An interview with Erin McCarthy
Erin McCarthy is a member of the new virtual authors’ group, Dark Muse Society. You can visit her and fellow authors in the virtual world, here.
What attracted you to writing books with paranormal elements?
I love being able to do whatever I wanted in my paranormal world, and having heroes and heroines who have experienced centuries of life allows me to really explore their characters, and the hazy line between good and bad.
What is your favorite paranormal creature?
It’s a toss up between vampires and demons. They are both dark and sexy to me.
Do you base your paranormal worlds/beings off myths and legends or make them up?
It’s a combination of both. I based my vampires on traditional vampire lore, but then I took out what I didn’t want to deal with (like frying to a crisp in the sun) and added what I wanted (certain vampires have the ability to reproduce). For my demon world, I based it on the biblical Gregori Demons, who came to Earth to watch humans, only to succumb to sin and fall from God’s grace. I then put my own additional interpretation on it.
What do you think is the most important element when writing a paranormal book?
Consistency in your world building.
Do you find writing a paranormal to be easier or harder than writing in another genre?
I don’t find it either/or, just different. It requires more preparation for me, so that I understand the rules of the world, and how the characters can and should react to each other.
Do you believe in the paranormal or do you consider yourself more a skeptic?
I am a hopeful skeptic.
Do you believe that people can possess psychic abilities?
I think some people are definitely more in tune than others.
Have you ever experienced anything paranormal?
Not yet, but I’m hoping.
Do you find you write paranormals better with a certain setting?
It’s all about the music. I prefer to write anything with the sun shining, but I alter my music to dark and intense when I’m writing those types of scenes.
About Erin
USA Today Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book to Kensington Brava through author Lori Foster’s website contest in 2002, much to her continued amazement. Twenty-six books later, Erin is entertaining readers with her sassy, sexy tales of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her first dark paranormal series focusing on the seven deadly sins debuted in September of 2007, and in her spare time she has ventured into the Young Adult market under the name Erin Lynn.
