When Kristin heard she would be able to virtually interview one of her “unicorn authors”, Jeaniene Frost, she about had a heart attack from the excitement. It took a while to gain composure, and she went over her questions over and over in hopes of having new and unique information she hadn’t already read about Jeaniene. I mean… what would you ask a long time favorite author? Keep reading to see our special interview with Jeaniene Frost in celebration of her latest release, The Other Half of The Grave.
When did you first “meet” Crispin, known to all readers as Bones?
In a dream, actually. In it, I saw a half-vampire woman arguing with her vampire ex about why she’d left him years before. Somehow, I knew she still loved him but didn’t think it could work between them, and I also knew that he’d been searching for her and was determined to show her that it could work. So, you could say that Bones introduced himself to me instead of the other way around.
You’ve mentioned in your blog that after all these years you felt Bones was telling you his point of view of how he and Cat fell in love. Did his thoughts and feelings ever cross over while you were writing from Cat’s perspective?
When I was writing from Cat’s perspective, I knew what Bones would say, how he would act, and some of what he was feeling, but I didn’t “hear” him the way I heard Cat. Obviously, I don’t mean an audible voice, and it’s kind of hard to describe. But, when I can clearly imagine what a character is thinking, feeling, fearing, wanting, and hoping for beyond their dialog and actions, that’s what I call “hearing” a character. I knew some of that with Bones before, enough to make him a popular character in the series, but I didn’t realize everything I was missing until I wrote THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE.
This story started as a few fun bonus chapters for fans. How did it feel to see so many fans begging you for more of Bones after that initial release?
Like getting a great big hug through the internet! Lol. Seriously, though, it was extremely gratifying and humbling to realize that I wasn’t the only one who’d missed Cat and Bones, or who wanted more of their story through his eyes. Without that support, I don’t know if I would have finished writing his story. There were more than a few reasons why writing something else would have been considered a better publishing decision.
As my favorite vampire ever, I’ll always want more from Bones’ perspective (sorry). I would just love to be in his mind while he bickers with Vlad or Ian. Who else have you considered for a POV, even if it’s a quick blog post?
I haven’t thought about doing a retelling with another character, even in short story form. For one, the other guys haven’t started speaking to me that way yet. For another, I’d be afraid to get all the way in Vlad’s head, for example. He might fry my circuits, heh.
Social media has quickly changed the way readers find their next books. Your name and books have been hashtags long before you started posting your own content on Instagram. What did it feel like to be new to “bookstagram” and have an instant following?
Surreal. I created an Instagram account several years ago, and then didn’t use it because I’m on my laptop much more than my phone. It took my niece saying, “You have almost two thousand followers there” for me to remember that I had the account. Then, I felt guilty that people were following me and I wasn’t posting anything. So, I started posting pics of my dogs because that’s what was mostly on my phone. Then, I learned how to incorporate other images. It still feels weird to hashtag my own name, though. Mostly, I leave that to readers ?.
If you were traveling on a book tour, which of your characters would you take along and why?
Mencheres. He’s probably the most patient of my characters, and he loves to read, so he wouldn’t be annoyed by the whole thing. Cat would find trouble no matter where we went; Bones would follow Cat; Vlad would light me on fire after ten minutes, and Ian…well, God knows what Ian would do, but it would probably lead to arrests, lol.
The vampires in your stories have gifts varying between flying, mind reading, control of fire, etc. Which of these would you enjoy having for a day?
Flying. I have recurring dreams that I can fly, and in the dreams it’s such an amazing feeling. In real life, I’m too chicken to try things like sky diving or hang gliding, but as a supernatural perk? Sure, sign me up. In fact, I might try the iFly (indoor skydiving) one day to see if it’s anything close to how flying feels in my dreams.
Do you have plans to expand on other characters in this universe? Perhaps, Marie Laveau?
Other characters, yes, definitely. Marie…I love writing Marie, but I don’t know if I could do her justice as a main character. Even before the supernatural elements I added in my books, Marie’s actual history is so rich, layered, and revered that I don’t feel up to the task. Yes, I’ve featured historical characters as protagonists before, but never one so recently dead, so to speak. (Vlad died in the 1400s, Mencheres/Menkaure died in 2500 BC.) It is tempting, though, and if Marie started “speaking” to me, then I’d have to give Marie her own book. Can you imagine saying no to Marie? *snorts* I can’t.
Have you written anything that you ultimately did not publish?
Absolutely! I have about 50k words of an unfinished novel about a time-traveling witch sent to save King Arthur’s grandfather so the Once and Future King can eventually be born, but I doubt I’ll ever finish that. It’s about as historically accurate as the show Merlin, which I loved, but tv shows can get away with having more modern clothes, amenities, and language in a medieval setting while writers can’t. I also started and stopped a Young Adult novel werewolf, and a few other stories that I can barely remember. Sometimes, a story just doesn’t work, or it doesn’t hold my interest enough for me to invest the time it would take to finish it.
What books are at the top of your TBR?
Omg, I can’t even begin to list them or I’ll feel too guilty about not getting to them yet. My TBR pile is probably as tall as I am, and does that stop me from adding more books to it? Noooooo. I think I might have a book addiction, lol. I’d say send help, but let’s face it, if having too many books is wrong, I don’t want to be right!
Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Her works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, the Broken Destiny series, and the new Night Rebel series. Jeaniene’s novels have also appeared on the Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, ABA Indiebound, and international bestseller lists. Foreign rights for Jeaniene’s novels have sold to twenty different countries.
https://www.jeanienefrost.com/
Kristin lives in the PNW with her husband, and three kids. She loves to read YA fiction, fantasy, and romance. She enjoys a few side-hustles, including creating bookreels/booktoks for authors. The only shows she watches are re-runs, and if she’s not reading a book, she’s listening to one.
