to see every type of demon.

WLP: Will we get to read more about Rhyzkahl?

DR: Absolutely! Rhyzkahl has many motives and plans, and Kara will factor into them quite deeply. Whether she likes it or not. [cue evil laugh!]

WLP: I noticed your attention to detail in terms of forensics was amazing, how did you research it?

DR: A lot of my research was first-hand experience. I’ve worked as a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene technician, and a morgue tech. However, even with all of that personal experience, there’s no way to know everything. Therefore, whenever I run into something that I’m not sure of, I pick up the phone and call or text one of my former coworkers. It’s as good as having a research team working for me, because if my contacts don’t know the answer they’re always willing to go hunt it down for me. I’m an incredibly lucky writer in that regard!

WLP: Has it been easier to write Blood of the Demon?

DR: In some ways, yes. In other ways, OMG no! Yes, in that I didn’t really have to do much more worldbuilding. I knew the characters and the interactions, I knew the world and how everything worked, and I knew how the entire series is going to end–and why. However, that last one–knowing what happens at the very end–made Blood of the Demon much more challenging, because I realized that I needed to start seeding clues and information, and laying groundwork for later books. Plus, I want each book to be readable as a standalone mystery, so it was an interesting (and frustrating!) logistical exercise to craft a single book as part of a larger mystery. I ended up ripping much of it out and starting over when I was about halfway through–which was very painful, but turned out to be exactly what the book needed.

I’m very excited about Blood of the Demon and I can’t wait to see what readers have to say about it!

WLP: How did you get your start in writing?

DR: I’m not quite sure how to answer that. I started writing when I was old enough to write. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t jotting down little scenes or adventure stories or fan-fiction. However, it wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I started to think seriously about writing for publication. Through the marvels of the internet I learned about the market and writers workshops and conventions. I wrote my first novel in the mid-90s–a big fat fantasy novel with every possible stereotype you could imagine! I made a few paltry attempts to get it published, but I think that even then I knew it wasn’t publishable. But, it didn’t really matter, because the important thing was that I knew I could write a novel! In 1998 I attended the Clarion West writers workshop, and started really learning about this whole thing called “craft.” I sold a couple of short stories, got really discouraged and stopped trying to sell anything for several years, eventually got back on the writing horse and won a short fiction contest, then got my butt in gear and wrote Mark of the Demon.

WLP: When you’re not writing, what are you reading?

DR: I love urban fantasy, romance, science fiction & fantasy, mystery… you name it! Recent favorites include Jim C. Hines, Jenna Black, Greg van Eekhout, Victoria Dahl, MLN Hanover, Ann Aguirre, Jackie Kessler, Caitlin Kittredge, Nicole Peeler, Scott Westerfeld, Gail Carriger… I’m leaving a lot out, but there’s just no way to list them all!

WLP: Who is your favorite paranormal/urban fantasy fictional character? (not including your own)

DR: This was a tough one, but I think I have to go with Sookie Stackhouse. She’s powerful in subtle ways, and I love seeing how the character has grown throughout the series.

WLP: What supernatural power or supernatural creature would you like to have or be? Why?

DR: I think I’d like the ability to instantly heal, a la Wolverine. The older I get, the more things hurt, and it’s rather annoying that I can’t bounce back as easily from even minor injuries. It’s galling to have to stretch before getting out of bed in the morning!

WLP: Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

DR: Get a thick skin and endless patience. Critique is an essential part of learning and improving your writing craft, and if you can’t accept input at the critique-group stage, then you’re never going to survive the process of revision with an actual editor. Also, the publishing world moves at a glacial pace, so don’t sit around waiting to hear about your latest submission. Get to work on your next project as soon as you can!

Once again, I’d like to thank Diana for taking the time out to answer some questions! Look for Blood of the Demon on February 23, 2010!

Visit Diana on her website