ANK on what I write

I write what I read. I read a lot, and the books I finish usually inspire me.
I love a book that keeps me hooked. The best ones render me oblivious to my surroundings.
Ask my partner - he knows all about spirited-away, unresponsive me who sits glued to her book and forgets about the here and now. Bliss!
You think that's bad? I am even worse when writing! I forget the time, I forget to eat (no worries! I have enough reserves to keep me going. Not going to wither away anytime soon...), and I get annoyed if the real world starts making demands; like the postman calling or the telephone ringing.
I love to immerse myself in the worlds of my stories. Love to fight my protagonists' battles, live their conflicts, feel their heartache.
I am a sucker for the not-so-obvious. I love the stories, which break genre-moulds. Stories that veer off the beaten track. I love genre mixers, genre breakers, and books that take novel twists on old favourites. The ones, which make you gasp and say to yourself: "I didn't see that one coming..."

Immortal beasts that become mortal, the epitome of evil transformed into something beautiful, and romantic heroines who leave the love of their life to stay true to themselves.

Casual flings rather than a full-blown love affair? Bring it on!

Aliens are just another species within our universe? Brilliant! Take the para out of paranormal, and it becomes - well, normal I guess.

And that means humanity has to deal with it.
How they deal with it, and with each other, depends on their background, the world they are in, the changes they undergo on a personal level, and on a species level. The permutations are endless! And I love this playing field, which is so full of possibilities.
A story may be going down an obvious path. But who says, that the protagonists will not choose one of the many trails, that veer off the beaten tracks and explore the hidden possibilities - the sinister side of the story, the side that divides the readers?
I love to read a story, that stretches my imagination; a story that toys with taboos and "what ifs." A story that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, but manages to not completely alienate me.
I love thought-provoking, but I don't appreciate provocative thrown in-your-face, eat-or-die statements that won't allow exploring both sides of the coin.
For me, the fine art of crafting a story lies in finding a way to make the reader see right beyond the surface and make him/her appreciate the hidden beauty of the beast.

From Disney to Fallen Angels; ANK on naming characters

Apart from flagging up my already dodgy browsing history, name-chasing for my characters can be somewhat tricky.
Mostly, they introduce themselves, some bumble along with my stories until the end, change their identity halfway through, and then some more before they finally settle on a name.
Those usually have faces, features, and full-blown personalities long before they pick their names.
And that can be a bit of a struggle. They are picky, they are fussy, and they take their own sweet time.
I generally go with their suggestions, but I also had a few struggles - like the one with Bella.
She introduced herself as "Stella," when we first met. But two chapters into the story, her name didn't sit well with me: Stella on the space station, travelling through the universe (aka The Stars) sounded fatally cheesy - I mean: story-breakingly cheesy. And I couldn't let this happen. We bargained, we bartered, we fought, and we finally agreed on Bella.
Once agreed, she and I got on like a house on fire! (and I think it helped, that Dylan liked her name too.)
I find it easier to work with a character once they have a name - something I can call them by. "That woman," "the blonde," "the young man," or any such vague descriptor is just not very conducive to getting into a character's head.

Naming a character is a twisted analogy to eating meat: once an animal has a name, it becomes a pet and therefore inedible. Not because it changes its taste, but because we become emotionally attached.
The same goes for me with writing: I need a certain degree of emotional attachment to "write a character." There is no stepping back and observing from the outside. Intimacy is also the reason why I prefer a first-person POV over a third person narrative: It is closer, more insightful, and it reveals more of a character's true personality.
Getting into your character's head is also a balancing act: get too close, and you can never let them "do their thing" for fear of losing them; keep them at a distance and you will never truly understand what makes them tick - never mind their name!