7 Questions with Eden Royce

Today on the FlipSide, I’m pleased to feature an interview with author Eden Royce. If you’re not familiar yet with Eden, or her work, let’s take a few moments to get to know her better…

Eden Royce is a native of Charleston, South Carolina whose great-aunt practiced root, a type of conjure magic. She now wishes she’d listened more closely. Her stories have been published with several presses, including Kerlak/Dark Oak Press, Sirens Call Publications, and Blood Bound Books.

She also reviews books for Hellnotes, a website dedicated to horror in fiction, art and movies and is a contributor to Graveyard Shift Sisters, a blog dedicated to purging the black female horror fan from the margins. She is also the horror submissions editor for Mocha Memoirs Press. Besides writing, she enjoys roller-skating, listening to thunderstorms, and excellent sushi.

Welcome Eden! Now let’s delve into the questions… Using ten words or less, tell me about your book.

The dead are used for energy to fuel a city.

Sounds very interesting! What song would you want to play during the opening credits of your book were it made into a movie? Why?

It would be “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” by Reverend Gary Davis. It’s the saddest song I know of and it speaks to the inevitable that we all face. That or the metal song “Monster” by Skillet. It sums up several of the characters.

Unfortunately for my main character Feast, he has to experience more death than most. I imagine a close-up of one of the containment chambers and its uh… inhabitant in the credits.

Who would you want to direct the story of your life? Is there anyone specific you’d like to play you?

I’d choose Jane Campion (“The Piano”) as director. Because I’m classy. :Laughs: Seriously, she has a flair for presenting unique stories and using the camera to show the unsayable.

I wish I could go back in time and get Eartha Kitt to play me; she was amazing. If I had to choose someone now, I’d like Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Doctor Who, Odd Thomas) or Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow).

What is your writing process? Are you a planner or a pantser? Do you prefer to hand write your works or type them directly into your word processor?

For short stories, I’m a developmental writer. (Pantser sounds like I pull down people’s pants as a practical joke.) But for a novel, which is what I’m working on now, I have to plan. Especially when the ideas are coming hard and fast and I need to get them all down.

There’s a notebook on my nightstand for when the ideas come in the middle of the night. (And they often do.) I tend to hand write a great deal—especially if I think of a great line and I don’t want to forget it—then transfer over to the computer. In the transferring process, more ideas appear on how to flesh out the story. If I get stuck, I can go back to my notes.

What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself: something you wish you knew then that you know now?

Stop worrying so much and don’t be so hard on yourself.

Great advice! What are the three books that really inspired you to become a writer?

I have to pick only three? Impossible! Here’s my best try:

The Wood Wife by Terri Winding

Little Plum by Rumer Godden

The Odyssey by Homer

Now it’s time for the Rapid. Fire. Questions.

• Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning and when a jolt is needed. Tea all other times.
• Cats or dogs? Always have, always will.
• Snow or sun? Snow when I’m snuggled inside with a hot drink. Sun when I have to go out and do things.
• Print books or eReader? Print. While eReaders have their place, I love turning the pages of a book.
• Nachos or potato chips? Why is this the hardest question? I’ll say neither and chose fries!
• Baked or fried? Frying is an acceptable way of preparing almost anything.
• Candy or chocolate? Chocolate. Fancy chocolate.
• Comedy, Romance, or Horror? If you can get all three into one book, I’d be happy.
• Action, Science Fiction, or Animated? Ditto.
• Classics or Modern? Classic inspiration, modern attitude.
• Old World or New World? You mean North America versus Europe? I’m a New World girl but because of recent trips I’ve fallen in love with some Old World locales.
• Sweet or spicy? Spicy. (But not death by mouth fire.)
• Comfort or Speed? Comfort. I’m getting old.  :Laughs:

Thank you Eden for taking the time to answer my questions!

If you’d like to connect with Eden, you can find her on Twitter, Facebook, her website and her blog, her Facebook Author Page, and her Amazon Author Page.

Now let’s take a quick look at Eden’s novel Containment… Don’t forget that clicking on the cover will take you straight to Amazon!

“Life is different among the dead.”

They are kept in chambers, their energy used to feed the City’s voracious appetite for fuel now that traditional sources are long gone. These grisly fuel cells are kept watch over by Feast, a devil-human hybrid whose recent run-ins with the City leave him questioning its authority.

When he is needed to bring in one of the most dangerous creatures for containment, Feast is faced with a decision that may make him the next power source.