Getting Naked with Alyssa Linn Palmer - An Interview
I've known Alyssa (Alys to the cool kids) for a million years. I won't tell you the story of how we know each other. Suffice it to say it involves the American Revolution, a medical fetish club, an evil wizard, and a man they call Percy. Alys was the first fan of my fiction and is now and always will be my muse and first reader. Also, she's hot as fuck and we got naked together a lot at RWA11 in NYC.
But far more importantly than even being my sexy playtoy in NYC, Alys is a writer too and a damn good one. I write playful and edgy. She writes dark and elegant. I love everything of hers I've ever read. And now you can love it too.
You know you wanna read this...
I'll tell you what it's about but first...I asked Alys to answer the questions in the famous Proust questionnaire. The author Marcel Proust didn't invent these questions but he answered them so well that the questionaire now bears his name. Personally, I like Alys's answers better. Read them here and stay tuned for the book preview at the end.
Alys and Proust...sitting in a tree...
- What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
To be truly alone, without friends, family or animal companions.
- Where would you like to live?
Will anyone be surprised if I say Paris? If I had the money it’d be there or somewhere in the UK.
- What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A cosy chair, a cup of tea, a cat (or three) and a good book.
- To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Being a spendthrift.
- Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Sam Spade, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Valmont, Dracula, Marius (in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, etc.)
- Who are your favorite characters in history?
Lord Byron, Simone de Beauvoir, Katherine Swynford, Marquis de Sade
- Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
My mother, my grandmother, Simone de Beauvoir, Anne Rice, Julia Child
- Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Phedre no Delaunay, Lisbeth Salander, Rowan Mayfair, Dagny Taggart, Madame de Merteuil, any strong and unique female character.
- Your favorite painter?
Edvard Munch.
- Your favorite musician?
David Bowie.
- The quality you most admire in a man?
Intelligence and the ability to converse on various subjects. Also, talented in bed never hurts either.
- The quality you most admire in a woman?
Same as above.
- Your favorite virtue?
I had to consider whose lists of virtues to consult. Buddhists? Benjamin Franklin? Finally I settled on Sincerity.
- Your favorite occupation?
Imagining. Writing.
- Who would you have liked to be?
Myself without some of my limitations.
Now that you know the facts of Alys, get to know her fiction...
Ruth wants to escape the boredom of Bandit Creek and the strict expectations of her father, the local pastor. Her life changes the day she meets CeeCee, a world-wise flapper, and an irresistible attraction develops between them. She’ll be disowned and shunned if anyone discovers their prohibited passion, but can they keep their growing affection a secret?
CeeCee is drawn to Ruth, but things become complicated when her gangster companion disapproves of their liaison. He’s in town to broker a deal with the owner of the local speakeasy, and he’s not above using them to further his own plans. Can CeeCee protect Ruth and their budding relationship?
As Ruth gets drawn further into their world, she must decide between her familiar life and a new, dangerous path with the woman she loves.
Read the first chapter here.
By the way, while in NYC for RWA, Alys and I checked out the photobooth at the Museum of Sex. See that head peeking in on our love? That's none other than Evil Wylie himself.
About the Author – Alyssa Linn Palmer
Alyssa has many passions. Fortunately, none of them are prohibited. When she isn’t working, she's writing dark tales inspired by mid-20th-century noir books and films, cooking up a storm in her kitchen, and reading. You can find her at www.alyssalinnpalmer.com, and on Twitter.