Tails of the Pack Interviews: Two Who Write as One

Hello everyone! Today's interviewees sent pictures so I can abandon that shot of the the cover of Tails of the Pack (which is still available here and here).

Today we talk to Frog and Esther Jones, who somehow manage to write together without wanting to kill each other. This is them:

And this is their interview:

1. Tell us about yourself. What do you write? What do you do besides write?

Frog and Esther Jones live in Eastern Washington with their hedgehog, Cinnabun, Oxeye the Flemish Giant, and their beta-reading panda bear. By night, these two are fantasy authors, but by day Frog works as an attorney in Northeast Washington and Idaho, and Esther works as an administrative assistant in Spokane.

2. What's your writing routine?

Generally we write on the weekends, and whenever we can sneak extra time in. We have full time day-jobs, so it can be tough to find time to write during the week.

3. Who or what are your influences?

Both of us have been heavily influenced by Jim Butcher and Robin Hobb. We love character driven stories that force our protagonists to make hard choices. We've got a bit of a Kung Fu movie master-and-apprentice theme running through our novels too.

4. What's on your bookshelf (or shelves!)?

The Dresden Series by Jim Butcher, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Farseer books by Robin Hobb, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Seven Exalted Orders by Deby Fredericks, Flicker by Kaye Thornbrugh, and The Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell.

5. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Get your butt in the seat and start typing. Don't worry about whether it's good or not. You can worry about that later.

6. What's your favorite thing about writing?

Frog: Getting to meet parts of myself that I don't often think about. When I'm writing I'm fracturing pieces of myself off and examining them. So in some ways it's a discussion with myself. If I'm very, very lucky, it's an argument.

Esther: I really enjoy seeing characters and worlds that only existed in my head take shape on the page. It's very liberating, and often goes places I didn’t originally expect!

7. Why did you decide to write a werewolf story for Tails of the Pack?

We're Skywarrior Book authors and we love participating in their anthologies... and really, Werewolves are just fun. After seeing the call for submissions, Heyboy just popped in our heads. Once we thought of him, we had to tell a story from his view point.

8. Did you have to do any research for your story?

We found a stray and set him loose in the meat aisle of the local grocery store, taking careful note of how he behaved.

Ok, not really. We kid only because we love. Our story is a light-hearted romp that didn't really need research.

9. Give us a blurb for your story.

When Heyboy, a local stray, is bitten by a strange human while fighting over a dumpster, he finds he has the heady ability to change forms. He tries to fit in with the humans around him, but fears he’s more likely to end up in the pound.

10. What other projects or publications are you working on that we should know about?

We are currently working on Book 2 of the Gift of Grace Trilogy from Skywarrior Books. Book 1, Grace Under Fire, came out in October of 2012. The Gift of Grace Trilogy centers around two main characters, Grace and Robert, who live in a world where magic is outlawed. Yet without it, reality falls apart. The books follow Grace and Robert as they fend off supernatural threats to themselves and others-- and try to keep themselves out of trouble with the law while doing it. You can find a full description of the first book here: www.amazon.com/Grace-Under-Fire-Gift-ebook/dp/B009PGGYO6

Book Two continues their adventures, along with a few new twists. ;-)

Thanks guys! Now you made me want to go to Cinnabon...

Tomorrow is our final interview (sniff) with Steven Wedel, who not only wrote for the anthology but edited it as well. Stay tuned!