What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
I abandoned Brooklyn for Charleston 5 years ago after falling in love with the mystical Southern city. I've always been a sci-fi writer, but I was transfixed by the haunted cobbles, lofty spires, and vivid honeysuckle. Link and River walked right out of that and into my life, whether I wanted them to or not!
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
Link—the dour, intense detective—leans hard Muse ("Apocalypse Please"). The tatted and pierced River? Something punk/pop. "Walk" by Foo Fighters comes to mind. Lynch—the high-class baddy—Scriabin all the way, like the dreadful "Vers la flamme" (Toward the Flame).
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Omg… don't slay me: Young Adult, hahaha! Seriously: "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" and "The Chronicles of Prydain" I read at least once a year, with a healthy side of "Watership Down" and "A Wrinkle in Time".
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Aside from the classics above? Lol… Amber by Zelazny, of course. Anything Zelazny, just a tap away on my Kindle. But a re-read of anything by Katherine Kurtz or Octavia Butler is long overdue. And Fellowship, of course. And a sad confession: I'm deep into "A Grief Observed" by C. S. Lewis. But that's another story…
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Any of the hard magic or ritualistic scenes were super fun to make almost believable: astral projection, demonic summonings, deep trances, psychometric readings. And, most of all, anything involving actual ghosts! They are seldom what we expect them to be!
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Snuffles, a genuine original pink GUND stuffed bear, is nearly 40 years old and pretty opinionated about my writing (although I don't think she can really read). She loves to binge Stargate SG-1 with me.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Tomorrow is NOT NECESSARILY another day!
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Please remember that if there are ghosts – even mean ones – it's actually a GOOD thing. It proves we are more than bodies with brains, that our minds and maybe our personas survive into another kind of existence.
VV Sinclair is the author of the new book Mark of the Scorpion (Charleston Ghost Book 1)
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