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interview: Ivana Sataić - Ivy
Photo: Terri Garey
When I would say I was aware about the work of American writter Terri Garey before the Finnish goth'n'rollers The 69 Eyes released the song "Dead Girls Are Easy" named after her book as the first single from their new album "Back In Blood" I would be only partly right. Because Terri Garey appeared as the name recommended by the world's most popular internet service when it comes to buying the literature during some of ordering process but beside her name and short description of her work on the same service I knew nothing. And then I found myself on the route Zagreb-Helsinki-Zagreb last summer and filled the idle at airport waiting rooms by feeding the hunger of newly awakened curiosity about Terri Garey's handwriting and get know Nicki Styx, the main character in her book series about the gothic girl from Atlanta who, after the near death experience, opens the door to the world of paranormal.
Terri's fun and not too traditional approach to paranormal issues and the touch with The 69 Eyes who are coming to Croatia on 24th January 2010 was the backbone of the interview for Venia-Ma and domestic The 69 Eyes web site through which Terri Garey introduces to Croatian readers.
 VENIA: For those who never met you before, how would you introduce your work? What would you say to people who aren't familiar with your books what are your stories about?
TERRI GAREY: I write modern-day ghost stories, with a basis in pop culture. In the US, my work is known as Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, and I'm best known for my "Nicki Styx" series - four novels and a novella - all set in modern-day Atlanta, all centered around a free-spirited wild child whose life was changed forever when a near-death experience leaves her able to see and hear the dead. I mix spooky paranormal topics like voodoo, hauntings and possession with things I find interesting, like vintage fashion, sex, love, and alternative music. There's some dark humor in there to keep things interesting, and - I'm not going to lie - some sexy guys, too. J The first book in the series, Dead Girls Are Easy, was published in 2008 and was followed by A Match Made In Hell, You're the One That I Haunt, and the fourth book in the series, Silent Night, Haunted Night, was just released in November 2009.
VENIA: Who gave you the taste of writing, how it happened you've become a writer?
TERRI GAREY: I became a writer because I love to read. I've always enjoyed a good story. Eventually, I wanted to be the one telling the story, the one giving that pleasure of reading to others. About nine years ago, my husband urged me to follow my dream and get serious about my writing. He had faith in me, and gave me the push I needed to go for it. I finished four novels in four years, signed with a NY literary agency in 2005, and sold my first two novels shortly after that.
VENIA: 'Dead Girls Are Easy', the first book in a series about Nicki Styx, a girl whose life is changed after the near death experience was named 2008 Best First Book by Romance Writers of America and won the 2008 PRISM Award for Best Paranormal Romance. What do you think that makes your writing attract the attention that it gets?
TERRI GAREY: Awards are wonderful, but what means the most to me is hearing from readers. There's no greater compliment to a storyteller than being told you've made someone laugh, someone sigh, or someone leave a light on while they sleep. Their enjoyment of my stories is what makes writing them worthwhile.
VENIA: What kind of research on near death experience, occult, magic or paranormal you did before writing your books?
TERRI GAREY: I do extensive research on every topic I write about. I've always been fascinated with paranormal, so a lot of it I already knew, but I always want my facts straight. Voodoo was the most difficult topic to research, because it's a very secretive and complicated religion. Near-death experiences, astral projection, hauntings, tarot cards, Wicca, Ouija boards, possession, angels, demons, Biblical legends - let's just say I've done a lot of research. I have a healthy respect for the paranormal, and I don't dabble in it-I just read about it and write about it.
VENIA: What is the exact touch between your books and your views on religion, life, and death and how it is tied to paranormal and spirituality?
TERRI GAREY: I believe absolutely that there is something after this life. I believe the soul goes on after the body dies, but I don't presume to understand exactly how that existence will be. I believe in God, though I'm not always comfortable with some of the modern-day constructs of organized religion, and I don't claim to know what the afterlife will be like - perhaps it will be different for every person. I believe in good vs. evil, and I'm a big believer in treating others the way you want to be treated while you're in the here-and-now. I think we must all make choices, and that it's important for the good of our souls to strive to make the right choices for the right reasons.
VENIA: Are the characters you wrote about based on any real-life people? Does someone in your life influence the personalities of your characters?
TERRI GAREY: My characters are composites of the type of people I've been around all my life, not based on any particular person. A good quality from here, a bad quality from there, envisioned in my mind until the character becomes entirely unique to themselves. Just like real people.
VENIA: I noticed your work is pretty often declared as "for Goths". What do you think about that and generally of putting labels at any kind of art?
TERRI GAREY: I think this is merely the result of my main character, Nicki Styx, being into alternative culture. She is, in effect, a "dead girl" in the eyes of the more mainstream population, merely because she loves her eyeliner and her funky fashions. She runs a vintage clothing store in the bohemian, artsy neighborhood of Little Five Points, Georgia near Atlanta, and she's been a bit of bad girl, but she's always had a good heart. She is unapologetic about who she is. Labels are unavoidable - people always search for a point of reference they can relate to. If that makes my work "for Goths", then so be it.
VENIA: Music is sometimes creative influence on literature. When it comes to 'Dead Girls Are Easy' we have an inversely situation, your book was a creative influence on the music. How did you feel when you've heard The 69 Eyes' song 'Dead Girls Are Easy' for the first time?
TERRI GAREY: Ecstatic. Amazing. The heavy guitar, the pounding drums, that chorus-better than I'd ever imagined. I am such a fan of the band, and to hear Jyrki singing the words "Dead Girls Are Easy" was unbelievable. By the time I heard him sing "she's gone to the other side", I knew he'd really gotten the book. I think the song rocks, period.
VENIA: Before this song you probably didn't know much about The 69 Eyes and the majority of their (at least) European fans didn't know about your books. Now when we all know the secret of Jyrki69's inspiration for this song, and fans are more familiar with the book, what do you think, does its less Goth and more sleazy atmosphere match to books Gothic touch?
TERRI GAREY: I became a fan of the band before I knew anything about the song. It was strange, really - a friend sent me a link to their "Live at Tavastia" performances on YouTube earlier this year, and I was immediately hooked. I joined one of their US fan sites, and was very surprised when Jyrki was cool enough to email me and tell me to look out for a bit of inspiration from one of my books on their upcoming album, which they were working on at the time. He didn't tell me exactly what to expect (the Vampire King is nothing if not mysterious!) and made me wait until the single debuted to find out. Well worth the wait!
As far as the sleazy atmosphere goes, I think that's more of an aspect of the video, not the song. I think Jyrki actually captured the idea behind the title and the book very well, which is that girls who are drawn to darkness might possibly be more aware of how fleeting life can be, and want to appreciate and experience it before they're gone. They just want to rock, dammit! :)
VENIA: Generally, how do you feel about literature-music inspirational connection and what kind of music, books and literature you enjoy?
TERRI GAREY: Music and writing are separate art forms with a great deal in common. Songs tell a story with lyrics and music, just as a novelist does with her words. I love music, and find it often sparks creativity in my writing. I like to read widely, and I listen to a wide variety of alternative music, both old and new. Still a big fan of artists like Concrete Blonde, the Talking Heads, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Billy Idol, Deborah Harry, but I like many modern artists as well- the Kings of Leon, Chris Cornell, Pink... and, of course, The 69 Eyes!
VENIA: I won't ask what will happen to Nicki Styx in the next two books, 'A Match Made From Hell' and 'You're The One That I Haunt', because I'd enjoy to discover it by myself. But in the end, what are your plans, what can we expect from you in future, more Nicki' adventures, some new interesting characters in some new book series or maybe even some new connection between dead girls and the Helsinki Vampires?
TERRI GAREY: I'm writing a new paranormal trilogy based on a recurring character from the Nicki Styx books, the Devil himself, who hides in plain sight as a sexy guy named Sammy Divine. In the first book of the trilogy, The Devil's Bargain, there is another character you might find interesting, inspired by a certain tall, dark-haired, deep-voiced rocker with a sensitive side. It might be hard to create a character as sexy and fascinating as the real thing, but I will try, and I think you'll enjoy the results when The Devil's Bargain comes out in March 2011.
VENIA: Thanks a lot!
More information about Terri Garey and her work find on: www.tgarey.com |
