I am so exicted to have Paranormal Romance Author & NYT Bestseller! Lara Adrian here today.  She truly is a wonderful person.  Make sure to leave her your comments and participate in the Contest for a chance to win The first six copies of the Breed Series and whats even better than that! *Ahem* the books are signed by the brilliant author herself! That is some Kick Ass Prize!

Tigris: What inspired you to become a writer?

Lara: I’ve always loved the written word, and as a kid I would read anything that was set down in front of me—including cereal boxes, product packaging, you name it. Books were magic carpet rides to other worlds (still are) and for as long as I can remember, I’ve loved expressing my own ideas and imagination through writing. It was many years later, in my late 20s, that I finally decided to not only try my hand at writing a novel, but to try writing a novel with the goal of seeing it published. My husband was most definitely my biggest inspiration for making that decision. He encouraged me to pursue my dream, and gave me the support I needed to make it happen.

Tigirs: Who were some of your favorite authors when you were a kid?

Lara: I read voraciously all through school, thanks to my local library card, and I’ve always gravitated toward darker books when left to my own choices. Among my all time favorites in my formative years were Stephen King, John Saul, Dean Koontz and Anne Rice.

Tigris:Favorite Childhood Book?

Lara: I didn’t really have a hands-down favorite book, but I can tell you that there was one book I read as a kid that was too scary, even for me. That book, The Amityville Horror, got locked away in my bedroom closet after only a few chapters. I couldn’t even look at the cover without getting scared out of my wits!

Tigris: Favorite Childhood Memory?

Lara: We didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up, but my parents always—somehow—managed to make sure my siblings and I had amazing Christmases (or rather, Santa made sure). One year, the three of us woke up to find kid-size, battery-powered trains waiting on a plastic track that ran from our bedrooms out to the living room. We clambered out of bed and hopped on our trains, then rode them out around the Christmas tree where the rest of our presents waited. That was a jaw-dropping, magical moment that will stay with me forever.

Tigris: Favorite Holiday?

Lara: You might guess it’s Christmas, but actually my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.

Tigris:You have so many different versions of your series out there, and in different languages, how does that make you feel, and how were you able to cross over into international publishing of the series?

Lara: I can’t take any credit for the series crossover into other countries (big thanks to my publisher’s subrights team for making that happen), but I feel very privileged to be publishing in other languages. Via email and online, I’ve met so many wonderful readers from all over the world—some who read my books in the US English format, and others who read them in their native languages—and I’m humbled by the incredible international response to the series. Right now, the series is being published in 14 other countries in addition to the USA !

Tigris:Out of all of your series which book was the hardest to write, which one did you enjoy the most?

Lara: Overall, I’ve enjoyed writing each of the books, and there really hasn’t been one standout that proved more difficult than any of the others. Of course, I can say that now, with seven of the series books in my rearview mirror and an eighth almost there. In every first draft of every book, there comes a time when I think it’s the worst idea I ever had, or it’s the book that’s never going to end. Thankfully, those moments don’t tend to last more than a couple of days before some interesting character detail or a snippet of a powerful scene turns out exactly as I wanted it to, and the euphoria of that success shakes me right out of my funk.

Tigris: Are you working on other Midnight Breed books? Will there be another series different from this one?

Lara: The main (external) story arc of the series will resolve by Book 10. After that, although nothing is official as of this moment, I would like to carry the series forward into a spinoff/continuation scenario that I’ve already begun planning and I’m very excited to explore. Outside of the Midnight Breed, I also have a folder full of other story and series ideas that I hope to work on at some point as well.

Tigris:Your husband and you created WriteWay. How did that come about, did you use another writing software prior?

Lara: My husband has many years’ experience in software development, so when he saw me struggling with Word documents for my composition, spiral notebooks for my plotting and character information, index cards and sticky notes for various other things, he offered to create a software application for me that would handle all of my organization and composition needs. At the time, his eldest daughter was ill with leukemia and in the hospital for weeks/months at a time, and John also needed an outlet to occupy his mind for the hours of waiting and watching while she slept and/or received treatments. The end result was WriteWay, which we now sell (and give away free demo downloads) via the internet at www.WriteWayPro.com. I’m spoiled now, and I honestly don’t know how I was ever able to work without it!

Tigris:  What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Lara: First, write because you love the craft of writing. Surround yourself with encouraging people who will cheer you on, not throw doubt and obstacles in your path. Turn off the TV (or the computer) and read a book. Understand that no one can make your dreams come true for you—it’s all in your hands. Strive to improve yourself or learn something every day. Lastly, be happy. If writing doesn’t give you joy all on its own, find something else that does.

Well there it is folks! Now if you want to win those beautiful signed copies along with some other great goodies visit the Contest & Goodies Link for more info. The contest ends Dec 4th at Midnight! http://www.tigriseden.com/contestsgoodies.htm   Also please visit Lara's Sitewww.laraadrian.com for More informaton on Ashes to Midnight which Releases in December 29, 2009!  You can also become a fan of the Midnight Breed Series on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Midnight-Breed-Series  Hope you all enjoyed the Post and look forward to your comments.

****Just Added****Contest Winners will be announced via Vlog so stay tuned for that post which will be Saturday Dec 5, 12noon Central Standard Time.