Make-Believe Mondays with Misty Evans

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Misty Evans

Misty, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Misty: So glad you asked! I’m working on the second book in my series of Super Agents. The first book, OPERATION SHEBA, introduces Julia and Conrad, partners and lovers in a game of high-risk espionage and is due out September 9th. They show up again in the second book, but in this story you also meet Lawson and Zara who have to stop a mad scientist from starting a world-wide plague.

I’m also editing my paranormal comedy that won Samhain’s Tickle My Fantasy Contest, WITCHES ANONYMOUS. This story is about a bad witch trying to get away from Lucifer and become good. She gets mixed up with the original Adam (who’s back on Earth for a redo) and the angel Gabriel.

Debra: Oh, they both sound like fun reads.

Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Misty: Quiet time. When my twins were born, I learned how fast I could burn out, not just creatively, but mentally, physically and emotionally, if I didn’t find a few minutes every day to myself. My imagination is always active, but time to meditate, read, work in my herb garden, or simply sit out on the patio and look at the stars feeds my creative muse better than anything else.

Debra: Meditation is something I've been meaning to incorporate into my life on a daily basis. Yes, time to ourselves, quiet time, is so important.

Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Misty: The moment they enter my mind! My muse watches reality TV in my brain.

Debra: LOL What a fun image!

Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Misty: Creating a fictional world of Eden for WITCHES ANONYMOUS was great fun and I played with words, language and especially the theme of good versus evil. Amy, my bad witch who is trying to go good joins a Witches Anonymous group – great fodder for playing with words right there. I wrote the other characters—Lucifer, Adam and Gabriel—with unique personalities that differ from the traditional ones our culture has instilled in us, so again, I messed with wording and language to make them believable.

I also had fun making up spells for Amy. For example, the Atomic Sister Slave spell—any time your sister steals your boyfriend or your stash of chocolate, you can turn her into your slave for twenty-four hours.

Debra: Oh, now that is a good spell to have. LOL

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Misty: Yes, several times. Dreams are another form of muse for me. In Operation Sheba, Julia dreams about a man chasing her through a carnival before he draws a gun and kills her. That dream is based on a recurring nightmare I had in my twenties. To this day, it’s still a visceral experience for me to remember it. In Julia’s version, I had her realize at the last second that the man is Conrad. On one level it symbolizes the fact that he’s betrayed her in real life. On another, it symbolizes her fear of being a victim.

Debra: That is fascinating. Recurring nightmares are a terrible thing to have, though. I'm glad you're no longer having them.

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Misty: Just about every book I read. J Charlotte’s Web, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Laura Ingalls, Nancy Drew, the list could on forever. Even now, I read kids books and YA. My boys and I are currently digesting the City of Ember series together. I can’t keep up with all the great YA authors, there are so many.

Debra: If there were no categories for books, no reader expectations to meet, and you could create the wildest work of imagination that you could think of what kind of story would that be?

Misty: Probably exactly what I write now, suspense with a side of humor. I’d like to explore darker characters, especially female ones, but not in a paranormal context. I like real-life women who have dark sides, like Holly Hunter’s character Grace on Saving Grace.

Debra: Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?

Misty: Think of yourself as a compass. All points on the compass send and receive creative energy. If you find one point isn’t working for you or is stifling your creativity, turn yourself a different way and be open to something new.

Debra: What a beautiful image and a good way to explain creative energy!

Misty, thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Misty: Thank you so much for having me!

Debra: It's been a pleasure.
Readers please visit Misty at

www.readmistyevans.com
and
groups.yahoo.com/group/MistyEvansSuspense

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

I just returned home after a 2,100 mile drive from Las Vegas to Memphis. Got in late last night. It was a beautiful trip. We went to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, stayed in Kanab Utah at the Parry Innn, where the movie stars used to stay and we visited a movie set, we stayed in Alberquerque, NM where we visited the old town and Oklahoma City where we saw the Cowboy Hall of Fame. It's quite a long drive though and we made it in 4 days. I'm having trouble with my swollen ankles so the doctor has put me on bed rest for two days, which is why this is posting so late on a Monday. (And I really should be in bed right now.)

So it's going to be a quiet week for me. I'll post pictures and tell about my trip over on myspace once I have rested up.

www.debraparmley.com