Joining me today is Author E. Van Lowe author of the soon to be released Boyfriend from Hell.
Hello and thank you so much for joining me today.
It’s great to be here.
First off could you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a fun loving writer who likes putting his female protagonists in dangerous yet romantic situations. I grew up in New York City, moved to LA to go to graduate school, and wound up staying in California. I’ve spent most of my career writing television sitcoms and a few movies. I am happy to be returning to my great love—books. I laugh a lot; I love hanging out with my friends and family, and drinking either wine or tequila.
What was your inspiration for Boyfriend from Hell?
When I finished Never Slow Dance With A Zombie (my first YA Paranormal), I was looking for something other than zombies or vampires to get into. I saw a YouTube video for Lucy Daughter of The Devil. It was funny and irreverent. A bell went off in my head—write about the devil. However, as I got into it, I really wanted to explore themes that were close to me, mother/daughter relationships and dating bad boys. Want to know how these two come together? Read the book. LOL.
In three words can you describe Boyfriend from Hell.
Don’t date him!
If you could choose a theme song for Boyfriend from Hell what would it be?
I love music, and I love putting music into my work. There are songs referenced in all my books. For this one, I chose an 80s hit by an Australian group—Men At Work. The song is called Down Under:
“I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."
If you think of hell as Down Under, those words are downright chilling.
For fun I've added a link to the song. Gotta love those eighties songs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jHXu86O01w
If Boyfriend from Hell were to be turned into a t.v. series or movie who would you like to see casts as Megan, Suze, Armando, and Guy?
If I was lucky enough for BFFH to become a movie, I’d like Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars to play Meagan; Gail O’Grady, the awesome mom on Hellcats, to play Suze; Taylor Lautner would be an excellent Bad boy as Guy; and Gilles Marini from Brothers & Sisters to play Armando. If you don’t know Gilles, he plays Rachel Griffiths new husband on the show. He’s French and not Spanish, but he’s handsome as hell, so I don’t think the audience would care. LOL. Thanks for asking. It’s fun to dream.
I love your picks!
Do you read the same genre of books that you write?
I read lots of genres. I have eclectic taste, but I try to keep up with the Paranormal authors as best I can. I have read a lot of Laurell K. Hamilton and Kim Harrison. More recently I’ve read Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia, as well as Stacey Jay.
What is one of your all time favorite books?
I can name lots of literary titles: Catcher in The Rye, The Invisible Man, Angela’s Ashes, all of which I think are great, but I really love Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli. That little YA book moved me. I think a piece of that boy, Leo Borlock, lives in all of us. Sad to say, but I have been in his shoes, and like him, out of fear, did the wrong thing. There’s a wonderful lesson to be learned in that book.
What have been some of your favorite books so far in 2011?
I just finished Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. Awesome. Loved it. I read and loved the Trylle Trilogy by uberkind, Amanda Hocking, Beautiful Darkness by Stohl and Garcia, but Death On The Delta by Stacey Jay is my new fave. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It’s a great paranormal tale that is very well written, and has the best and most realistic romantic dilemma I have ever read… I sound like her agent. LOL. But seriously, it’s an awesome book.
What do you like to do in your spare non-writing time?
I watch my share of TV, like everyone I guess, and am totally into the new season of True Blood. I love sports, and play tennis several days a week. I see an average of four to five movies a month; I travel; work with young writers; I am on the advisory board of Educating Young Minds and Operation Education; I love hanging out, and I already mentioned tequila. And, of course, reading. Phew! I just made myself tired.
When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a writer… and a basketball player. What can I say, I’m from the hood. I started writing when I was ten, but didn’t get serious about it until I was in college.
When do you realize that you wanted to be a writer?
When I was ten-years-old I got pneumonia during the summer. For a kid who loves the outdoors, being housebound all summer could have been unbearable. Fortunately, my mother knew me well. She said “You love making up stories. Why not write some of them down?” Now, here’s the kicker. She said: “You can make money.” That was all my ten-year-old ears needed to hear. I was already a big reader. I started writing fiction. It got me through the summer, and I’ve been writing ever since.
Can you share a little about what you are currently working on or what you are planning to work on in the near future?
I recently turned in the sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Earth Angel, to my editor. Oh boy! Now the dreaded editing process begins *sigh*. I am also working on putting together the Never Slow Dance With A Zombie movie musical. I hope by the time this is published, I can say it’s set up somewhere. Fingers and toes crossed ;-)
Thanks again for joining me today!
You’re welcome. This was a fun interview. I'd like to add that Boyfriend From Hell is the first book in the Falling Angels Saga. AND my big news is, while my book is scheduled for publication September 1st, my publisher (White Whisker Books) is offering an ebook pre-sale, where for two weeks (from Aug 15th-31st) Boyfriend From Hell kindle or Nook will be available for just $2.99. On September 1st the book will go up to its regular price, so get it early. Readers can go to my publisher's website (http://whitewhisker.com/) on or after the 15th to purchase.
You can find my review of Boyfriend from Hell here and the rest of E.Van Lowe's blog tour here
