Interview with Author Kirsten Weiss + Giveaway
Today, I have an interview with Kirsten Weiss, author of the Riga Hayworth series, which is about a metaphysical detective, and really quite awesome. You can check the series out on Goodreads here.
I wrote a review of the fourth book in the series, The Infernal Detective, which you can read here.
Okay, here’s the interview! Be sure to read it, because there’s a giveaway at the end. :D
Hi Kirsten! First of all, thank you for joining me here on the blog. It’s always fun having authors stop by for an interview!
1. For those who don’t know, what is the Riga Hayworth series about?
It’s about a metaphysical detective, Riga Hayworth, who looks oddly like the silver screen goddess, Rita Hayworth. She’s got some magic about her (though it goes on the fritz in later books) but what really drives her is a desire to understand, and a sense of justice.
2. Where did you draw inspiration from for a supernatural detective?
I’d just quit my job without having another one lined up (something I don’t recommend) and was daydreaming about various jobs. Metaphysical detective popped into my head, and my writer’s brain started thinking about what a metaphysical detective would do, what her name might be, and what problems she’d have, what cases she’d solve.
3. Is the main character, Riga, anything like you?
She’s much cooler and better looking than I am, so there may be a bit of a writer’s fantasy going on.
4. Who is your favourite character in the Riga Hayworth series? Why?
Riga has to be my favourite, though there are lots of great minor characters I enjoy writing. Nothing stops her for long, and though she stumbles, she always gets up again, partly out of stubbornness and partly because at heart she’s an honourable character.
5. How long do you plan on continuing Riga’s story?
Well, I just published book 5, The Elemental Detective, based in Kauai, and I’m currently doodling the outlines for book 6, The Hoodoo Detective, based in New Orleans. As long as the ideas for trouble to get Riga into keep coming, I’m going to keep writing these stories.
6. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life which book would it be, and why?
Only one book!!! That would be torture! How can you even THINK of that question? But I would probably pick The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, because it’s long, it’s re-readable, and my father, now deceased, bought me a copy.
7. You can take one person to a deserted island. Who do you take?
My sister, Alice, because I know I can rely on her survival instincts.
8. Share one interesting fact about yourself!
I work overseas as a microfinance consultant three months out of the year, and it takes me to some interesting places. I’m headed back to Ethiopia in early 2014. The rest of the year, I write (though I try to get some writing in while I’m overseas as well – my evenings are usually pretty free).
More About Kirsten
Kirsten Weiss worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.
Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes paranormal mysteries, blending her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.
Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching True Blood and drinking good wine.
Find Kirsten around the internet: Goodreads | Blog | Twitter | Tumblr
Giveaway Time!
As a celebration of Kirsten stopping by on the blog, she has given me one e-copy of the first book in the Riga Hayworth series, The Metaphysical Detective, to give to a lucky reader – hurrah! If you would like the chance to win this book, please click here, and don’t forget to read the terms and conditions. Good luck! :D
