BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR BETH BARANY

Today we sit down for a chat with author Beth Barany. Beth writes science fiction mystery, young adult adventure fantasy, and paranormal romance. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I was aware I wanted to write novels at eighteen years old, but I had no idea how to do it. 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

I was forty-two years old when I published my first novel, though I had been published as a journalist since the age of twenty-two. 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I am mostly an indie published novelist, with a few traditionally published deals. So I guess you could call me a hybrid author. 

Where do you write?

I most often write first drafts at cafes. I mostly do my editing at home -- either in my office, at the kitchen table, on the couch, or on the patio.

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I love listening to pop music when I write my first drafts. I often listen to baroque music when I edit. Lately though, when I edit my science fiction mystery series, I'm listening to a huge playlist of Star Trek soundtracks, from the TV shows and movies over the last fifty years. 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

I think all fiction stems from the author's life in one way or another, but because I write science fiction and fantasy, it's harder to spot. I think my relationships show up in my fiction, but it's hard to point to a specific event or person that inspires my fiction. My interest in science and fairy tales and folklore show up in my fiction, for sure. 

Describe your process for naming your character?

Sometimes character names come to me out of the blue and I stick with them. Sometimes what I choose gets some pushback from my critique partners, so then I reach out into the ether and find another name. I often do research on name origins and create family trees for my characters. 

Real settings or fictional towns?

Many of my fantastical settings are a mashup of different places. For my science fiction, since my settings are space stations, I'm using real science and speculation about what they could look like and how they work. In my paranormal romance I use real locations that I have visited or lived in. 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

My character, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, the main character of that series, can read bird sign. 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

Depends on who you talk to! I have so many.

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

I've never thought of that. I honestly can't think of one. Everybody's books are so unique and stem from who they are. 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

Maybe being a bird? That could be fun. I always daydreamed about that. As for something on a more realistic level, I would have liked to have been born into a family that traveled around the world a lot. 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I don't like black pepper in my food.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Lots of paper, writing utensils, and a companion. 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Shelving books in the library was pretty hard, until I learned to love it. 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Do I have to pick? If I have to pick, it's Once A Hero by Elizabeth Moon. 

Ocean or mountains?

Ocean 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

City girl 

What’s on the horizon for you?

I have three more books in the Janey McCallister Mystery series to release over the next 12 months. After that I might write more books in that series or go back to a new series within the Henrietta The Dragon Slayer universe. I also have some paranormal romantic suspense in the works that expand upon the five I’ve already published.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

Thanks so much for having me on your blog! 

Into the Black

A Janey McCallister Sci-Fi Mystery, Book 1

She wanted to make her mark. How hard could it be?

In 2130, at Bijoux de L’Étoile, a high-end casino orbiting Earth, you can get anything you desire.

Newly-hired as an investigator, Janey McCallister wants to solve her first big case—the theft of a priceless gem.

When her case of theft escalates to murder and points to the seedy underbelly of world affairs, Janey has to rely on her new team and trust the mysterious insurance investigator, Orlando Valdez—before a killer escapes into the black.

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