Today’s interview is with Isobael Liu, author of Moonlight and Magick. Read what she thinks about paranormal phenomena, how some of her writing stems from dreams and her love/hate relationship with inflicting problems on her characters.

LZ: What prompted the premise for Moonlight and Magick?

IL: Moonlight and Magick came from a couple of story ideas I had. In one of my very first paranormal romance stories, the seeds of the idea formed, but it took writing four novellas before the seeds sprouted and grew into the manuscript. From there, my websites, blog and newsletter are titled Magick and Moonlight, because my paranormal romances deal with these two “aspects” as a continuous theme.

LZ: Did anything ever come of the four novellas you wrote prior to Moonlight and Magick?

IL: I have them posted on an online site, but otherwise I haven’t decided whether or not I want to do anything with them. I have tried to edit them and I do revisit them to do more editing as I learn more about writing and editing. Maybe when I become a successful author, I might do something with them. Right now, I just look at them and smile. They show me how much I’ve grown as a writer and remind me that no matter what, I will always continue to learn and grow.

LZ: Is there a particular scene or character in the story that is especially important or dear to you?

IL: Hmm. I think the scene where Lilian is taken on a journey to see/feel the world as the Sidhe do is close to my heart. It stemmed from a dream I had in which I was able to be a part of the Earth, the universe, and feel every moment of that connection, good and bad.

LZ: Did you learn anything from writing your book? If so, what was it?

IL: I learned a lot, writing Moonlight and Magick. The most important thing I learned was I can’t write! LOL. Actually, what I learned was writing isn’t just about writing. I’m not saying it’s easy to write—it’s blood, sweat and tears—but it’s the editing, the rereading, the rewriting, the editing, the editing, the editing, that really tore me up. There were days I wanted to hit the delete button and toss the whole kit and caboodle. I learned the annoying voice in the back of one’s head, the internal editor, sucks and shutting her up isn’t easy, which led me to learning perseverance. I can’t be published if I’m always listening to the internal editor convincing me to delete what I’ve written.

LZ: What fascinates you most about paranormal myths, legends, stories, etc.?

IL: What fascinates me most is the fact that we are surrounded by the paranormal and very few people care to see it unless it’s in a novel. To many people, the paranormal is nothing more than a plot piece, a story theme. They don’t understand that the paranormal has been with us since Man first started telling stories. The paranormal was used to explain away something they didn’t understand, and from there, it grew into tangible, living creations. I use a little of this in Moonlight and Magick, explaining that people give some creatures life, through their dreams and nightmares.

I also have experience with spirits and ghosts. My mother’s side of the family is sensitive and my personal experiences with living in haunted places can give plenty of ideas for stories. One of my hobbies is to record EVPs (electronic voice phenomena), which I have on my YouTube channel.

LZ: You mention we are all surrounded by the paranormal but few care to see it—why do you think that is? How would you suggest one be more in tune with experiencing the paranormal?

IL: As a society, we’re taught to ignore or disbelieve what we see. Even a lot of mainstream religions deny the possibility and anyone who says otherwise is branded as crazy, given medication and/or locked away. We might have grown in leaps and bounds with technology, but we’re still very “back woods” when it comes to what we don’t understand. We fear what we don’t understand or can’t explain.

I’m not sure if there’s a way to become more in tune with experiencing the paranormal. I guess the best way is to keep an open mind, but also be skeptical. There are too many people who’ll try to trick you, pull one over on you. That’s why I like doing EVPs (electronic voice phenomena). I can go out to a cemetery, be alone, record, pick up voices and know there’s no taint from other people. Especially when the voices I record are directly responding to something I’ve said or asked.

LZ: What was one of the most interesting experiences you’ve had with a ghost/spirit?

IL: Wow. Hmmm. The most scary experience, I think, was when I was a child. We lived in a rental house that was haunted. My sister and I shared a room. Our Dad had taken the doors off the closet because he was tired of fixing it, putting the doors back on the tracks, because we seemed to always knock them off. The top shelf in the closet had our dolls. One night, we both woke up and watched one of the dolls actually get up and jerkily walk along the shelf. When my sister screamed, the doll launched itself off the shelf and landed in the middle of the room. There was no way for a doll to just fall off the shelf and land where it did.

I think the most interesting was the first time I received an EVP that directly answered me on the recording. It’s one thing to pick up voices you don’t or wouldn’t normally hear, but when one of them either answers your question or refers to something you did or said, it’s an amazing feeling. I still love it, after years of recording.

LZ: Your Web site mentions you occasionally get ideas from your dreams. Can you share an instance of a story you wrote that stemmed from a dream?

IL: My dreams tend to be disjointed and my memory of them piecemealed. Many times, my dreams become a scribble, which is put away, or shared, depending on the whim. Sometimes, a scribble is used later in a story. In Moonlight and Magick, the scene where Lilian is taken on a journey to view the world as the Sidhe see and experience the world, was based on a dream.

Here’s a little something of what I mean. This scribble was from a dream I had in 2004, written down in prose form for possible inclusion in a story. This hasn’t been edited for a manuscript, just to warn you.

I stood on the balcony. The wind was blowing, my hair was drenched by the pouring rain. The city lights were distorted, fuzzy. I wore nothing, letting the cold wind buffet me.

I stood there, trembling from the cold wind and rain, the rain pelting me like a million bullets. Each drop hitting sensitive skin, causing a flicker of pain that sizzled along my nerves. Every few moments, the black sky was lit up with the flash of lightning, and my pale skin would glow eerily for a moment. The thunder caused the balcony to shudder beneath my feet.

There was something primal about standing in a storm, being vulnerable to the elements.

I don’t remember why I went out there.

Something called to me. I heard my name in the voices of angels. I heard them calling for me in the winds that whistled past the glass door. They told me to fly, to spread my wings and let myself go. They called for me, told me to leave it all behind and fly free.

I don’t remember why I went out there.

I’m not an angel. I don’t have wings.

I closed my eyes and lifted my arms in invitation.

They came for me. I felt their hands on my body. I felt pain. Their hands were hot against my cold skin. They were branding me with their touch. I shuddered, crying out. I heard them reassuring me. Soft words of comfort.

Take me away…take me away…

…and they did.

Title: …and they did.
©2004 Isobael Liu (SLM)

LZ: What do you like least about the writing process? What do you like best?

IL: I love writing. I love being able to create and destroy. I love being able to bring people together and tear them apart. I love putting them through the necessary hardships to make them grow, make them real, make them earn the happily ever after at the end of the story.

On the other side of the coin, it’s also the least favorite thing about the writing process. I’m a softy. I cried reading (and watching)The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I still do. I cried watching Under a Tuscan Sun. I’m a sap for romances. I don’t want to see characters hurting, crying, being torn apart. I want to see them meeting, fall in love and live happily ever after. Still, you can’t have a happily-ever-after without those stepping stones/stumbling blocks, even if I despise coming up with ways to watch them trip and stumble.

LZ: What can readers expect next from Isobael Liu?

IL: I’m in the process of writing another book with one of the characters mentioned in Moonlight and Magick. I also have a vampire novel partially written, plans for a historical paranormal in the outlining stage, as well as four novellas in various stages of being edited/rewritten/expanded to make them into novels.

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To purchase Moonlight and Magick from its publisher, Lyrical Press, visit www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=229.

For more info on Isobael Liu, visit isobael.webs.com, isobael-liu.blogspot.com or groups.google.com/group/magick-and-moonlight.