Today’s interview is with Ashley Christman, author of The Witching Hour. She shares with us her thoughts on making flawed characters likable, writing that has inspired her and using Lulu as a starting point.

LUX ZAKARI: What prompted the premise for The Witching Hour?

ASHLEY CHRISTMAN: I was working on a project researching the Greek and Roman Pantheon, trying to put together a sort of nonfiction guide to them, while taking a break from writing fiction in an attempt to overcome writer’s block. Lucky and Tuesday kept whispering in my head and they wouldn’t shut up. So I started telling a friend of mine about the mash and I thought it would be funny to have a character named Lucky, who was unlucky, and he was a witch, so (pun intended) he’d be a sand witch. Then I thought, well wouldn’t it be interesting if his luck was rotten because the gods had a plan for him and he kept rebelling and they just kept messing with him for their entertainment. Like what if they took bets to see if he would do it. In the book they aren’t taking bets, but they do have plans for Lucky and Tuesday. And of course my hero and heroine find out that the gods might just be crazy.

LZ: Did you ever complete your guide to the Greek and Roman pantheons?

AC: It’s still a work in progress. Because I wanted it to be comprehensive, its taking a lot of time to research and its kind of on the back burner.

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

AC: I love the protagonist, Lucky Sands. He’s not really a hero because he is so flawed and likes his flaws. But he becomes a hero because he has to. I think I identify closely with him because he sort of just goes with the flow and when life gives him lemons, he makes lemonade but not without a smart-ass comment and frown on his face.

LZ: You mention your hero is flawed but lovable. At what point do you believe a hero is unforgivably flawed? What makes an unlikeable character?

AC: I think if a character is too one dimensional, it can make them unlikeable. I haven’t come across a hero that is unforgivably flawed. I suppose if your hero were a serial killer…but then again it all boils down to point of view.

LZ: What part of the writing process is most difficult for you? How do you overcome the difficulty?

AC: The most difficult part of the writing process for me is definitely the execution. I come up with the concept and I know the plot and exactly how everything is supposed to happen, then I sit down to write it and sometimes I can’t get the words on my computer screen to match exactly what I see in my head. At that point I delete and start over. Usually it takes a couple of false starts before I get the first couple of chapters down; though throughout the book I am constantly deleting pages and chapters and reworking them.

LZ: As an author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, what works have inspired your writing the most?

AC: I’d always loved mythology and horror. I literally would read anything I could get my hands on as a child. Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles was my first introduction to the paranormal romance/urban fantasy genre. As a kid, I was in love with Lestat. When I was in high school, I started reading Laurell K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series before going back and reading the Anita Blake series. Then of course there is good old Neil Gaiman. I’ve started reading other authors recently like Richelle Mead.

LZ: Your book, Midnight Rose, is available via Lulu.com. Do you recommend using similar sites to authors looking to get their work out there?

AC: I recommend it as a starting point. For me, my goal (as far as being a published author) has always been to get into a publishing house, however, that didn’t happen right away. At the time, I thought the only way to get your work out there was to be associated with a house. But thanks to sites like Lulu, an author can get their work out there on their own terms, and use that as a starting point to build a following. I think using Lulu, did that for me. I mean, I felt like it helped me to open some doors. I was able to get my work out into the world and that gave me invaluable experience for marketing that I can use in the future. If an author wants to stay with that route, more power to them. I know a few authors who only publish that way, but for me, I am glad to have the support of a publisher. It’s kind of like the next step in the ladder of growth for me. Lulu, was a first step.

LZ: Do you still do marketing for Midnight Rose, or have you moved on to concentrate on other projects?

AC: Midnight Rose is taking a back seat in my marketing efforts because I am a strong believer that having a new release is best for your back list. So you could say I am focusing my efforts on writing and promoting The Witching Hour.

LZ: Is there something important you hope to convey to your readers through your work?

AC: I don’t know really that it’s an important message so much as the magic and wonder that we all experience in childhood. My work is written for an adult audience, but I’d like to remind readers of that imaginary friend they had as a kid. I mean, he/she could have very well have been a faery prince/princess that you later fall in love with. Or maybe the monsters under your bed or in your closet were real and it was nothing personal. And in The Witching Hour, I mention quite a few gods from different pantheons, maybe people will decide to go and read the mythology from those cultures and learn something new.

LZ: What can readers expect next from Ashley M. Christman?

AC: I’m actually working on a couple of projects at the moment (I often do that to prevent writer’s block) and am nearing completion on another book. I don’t want to name them because I don’t want to jinx it, but if readers are really curious, they can check out my blog, Facebook or Twitter. I do write about works in progress and my writing process a lot.

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To purchase The Witching Hour, visit www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_71&products_id=284.

For more info on Ashley Christman, visit http://ashleymchristman.webs.com.