Interview with Vivian Arend, our fifth author for LLC 2013!

Hi, we are Aurian from Boeklogboek and Maia from boekenlijstjes, and today we have best selling author Vivian Arend visiting us here in Utrecht, Holland.



Of course you want to know, what is LLC 2013? It is short for Autoren Love Letter Convention 2013, which takes place in Berlin, Germany, on May 25 and 26, 2013. We had a blast last year, so we immediately bought the tickets once they became available for this years convention.

Our guest today is Vivian Arend, author of paranormal, shapeshifter books and contemporary romances. Cowboys, merfolk and wolves, oh my!

Aurian: Welcome to Utrecht, the Netherlands, Vivian. Have some hot chocolate with whipped cream, and some Dutch cookies.

Vivian: Speculaas! Bedankt. Although I could also go for a bossche bol with a nice cup of coffee.



Maia: Can you tell our readers who might not yet know you or your books, a little about yourself? Something that is not in your official bio (which is at the bottom of this post).

Vivian: Well, I can tell you I have a deep love for the Netherlands. My father is Dutch, and I have a tante and cousins living here. I’ve visited a few times, including a couple years ago when I got to meet a few bloggers from the Netherlands—which was very exciting.

LL Convention questions

Aurian: Could you tell us why you are attending a convention in Berlin, Germany, Europe? Have you been there before? Or other places in Europe? Were you surprised at being invited to a convention this far away?

Vivian: I have travelled through Europe a few times—first when I was young with the family, and then later when I came to the Netherlands to coach a sports team for a summer. We got to visit places in Germany, Belgium, France, Spain and England on that trip.
I’m thrilled to be invited to attend the LLC this year. Not only because I love to travel, but because readers specifically asked for me. <3 Such an amazing feeling for an author. Maia: The convention is in Berlin, a beautiful city. Are you planning to do some sightseeing? In Berlin or even in the rest of Europe? Vivian: Definitely! I’ve never been to Berlin, so after the conference my daughter is flying out to join me and we’re staying to explore. I’ll be talking to everyone I can during the conference for all the ‘must see’ places to visit. Aurian: There's a lovely group of authors coming this year. Do you personally know any of the other authors present? Vivian: I do! When I got the invitation I checked the author list and I was so excited to see that Maya Banks is attending, and Courtney Milan. Maya is a dear friend who’s encouraged me greatly in my writing career over the past couple years, and I’m thrilled to have another chance to visit with her. Courtney and I share a group of smart, writer friends and we’ve gone on a writer’s retreat together, so catching up with her will be lovely. And then, after I found out I was going, my good friend Thea Harrison announced she would attend! Trust me: I’m a reader as well as a writer, and all three of these ladies write books that thrill me. Getting to be at an event with them is awesome. Maia: The convention promo and books are in German. Will it be possible for you to bring some English swag? Vivian: I will be bringing treats! And I know Samhain Publishing will be sending along both cowboy and wolfie books. Hopefully Berkley will have something as well. Book questions:

Maia: I loved your wolves. The first books I read by your hand were the Granite Lake wolves. My favourite was Wolf Tracks. T.J. is a bit of a goof, but he knows what his mate needs and gives her the space to find it herself.
In the last book of this series you branch out into other shifters (cats). And in the spin-off series about the Takhini-wolves there are bears. Are there going to be more kinds of shifters, even non-predatory species?
Aurian’s friend Sullivan McPig is still looking for a book with pig shifters, are you going to be the author who will make her happy?

Vivian: Oh, Sully and Wolfie have discussed this issue. :D The Granite Lake and Takhini series seem to be evolving into many species, but all predators. There are definite plans for another trilogy involving wolfies, and one for bears/other beasties. Piggies? I think Sully is one of a kind. There’s no way to make a hero better than him, so I’m not even going to try. ;)

Aurian: You’ve written a lot of different books (contemporary, shapeshifters) all of them rather hot. Do you think you’ll ever branch out into Young Adult like so many other authors seem to do?

Vivian: The first thing I wrote was a YA fantasy book, so who knows? I love what I’m writing now in terms of romance and looking for happily-ever-afters, but it’s possible that at some point I’ll return to that YA world and turn down the heat.

Personal questions:

Maia: We both have enormous TBR mountain ranges, how big is yours? And what do you plan on reading next?

Vivian: Shh, I don’t want to say this too loudly, but I just about conquered the TBR mountain! Seriously. Over the holidays we went on a trip, and I had nothing but my ebook reader and I just about knocked out ALL my new books. Now, I’ve been blessed with a whole bunch of ARCs from my writer friends. (Yes, it’s a perk of writing that I simply LOVE) I’ve already read the second book in Maya Banks Breathless series. FEVER is so good—such a unique heroine! And I read the upcoming Spindle Cove by Tessa Dare. And I consumed the next Green Pines book by Moira Rogers—all of these are favourite authors.

Aurian: Who are some of your favourite authors? Do you still have the books you loved reading as a young girl?

Vivian: Oops! I snuck in a few names in that last answer, but I also love Jaci Burton, Lauren Dane, Kit Rocha, Lorelei James. From my reading when I was growing up I still have all the Isaac Asimov, all the Narnia series and the old classics of “What Katy Did” and “What Katy Did Next”. I didn’t read the Canadian classic Anne of Green Gables until I was in my twenties for some reason, but I love them all now.


And now for some fun quick questions:

Are you left-handed or right-handed?
Right for writing, left for everything else.

What is your favourite movie, and which is the last one you saw in the theater?
Favourite movie has to be Princess Bride and my daughter and I went to Les Mis

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Both. I like getting up early and staying up late, and then I need a nap in the middle of the day.

What famous author, dead or alive, would you love to meet and why?
Tough question. I think it would have to be Asimov, because he wrote in so many genres and was so detailed in what he wrote, and yet everything he produced I find so readable. I’d love to chat with him about his process.



Official Bio
Vivian Arend in one word: Adventurous. In a sentence: Willing to try just about anything once. That wide-eyed attitude has taken her around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water.
Her optimistic outlook also meant that when challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write and otherwise keep herself well entertained.
(Not-so-official bio)
The 2007 Nanowrimo challenge in November triggered my addiction with writing. When I discovered ebooks and romance novels in 2008, the rush was on. April 2008 I began writing what became my first published work- Wolf Signs released March 2009.
Becoming a writer has given me friends from around the world, and allows me continue to use my imagination. Peter Pan had something right – there’s a part of me that never wants to grow up. Playing pretend is too much fun. It’s also possible to write anywhere in the world.
I enjoy reading and writing both contemporary and paranormal works. Outdoor experiences figure prominently in my work partly because I’ve travelled extensively with my husband and family – to places with and without running water. My current highest elevation reached is 5000m (Cotapaxi mountain in Ecuador). I can help build a house, sew enough to repair just about anything, and I know far more than 101 uses for Duct tape.
I hope you enjoy my work.


Where to find Vivian:
Website: http://www.vivianarend.com/
Blog: http://www.vivianarend.com/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VivianArend
Twitter: @VivianArend
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2932249.Vivian_Arend

Vivian’s next book is High Risk, the First book in the new Adrenaline series, which will be published on March 5, 2013.


LIFELINE: an elite search-and-rescue squad based out of Banff, Alberta. Specializing in high-risk rescue missions, this team goes wherever the job takes them…

Rebecca James was once revered for her devil-may-care attitude and backcountry survival skills. But ever since she lost her partner in a fatal accident, patches of her memory have been missing. And until she can recall those final, tragic moments before the accident, she can’t move on.

Since Marcus Landers was permanently injured during a mission, all his energies have been focused on his Lifeline team. When Becki—whom he had an intense affair with seven years ago—arrives in Banff, he’s inspired to reignite the spark they once had. Their mutual ardor slowly awakens Becki’s dormant, haunting memories.

New truths surface until Becki must at last confront her greatest fear. Remembering the past might mean a future without the man she loves…

Giveaway!
I am giving away High Risk, or a pre-order of the second book in the series, High Passion to one of my followers. Just answer this question and leave me your email address if I don’t have it yet: have you read some of Vivian’s books, and if yes, which one is your favourite?

Here are just some of her bookcovers to get you in the mood: