Author Interview: Asta Idonea
It amazes me how fast seven days go by. But with the passing of each week, I’m happy to have a new author stop by for a visit. Today we have Asta Idonea with us. I’ve read Asta’s book Souls for Sale—a devilishly good time—and today we’re talking about her upcoming release with NineStar Press, Blood is Forever. Asta, I’m so happy you’ve come to visit. Are you comfy? Please say hi to everyone:
Asta Idonea: “I love this chair; it’s so soft. Hi everyone!”
JP Jackson: “Believe it or not, that chair was a hand-me-down, but I love it for the same reason. It’s super relaxing to sit in, and of course, I want all my guests to relax and have a good time while visiting me and the demons.”
Asta Idonea: <looks around>“Are they here too?”
JP Jackson: “Are who here?”
Asta Idonea: “Your demons. Did you summon them? Or are they always around?”
JP Jackson: <laughs> “Oh, my dear, they’re always lurking somewhere. Don’t worry, I won’t let them eat you. I can’t promise they won’t bite though.”
Asta Idonea: “Goodness, now I think I’m even more nervous.”
JP Jackson: “You’ll be fine. Now, making my visiting authors nervous is a hobby of mine, and what better way than with Rapid-Fire Questions!”
Asta Idonea: “Yikes. Okay, let’s do it.”
JP Jackson: “If you could share a cocktail of your choice with anyone – who is it?”
Asta Idonea: “Tom Hiddleston. As for the cocktail, I don’t really drink them, so I don’t have a fave. But who would care what they were drinking with Tom Hiddleston there? I’d even stomach whisky!”
JP Jackson: “Loki? You’d share whisky with Loki? Now that is truly a brave thing to do. I’m impressed. But agreed, the man is … well, delicious. Alright, now with famous people in mind, name an actor you admire.”
Asta Idonea: “I could say Tom again, but I’ll go with Michael Fassbender. He has such amazing emotional range.”
JP Jackson: “Yes indeed! And a ginger. I do love gingers. Now you know what to get me for my next birthday.” <Winks>
Asta Idonea: <laughs> “Only after I get to have dinner with him.”
JP Jackson: “Deal. Alright, keeping to the theme of famous people, tell me, who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?”
Asta Idonea: “I’ve met a few, mostly at the stage door after theatrical performances. As for the most famous of them, it would probably be Peter Davison.”
JP Jackson: “Seriously? You’ve met The Doctor? I’m insanely jealous. He was also Tristan Farnon on All Creatures Great and Small. Damn. Next visit you’ll have to tell me how you met him! Okay, next question; Leather or Lace?”
Asta Idonea: “Leather.”
JP Jackson: <Giggle> “I didn’t see that one coming. But, me too.” <Winks> “Alright, how about this—what time of the day do you think is your peak performance time?”
Asta Idonea: “Around midday when I’m awake and in full swing and not yet getting tired.”
JP Jackson: “I only sleep about 5-6 hours a night, so I’m always tired. Those damn underworld creatures. They keep me up. So then, are you punctual?”
Asta Idonea: “Obsessively so.”
JP Jackson: “Oh dear. I’m just the opposite. Perpetually late. Not late, late. You know, just fashionably so. Now, have you ever been in a natural disaster?”
Asta Idonea: “Thankfully, no.”
JP Jackson: “I’ve got you covered. One tornado, one flood, two hurricanes, and a tiny earthquake. I’ll share.”
Asta Idonea: “My goodness, which god did you piss off?”
JP Jackson: “All of them, I’m afraid.” <Shrugs> “Now, what’s your go-to food to munch on while writing?”
Asta Idonea: “I try not to snack too much, but occasionally I will have a muesli bar or indulge in a little chocolate.”
JP Jackson: “I have to keep my bearish figure up, so…yeah, there’s always something munchy on the go. And quite often a nice glass of red wine.”
Asta Idonea: <laughs> “That sounds lovely!”
JP Jackson: “I have no idea if it’s any good or not, but I’m saving this bottle of The Walking Dead wine for a good gory, super-scary scene. I have a couple of them lined up.”
Asta Idonea: <laughs again> “Sounds like a perfect night! By the way, you might want this back.” <Reaches behind chair and pulls out a hissing imp>
JP Jackson: “Edgar! I’m so sorry. We’ve talked about this Edgar; back to your room.” <Imp sticks his tongue out and slinks away> “Honestly, I’m terribly sorry. They’re very protective.”
Asta Idonea: “It’s okay; he’s kinda cute.”
JP Jackson: “Shhh. Don’t let him hear you say that. I won’t hear the end of it. Alright, well, after that little incident, on a scale of 1 to 10, how cool are you?”
Asta Idonea: “Ha. That would really depend on who’s judging. To certain people I would seem a total geek, but if you are someone who appreciates the book nerd–fangirl combo, I am super hip.” <Winks>
JP Jackson: “You just grabbed a night-dwelling beast by the scruff of the neck. Girl, you’re all good in my books! Last Rapid-Fire question: Sunrise or Sunset?”
Asta Idonea: “Sunset.”
JP Jackson: “Me too. That’s when the shadows are the longest and the creatures come out to play! My favorite time of day. Okay, let’s get to the really good stuff. Tell me all about Blood is Forever! I have to tell you, after reading Souls for Sale and seeing the cover of this book—I’m all over it. I can’t wait to read this.”
Asta Idonea: “Oh! Goodness, thank you. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Well, let’s see, what can I tell you? It’s a Male/Male Paranormal Romance Murder Mystery of about 75,000 words.”
JP Jackson: “That’s quite the mouthful! But I love the genre mashup. The blurb is fascinating as well. Where did the inspiration for this story come from?”
Asta Idonea: “Well, thanks! Back in 2017 I was watching many paranormal TV series while also rewatching NBC’s Hannibal and the two kind of converged in my mind! The character of Holden—a social outcast—came to me first, and I pondered how best to use him in a story. I then wondered if he could solve a murder, and the rest slotted into place from there.”
JP Jackson: “Yup, definitely going on the To Be Read list. But you have to tell me, because I always wonder about this. Considering the Urban Fantasy genre has a lot of existing stories about these creatures, why choose vampires?”
Asta Idonea: “I’ve always loved vampires—reading them, watching them, and writing them. Something about them appeals to me. My great goal in life is to become a vampire, so I can live forever to see history unfolding, and read all the books, but I’m still waiting to meet someone who can turn me.” <Grins evilly> “In Blood Is Forever I have tried to put my own little twist on things, and of course, they are not the only ‘creatures’ in the story. There are witches and fae too.”
JP Jackson: “Asta, I had no idea—leather and desires to be a vampire, and grabbing dark creatures with no fear. I’m certain of it now: we can be besties!”
Asta Idonea: “Only if you teach me how to get a demon of my own.”
JP Jackson: “Oooo. That’s easy. I’ll show you later.”
Asta Idonea: <Squeals> “Yes!”
JP Jackson: “Seriously, it’s ridiculously easy. So, share with me… Did you have to do much research for this book? Tell me about that.”
Asta Idonea: “In a way, yes. I researched symbols, for use in the murders. I had to look up a moon calendar for 2017. I investigated heraldic symbols when creating the Blackwood coat of arms. But the hardest aspect of writing this book for me was that I had to plot. I am a pantster at heart, but because I had to keep to a careful timeframe for the murders and crime scene visits, I had to create a timeline of events right from the start, which was a new experience for me.”
JP Jackson: “I completely understand. I’m 100% a pantster writer too. In both of my books I actually had to go back and read them cover to cover, making notes on timelines to ensure everything the characters said matched up. It’s tough. Writing is hard!” <laughs> “Now, there are lots of different kinds of writing and I know you have a couple of different pen names—can you share them and the reason behind the differences?”
Asta Idonea: “Yes, I have two. Nicki J. Markus was my first, but back then I was writing only MF stories. When I decided to also write LGBT fiction, I elected to use a second pen name. The sole reason was to ensure those buying my works would know what they were getting, so there was no chance of someone seeking MM picking up an MF tale and being disappointed/annoyed. My LGBT pen name—Asta Idonea—came about because the first MM story I penned was a short about a Viking, so I chose a name inspired by that.”
JP Jackson: <writes some scribbles about looking for Asta’s Viking story>“So then how long have you been writing?”
Asta Idonea: “I’ve wanted to write since I was a child, and I have penned stories ever since then, including fan fiction, which I started in my late teens/early twenties. However, if we are talking about taking it really seriously and actually publishing, my first MF piece came out in 2011, with the first MM one following in 2014.”
Sometimes catching a murderer means risking one’s heart.
As a fae-vampire hybrid, scorned by all, Holden’s life has never been easy. The one bright spot is his job testing blood at supernatural crime scenes. It’s routine work, until the day he finds a victim he can’t read.
When one murder becomes two, and then three, it’s clear there’s a serial killer on the loose—one with a penchant for collecting hearts. Finding the bad guy could cement Holden’s career, but he’s drawing a blank. And it doesn’t help that the expert his boss calls in to assist him is the man Holden’s been crushing on for years.
With lives hanging in the balance, Holden and Val must solve the case before the killer strikes again. But will they come out with their hearts still intact?
SoundCloud Excerpt: https://soundcloud.com/nickijmarkus/blood-is-forever-by-asta-idonea-audioexcerpt
YouTube Excerpt: https://youtu.be/CuYWU05z_8w
JP Jackson: “Oh my goodness, you’ve got far more experience under your belt than I do. As I continue along this writer journey of my own, I come to the conclusion that most authors wander around viewing their world around them, come across ideas and write them down or tuck them away to use at a later point in time. Where does your inspiration come from?”
Asta Idonea: “It can really turn up anywhere. Sometimes I read or watch something that sparks an idea. A few other works started as dreams. And sometimes it’s simply daydreaming—turning ideas over in my mind until suddenly something clicks.”
JP Jackson: “I love that. Until something ‘clicks’. And that’s exactly how it happens to me too. You see something, you mull it over, and suddenly there’s a character or scene in your head, and without really ever thinking too hard—there it is. A plot bunny.”
Asta Idonea: “Exactly.”
JP Jackson: “Do you have any new projects you’re working on that you’d care to tease us with?”
Asta Idonea: “Well, I just signed a contract with DSP for my seasonal short (MM Contemporary) A Stitch in Time, which will be out in December as part of their 2019 Advent Calendar. Otherwise, I have three MM works all mid-first draft. I will get on with them eventually, but at present I am taking some time to work on a few MF projects. I had rights returned for two stories which I am now looking to self-publish. Meanwhile, I have one self-published story that began life as a trilogy but which, for many reasons, I ended up publishing as a single volume of nearly 700 pages. A good friend has been telling me for ages she thinks it would sell better in trilogy format. Plus, it’s been five years since I penned it, and when I look at the prose now, I know I could improve it. So that’s what I am doing. I’ve just finished heavy edits on all three parts and am now doing a final proofread with the view to republishing them later this year or early next year, all being well. Once I’ve got that in progress, I will pick up pen and pad and get writing on those MM novels again.”
JP Jackson: “Good lord! That’s a lot of writing. Very impressive. I have to say, up until now I’ve only ever worked on one project at a time, but as of very recently, I’ve started down the path of writing all kinds of stuff, everywhere. It’s a little chaotic and I’m not sure how everything will turn out, but I figured why not? Let’s give this a whirl.”
Asta Idonea: “Good for you! I think you’ll find that it’s fun to bounce between projects and write different things.”
JP Jackson: “Well, you know, when an idea hits you, they tend to not leave you alone! Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Blood is Forever?”
Asta Idonea: “I set up a Twitter account for the main character, Holden, and created some artwork for this book. If you’d like to see more, all the details are on my blog. [ß I’ll turn the word Blog into a link to your actual blog.(http://www.nickijmarkus.com/2019/03/blood-is-forever-extras.html)%5D
JP Jackson: <gasps> “I’m going to go follow Holden right now.”
Asta Idonea: “Fantastic! Thank you. Also, if readers want, they can connect with me on all my socials. I am everywhere online. I’m like a computer virus!”
<laughs>
Click any of these links to go to Asta’s social networks:
Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Linktree (for all other links)
JP Jackson: “Oh that’s fantastic, I’m going to use that!” <jots down ‘everywhere online like a computer virus’> “Well, congratulations on the new release. We’ll post the buy links below. Asta, thank you so much for visiting with me today. It’s always great to get to know someone a little better.
Asta Idonea: “Thanks so much for having me!”
Click any of these links to go to Asta’s books:
NineStar Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | B&N
Asta Idonea/Nicki J MarKus – Author Bio
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.
J.P. Jackson 