Andrea: Possibly. To be brutally honest, years of sleep deprivation has left me with a memory like Swiss cheese. I’m still a little surprised that I was ever published, or that people know who I am, or ask me anywhere. It’s nice to be constantly surprised, though.
Renae: Today Andrea is visiting me to promo her new Infected story— Infected: Paris
Blurb: Roan McKichan is working a frustrating stalker case, with no shortage of suspects and little solid evidence, when he comes across a startling eyewitness living in his car across the street from the scene. A tiger strain, the only one Roan’s ever met, Paris Lehane is a former Canadian golden boy who suffered a breakdown after becoming infected in college.
While Roan's ex, Diego “Dee” Cole, warns against falling for the infected Paris, a man doomed to die, Roan struggles with his attraction and the knowledge that no happily ever after is possible for them.
But is the knowledge enough to discourage him from following his heart? Roan helps Paris out of homelessness, and maybe a special hospital can help Paris with the infection, but Roan’s got his hands full with this case, and there’s no end in sight.
Renae: What is the expected publication date of this?
Andrea: February 24th, 2015.
Andrea: I had the whole back story of how Roan and Paris first met in the back of my mind when I wrote Infected: Prey. Paris became a popular character, and as time went on, I finally realized maybe people would like to actually read the story itself. So I wrote it down. I actually think it shows how brave the both of them are, because the deck was stacked against them from the word go, and they knew it.
Renae: Did you ever realise the series was going to grow so large when you wrote the first book? Infected #1 was published in 2010 wasn’t it?
Andrea: I think so. I actually wrote it long before publishing it, so no, I didn’t think it would be much of anything. I mean, I liked it, and I think Roan is a great character to spend time with, but I didn’t know if other people would like it or not. I’m pleased they did.
Renae: How long do you think the series will go for?
Andrea: As long as stories that occur in this world come to me, and the characters don’t say no.
Renae: I’m always fascinated by the worlds authors can dream up. Does it come natural to you?
Andrea: It kind of depends. I can’t really force it. It’s either there or its not, but I can tweak it a bit, steer it in certain directions. Sometimes it’s a collision of disparate ideas that fit together really well. In this case, it was the idea of genetically engineered viruses and wacky cults.
Renae: Do you suggest that a new reader of your stuff read Infected #1 before this one? Can your books be read as stand-alones, or do you need to know the story to follow on?
Andrea: I think you should read Infected: Prey first, but it is my understanding people have picked up other books in the series first, read them, and enjoyed them. So ultimately it’s up to the reader. (That kind of surprised me, since the books have serialized elements, but I guess the basic premise is easy to grasp.)
Renae: I was reading some of your reviews on previous Infected books, and you were getting slaughtered for leaving your readers with a cliffhanger and they were foaming at the mouth to get their hands on the next book. Is that deliberate on your behalf?
Andrea: Cliffhangers? Oh yeah, I love a good cliffhanger. I try and end things so they won’t be too frustrating for the reader, but I know I failed. I’m sorry, but those really did feel like the natural end points for the stories.
Andrea: That’s a very good question. I don’t know. Soon, I hope.
Renae: I saw this question once, and I love asking it to authors. In your books the werecat virus is a secret. What if it was true in real life? What do you think your reaction would be if you were with a guy who suddenly shifted to an animal?
Andrea: Ooh. I bit myself on the ass with this, didn’t I? It would be terrible. It would hurt a lot, and as a bonus, you’re a societal pariah, unless you fall in with the weirdoes who think it’s great. On the plus side, if you plan things right, there’s a chance you could maul someone you don’t like. I think I’d just accept it as some form of cosmic punishment. Then I’d make a list of people I should try and eat.
Renae: What’s up next from you?
Andrea: Hopefully the Holden spin-off (underway!) or the shorts collection will be out soon, and then there’s the supervillain novel I’ve been writing. I also have a horror story, but I don’t want to jinx anything by talking about it.
Renae: Where can people contact you?
Andrea:
Email is [email protected]
Website: andreaspeed.com
Facebook: facebook.com/andrea.speed.3
Twitter: @aspeed
Google+: https://plus.google.com/109420358312270961913/posts
Goodreads: goodreads.com/andreaspeed
Tumblr: http://notmanos.tumblr.com/
Renae: Thanks for visiting Andrea. I’ve loved this interview. And good luck with the release.
Andrea: Thanks for having me. It’s nice to be had. (You know what I mean.)
Renae: <dissolves into giggles>