Friendy Friday with Andi Van
Welcome to Friendy Friday on the Rock 'n' Romance Blog! Today I am tickled to bring you one of my favorite folks, an author who I met along the way who just seemed to get even my goofiest ideas and jokes, and whose holiday novella Krampus Hates Christmas was an insta-classic for me. Andi Van writes the fantastical like you heard about and I'm so glad to have them here today.
Andi agreed to answer the World's Most Dangerous Interview and they did not disappoint:
1. Name a liquid you’ve shot out of your nose while laughing… bonus points for what made you laugh. This is kind of a long list, as my roommate appears to have this weird psychic ability to know whenever I’ve just taken a drink of something, whether we’re in the same room or not. I can tell you that rum is the most PAINFUL thing I’ve snorted because of laughing. On one hand, my sinuses were clear for days. On the other hand…alcohol in my sinuses. Ouch. I can’t remember why I laughed on that particular occasion, but I guarantee you it was my roommate’s fault.
2. Give us a visual of you dancing. The Carlton? Napolean Dynamite? Solid Gold?
I don’t dance. Ever. I’m pretty sure I’d rather give myself a thousand papercuts before bathing in a vat of lemon juice than dance. (I’m clumsy. Like, REALLY clumsy. It’s better for all involved if I just don’t, trust me on that.)
3. Name the first book you read as a young person with sexy times in it. How many times did you read it?
It was a Harlequin romance and I was like 13. Keep in mind I was very sheltered growing up, so I had no idea what sex specifically was before that point. (I knew it existed, just not the mechanics involved.) I was horrified when I found out. It came as absolutely no surprise to anyone that I’m asexual.
4. What is the most fascinating/creepy/disgusting thing you’ve discovered because of writing?
Wow, I’m not sure I have a good answer for this. You have to keep in mind that, thanks to Other Van Sibling, I had a pretty steady diet of creepy/disgusting facts while I was growing up.
Oh, no, wait, I can think of one. In the process of working on a short sequel-ish story to Krampus Hates Christmas, I learned that baby poo looks like hummus. (Thanks for that, Ari. I still haven’t touched hummus since you told me.)
5. Which book boyfriend/girlfriend (wither one you’ve read or written) sets the standard for all heroes/heroines in your writing?
At this point in time, it’s probably Karl (Krampus Hates Christmas). Funny, sweet, honest, and willing to angrily stomp people to a pulp with his hooves.
6. Name a book that scared the bejeebers out of you and why it scared you.
1984. As to why… [gestures toward Washington DC]
7. If you had to choose a movie or book to live in, what would it be?
Pretty much any of them where magic is a thing, so long as I’m guaranteed to be a magic user.
8. Name your author superpower and how does it come out in your writing?
My superpower is sarcasm. It comes out as…sarcasm.
Well, okay, my other superpower is making cats talk, since I seem to feel the need to always have a talking cat of some sort.
9. Which book do you wish you’d written?
None, and I’ll tell you why: If I wrote the book, it would no longer be the book. Sure, I could say I wish I’d written any one of my favorite books, but what would have happened if I’d written, say, Alice In Wonderland? I’D WANT IT TO CONTAIN LOGIC. And Alice with logic is no longer Alice. It would lose every bit of its charm. I could make similar arguments for others. I mean, that’s not to say I don’t want to randomly write a series that ends up making me a billionaire, but I don’t want to have to have written Harry Potter to get there.
10. Which musical describes your life?
I’m going to have to go with Avenue Q here.
11. Ever get caught reading/writing sexy times in an awkward place/time/situation?
No, I haven’t. Welcome to boring, party of Andi. I do most of my reading at home, in my room. Same with my writing. If I’m writing at my day job during a lunch break and come to that point in the story, I put a placeholder and skip to the next section.
Here's the deets on their latest, the third book in The Mages' Guild Trilogy:
Zaree Muna would follow her brother Tasis anywhere, but she never imagined that path to lead where it has. After Tasis and his familiar fall under a magical sleep from which no one can wake them, she and her party prepare to face the mad king of Archai without him. They don’t expect the journey to lead to the Maker herself, who predicts three deaths will occur as the battle to save their world from Archai and a jealous god nears. Two of those deaths will be loved ones, and if things go wrong, the third death could spell the end of everything.
But no one ever accused Zaree of being a coward, and as she and the others go into battle to save what Tasis has rebuilt, she is ready to laugh in the face of death. The thousand-year wait is over, and none of them will accept anything less than triumph.
Buy links:
Author bio:
Andi Van is a foul-mouthed troublemaker who lives near San Diego with a baseball bat that’s forever being used for things other than baseball, and a fondness for rum and caffeine (though not necessarily together).
Andi is fluent in three languages (English, sarcasm, and profanity), and takes pride in a highly developed—if somewhat bizarre—sense of humor.
Social media info:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DefiantAndi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/defiantandi
Big thanks to Andi and congrats on your new release!
As for the rest of you... Enjoy your weekend and Stay Tuned for more Rock 'n' Romance...
