Meet Cinsearae S.

Interview with Cinsearae S., author of: BOLEYN: Tudor Vampire

Read an excerpt and watch the trailer at Blazing Trailers.

Why don’t you begin by telling us a little about yourself?

First, thank you so much for having me here today! I’m a bit quirky, misunderstood, and usually one’s assumptions of me are totally wrong, lol. I’m not TRYING to be an enigma, but I simply like my privacy. (Aren’t all writers this way? Lol!) I absolutely love being out in nature, visiting cemeteries, and checking out a horror movie or two. I’m also Editor/Publisher of Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, which caters to anything Vampire, Horror, Gothic or Paranormal-themed. I also love to interview folks in the field that contribute anything creative to the above genres! I’ve interviewed amazing bands such as The Young Werewolves, Corvus Corax, The Last Dance, authors Nicholas Grabowsky, Corvis Nocturnum, Ken Kupstis, Gothic candle-maker Jfay, Jeff Hartz of Buzz-works™, and so many others. The joys of being a magazine publisher is that it brings me in contact with so much talent out there, and to folks with a similar, creative like mind. And I absolutely love attending Horror conventions for the same reasons.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

I already had a big interest in Tudor history, and when HBO came out with their series, “The Tudors” a few years ago, it pretty much ignited the flame again. After watching the series a few times, my muse kept nagging me to write a ‘revenge’ story for Anne Boleyn, and thus, BOLEYN-Tudor Vampire was born. I almost didn’t want to, as I could imagine the Anne Boleyn ‘purists’ having a hissy-fit, but all in all, this book was written to entertain horror readers who don’t mind a vampire story woven into Tudor history. It’s a good mix of facts as well as myths that swirled around the doomed queen. Besides, this book isn’t the only one out there with paranormal elements taking place in the Tudor era!

How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?

I didn’t have a real outline. The first things that came to me were Anne’s vengeful moments! I see a lot of my stories play out like a movie in my mind at first, and the detailed part is writing down exactly what I see. For BOLEYN, it was no different, except a lot of pieces came to me out of order, which I pieced together as I worked on it.

Did your book require a lot of research?

Not too much, actually. I already had a couple of books about haunted England and Tudor history from my college days, and I read a bit of Tudor history online. There’s so much myth and fact mixed together when it comes to this particular subject, but it all makes for a most interesting, if not checkered, past.

Why do you write?

Pretty much to entertain myself, and prevent my muse from driving me batty. Usually, if I try to ‘ignore’ her, she’ll keep on talking to me in my head until I start writing things down! Only afterwards will it be quiet…at least until something else comes up, and she starts blabbing away again, lol. And if the readers love what I write, that makes it all the more better. I do enjoy entertaining one through a good story!

Who are your literary heroes and why?

Stephen King has always been my top literary hero. I’ve always loved how he could take an ordinary setting and turn it into something unimaginable and horrific. My other literary hero is Edgar Allan Poe; he was definitely one of the best masterminds when it came to psychological horror.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

Michael Jackson, (God rest his soul), I think he would have been the coolest person to hang out with. Plus, he’s the only one that had zombies dance, (Thriller) and made it absolutely rock! And I don’t give a damn about the negative connotations that surrounded him or what negative things people had to say about him. He was multitalented, extremely creative, and had more heart and soul than a lot of people out here today. He loved the planet and her children, and his death is still felt by millions around the world.

What would you tell aspiring young writers about the publishing business?

Be tough out here and develop a thick skin. Learn how to brush off the negativity. People enjoy being cruel, rude, insensitive and soulless in this day and age, hurting others who haven’t done them a single wrong. Never give up on your dreams--they are the seeds that bloom into reality. Find, associate yourself, and make friends with likeminded folks who have been in the business for a while and can teach you something about this ever-changing industry.

Tell us five random things about yourself.

Freddy Krueger is my favorite horror character, I never turn down a glass of wine, I’m a big fan of The Cure and Gary Numan (there’s tons of others bands/singers I love, but it’d take forever to list them, lol), I used to wish I lived in The Munsters house when I was a kid, and Halloween is my favorite time of year.

What other types of artistic talents do you have?

I love making things out all sorts of stuff! Consider it ‘upcycling’ certain materials. My latest fun project has been making “Little Bottle Boys” out of small, 1/2 to 1oz. sized bottles. They all are horror-themed naturally, and I sell them as well as lots of handmade Victorian and Gothic- inspired jewelry and gifts on my Etsy store, http://www.Etsy.com/shop/MistressRae13.

What type of writer are you—the one who experiences before writing, like Hemingway, or the one who mostly daydreams and fantasizes?

I’m definitely a bit of both. I draw a lot of situations from what I see in real life into most of my urban fantasy stories. When I’m daydreaming or fantasizing about something, it’s usually about how to put together a certain character when it comes to their looks, personality and physicality.

When do you get your best ideas and why do you think this is?

Some of my horror stories will center around a lot of the nonsense I see in reality, which is quite often. There’s more horrors out in the real world than there are in fiction, which is definitely scary in itself. I’d rather face a zombie, vampire, or werewolf rather than someone who can shoot someone in cold blood or run over a child in the street and not bother to see if they’re still alive or not. It’s such a faceless thing to do, and proves how integrity and humanity in mankind has crumbled over time.

They say authors have immensely fragile egos… How would you handle negative criticism or a negative review?

I always keep in mind this one phrase, and it’s helped me overcome that fragile ego and develop the tough skin every writer needs: “Opinions are like a__holes; everyone has one.” So if it’s a negative criticism/review, I brush it off and know there will be a positive one to counteract it down the road. Hopefully other writers out there that do share in a fragile ego will take that phrase and use it like a mantra!

Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?

Absolutely! They can visit http://BloodTouch.webs.com where they can find all my writing projects, links to my Etsy store, and find out more about Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine. I can also be found on Facebook and MySpace!