Interview: Nalini Singh

Those of you who read this blog with any regularity are well aware that I'm a huge fan–dare I say a complete and utter fangirl–of Nalini Singh and both of her adult paranormal romance series. It goes without saying then that I'm absurdly excited to welcome her back to the blog today to answer a few questions about her latest release in the Psy-Changeling series, Tangle of Need. I think Nalini writes absolutely captivating characters, and hers are stories that bring a smile to my face every time without fail, so I hope anyone who has yet to pick up one of her books will give her a try!

You give those of us who absolutely adore Hawke and Sienna a gift in Tangle of Need by continuing their story right alongside Adria and Riaz’s. Is there one scene between Hawke and Sienna in this book that is a particular favorite of yours?

This is a really tough question! If I absolutely must choose, I think the scene with them in bed after the mating ceremony has a particular poignancy and power to it, showing us just how deeply they understand one another.

If you were to join the SnowDancer pack, what position in the hierarchy do you think you’d fill, and what skills do you have that would most benefit them as a whole?

Hmm. I’d probably end up Dalton the Librarian’s assistant. I would continue to be a storyteller, but the tales I’d tell would be those of the pack, and as Dalton would say – the past informs our future, so it’s important for the pack to never forget their history.

Let’s say there is a supernatural Guild Hunter/Psy-Changeling wife swap and Sienna spends a week learning Raphael’s world while Elena spends a week learning Hawke’s. What’s one trait each male would say they most admire in the other man's mate after spending time with them?

Though they are very different women, I think it may well be the same trait that would strike both Raphael and Hawke about each other’s mates: an internal strength that means the two women never give up, even when the odds seem insurmountable.

They are both women a man can rely on to walk by his side, no matter the obstacle in front of them. And that of course, speaks to another trait they share—their bone-deep loyalty to those they love.

The Psy-Changeling world is extraordinarily complex, and while each book focuses on mainly one couple, there are always multiple storylines playing out side by side. How do you keep track of all character and world intricacies you’ve created?

I do have a series bible with all kinds of notes in it, but each world exists as a whole in my head – and it’s such a visual creation that I feel as if I step into the particular world with each book, able to see the myriad story threads.

Is there any one aspect of Adria and Riaz’s relationship that surprised you while you were writing? Something that wasn’t necessarily planned?

I’m not a planner as such (not in terms of laying out a book from start to finish), so the evolution of every couple’s relationship is a surprise – Riaz and Adria were no different. I learned about them as they learned about one another.

Do you do anything in particular when you’ve finished a book for one series to help you get in the right mindset for the switch in world and characters before you start the next series?

I might take a few days break after I finish a story, watch DVDs of my favorite tv shows, catch up on some reading…but honestly, I’m usually itching to get back to the world I haven’t been in for a few months.

If you could take one of your characters on a book tour with you, who do you think would keep you and the fans entertained the most?

Can I pick one from each series?

For the Guild Hunter series, I think Illium would be the hands-down fan favorite. Not only does he like humans, he’s both fun and charming.

For the Psy/Changeling series, I think Drew would be great company—like Illium, he’s witty and intelligent, and also playful.

(And sneaking in one more…) I also think Brenna would be great fun to tour with—she’s so smart with technology that she’d be on top of everything, and she has a friendly personality that means she could strike up a conversation with just about anyone. Also, she could dish about Judd. ;-)

Okay, I’ll force myself to stop there…though I could keep going and going and going…

The last time you were here I asked you this question:

If Hawke were to describe Sienna with a single word the moment he saw her upon her defection from the PsyNet, what would that word be? If he had to describe her now?

And you answered:

I think now and then, he would always call her strong. But now that he knows all the facets of her personality, he’s likely to use words like compelling and intriguing, too,…as well as one other that I’ll tell you after Kiss of Snow releases.

Can we have that last missing word now? :-)

Mine. :-)

*Jenny can no longer run this blog because she has died of an overdose of love (and also lust) for Hawke*

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Nalini! More information on Nalini, the Psy-Changeling series and the Guild Hunter series can be found here:

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TANGLE OF NEED (from Goodreads)

Adria, wolf changeling and resilient soldier, has made a break with the past--one as unpredictable in love as it was in war. Now comes a new territory, and a devastating new complication: Riaz, a SnowDancer lieutenant already sworn to a desperate woman who belongs to another.

For Riaz, the primal attraction he feels for Adria is a staggering betrayal. For Adria, his dangerous lone-wolf appeal is beyond sexual. It consumes her. It terrifies her. It threatens to undermine everything she has built of her new life. But fighting their wild compulsion toward one another proves a losing battle.

Their coming together is an inferno...and a melding of two wounded souls who promise each other no commitment, no ties, no bonds. Only pleasure. Too late, they realize that they have more to lose than they ever imagined. Drawn into a cataclysmic Psy war that may alter the fate of the world itself, they must make a decision that might just break them both.