Aliens from the planet Krina came to Earth to stop us from polluting and abusing our planet and decided to share it with us, riiiiight. They gave us technology, cleaned up our diets, and stopped our mistreatment of the planet. And five years after the invasion Mia Stalis a NYU student was in the wrong park at the wrong time studying for her finals. She never met a Krinar or knew much about them until now. Korum, from the planet Krina, visited the park, saw Mia, wanted to meet her, and a whole lot more. That was the last normal day in Mia's life.
Check out what Anna has to say about writing Close Liaisons:
Cloey: When did you become interested in writing?
Anna: When I was a child, I really enjoyed writing stories about all kinds of things – tree leaves, animals, people. Then, as a teenager, I discovered romance novels, and I absolutely fell in love with them (pun intended :)). For many years, I was so consumed with reading that writing became something I did only occasionally, and I almost forgot how much I'd enjoyed it once. It was only this year that I came back to my childhood hobby, and I became obsessed with writing again – with Close Liaisons as the result. My husband and I actually worked together on the story; he helped me with the plot and many of the more interesting scientific elements, and he was also my original editor and beta reader. So it's really a collaborative effort.
Cloey: What inspired you to write Close Liaisons?
Anna: It was a fantasy I've had ever since I was a teenager. I've always been fascinated by both aliens and vampires, and I've had the Krinar living in my imagination for the better part of the last two decades. I kept reading science fiction and paranormal romance in the hopes that someone will write my fantasy for me, but no one really did. So I finally decided that if I wanted to read about the Krinar, I could just write about them myself – and my husband encouraged me to do a full-length novel. I'm basically my own target audience :).
Cloey: Who was your favorite character and who was your least favorite character and why?
Anna: Well, as an author, I don't really write characters that I dislike :). Mia is the one that I can most relate to; she's a nice, normal, intelligent girl who is very close to her family. Korum is much more morally ambiguous. He's both the hero and the villain of the story, and there were definitely times when I wanted to tell him to be nicer to Mia – but he has a mind of his own! My husband hates him, by the way.
Cloey: What did you enjoy most about writing Close Liaisons?
Anna: LOL, coming up with the sex scenes? No, but seriously, I loved everything about the writing process. I would get absolutely captivated by the chemistry between Korum and Mia; their interactions were probably my favorite scenes to write.
Cloey: If you received a movie deal who would you like to see play Korum?
Anna: Hmm, that's a toughie. I honestly can't think of any actors who could do him justice. Maybe Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries if he were taller, buffer, and had a darker tan?
Cloey: Niiiice - we can't make him taller but maybe we can get him to a gym, have him drink some protein shakes and maybe workout in the sun, oh yeah he could work :)
Cloey: What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing the story to life?
Anna: Well, sleep was – and still is – a major challenge for me. I used to be able to sleep 10-12 hours on the weekends to catch up after a long work week, but now I can't sleep more than 6-7 hours a night because I'm so excited to be writing or doing something book-related. Of course, all the publication logistics can be very stressful, especially for a first-time author, but my husband has been a tremendous help in this area as well.
Cloey: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Close Liaisons?
Anna: No, I'm very happy with how the book came out. It's basically my fantasy come to life on paper.
Cloey: What are you working on now?
Anna: I'm writing Close Obsession, the second volume in the Krinar Chronicles series. My husband and I are also brainstorming ideas for other books, including at least three more set in the Krinar universe, one fantasy/science fiction novel (where he's going to be the main author), and possibly some contemporary romances further out.
Cloey: What do you like to read in your free time?
Anna: I love reading romance novels, particularly of the paranormal variety. My favorite authors are Linda Howard, Karen Marie Moning, Lisa Kleypas, and Lara Adrian – I own all of their books.
Cloey: Share with us something about yourself that we wouldn't see in your bio or on any other blogs (this can be anything from the type of music you like, your favorite color, or even your favorite meal - share whatever you want your fans to know about you)
Anna: I'm a health nut, so I adhere pretty closely to a plant-based diet – similar to the one I described in the book as mandated by the Krinar :).
Cloey: So, that explains why the meals that Korum cooked looked so tasty. I was hungry after reading some of them, hahaha.
Thank you so much for stopping by and discussing Close Liaisons with us. I enjoyed your book and would like to share it with other readers who will feel the same way about it.
If you would like more information about Anna Zaires check out her bio:
Anna Zaires fell in love with books at the age of five, when her grandmother taught her to read. She wrote her first story shortly thereafter. Since then, she has always lived partially in a fantasy world where the only limits were those of her imagination. Currently residing in New York City, Anna is happily married to the man of her dreams and closely collaborates with him in the writing of the Krinar Chronicles.
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