Darklight On...Kylie Scott

Today's Darklight On is with Kylie Scott. Welcome, Kylie!

How did you come to write speculative fiction? What attracted you to the genre?
I've always loved dodgy old Zombie films and one of my favourite books is 'The Stand' by Stephen King. I like the idea of the empty world and people having to survive the downfall of civilisation. You get to guess at what comes next and what you'd do if put in that position. How would daily life change and people along with it? The chance to shape a steamy, sexy, complicated love-story set in that situation had been on my mind a good long time.

Congratulations on your sale to Momentum. Can you tell us a little about it?
My book Flesh is novel length and due out 1st of October which is super exciting. It's about a woman named 'Ali' who has been hiding out in her neighbour's attic since the Zombie Plague struck a bit over a month back. She's out raiding local houses for food and water when she runs into another survivor 'Daniel' who just happens to be tall, charming and very tired of being alone. The two hit the road, heading west, hopefully away from the bulk of the infected. Along the way they run into Finn, a former cop, with shooting skills that save the day more than once. There begins a love triangle as the three band together to survive in the suburban wastelands.

Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between?
 I'm a reformed Pantser. When I saw the amount of time wasted and wrong turns taken I decided I need to hash out a plot first. I just do a couple of sentences outlining each scene so I know what I'm about and didn't veer off into the crazy-town unknown where goal, motivation and conflict are left far, far behind. I know pantsing works for some but I found I needed some structure up front to keep things under control.



Do have a favourite of your characters?
Oh, I'll have to go with Daniel. He's a sexy beast with a lot of charm and a wicked sense of humour. Social conventions don't mean much to him and he's constantly blurting out things probably better left unsaid. But you do always know where you stand with him, which I appreciate.


What are you currently working on?
At the moment it's the sequel to Flesh. I'm nearly done, which is nice. It has different characters this time. We follow a woman who is voted off the island - the island being the private school where she's been holding up since the plague struck seven months back. She gets traded to an ex-army guy for a van full of canned food and other supplies. Their relationship is tricky to say the least, but a lot of fun. The challenge of redeeming a hero who basically takes the heroine captive appealed to me. And the first book was a menage so I wanted to do something with a BDSM flavour this time. Safe, sane, and consensual with a big fat happy ending. And Zombies.


What is your favourite part of the process of writing?
Ooh, that's hard. I like setting myself the challenge in the first place, but working out each character's voice and quirks is great too. I enjoy finding out what makes them a perfect match and watching how they bounce off each other to begin with.

sources: zombiesonline.net

What can we expect from Kylie Scott in the future?
More books. I've got a Zombie world short and novella in the works plus a gritty Sci-Fi I'm keen to publish.




Who are your favourite authors?
Killer of a question. I started out reading Robin McKinley and lots of fantasy. Pretty much everything Stephen King has ever written. A ridiculous amount of romance in all its varied genres. Erotic Romance being of course the favourite. For BDSM I like Cherise Sinclair and Joey W Hill. You can't go wrong with Lauren Dane, she's magic, especially her Spec Fiction. Shelly Laurenston's shifters always make me laugh and Lorelei James feeds my cowboy fetish. Australia wise we have so many great Romance Writers we should almost be ashamed of ourselves. Almost, but not quite. I've been doing some reviews for Australian Women Writers 2012 Book Challenge and it's been fantastic. I've found so many awesome Australian Romance Writers I hadn't encountered previously. Cari Silverwood is my latest discovery with her Zombie-Steampunk-BDSM mash up titled 'Lust Plague'. I'm hoping we see lots more Post-Apocalyptic tales in the future.



What are you currently reading?
'Coyote Home' by Rhian Cahill. 'Bear meets Girl' by Shelly Laurensten. 'Captivated' by Lauren Dane. 'The Chimera Vector' by Nathan M Farrugia. 'Destiny of the Light' by Louise Cusack. 'Guilty as Sin' by Denise Rossetti. I tend to jump around between books depending on mood. It's a little out of control at the moment as you can see.

Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or TV series?
You know, I always felt The Terminator was one of the greatest love stories of all time. I've had many, many fights about it with people over the years. Most of them sorely lacking in sobriety. I also love Joss Whedon and George A Romero... there's heaps actually. Hard to pick just one.

Do you have advice for emerging writers?

Constructive criticism is your friend. It often doesn't feel like it, but it is. Put your ego aside and work at developing a thick skin. There's always going to be more to learn and you have to be open to that. Next time you'll tell the story that bit better and sink your hook into the reader a little deeper. Don't give up.

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Thanks, Kylie.

Look out for news on Kylie's release in upcoming months.

You can visit Kylie at her website/blog: http://kylie-scott.com