Magic's Design by Cat Adams
Contributing editor Jonathan Maberry recently chatted with C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp about their new paranormal romance Magic's Design written as Cat Adams.
How did the collaboration of C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp come about?
Wow, that's actually a bigger question that you realize. Long story short, we didn't start out being collaborators. We actually met in the law office where I (Cathy) worked. Cie was doing a temp gig for a paralegal on maternity leave and we got to know each other over lunches. We started out as critique partners and plotting partners. I was writing my books and she was writing hers. But then my historical novel got accepted and I started to panic. She'd nearly single-handedly created a major subplot in the book, which I'd happily used. But then--what was I supposed to do? Thank her nicely for (quite possibly) making the book good enough to get accepted? Buy her lunch? Cut her in on the royalties? You see where it gets tricky? Then I started thinking about the book she was working on. Again, I'd created a major character and given him a subplot. After some soul-searching talks, we decided that if we simply went in as co-authors, with a 50/50 split, we wouldn't have to worry about who did what or how we achieved the final product. Who does what is pretty easy still. We each work on different books as the "lead" author and then switch for editing.
You write long distance--Cathy in Texas and Cie in Denver. How do you manage a long-distance collaboration?
With a really good long distance telephone plan. We talk on the phone nearly every day and email back and forth a lot. It's not as hard as it sounds, simply because we do have a collaboration where one person writes the whole book. So we don't have to exchange files or anything until the book is complete.
How did the collaboration of C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp come about?
Wow, that's actually a bigger question that you realize. Long story short, we didn't start out being collaborators. We actually met in the law office where I (Cathy) worked. Cie was doing a temp gig for a paralegal on maternity leave and we got to know each other over lunches. We started out as critique partners and plotting partners. I was writing my books and she was writing hers. But then my historical novel got accepted and I started to panic. She'd nearly single-handedly created a major subplot in the book, which I'd happily used. But then--what was I supposed to do? Thank her nicely for (quite possibly) making the book good enough to get accepted? Buy her lunch? Cut her in on the royalties? You see where it gets tricky? Then I started thinking about the book she was working on. Again, I'd created a major character and given him a subplot. After some soul-searching talks, we decided that if we simply went in as co-authors, with a 50/50 split, we wouldn't have to worry about who did what or how we achieved the final product. Who does what is pretty easy still. We each work on different books as the "lead" author and then switch for editing. You write long distance--Cathy in Texas and Cie in Denver. How do you manage a long-distance collaboration?
With a really good long distance telephone plan. We talk on the phone nearly every day and email back and forth a lot. It's not as hard as it sounds, simply because we do have a collaboration where one person writes the whole book. So we don't have to exchange files or anything until the book is complete.
Discuss the process for creating a new book together? Take us through the steps.
It's sort of a long process, but here's how it works for us: We talk out the books completely during telephone calls or by email. This includes character quirks, backgrounds, what we've done in the previous books (if part of a series) that can't be undone, where we want the book to go, or the entire series to go.
Once we've peopled the book and plotted it out and have the whole of the book "in our heads" it goes to one or the other of us to do the first draft. This person becomes the "primary author" and they write the entire book. Who is the primary author on any given book depends on: (a) whose turn is it based on who did the last one; (b) what's going on in our personal lives (e.g., who is actually likely to have enough time to get it done on schedule); (c) where we are with other commitments, trips, scheduled tasks, etc.
Generally speaking, we're each working on the draft of a different book at the same time. When we finish our first draft of whatever we're writing we pass the manuscripts off to the other person for review and edits. This person is the "secondary author." It's critical to remember that the secondary author isn't somehow "less" of a writer. It just means they get to work on the manuscript second.
Now this is where it gets tricky. Despite the fact that we've talked it through in advance, and talked about the direction all the time we've been writing, sometimes what we get in our hands from the other person is not necessarily what we thought had been decided. People hear things differently. We decided quickly we wouldn't make changes in pen or via Track Changes in Word. Not only is it more time consuming for both people, but there's something about seeing red or black strikeouts that can give an immediate negative impression. Even if it makes it better, it's hard to read the replacement text with a clear head. Instead, the secondary author simply rewrites whatever portion of the book suits them. Every word of every line, or no lines at all. This concept often strikes fear into the hearts of authors we know. But without trust that the other person wants to make it better, a partnership can't stand.
Once we've each edited the manuscript of the other, we hand them back and the person looks over the changes. Some are accepted. Some refused. Others require discussion, such as "WHY are you wanting to do this?" We've come up with some of our best work during the re-writes because the editing catches errors and logic gaps you hadn't known were there. However, edits can entirely change a scene, or a character or a plot--which can be somewhat startling to the primary author when they get it back to go over. When it's a minor dispute, we work it out verbally, sometimes even by the toss of a coin. But if there is a "neither one of us is bending on this" dispute, the decision goes to the primary author. This does not make the author "losing" happy, but it IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to maintain a happy partnership. It's a lot like losing a championship football game. It hurts, but there's always next year (or next book.)
The Paranormal Romance market often crosses over into the 'thriller' genre. Discuss that.
Paranormal fiction, by its very nature, involves conflict. You have people with supernatural abilities trying to fit in (or not) with humans. If a person with ill intent has abilities that can withstand guns and knives and other human weapons . . . well, then we have a problem. Ultimately, the stakes are raised in paranormal. Not only might the world as we know it end, but people could get altered. There's a fear level inherent with losing one's humanity that increases the thrill ride for the reader.
Why should thriller readers NOT be afraid to try a paranormal romance?
There's already romance in a lot of thrillers. Take a look at most any novel by Ian Fleming or Clive Cussler, or a hundred other authors. Romantic suspenses and paranormal romances really aren't any different than the books currently on the mystery/thriller shelves. It's merely a level of percentage. Emotions run high when there's fear involved. People tend to cling to the other person in the room when their life might end soon. Paranormal romance just takes that already-present emotion a step higher and shines light on what often happens anyway--two people find each other during conflict and remain together at the end.
You use social networking (blogs, etc.) to good advantage. Which do you feel gives writers the best punch?
Boy, that's a tough one. I admit to being horrible about keeping my blog and MySpace current, although I know many writers who swear by their blogs. I tend to spend what little free time interacting on writer and reader forums instead. I like the immediacy of forums. It's like chatting or texting, but with bigger words. LOL! To me, forums give the biggest punch since people actually get to know you as a person, rather than just as a writer. Writers are more than their books. When people interact with writers about social and political issues, they often find they'll enjoy the author's writings too.
Tell us about Magic's Design.
Magic's Design is set in our existing world, using a twist on a fantastic conspiracy theory called "The Hollow Earth Theory." The legend has been floating around since the days of Admiral Byrd, and it's said that his exploration of the Pole found an entrance to an underground world of advanced reptilian beings about who the world Governments knew, but hid from the populace. (It's worth a web search to read up on it, even if you don't buy the book.) I wasn't fond of the reptilian part, and substituted magic for science (since I write fantasy), but took a lot of the existing legend and tried to think of a reason why magical beings might choose to live their existence under the Earth's surface. I reasoned that if sorcerers and magicians were common in medieval times (think Merlin and Morgan le Fey), it might well be that we humans kicked them off the surface world for some atrocity. So . . . why not the Black Plague? Since medical science still isn't completely comfortable with its origins, why not make it a mutated magical plague? The death of millions of humans would be more than enough to threaten anyone magical with extinction. But what if they decided to come back--specifically, what if one powerful, maniacal mage decided that humans were ripe for slavery? He figured out a very dramatic way to make all us science-believing people believe in magic and how to make any other magician intent on stopping him powerless. But the clock is ticking, because everything we know could easily end on New Years Eve, unless the hero and heroine can stop him.
Is this a standalone or does it launch a series?
Right now, it's intended to be a standalone. But we're hearing from early readers (including our editor) that they'd like to see another story in the reality. We're thinking about it...
What about your solo careers? What can we expect from each of you?
Well, we certainly have plenty to do together for a while. We're just about to sign a contract with Tor for another three books for 2010 and 2011, so until we get those written we probably won't have any solo projects. However, Cie is already itching to do a solo fantasy and a mystery--which are more her taste, while I (Cathy) have a YA urban fantasy and a contemporary medical thriller rumbling around in the back of my mind. The only trick is finding time to write them!
Will you be at this year's ThrillerFest?
I'd hoped to be. Last year was a GREAT time! The trick will be fitting it in the schedule. I have several other conference commitments and with the new contract, I just don't know if I can fit it in. If I can, I certainly will, though. I really enjoyed meeting our fans there.
Tell us about the Sazi and Thrall series.
The Tales of the Sazi series are very plot driven, rollercoaster thrill rides about a race of shapeshifters called the Sazi who live in secret among us--hidden in plain sight. The original protagonist from Hunter's Moon is Tony Giodone, a former Mafia hitman who is attacked and turned into a werewolf by a "mark" he was paid to kill. Like a lot of us who might react to becoming supernatural, he tries to keep it a secret . . . and tries not to think about it too much. Except his latest client wants a really weird job done and it winds up bringing up more of his supernatural nature than he planned. She wants him to kill . . . her. While each book has a standalone plot, there are also several "world arcs" where you know something big is happening in the background and is threatening the entire planet. But like real life, you only find out bits and pieces in each book. Everything's been leading up to the book I'm working on now, when the world as we know it might end in a fiery rain of death. It's untitled as yet, but will be epic! The correct reading order for those who might be interested in giving them a read, is: Hunter's Moon, Moon's Web, Captive Moon, Howling Moon, Moon's Fury, Timeless Moon, and our August, 2009 release, Cold Moon Rising.
The Thrall series was a trilogy, with Touch of Evil, Touch of Madness and Touch of Darkness. The books follow Kate Reilly, who is a human pitted against the vampire menace of The Thrall. In this reality, we've twisted both vampires and werewolves on their ear. Vampires aren't the undead of legend. They're actually evil, sentient parasites that are injected into people's veins, swim up their bloodstream and attach to the back of their brainstem. The parasite takes mental control of the host human to force them to attack people and drink their blood, making them live and die for the "hive." Yes, our vampires are a hive mentality, like bees, with queens who control the individual people mentally. Werewolves, too, aren't like "normal." Rather than change with the moon, it's adrenaline based. So, they aren't allowed driver licenses. After all, would YOU want to be driving next to a car that has a near collision and the driver "turns wolf" in busy traffic? They're often discriminated against under "no pets" clauses in apartments and such. It's not a fun life for shapeshifters. We're actually quite pleased that we got more recommendations for the first book of this series to get a Bram Stoker nomination than we did for a romance award! Well worth a read for thriller lovers.
What makes you write? What keeps you going?
Readers make us write! What else? We love telling stories that entertain people. Our biggest thrill is when readers come up to us at conferences to tell us that they got so involved in the book that they missed a train (this happened to our editor!), or it took days to "come down from" the excitement of the book. There's really no bigger thrill to a writer and it definitely keeps us going.
Anyone who wants to read a sample of Magic's Design can visit our website at http://www.ciecatrunpubs.com. We're in the process of updating the site, so be patient if some of the links aren't working yet. We'll be giving away an autographed copy of the book through the Big Thrill and will also be doing a contest to win a second copy. Readers can send an email to Cat_Cie@msn.com with "Big Thrill" in the subject line. One lucky winner will be picked at random and sent a copy of the book. We'll also be doing a blog tour for the book's release and hope to have at least one or two signings for people to get autographed copies.
Contributing editor Jonathan Maberry is the multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PATIENT ZERO (St Martins Press, March 2009), ZOMBIE CSU (Citadel Press), and WOLVERINE: GHOSTS (Marvel Comics, April 2009). Visit his author website: www.jonathanmaberry.com
It's sort of a long process, but here's how it works for us: We talk out the books completely during telephone calls or by email. This includes character quirks, backgrounds, what we've done in the previous books (if part of a series) that can't be undone, where we want the book to go, or the entire series to go.Once we've peopled the book and plotted it out and have the whole of the book "in our heads" it goes to one or the other of us to do the first draft. This person becomes the "primary author" and they write the entire book. Who is the primary author on any given book depends on: (a) whose turn is it based on who did the last one; (b) what's going on in our personal lives (e.g., who is actually likely to have enough time to get it done on schedule); (c) where we are with other commitments, trips, scheduled tasks, etc.
Generally speaking, we're each working on the draft of a different book at the same time. When we finish our first draft of whatever we're writing we pass the manuscripts off to the other person for review and edits. This person is the "secondary author." It's critical to remember that the secondary author isn't somehow "less" of a writer. It just means they get to work on the manuscript second.
Now this is where it gets tricky. Despite the fact that we've talked it through in advance, and talked about the direction all the time we've been writing, sometimes what we get in our hands from the other person is not necessarily what we thought had been decided. People hear things differently. We decided quickly we wouldn't make changes in pen or via Track Changes in Word. Not only is it more time consuming for both people, but there's something about seeing red or black strikeouts that can give an immediate negative impression. Even if it makes it better, it's hard to read the replacement text with a clear head. Instead, the secondary author simply rewrites whatever portion of the book suits them. Every word of every line, or no lines at all. This concept often strikes fear into the hearts of authors we know. But without trust that the other person wants to make it better, a partnership can't stand.
Once we've each edited the manuscript of the other, we hand them back and the person looks over the changes. Some are accepted. Some refused. Others require discussion, such as "WHY are you wanting to do this?" We've come up with some of our best work during the re-writes because the editing catches errors and logic gaps you hadn't known were there. However, edits can entirely change a scene, or a character or a plot--which can be somewhat startling to the primary author when they get it back to go over. When it's a minor dispute, we work it out verbally, sometimes even by the toss of a coin. But if there is a "neither one of us is bending on this" dispute, the decision goes to the primary author. This does not make the author "losing" happy, but it IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to maintain a happy partnership. It's a lot like losing a championship football game. It hurts, but there's always next year (or next book.)
The Paranormal Romance market often crosses over into the 'thriller' genre. Discuss that.
Paranormal fiction, by its very nature, involves conflict. You have people with supernatural abilities trying to fit in (or not) with humans. If a person with ill intent has abilities that can withstand guns and knives and other human weapons . . . well, then we have a problem. Ultimately, the stakes are raised in paranormal. Not only might the world as we know it end, but people could get altered. There's a fear level inherent with losing one's humanity that increases the thrill ride for the reader.
Why should thriller readers NOT be afraid to try a paranormal romance?
There's already romance in a lot of thrillers. Take a look at most any novel by Ian Fleming or Clive Cussler, or a hundred other authors. Romantic suspenses and paranormal romances really aren't any different than the books currently on the mystery/thriller shelves. It's merely a level of percentage. Emotions run high when there's fear involved. People tend to cling to the other person in the room when their life might end soon. Paranormal romance just takes that already-present emotion a step higher and shines light on what often happens anyway--two people find each other during conflict and remain together at the end.
You use social networking (blogs, etc.) to good advantage. Which do you feel gives writers the best punch?
Boy, that's a tough one. I admit to being horrible about keeping my blog and MySpace current, although I know many writers who swear by their blogs. I tend to spend what little free time interacting on writer and reader forums instead. I like the immediacy of forums. It's like chatting or texting, but with bigger words. LOL! To me, forums give the biggest punch since people actually get to know you as a person, rather than just as a writer. Writers are more than their books. When people interact with writers about social and political issues, they often find they'll enjoy the author's writings too.
Tell us about Magic's Design.
Magic's Design is set in our existing world, using a twist on a fantastic conspiracy theory called "The Hollow Earth Theory." The legend has been floating around since the days of Admiral Byrd, and it's said that his exploration of the Pole found an entrance to an underground world of advanced reptilian beings about who the world Governments knew, but hid from the populace. (It's worth a web search to read up on it, even if you don't buy the book.) I wasn't fond of the reptilian part, and substituted magic for science (since I write fantasy), but took a lot of the existing legend and tried to think of a reason why magical beings might choose to live their existence under the Earth's surface. I reasoned that if sorcerers and magicians were common in medieval times (think Merlin and Morgan le Fey), it might well be that we humans kicked them off the surface world for some atrocity. So . . . why not the Black Plague? Since medical science still isn't completely comfortable with its origins, why not make it a mutated magical plague? The death of millions of humans would be more than enough to threaten anyone magical with extinction. But what if they decided to come back--specifically, what if one powerful, maniacal mage decided that humans were ripe for slavery? He figured out a very dramatic way to make all us science-believing people believe in magic and how to make any other magician intent on stopping him powerless. But the clock is ticking, because everything we know could easily end on New Years Eve, unless the hero and heroine can stop him.
Is this a standalone or does it launch a series?
Right now, it's intended to be a standalone. But we're hearing from early readers (including our editor) that they'd like to see another story in the reality. We're thinking about it...
What about your solo careers? What can we expect from each of you?
Well, we certainly have plenty to do together for a while. We're just about to sign a contract with Tor for another three books for 2010 and 2011, so until we get those written we probably won't have any solo projects. However, Cie is already itching to do a solo fantasy and a mystery--which are more her taste, while I (Cathy) have a YA urban fantasy and a contemporary medical thriller rumbling around in the back of my mind. The only trick is finding time to write them!
Will you be at this year's ThrillerFest?
I'd hoped to be. Last year was a GREAT time! The trick will be fitting it in the schedule. I have several other conference commitments and with the new contract, I just don't know if I can fit it in. If I can, I certainly will, though. I really enjoyed meeting our fans there.
Tell us about the Sazi and Thrall series.
The Tales of the Sazi series are very plot driven, rollercoaster thrill rides about a race of shapeshifters called the Sazi who live in secret among us--hidden in plain sight. The original protagonist from Hunter's Moon is Tony Giodone, a former Mafia hitman who is attacked and turned into a werewolf by a "mark" he was paid to kill. Like a lot of us who might react to becoming supernatural, he tries to keep it a secret . . . and tries not to think about it too much. Except his latest client wants a really weird job done and it winds up bringing up more of his supernatural nature than he planned. She wants him to kill . . . her. While each book has a standalone plot, there are also several "world arcs" where you know something big is happening in the background and is threatening the entire planet. But like real life, you only find out bits and pieces in each book. Everything's been leading up to the book I'm working on now, when the world as we know it might end in a fiery rain of death. It's untitled as yet, but will be epic! The correct reading order for those who might be interested in giving them a read, is: Hunter's Moon, Moon's Web, Captive Moon, Howling Moon, Moon's Fury, Timeless Moon, and our August, 2009 release, Cold Moon Rising.
The Thrall series was a trilogy, with Touch of Evil, Touch of Madness and Touch of Darkness. The books follow Kate Reilly, who is a human pitted against the vampire menace of The Thrall. In this reality, we've twisted both vampires and werewolves on their ear. Vampires aren't the undead of legend. They're actually evil, sentient parasites that are injected into people's veins, swim up their bloodstream and attach to the back of their brainstem. The parasite takes mental control of the host human to force them to attack people and drink their blood, making them live and die for the "hive." Yes, our vampires are a hive mentality, like bees, with queens who control the individual people mentally. Werewolves, too, aren't like "normal." Rather than change with the moon, it's adrenaline based. So, they aren't allowed driver licenses. After all, would YOU want to be driving next to a car that has a near collision and the driver "turns wolf" in busy traffic? They're often discriminated against under "no pets" clauses in apartments and such. It's not a fun life for shapeshifters. We're actually quite pleased that we got more recommendations for the first book of this series to get a Bram Stoker nomination than we did for a romance award! Well worth a read for thriller lovers.
What makes you write? What keeps you going?
Readers make us write! What else? We love telling stories that entertain people. Our biggest thrill is when readers come up to us at conferences to tell us that they got so involved in the book that they missed a train (this happened to our editor!), or it took days to "come down from" the excitement of the book. There's really no bigger thrill to a writer and it definitely keeps us going.
Anyone who wants to read a sample of Magic's Design can visit our website at http://www.ciecatrunpubs.com. We're in the process of updating the site, so be patient if some of the links aren't working yet. We'll be giving away an autographed copy of the book through the Big Thrill and will also be doing a contest to win a second copy. Readers can send an email to Cat_Cie@msn.com with "Big Thrill" in the subject line. One lucky winner will be picked at random and sent a copy of the book. We'll also be doing a blog tour for the book's release and hope to have at least one or two signings for people to get autographed copies.
Contributing editor Jonathan Maberry is the multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PATIENT ZERO (St Martins Press, March 2009), ZOMBIE CSU (Citadel Press), and WOLVERINE: GHOSTS (Marvel Comics, April 2009). Visit his author website: www.jonathanmaberry.comThrillerFest
ITW's annual celebration of the thriller world is the largest event of its kind, a meeting place for authors, readers, budding writers, and publishing industry professionals.
For 2011, we’ll be back in the heart of New York in July with the ThrillerFest conference including CraftFest and AgentFest.
ThrillerFest VI will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.
The dates will be July 6-9, 2011.
More information to follow.
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