Weldon, Carys

Novelspot: Carys is a prolific writer published by eXtasy books. Her current available books include the Wanton Werewolf series, Dark Lord Vampire series as well as contemporary novels and fairy tales. We are pleased to welcome Carys to Novelspot.

How would you sum up your writing career and your feelings about writing?

Carys: I love to write. It's an escape for me and I'm doing very well at it. In just three years, I've won over ninety writing awards, been published allover the globe, and have twenty-one books under contract at the moment.

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Most important, I think, is not how well I've done but why my books are something to seek out. I write my stories with a lot of emotion. I, personally, prefer books that make me care about the hero and heroine and I try (desperately!) to create characters who feel real, that have things that you can almost bond with. For example, I'm one of those depressed women, and I have weight issues...who isn't like that--at least at times? I write women with believable issues, even if they're in unbelievable or fantastical situations. And when I get my heroine through her story, she feels like she can deal with her problems. Or she's overcome them altogether. Who doesn't need to hope?

N:I know that being a writer can help define a writer's personality--has writing changed you? What do you feel you've learned from your latest writings?

Carys: Yes, definitely. If you asked me three years ago if I'd write sexually graphic novels, and tell people about them, I probably would have laughed--and said "Not possible."

So, I've opened up a lot on personal fantasies, and getting over prudeness since I've been writing. But this is why...someone equated "erotic" romance down to this for me--It's a difference of about a dozen words. Well, I'm an adult. There isn't a word out there that I haven't heard. Maybe there are more sex scenes in a novel marked erotic. And fantasies are detailed. But, the "bad words"...there are only about a dozen? I challenge readers to come up with a list of words that can be added to the list. You know the ones, they're the swear words and street slang for genitalia that you can find in erotica.

Maybe there's a part of the population that is offended by those words. But there are a lot more women who hear swear words, and use them--than not, these days anyway.

Erotica is edgy. It steps over lines. Lines that men stepped over a long time ago. Why can't women enjoy sexually explicit fantasies? I say they can.And I'll write them for the readers. It's not like we're sending folks out to commit sexually explicit acts. Buy a book. Read it in the privacy of your own home. Smile over the fantasy world that's created.

So, what I learned was...a lot of women are hungry for stories that feel real. And I want to meet them, and sell them my books, and become friends. Friends with fantasies indulged safely, if that makes sense.

N: You mention that you're obsessive compulsive--how does this relate to your writing process?

Carys: (laugh) Well, I get up, usually by 7 a.m. and go to the computer. I might get up to go to the bathroom and get water, or an occasional snack. But usually, I'm there until someone in my family says, "Did you know it's midnight?" Or time to go to...whatever. I get lost in my stories. And I'll do it every day of the week that my family lets me, too.

N: What is your special take of the appeal of werewolves? What makes them work?

Carys: Well, minus the fangs...my motto for my series is very true of people in general: Men are dogs. Women are bitches.

We identify with the characters. Maybe not because we are "so bitchy" but because we would like to reach out a grab a man--like the women in my werewolf series do.

Women with fangs can leap at a throat better than we can, maybe, and those that have to wait until the full moon--they just bide their time and plot. Who doesn't do that?

And the males in werewolf books...they are either real losers or total alphas. You can see the difference, unlike reality where the wolves hide among the sheep, and sometimes you can't tell who is what.

So, boiled down...I'd say...werewolves are honest. You know if you piss them off, you could get your throat ripped out. But if you treat them right, they're (like dogs)--your best friend. Dogs are likeable. Wolves are in the same family, just a little more wild. And who doesn't like the thrill of danger?

N:I'm probably the only writing person in the world who could orgasm from the selection of pens and paper in some place like Office Max or Office Depot--or who spends twenty minutes getting the pillows set up just so at my not-very-ergonomic desk. Do you too have any writing quirks?

Carys: This is funny. My writing quirks? I put my bills on top of my monitor. I don't wanna look there. And there's a lot of junk piled high beside my monitor. Don't wanna look there. And since I've turned my house cleaning obsession over to writing, I don't wanna look around anywhere else, either. So, it helps to keep me staring at the screen. Just staring at the screen...zombie like, typing away. Or reading.

I wish I could say I had it all cleaned up and organized but I'm one of those people that has organized stacks. Heavens to hell, do NOT mess with my stacks.

As you know, my editor at eXtasy Books, Stefani Kelsey, left the house. She's now with Mojocastle Publishing. I fully intend to send some work her way. I would follow Stef anywhere.

However, there are legalities to moving existing works elsewhere. I am, above all, a professional.

N: Do you have any particular plans for the future, at least ones that you want to reveal?

I can tell you this, I have a couple of vampire books that I'm polishing up, and another werewolf series spinning in my brain. Can't pitch them to Stef until I get them done, though. But, if you ask...I'll say...I love her. I loved working with her. And if I have anything to say about it, I will definitely work with her again.

The biggest problem I have is that...the world keeps intruding into my writing. In the last nine months, I had a daughter in a near fatal accident, and she's gone through major thoracic surgery--the whole midsection of her back was rebuilt. And I had a daughter come home from serving a mission (Yes, for God.) Then she went to school. (There's a drain on the finances and brain.) I had another daughter go through a divorce. And the last got married. Not to mention that I had one in softball. A slew of book signings and public appearances...it's amazing I get any writing in at all.

I'm just hoping things have settled down soon. My point in mentioning all the life's issues...hey, if fans wanna chat about real life, I'm game. Drop me an email. We can talk about books, and escaping, or...whatever. I'm a real woman with real problems. Just tune into my blog if you wanna hear what I'm up to.

N: It's been great talking with you...and now I'm going to run look at your blog.