Branli Caidryn

I’d like to introduce my multi-talented friend, Veronica. She’s a hoot!

Veronica Roland is the author of many books, some of which she is willing to let others read. When she isn’t writing she is thinking about writing aka: plugging away at her day job whose mundanities makes her name plants thing like Cleoplantra and forces her mind squeak out words like mundanities. Most of the time she can be found in Colorado on a nest built of her books, listening and
singing (loudly) to music that may or may not be playing outside her own head.

 

1. What update to you have on last year’s NaNoWriMo? Your last entry pegged you at around 6k.

I finished the book, somehow. A little over 76k words. Subsequent edits (and oh, man did it
need edits) have brought it to 82k and to the point that I can let people read it. Also I found a
better title for it than Griffin Breath. Now that I’m no longer in school, I will be shopping Hell
Hath No Fury Like a Griffin Scorned for an agent starting with this year’s RMFW conference.

2. One of your blogs mentioned cadavers and Labs. What were you doing again? Aspirations of a mad scientist?

Aspirations? No, no, my friend. I am mad as can be MWA-HA-HA-HA! But to answer your
question, the cadaver lab was a part of our schooling for Massage Therapy. There’s no better
way to truly understand the musculature than to see how it looks and interconnects beneath
the skin and layers of fascia.

3. What is your greatest source of inspiration when it comes to writing?

I would say it is about equal parts people watching/being annoyed by people and nerdy-
nerdiness. In my current job, I have to deal with the public and…yeah, not always shining
examples of humanity and intellect. For example, if I tell someone we accept every form of
payment except American Express and Barter, I should not then be asked if we accept cash
or checks. As far as the nerdiness, I might contemplate string theory, multiverses, apoptosis
(programmed cell death), emergent properties of matter/chemistry, and more when writing.
No, not science fiction. I need a way for my head to give the fantasy a basis in reality.

4. What other secret talents do you possess? I saw you’re also quite the singer. 😀

Let’s see. My friends and I have a production company. We’ve made music videos for fun, and
one feature length romantic comedy. My unofficial/official title for these projects was the
Mistress of Light and Sound. Also, I can solve a Rubik’s cube. My fastest time was a minute and
forty-one seconds.

5. I read you went to last year’s Rock Mountain Fiction Writers Conference. How was that? Anything took away from that experience? Other, than shimmy champ?

The conference was good. Certain Branli’s weren’t there, but we made due. I established and
solidified some friendships there from the year before. I got some good advice on how to go
about getting flash fiction published (which I have yet to follow, but I was busy with school so
LAY OFF). There was also some interesting information about poisons. *Cue evil laugh* MWA-
HA-HA-HA!

6. Fruit loops or Spandex? And why?

Purple dragons. Do you really need to ask?

7. What are your favorite genres and why? Was there a particular book that cultivated the love of a particular genre?

Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Young Adult and Middle Grade in those genres. I don’t necessarily
know that it was a book so much as it was a wanting to escape from the real world. Real life
is depressing and annoying. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just use the force to choke every
stupid customer you have to come into contact with?

8. Writer’s block. Believer or denier? How do you overcome these blocks?

You can get stuck in a story, but it’s your choice to stop completely for days/weeks/months
on end. If you continue to write you’ll push through eventually. If you truly need a break from
the story in front of you, you work on another project then come back to the first. Suck it up,
people. If someone can finish a novel in a month while working full time and going to school
(*points to self* Yo), you can push through a tough spot.

9. What can you tell us about any current project you’re working on?

I might have had a dream that I was having sex with a ghost that ended up being the first scene
in the current project. Don’t be jealous. But the thing that pushed me toward writing after the
first flush is a scene in the second (yet to be written because the first isn’t finished yet) book.
Also, there might be a necromancer friend named Branli the in current project.

10. Do you have any writing quirks you’d like to share?

I need music playing to write. And it can’t be classical. I pay way too much to it if it’s classical.
It has to be something with words that I can sing to, but something that I know so well that I’m not necessarily paying attention to the melody or the words. Also, my best work comes from 10pm through 3/4am. I love the night life. I’ve got to boogie.

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Thank you so much, Veronica!! 😀

More on Veronica:

Website: http://veronicaroland.blogspot.com

Twitter: @QueenCalisto