An Interview with PI Barrington's muse, Jinx!

Hi everyone - today we have PI Barrington's muse, Jinx, visiting at the Desert Breeze blog. Patti's book, "Crucifying Angel," has gotten fantastic reviews. I just started reading it now, and I love how it moves, fast, effortlessly, and the characters are intriguing. The crime? Death by crucification - at least that's how it appears. It takes place in the not so distant future in Las Vegas, NV, sin city capital of the world. Kudos to Patti & Jinx on a great story! Now, onto the questions....

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STEPH; Jinx, tell me what you look like - are you a pixie muse? A blonde bombshell? Curly brown hair?

JINX: I'm definitely the mini-blonde bombshell pixie type. Not like Patti at all! But definitely not Tinker Bell either.

STEPH: How long have you worked with Patti?

JINX: Her entire life; she just didn't know it. She just now is giving me the recognition I deserve! I've always been hovering around, whispering in her ear (well, okay screaming at times), pointing out ideas or causing her to look up at just the right moment to see or hear or smell something that leads to an idea. Scents can do it too.

STEPH: Is Patti an easy or hard writer to inspire - or somewhere in between?

JINX: Easy, way easy! She can be walking around a store and I can find something to trigger an idea; a paisley design will bring back a memory to build upon; something visual will trigger it: a poster, a skyline, someone dressed unusually or very chic or in a uniform; a nature vista can do it too.


STEPH: What tricks of the trade did you use to help Patti with Crucifying Angel?

I dredged up a few old tricks I've used in the distant past that fit nicely into this novel. For instance I reminded her to pay attention to something tiny but pivotal about a person or a place or a thing that could create the concept of the story. Tiny things about people or places or things that might go unnoticed by everyone else can be an unbelievable ignition for characterization, setting, even plot. For Crucifying Angel, Las Vegas became the setting for several reasons: the first being that the desert landscape appears already strangely and seemingly destroyed although there is a huge living eco structure there; also she and I know that area fairly well and it was easily described as a setting; and last the visuals of the city, the casino lights on the Strip at night and the oddly drab of the casinos in the daylight were familiar too. I also forced her to actually do a little research on the ecology of the place, things that in reality are threatening the environment of the area which happened to be from extreme mining. It all kind of tied the story details and location together coherently and gave Crucifying Angel the correct atmosphere for the novel.



STEPH: Where do you go on vacation?

JINX: Las Vegas of course, lol! It's a four hour drive away, you don’t stay forever, and I love the moonscape look of the desert in the day. It's easy to picture an alien planetscape there. Also the beach, anywhere with nature, though I have been known to traipse through big cities on occasion! There's also a secret place that Patti and I share and we've sworn a pact never to reveal it!


STEPH: Do you plan on reading the Desert Breeze Anthology, Be Mused, about muses?

JINX: Planning? I'm so excited I'm hopping up and down! It's about time we got some recognition and appreciation! Muses are people too!


STEPH: Tell us about the latest project you and Patti have been working on.

JINX: Miraculous Deception, Book Two of the Future Imperfect series, in fact was just completed and will be released in June! I gave Patti several of the ideas and twists for that one, but its part of a series that we both love, so working on Future Imperfect is and has been a joy for us! Upcoming next is the Borealis novelette for a DBP anthology our Editor Gail R. Delaney conceived and is assembling right now. That's the current WIP. The concept is great and writing it is fun as well!

STEPH: Tell us a little known fact about Patti.

JINX: Deep down she's a pathetically incurable romantic. If a man gave her a hand-picked bouquet of flowers, she'd swoon. No joke. Oh, yeah today's her birthday hence the name Patti!

STEPH: What were the most satisfying projects you've worked on? Why?

JINX: So far, Future Imperfect. Each book is more fun to write and a little more intricate than the one before it. I've given her the opening for Book Three, untitled as of now as well as the ending scene I developed during Crucifying Angel! Hopefully people will enjoy it!

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Thanks for popping in today, Jinx! Good luck on books 2 & 3 of the Future Imperfect series.

Smiles
Steph

Welcome PI Barrington - Featured Nov Author

I just want to welcome PI Barrington the blog today. Her release, "Crucifying Angel" is a NOV 09 release! Welcome, PI!



Thanks, Stephanie for allowing me to be your guest today.
As mentioned, I am P.I. Barrington and also a Desert Breeze author! My first novel, Crucifying Angel, is the first in the Future Imperfect series. I like to call it a 'near future' sci-fi crime thriller set in Las Vegas 32 years from now. I'd categorize it as a warm romance, a tiny bit more intimate than sweet. However, romance stops at the bedroom door. Why? I once read an article that claimed the most romantic scene in Gone with the Wind was the one where Rhett carries Scarlett up the dramatic stairway. I completely agree. The mind is the most romantic generator that exists.



STEPH:
Who are your writing influences?

PI
Everybody says this but as for actual writing technique, I'd say Stephen King. I've read almost piece of literature known to man and I'm sure everything has influenced me as far as, say vocabulary, grammar, phrasing, stuff like that. But I just couldn't seriously relate to any of it. I tried different writing styles but I just wasn't happy with them. When I picked up "Carrie" that was it. I identified with his style and technique instantaneously; way more than anyone else. He's not really my favorite writer but his style and technique…I don't know. I just completely get it.

Steph: A lot of people have said King has been their influence. There's no doubt about his mastery over words.


STEPH
Tell me about your muse.

PI
The closest I can come to describing why I write is the word "urge" rather than "muse". Sometimes you just gotta do it. I have no peace otherwise. It won't leave me alone until it's down on paper somewhere somehow. I'll write on my own body if I have to, but most of the time, an idea, setting, dialogue will burst through my synapses and I'm writing the scene in my head as I go along doing shopping, laundry, whatever, until I can get to a keyboard or pen and paper.


STEPH
What do you like to sing?

PI
I love everything from 'classical' which is really a misnomer to rap. My sister used get creeped out when I would play an old Kay Kaiser lp (yes, vinyl!) that I got from a radio station where I worked. It was an old scratchy song from the 1920's. Can't remember the name of the song but she would say it sounded like it belonged in a horror movie. But seriously, I love all music. I'll sing any of it anytime. That's how I ended up working in the music industry—I love the music so much, I just wanted to be near it somehow, performing or not. And yes, I really do like rap.


STEPH
Why did you pick Las Vegas as the setting for "Crucifying Angel?"


PI
I love Las Vegas. It has such a strange fascination for me. It's like Disneyland for adults. When I began Crucifying Angel, I decided to put my personal dream man in it, Tall, Dark and British. But I wanted to really give him an obstacle course to deal with so I stuck him in the place most opposite of cool, green England. Las Vegas pretty much fit the bill.

STEPH: I think Vegas is the PERFECT locale for your book, PI!


STEPH
You are casting the movie - who do you pick for Payce and Gavin.


PI
Payce really doesn't have an actress attached to her. I found a picture of a woman target shooting and that gave me the opening of the book. I mean, I can see her in my head, but no real live actress comes to mind as a match. Gavin? I went nuts looking for an actor that fit my picture of him, which at times is even now still kind of vague to me. I found an actor (who shall remain unnamed) who kind of fit, but still fell short of the mark. Trust me I've tried casting those two. Normally, I almost immediately cast my characters with actors but these two just stand on their own. Half the time they defy what I want them to do or be.

STEPH
Can you give us a teaser for Miraculous Deception?

PI
This book is definitely the heart of the series. There will be a lot of betrayal, intrigue, a character or two being killed off…

STEPH
Has your work in the entertainment industry influenced your writing, including Crucifying Angel?


PI
In the industry, you learn pretty quickly what works and what doesn't. I always write with a film version in mind. Once you understand the different formats, film, television, video, music, you can put it together in a way that works on paper and translates to the screen as well. It's just one big movie in my head and I tend to write that way. Crucifying Angel was written that way, a series of scenes. I write and think visually and that was a big help for the video department where I worked for the majority of my time in entertainment. I think most writers do that, they write the images they 'see' in their mind's eye. The only thing I don't do, which a lot of other writers do is have a soundtrack going, either in their story or as they’re writing playing in the background. I save that for the day I direct!


STEPH: Wicked interesting as to your thoughts. I tend to write in as a series of scenes as well.
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Thanks
Steph

Featured November Release - Crucifying Angel by PI Barrington

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A serial killer with an unholy mission is unleashed on deteriorating sin city Las Vegas and LVPD Homicide Detectives Payce Halligan and her new partner, British ex-Deputy Chief Inspector begin a deadly cat and mouse game as each must deal with their own traumatic past and their evolving attraction.

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EXCERPT:

The next tableau of death also sat eight stories up in another iron skeleton that was once a casino in utero. Again, the body of the victim hung upside down, crucified from two iron girders crossed into an X, the victim's ankles pierced and wired to the two top opposing ends of beams and body slashed in the identical locations. White linen cloths draped the body, reminiscent of Roman togas, did nothing to hide the degrading posture or the disrespect of the murderer, nor the fact that the desecrated body could be seen from the Strip below by pedestrians and passengers alike. Their curiosity peaked by the obvious attempt at hiding the crime scene with yellow police tarps that only made the scene more visible.

Gavin walked to the edge of the scaffold, gazing at the vistas of Las Vegas, trying to take in the wide, unending expanse of desert and make sense of the bizarre methods of death. Was there some message in the patterns known only to the killer and mattering only to him? Was there something he wanted to authorities to take notice of, something he was telling them? Or was it just the death-addicted actions of a homicide junkie?

This was the place for it. Las Vegas, sin city from its inception, was hot as hell literally and figuratively, was as barren and painfully garish and distorted as any lower floor of Hades. Even the populace on the streets below looked and lived like lost denizens of the Underworld.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

P.I. Barrington has returned to her original career choice of fiction writing after a long detour in the entertainment industry. Her experience includes work as a newspaper journalist, radio air talent, and at a major record company. She lives in Southern California with her dog and wildlife in her rural neighborhood.

Books by P.I. Barrington at Desert Breeze Publishing:

Future Imperfect Book One: Crucifying Angel - Available November 2009

Future Imperfect Book Two: Miraculous Deception - Available June 2010

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REVIEWS

"Crucifying Angel is a great story. There is a lot of action and a nice set of clues and a deep mystery. I enjoyed the main characters Gavin and Payce as well as the cliffhanger. Readers, consider checking this book out! I’m looking forward to the next book in this stunning new suspense series."

Silvermage, Night Owl Romance Book Reviews

Rating = 4.25 Hearts

Get Pumped!! Crucifing Angel a November Release

P.I. Barrington's soon be released Crucifying Angel, Book 1 of the Future Imperfect series is already getting reviews. Here's what several sites had to say:

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From Night Owl Romance Reviews:

Title: Crucifying Angel

Sub Title: Book One of the Future Imperfect series

Authors: P I Barrington

Genres: Suspense / Mystery, Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Available Online: Oct 14, 2009

Online Link:

Hearts: 4.25 out of 5

Review by: Silvermage

"Crucifying Angel is a great story. There is a lot of action and a nice set of clues and a deep mystery. I enjoyed the main characters Gavin and Payce as well as the cliffhanger. Readers, consider checking this book out! I'm looking forward to the next book in this stunning new suspense series. "

See the rest of the review at: Online Link: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=4939

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From Yvonne Mason, Reviewer/Blogger:

" Ms. Barrington plays the reader like a finely tuned piano with the twists and turns and the undercurrent of electricity of Det. Payce and Det Gavin. She then adds the timpani of the serial killer and his misguided reasons for what he does. Crucifying Angel is absolutely a must read, but beware, you will have to get the next installment. The best is yet to come. Defiantly a five star read."

Here's a link to Yvonne's Blog and the rest of the review: http://yvonnemason.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/p-i-barringtons-soon-to-be-released-crucifying-angel-is-a-five-star-read/

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=4939 :