THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
The Dead Series
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Kerry Blaisdell's The Dead Series!
***Synopis***
It’s a sequential series, that needs to be read in order. From the back of book one:
Hyacinth Finch has got one foot in the grave, the other kicking ass.
“I really enjoyed [DEBRIEFING THE DEAD]! If you’re looking for a paranormal that’s a little different, then this is it!” ~Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times Bestselling Author
The only thing Hyacinth wants is her life back. Literally. She and her sister were murdered by Demons, leaving her young nephew, Geordi, to his father’s family in the brutal Sicilian Mob. Then Archangel Michael offers her a deal: recapture a powerful rock the Demons stole, and she can live long enough to find Geordi a safe home. Refuse, and she’ll continue up (or down) to the Afterlife.
So, slightly more alive than dead, she heads for Turkey and the Demons, taking Geordi, her mysterious neighbor Jason, and a sexy dead guy only she can see with her. But the hardest part won’t be battling Demons, meeting Satan, or dodging Middle Eastern customs—it will be later, when Geordi is settled, and Michael rips her away again. How can she abandon her nephew? Or can she outwit the Angel of Death himself, and stay with Geordi forever?
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or was that decided before the story began?
The series is Fantasy/Supernatural Suspense.
I had no idea what I was writing when I started! LOL!
Are you more character or plot driven?
Definitely character-driven.
I couldn’t control them if I tried!
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep
them separated in your mind? Do you have
a story/vision board above your workspace?
I have a Kanban board that I cover with stickies while working on a book.
I also have spreadsheets to track character traits (especially hair/eye color, etc.) and names/relationships.
And I usually have the previous books handy, so I can search for details or mentions of certain things, to make sure I’m consistent.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a
life of their own. Were any of the
characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of
where you initially wanted them to go?
ALL OF THEM. I am not kidding.
For example, when Eric arrived on the page in DEBRIEFING THE DEAD, I had NO idea how important he would be to the series.
And a few things have happened in the most recent books *cough* that really f’ed things up for me, plot-wise. But the characters did what works for them, and left me to adapt!
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
Only in the sense that every
character is an amalgam of people I know, or wish I knew, or read in another
book, or…
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
Same deal as the men. 😊
Was there any one character/scene
that was harder to write about than the other?
I know you probably are thinking of the big dramatic scenes, but honestly, it’s usually the mundane scenes that have me tearing my hair out.
There was one scene in PUBLISH OR PERISH that I rewrote at least a dozen times. I tried it from one POV, then another, then put it back to the first, and then got so confused that it almost seems to have NO POV.
It’s a short scene – only a page or two. But it drove me
nuts!
What is your favorite book in the series?
Ooh, that’s like picking a favorite child. 😊
But obviously the first is dear to my heart, because it’s the one that started it all.
However, I think the BEST in the
series is book four, which will be out probably in January 2023.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far
as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
Honestly, it’s probably Parker in PUBLISH OR PERISH. I just LOVE him. And the really funny thing is that, even though he’s a big part of the story, both as a potential villain and someone who Karen can’t get out of her head, we’re never in HIS head.
There are
no scenes from his POV, but I had such fun conveying his thoughts by the way
OTHER characters see, hear, and react to him. It was a challenge, but (I think)
the result works.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did
you decide on their dynamics?
Ooh – another tough one.
I love the dynamic between Hyacinth and Jason (in The Dead Series books), but also between her and Eric.
And then there’s three or four subplot romances in PUBLISH
OR PERISH, where ALL the romances are between folks who are 40+ in age. But
there’s an opposites-attract one between Emma’s mother and a mob guy who’s at
least 30-40 years her junior. That was fun to write, too!
How do you get inside these character’s heads to find
their perfect HEA?
It’s more that THEY get
inside MY head, and tell me how it should all go down!
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for
you? Why?
The one where Hyacinth
finally makes her choice between Jason and Eric. And I can’t tell you why,
because that would be a HUGE spoiler!! 😉
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than
others?
DAMNING THE DEAD is the hardest book I’ve ever written, but not really because of the book itself.
It’s more that I started it before Covid, then went through a LOT of very difficult personal stresses, which carried over into Covid, and then I had to recover from all that, along with figuring out how to teach advanced math to middle school students over zoom.
BURYING THE DEAD (the next in the series) was a
BREEZE by comparison!!
This question is if you write in MULTIPLE POVs not just
the hero and heroine - I love the multiple POVs in a book. It’s not just the hero and heroine, but we
get inside the heads of multiple characters throughout this series. I feel that it gives the story further
depth. Do you think you will write
another book or series following this multiple POV outline?
I love books with several POV characters!
Ironically, that’s one big reason PUBLISH OR PERISH never found a home - I was told that it couldn’t be a “romance,” because I had too many POV characters. To which I said, “Jennifer Crusie.” 😉
The next book I publish in third person will DEFINITELY have multiple POVs. I get too bored otherwise, except weirdly, writing in first person I don’t.
But I can’t do third person POV with only the H/Hn.
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
It varies every time, but
the first book came out in 2018, and the fourth (and maybe fifth) book will be
out in 2023. Of course, the first book was written long before it was
published, so – a long time. 😊
How did you come up with the title for your book and (if
applicable) series?
I have no idea. It just came
to me!
If you met these characters in real life would you get
along?
With some, yes; with others, no.
They’re real people to me, so I can’t imagine getting along with some of
them, even though I “created” them.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were
going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand
their own story?
This is a sequential (not a
“connected”) series, so yes. It was always planned to be a series.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors
do you see as playing your characters?
No clue! Whoever the
director envisions, that they can get to do it.
😉
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect
next? Whether a new book and series or a
sequel to an existing series? Can you
share a small tease?
As noted, I’m working on book five, which I *think* may be the final book in the series.
As for what’s next, I have a Young Adult series that I’m mulling over, and have completed the first book in a Historical Mystery series that I hope to publish soon.
I’m also planning audiobooks for The Dead Series, and have several Romantic Mystery/Suspense ideas in the works.
So – lots going on! Now, if I could just win the lottery, I’d have time to DO it all. LOL!
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Kerry Blaisdell!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/08/author-at-glance-kerry-blaisdell.html
Bio:
Kerry Blaisdell is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Dead Series, including DEBRIEFING THE DEAD—2019 RPLA Gold Medal for Best Fantasy, 2020 Readers Favorite Bronze Medal for Best Urban Fantasy, and 2019 Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist—and its sequel, WAKING THE DEAD, winner of the 2020 RPLA Gold Medal for Best Fantasy, which InD’tale Magazine recommends for fans of “shows like Constantine or Supernatural."
She also writes award-winning Romantic Suspense (PUBLISH OR PERISH, a Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Quarterfinalist) and Historical Mystery. She has a BA from U.C. Berkeley in Comparative Literature, and a Master’s in Teaching from University of Portland. Kerry lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, assorted animals, and more hot pepper plants than anyone could reasonably consume.
Connect with Kerry online at http://kerryblaisdell.com, where you can find her on social media or sign up for her Very Occasional Mailing List.
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So, slightly more alive than dead, she heads for Turkey and the Demons, taking Geordi, her mysterious neighbor Jason, and a sexy dead guy only she can see with her. But the hardest part won’t be battling Demons, meeting Satan, or dodging Middle Eastern customs—it will be later, when Geordi is settled, and Michael rips her away again. How can she abandon her nephew? Or can she outwit the Angel of Death himself, and stay with Geordi forever?
Then there's her love life-after-death. Rooming with a dead French cop no one else can see is complicated enough. But when Jason, Geordi's lying Dioguardi Demon cousin, resurrects himself—so to speak—all Hell breaks loose. Literally. Can Hyacinth get Michael's rock back before Satan steals its powers and breaks free of his prison? Or will her single-minded pursuit put those she loves—and the rest of the world—in the path of Satan's fury?
Then, just when things seem to be under control, her nephew Geordi's powers start leaking out, and Hyacinth's own begin to change. She must discover where their abilities originated. But as she digs deeper, will the truths she uncovers do more harm than good? And more importantly—can she figure it out, before Satan escapes from Hell and takes Geordi for himself?
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