SOME GIRLS BITE by Chloe Neill releases tomorrow - Tuesday 7th April. I reviewed it here, and really enjoyed it. Chloe was kind enough to answer some questions about her debut urban fantasy novel; check out the results below.

---

First of all, please tell us about SOME GIRLS BITE. Give us the elevator pitch!

Some Girls Bite is the first book in the Chicagoland Vampires series, and tells the story of our intrepid heroine's first two weeks as one of the newest members of Chicago's Cadogan House. Turns out, the former grad student makes a pretty kick-ass vampire, although she's got an evil she-vamp and much-too-sexy-for-his-own-good Master vampire to deal with.

What inspired you to write Merit's story? What was the 'spark' that sent you running to the page?

The short answer--I wanted to read about a kick-ass heroine. Someone with the kind of fears and hopes that I could relate to, but who turned out to be more than people expected her to be. More than *she* expected to be.

And then there's our blond-haired, green-eyed, incredibly delicious Master vampire, Ethan Sullivan. He was a pretty good spark, as well.

I love the worldbuilding in SGB. The idea of the different vampire Houses is cool and different. Can you tell us anything about how you hit upon this idea?

Thanks, Karen. I knew I needed to give Merit a "home" (and some enemies) and the idea of the Houses evolved from there. I love to read police procedurals--think J.D. Robb's In Death books. I love the fact that we get to know the characters, the places, how they work together, the paths they follow, the rules and regs that guide their activities.

Similarly, I think of Merit's books as "vampire procedurals." We have a key cast of characters in and outside the Houses, rules and regs that guide the vamps in their daily lives (the Canon, and the expectations of the human world) and, of course, the Houses themselves--political institutions with their own histories.

A lot of writers read this blog, and we all love to hear how other people made it from aspiring to published author. How long did it take you, from the time you had the initial idea for SGB, to actually seeing that book on the shelf (tomorrow!)? Can you tell us a little about your path to publication?

It took SIXTEEN MONTHS from offer to publication, so this last twenty-four hours is killing me! :) I think I started writing SGB in the May 2006. The first few chapters were RIDICULOUS, and nothing like the final product. In short: Merit was named Kate, Mallory was a singer in a band, and Merit had a crush on a vamp named "Lucky." The first few chapters were awful. Truly, cheesily, awful.

The idea for the current form of SGB came from a single mental image--of a blond haired, green-eyed vampire who was going to wreak havoc (emotionally and otherwise) on our heroine's world.

I believe I finished the first draft in December of '06, and then did a couple of very slow, very thorough edits until July 2007. That's when I sent the first three chapters to Roc/Penguin, namely because I thought SGB would be a good fit with that publisher (they also publish Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series, another urban fantasy with a strong heroine). I didn't have an agent at the time, so the manuscript was unsolicited.

In September 2007, I got an e-mail from my current editor at Penguin who asked to see the whole manuscript. I sent it along, obviously thrilled that someone had pulled the first three chapters from the slush pile. I had plans to visit New York in January 2008, so I sent a note to the editor a week or so beforehand, offering to meet while I was in NYC. She expressed interest. I was at the airport on the way to New York when I got the call--she said she loved SGB and had passed it up the chain, and was interested in chatting while I was in in town. I just about had a heart attack in the airport. It was completely unbelievable.

We played phone tag for the next 18 or so hours, and it was noon the next day--I was in Manhattan, perusing in Kate's Paperie--when she called back. I expected to hear a time and place for a meeting, but instead, she made the offer on the phone.

Best. Call. Ever.

Describe your typical writing day... Do you have a regular routine?

Before my current job, I was writing pretty obsessively. I'd get home, write until I fell alseep, and then get up the next day and do it all over again. My life is a little more (thankfully) full now--puppy, boy, great day job--so I've worked to get into a routine.

During the workweek, when I get home from work, I try to take an hour break or so, then I get to work. If I'm writing, I try to get 500 to 1,000 words in, usually with a break for exercise in there. If I'm editing, the daily goal is a little more fluid--I have a general goal (i.e., finish in two weeks), and I'll just work informally on making progress toward that goal.

I've tried using desktop computers, but I write better on a laptop, usually in front of a television (for background noise). I sit cross-legged, laptop in my lap, and go. I used to listen to music while I wrote, but now I have "go to" television shows. "SOUTH PARK" was the soundtrack to the writing of SGB and the first draft of Friday Night Bites. Lately, it's been "NCIS" and "HOUSE" reruns. :)

What was the best piece of writing advice you ever received?

I read a quote from Nora Roberts about not worrying about what you were writing and, instead, focusing on getting words on the page. Everyone has written bad copy; but bad copy can be fixed. I think she concluded that you can't fix a blank page.

On the subject of reading, do you read much vampire fiction/urban fantasy? Any favourites?

Before I started writing SGB, I read tons of urban fantasy. Rachel Caine, Kim Harrison, J.R. Ward, Patricia Briggs, Vicki Pettersson and Faith Hunter were my favorites.

Once I started writing, although I still read these authors, I haven't really looked to start new series. Unfortunately, I don't have much time.

And finally, speaking as a fan of vampires and - of course - of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I have to ask: Angel or Spike?

That's an easy one. Spike!

Thanks for doing this!

Thanks so much for asking me, Karen! I hope your readers enjoy SGB and Merit's adventures as much as I've enjoyed writing them.

---

Okay, contest time. I'll send a copy of SOME GIRLS BITE to one winner, all you have to do is comment on this entry giving me your own answer to the final question: Angel or Spike? *g* If you're not into Buffy, no worries - just leave a comment anyway. The giveaway is open until the end of the day Thursday 9th April 2009 (anywhere) and I'll announce the winner sometime on Friday 10th April. This copy won't be signed of course, as I'm providing it, but there's still one day left to enter our contest at the Deadline Dames for a signed copy of SGB.

This giveaway is open to all - it doesn't matter if you entered the DD contest. You get two chances to win! :)

Click on the cover to visit Amazon & read more...

SOME GIRLS BITE by Chloe Neill

They killed me. They healed me. They changed me.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago's vampires announced theirexistence to the world-and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker... and this one decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I've traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four hundred year old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude-and servitude. Right...

But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I'm surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan's attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone's still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood...

So, when I first heard the premise for this debut novel I was intrigued: a grad student-turned vampire? Vampire houses that sort of reminded me of organised gangs with a bit of mafia-type intrigue thrown in? A main character called Merit? Could there really be a fresh take on vampires in urban fantasy (a resounding: YES, in answer to this question)? I had to know more, and was over the moon when Chloe arranged for me to recieve an ARC.

I read SOME GIRLS BITE over the course of three days and by the time I was done I already couldn't wait for book two (there's cover art up on Chloe's website). Merit's world is one very much like our own, and yet the differences are immediately apparent. Vampires came out of the closet just eight months ago, and the world is still in a state of shock - although some people are fascinated by the vamps and hang on their every word. They are iconic and fashionable, with hundreds of websites devoted to them. After Merit is attacked, Ethan Sullivan - the head of Chicago's Cadogan House - turns her into a vampire to save her life. She has to come to terms with the fact that, without Sullivan's intervention she surely would've died. However, now Merit is as good as immortal and her whole life has been changed against her will. Luckily for her, she has a best friend - the feisty Mallory, who has secrets of her own to discover throughout the course of the novel - to help her make the adjustment.

I think what I liked best about this debut, apart from the gorgeous Ethan (of course! *g*), is Merit's voice. Her voice carries the novel beautifully and is a lot of fun. There's an interesting combination of serious issues and moral questions, along with snappy one-liners, great worldbuilding and a satisfying plot. Sometimes I wished for a little more action, but this book presents the world - and Merit's place in it - in a thought-provoking way, and I was left impatient for more from these characters. Merit is tough, without being too kickass; funny, without being too impossibly witty; and yet is also filled with very human uncertainties and failings. I really liked her.

Highly recommended! Which is lucky, considering that Chloe Neill is guest-blogging over at the Deadline Dames today. :) Head on over for a chance to win a signed copy of SOME GIRLS BITE, and then come back here on Monday for an interview with Chloe and another chance to win her debut novel. :)

[ETA: Comments are closed here for today. To enter the contest, please check out Chloe's post at the Deadline Dames.]