Cinematic Royalty by Isabelle Santiago

We’d like to welcome Isabelle Santiago to our interview interrogation, er, blog today. A very talented author, Isabelle has been with us since 2007. Her works include the sweet romances Cinematic Royalty, Dark Hollywood Nights (available in the print version of Cinematic Royalty), and Surfacing.

Isabelle: Hey Marci! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of Freya’s new blog. I’m excited to be here!

FB: Our pleasure, Isabelle. Cinematic Royalty and Dark Hollywood Nights are period, film noir-style books. The first is a poignant and beautiful love story. The second’s heroine, Alexis Grant, is reminiscent of Katharine Hepburn’s spunky, humorous characters from the 50s. You write as if you lived it, but I know you didn’t. What draws you to this time period?

Isabelle: You know, I’m not sure I can really explain it. It’s just an odd obsession that I’ve had since high school. I love everything about it. The style, the lingo, the elegance, everything! The very distinct look of it all so captured in time- the bright red lips, the full bodied curls, the women with their sultry curves and the men as dapper as ever with their tailored suits. And really, I have a soft spot for fedoras.

Cinematic Royalty and Dark Hollywood Nights by Isabelle Santiago

No, but seriously, it might have started when I decided to dress in period costume for my Casablanca themed coronation ball. I’d already seen the movie and the idea of being able to be surrounded by that world made me giddy to be a part of it. Things only got worse when a friend of mine suggested some movies I’d never seen before. Among them were Sabrina, A Philadelphia Story (my favorite), An Affair to Remember, and Bringing up Baby. After that, I was a goner.

FB: Who do you think you are more like: Bridget or Alexis? And why?

Isabelle: I’m definitely more like Alexis, though secretly I’d love to be Bridget! Beautiful, confident, and envied, come on, there’s just a certain allure to that.

But instead, I’m a little awkward. I’m bookish, determined and all kinds of stubborn. I tend to get myself into trouble because I act before really thinking things through. Many of Alexis’ reactions would have been my own.

FB: Did you find it difficult to do research on this time period?

Isabelle: There is a surprisingly vast amount of information on the 50s, specifically in the areas of fashion, movies, music and automobiles- the staples of popular culture. It also helps that vintage items are so popular because it gives you a real portrait of the time. The more specific stuff was harder, like textures of fabrics used in most clothing or the price of cab fare! Things you don’t realize you’ll really need until you write the scene and are caught completely off guard.

Surfacing by Isabelle Santiago

FB: Now, Surfacing is a completely different genre. A sci-fi, contemporary, paranormal novella, it’s what we call speculative fiction. In this story, you’ve managed to write a very complex story once again. Was Paige’s character based on any one person?

Isabelle: Paige was the personification of all of my fears. That I’d become complacent in life, that I’d lost all sense of self, that I stopped striving for the impossible. Paige was the questions I asked myself when I looked in the mirror: Who are you? You aren’t the girl you used to be. Who will you become? Will you be proud of her?

In the end, her story came about as a way to remind myself that not all choices are good ones and that those difficult decisions are the ones that mold you into the person you become. It was very therapeutic and it allowed me to put many of my darkest emotions to rest.

FB: Will we see any of the characters from these book in any others?

Isabelle: As much as I loved the characters from these stories, they’ve had their say. I have about four other WIPs, and if I don’t get to those, there will be mutiny.

FB: Who is your favorite character?

Isabelle: Ohhh, this is a tough one. Of the books mentioned, I’d have to say Betty Johnson from Cinematic Royalty/Dark Hollywood Nights. She just made me laugh. She was so opinionated about everything and had such a very distinct way about her. Her voice was so precise in my head, and every time she’d come up in a scene, I kind of squee’d in delight. Ha ha.

FB: Do you have anything else in the works?

Isabelle: I do, actually. I have the first book of my fantasy series, Zerah’s Chosen, in edits with Drollerie Press. Here’s the little blurb I have on my site to describe the overall series:

Fate chose those who were worthy and marked them at conception. This mark sealed their destiny. When their world was destroyed by forbidden passion, only one, the one who possessed the power to keenly distinguish what lay in people’s hearts, would be able to set things right once again.

I’m also working on a futuristic sci-fi romance that’s heavy on politics (a subject I’ve never been very knowledgeable or interested in, frankly) and a high fantasy YA novel that’s a cross between Romeo and Juliet and just about every fairytale you can imagine. Ha ha. So I’ve got my hands pretty full.

FB: What about writing life/being an author took you by surprise?

Isabelle: Probably how all encompassing it is. I don’t think I really noticed it as much before, but now that I’m a new mom and my time is very thinly divided, I find it difficult to sit and really FOCUS on scenes because I only have a few minutes to get my jumbled thoughts on paper.

But writing is really about being ‘in a moment’. Feeling it, seeing it, the way your characters do. And I used to spend hours crafting scenes and moods and moments. I’d watch videos, listen to music, do tons of research to really get the feel just right. Now that I have to be more judicious with my time, I realize I have to be completely engrossed (no distractions- evil twitter/facebook, etc) in order to get the quality I want. It’s tough, but it’s worth it-especially those days when it all just works.

Now for some fun questions:

FB: Where did your journey as a writer begin?

Isabelle: I wrote short stories in middle school. My TAG teacher was a creative writing teacher at his own school and he loved giving us prompts. A friend of mine would have write-offs. She had a very edgy voice, and a specific mystery/suspense style. I was always so jealous.

Then, in high school I fell deep into the fanfiction world. Eventually, playing with someone else’s characters just wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to create my own.

FB: If you could be any man, living or dead, who would you want to be? Why?

Isabelle: I suppose if I could choose a fictional person, then I’d choose not to be, but to travel, with the Doctor, from the British series Doctor Who. I’d love to travel the galaxy, to see different worlds and cultures, different time periods and famous people throughout history, and to just really get a sense of where I fit into the grand scheme of the universe.

FB: Katharine Hepburn, Madonna, Lindsey Lohan, or Greta Garbo? Which these famous people do you share the most characteristics with? What characteristics do you share with them?

Isabelle: I’d have to say I’m more like Madonna, with a bit of Hepburn mixed in. I know, that just sounds ridiculous, but let me explain!

Like Madonna, I’m always changing, always adapting my style and my tastes to the stages of my life. Going through my photo albums, I’ve had people tell me they don’t even recognize me in some photos because I’ve gone through so many different ‘personas’.

But I’d like to think I’m as unconventional as Hepburn, a bit ahead of my time and unwilling to compromise when it comes to what I believe in-including my artform.

FB: Any last words? Um, for the interview, that is. (grin)

Isabelle: Just that I’m honored to be a part of the Freya’s Bower family. I’ve learned so much about the craft of writing and the art of storytelling, and I’m proud to be among some fantastic authors in this house.

I’m hoping once I finish my current projects to get back to a few sweet romances because I really think the market is in need of some old fashioned romance.

Books by Isabelle Santiago:

Cinematic Royalty by Isabelle Santiago

Cinematic Royalty Dark Hollywood Nights by Isabelle Santiago

Surfacing by Isabelle Santiago

To find out more about Isabelle, you can visit her website.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 10:36 pm and is filed under Author Interview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.