Scott Prussing Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

Scott Prussing is the author of the three books in the paranormal romance series The Blue Fire Saga (Breathless, Deathless, and Helpless) as well as two mystery/suspense novels available in ebook form (Unturned Stones and Tangled Webs). He is also the author of the teen romance ebook Mine: A Love Story, whose plot is based on the hit songs of Taylor Swift.

Scott has degrees in psychology from the University of Connecticut and Yale University. After graduate school, Scott was smart enough to move to beautiful San Diego, California, where he lives just four blocks from the ocean. In addition to writing, Scott enjoys going to the movies (not renting!), hiking, riding his bike along the coast, and golf. He remains one of the few people in the United States without a cell phone.

Social Media

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Tell us your latest news.

Two of my Blue Fire Saga books just finished nicely in a couple of reader polls. Breathless was voted 6th best indie novel of 2011 at Paranormal Reads and Deathless was voted 5th best YA novel in the Preditors and Editors poll. (I think that’s a great accomplishment for a book that is more crossover than YA.)

On a marketing note, I am currently running a 35% off special on the 3 book Blue Fire Saga package on my website, www.scottprussing.com, so it’s a great time to buy.

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in New Jersey, but was smart enough to move to beautiful San Diego soon after graduate school. Home is a small apartment 4 blocks from the beach.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Easygoing, creative, smart.

How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

I don’t think my environment/upbringing has colored my writing in any specific ways, other than it made me the person that I am. My dad turned me on to Edgar Rice Burroughs novels at an earlier age, so I grew to love fantasy adventure stories. I do tend to place my novels in geographic locations I’m familiar with.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

J.R. R. Tolkien – a master storyteller. Lord of the Rings inspired me to try my hand at writing a novel.

For those who are unfamiliar with your Blue Fire Saga, how would you introduce it?

The Blue Fire Saga is a paranormal romance series filled with passion, warm humor, mystery and supernatural danger. It’s a vampire romance with lots of fresh twists (one-fanged vampires, anyone?) and characters beyond vampires (volkaanes, wizards, zombies, a Necromancer).

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book?

You should read my Blue Fire Saga books because people tend to fall in love with the characters; plus, they have compelling storylines that make them difficult to put down.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

One of the most pleasant surprises was how, once I got the 4 or 5 major characters started, they seemed “come alive” and began to act and speak on their own. It made the writing so much easier. All I had to do was put them in a situation and let them to take it from there.

If you gave some of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?

Leesa would say “C’mon Scott, figure out a way I can kiss Rave the way I want already!” Cali would say “When are you going to write me a vampire boyfriend, for chrissakes?” Rave would probably say “Thank you for sending Leesa my way. She’s incredible.”

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?

My books are self-published, so there was no “accepted” occasion. I was also heavily involved in the cover art of Breathless, so there was no surprise or “Aha!” moment there, either. The first reviews and reader responses were amazingly exhilarating, though. I thought Breathless was a pretty good book—comfortably familiar but with plenty of new twists—but getting verification from reviewers and readers was very sweet.

If you could introduce Leesa to any character from another book, who would it be and why?

I would introduce her to Marissa, the lead character in my teen romance (based on the songs of Taylor Swift) Mine: A Love Story. Leesa and Marissa have a lot in common. I think they’d be great friends.

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?

The chapter where Leesa attends her first Vampire Science class at college. I wanted to get across, in a fun way, the idea about how many different (and often competing) versions of vampires there are in books and movies. I guess one of the simplest (and most controversial) examples is Twilight’s vampires “sparkling” while most others have vampires burned by sunlight. I was familiar with many of these differences and did lots of googling to get the details for others…such as who played Tom Cruise’s vampire girlfriend in the Interview with the Vampire movie. That chapter was very challenging, but fun to write.

Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own

life? No, but I do name many of my characters after my fans, and even use pieces of their actual physical descriptions when possible. They love it.

Are there any tips you would give a book club to better navigate their discussion of  your book? 

 No real tips… just enjoy the ride. I actually attended a vampire book club here in San Diego when they discussed Breathless. It was lots of fun – and three of the members got to be vampires in book 3!

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

HELPLESS. I’d say “Book three of the paranormal romance Blue Fire Saga is filled with the same passion, humor, suspense and supernatural danger that made readers fall in love with Breathless and Deathless.”

What question are you never asked in interviews but wish you were?

I’d love someone to ask “Can I order 100 copies of your books?” (my answer would be “you bet!”)

I’d also like someone to ask me “what’s going on with the first line of each chapter in Breathless?” My answer would be they are all the opening line (or partial opening line) of another book. Could be a classic, like Tale of Two Cities or The Stranger, or another fantasy like Sword of Shannara or one of the Eragorn books (I can’t remember which one offhand), or a vampire book like Interview with the Vampire. I had to cheat just a bit by using the first line of two poems and one play. I just did it for fun and to give readers something to puzzle out or research if they were so inclined.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

Can’t think of one. Honestly.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Interacting with so many amazing fans on Facebook has been far and away my most rewarding experience. I have met LOTS of awesome people.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

I don’t have an attic or basement, so I guess it would have to be my closet. You might be surprised by what you wouldn’t see—no suits, sport jackets, ties. Lots of T-shirts and golf shirts and casual pants.

Which author would you love to co-author a book with? 

It’s not possible, of course, but I’d love to co-author a book with Mark Twain. He was a wonderful combination of wit, wisdom and storytelling. I’ve actually been fooling around with a “mash-up” version of Huckleberry Finn with vampires and zombies. It’s fun to try to write in Twain’s Huck Finn voice!

What do you normally eat for breakfast?

I’m pretty boring. I eat bran flakes with raisins (fresh raisins, not Raisin Bran) and non-fat milk pretty much every morning. It’s easy, healthy and I like it. No juice, no coffee, just my cereal (and a fish oil capsule).

What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed?

Midnight in Paris…a Woody Allen movie about a writer and time travel. I loved it—funny, touching, very creative. The writer goes back in time and meets Hemingway, Dali, Picasso, others…

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

I am not very good with this kind of question (you would think as a writer of fiction, I would be!). How about Neil Armstrong? I’d love to see the earth from space and hit a few golf balls on the moon.

Where can your readers stalk you?

On Facebook, either under my name, or Breathless Fampires page, or Breathless Vampire Book page. Also, on my website, www.scottprussing.com Stalk away, readers! I’m one of the most accessible writers out there.

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Breathless is book one in the Blue Fire Saga, a modern fantasy/romance in the mode of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, but with enough twists and new ideas to excite even the most devoted fans... Book Two, Deathless, will be available in early Fall 2011.
Weston College freshman Leesa Nyland has been fascinated by vampires since she was three years old. That's when her mom started acting weird, insisting sunlight hurt her skin because she'd been bitten by a one-fanged vampire.
But fascinated doesn't mean Leesa believes. Any more than she believes in blue fire, people who live for centuries, and kisses that can kill. But when her beloved older brother suddenly disappears, she is forced to consider all these and more. She also has to figure out what to do about her mysterious new boyfriend. She knows Rave likes her a lot-so why won't he kiss her?
As Leesa draws closer to finding her brother, she faces some gut-wrenching decisions. Should she risk her mom's life trying to "cure" her? Should she continue seeing Rave, after he reveals his dangerous secret? And most terrifying of all, should she make the ultimate sacrifice-give up her humanity-to save her brother?

You can purchase The Blue Fire Saga Series  here:

Scott Prussing Website

The Blue Fire Saga

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And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you Scott for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive one Signed Copy of Breathless by Scott Prussing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway