Dance Of The Red Death Week - Interview With Bethany Griffin

Today I have the lovely Bethany Griffin, author of Masque of the Red Death, and it's sequel Dance of the Red Death stopping by for some insightful Q & A. Huge thank you to Bethany for taking the time to answer these.
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1 Describe Dance of the Red Death in three words

dark, action-packed

2 Now that the series is over, is there a character that surprised you by having a larger part than you imagined they would? 

Not...really. I guess in the beginning I didn't realize what a big role Elliott would play, but by the end of book 1, it was obvious that he was going to be a main character. And even though the children aren't a huge part of Dance, they did make it into the story more than I originally anticipated. I wanted so badly to keep them safe and out of the action! 

3 Was there anything specific you researched for the sequel?

No. I kind of just use images and ideas and go from there. I re-read Poe's Masque many times, and for some reason I couldn't keep the order of the rooms straight in my head. And then I'd go, wait, there's a violet room and a purple room, what? And then I revised the ball scenes and got them all out of order, so that was sort of research, if reading Poe is research! I have a good friend who helps me out with some research, and he sent me a three page explanation on what would happen to the steering mechanism of an airship if shot by a musket. But...he sent it to me right when I was in a drafting frenzy, so I didn't even read what he wrote. He sighed and helped me out with these details in revisions. I have good friends/critique partners! 

4 How do you think Araby would describe Will and Elliott at the beginning of Dance of the Red Death? 

At the beginning of Dance, Araby feels completely betrayed by Will. She does understand his reasons for the betrayal, but that doesn't make it less painful. She's leaning heavily on Elliott at the beginning of the book, prepared to help him retake the city. She feels he is the savior that the city needs. 

5 Did you find the sequel harder to write than the first novel in the series? 

Yes. Much much much harder. Mainly because it is really a continuation of book one, and I've realized since writing this book, that I get major writing joy from writing openings and introducing characters, which didn't happen in this book. 

6 You've written a novella titled Glitter and Doom. How would you say it ties into Dance of the Red Death?

Glitter and Doom tells the story that happens behind the scenes during Masque, basically what happens to April when she disappears. 

7 Is there anything that you wrote for either Masque or Dance, and REALLY loved but it ended up getting cut out? 

There was a...makeout scene that sort of interrupted the action. I ended up writing a scene that I liked better, but having to drop that scene was sort of painful. There were a lot of scenes that happened in tunnels under the city in Dance of the Red Death, but as much as I love tunnels and underground scenes, they weren't doing that much for the story and had to be cut. 

8 What inspired you while writing Dance of the Red Death? (e.g. a particular song, a piece of art, etc)

I listened to entire Portishead albums and sometimes The Beginning is the End is the Beginning by the Smashing Pumpkins. 

9 What are three things you need while revising? 

I have to go for long walks, I need outside--I sit on my deck a lot, and I need time. I can write if I have ten minutes. Can't do that with revising, I need chunks of time to focus and think and reread. 

10 Can you share any details of what you might be working on next? 

No details. I'm working on several projects, excited about both, and both are dark and atmospheric/would appeal to readers of Masque and Dance. I don't know what will come next, BUT I'll be happy to talk about it with you as soon as I know! 

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I can't wait to see what Bethany is working on next! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a Dance of the Red Death giveaway!