Hello Darklings,

This month we bring you a most delightful interview with the author of Murder for Hire series, Van_Carley 

Van, thank you for taking the time to chat with us! We are delighted to have you! Let's begin with an introduction. Tell us more about yourself. 

Where do I begin? I've been writing stories since childhood, and I wrote my first coming-of-age novella when I was twelve. My teacher thought it was a true story and called my mom to hold a parent-teacher meeting. Yikes! So, let's just say that even as a young kid, I enjoyed writing stories that tiptoed on the dark side with relatable characters.

Stop! The teacher called your mom? OMG! Sorry. Continue.

LOL. Yes, she did.

So, my Wattpad journey began in 2012 when I joined to have a place to share my work. Funny side note: the night I posted my first story, I was so nervous hitting the publish button and thought I'd wake up to hundreds of reads. Nope. I woke up to zero reads and learned it would take more work than just hitting the publish button. So, I became social through Wattpad contests.

For years, I had a small following, and even now, I'm still a relatively unknown writer compared to others on the platform, but I gained the attention of Wattpad HQ in 2018 when I was shortlisted for the Wattys. After that, I got invited into the Stars program, then into Paid, and later into the Creators program. Through those programs, I have made great friends. We even banded together to form the Writer's Connx community, built to help other writers. So, it's been a long but exciting journey!

That is amazing. We are curious about your hobbies or anything that keeps you busy when you are not going about life or writing.

I have Graves Disease and PCOS that I struggle with, so a few years ago, I decided to take back some sort of control over my health and began going to the gym. At first, it was rough, but over time, it became something I looked forward to because not only was I looking stronger physically, but I was feeling better, too. So I love going to the gym now, and I go before work to start my day. As a bonus, I get a lot of ideas for stories or the next chapter in my book while I'm exercising! So it helps me brainstorm, too, lol.

What about your favorite movies or TV series? What are you currently watching?

This is a hard one because I like many movies and shows. I'm a sucker for romance, and I love relaxing with some murder mystery or true crime. I could easily go from watching The Little Mermaid to John Wick. Currently, I am watching Love is Blind on Netflix because who doesn't love reality show drama? But I'm also alternating between The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime and Invasion on Apple TV.

Sweet! Your profile mentions you are a pet mom of two Terrier breeds. Can you share more about them?

Absolutely! They are my children, lol. One of them is a Bull Terrier named Bebe. She loves taking long naps and is very strong, sweet, silly, and clumsy. She makes me laugh at how goofy she can be. We adopted her from an animal sanctuary, where she used to live amongst other dogs, but also capybaras, ostrich, zebra, and water buffalo, to name a few. It's a really cool animal sanctuary.

My other dog is named Dude, and he was adopted as a puppy from the local animal shelter after my dog named Ryce passed away. Her passing really hit me hard because she had been right by my side during some of the hardest years of my life, so I felt this great void without her there. When we adopted Dude, it helped me not feel so sad anymore. Now, he's my little shadow and follows me everywhere. Pets can make such a difference in our lives, and I wish I could adopt all of the homeless dogs out there.

Awww... That's really great. All the best to you, Bebe, and Dude. Now, let's talk tea or coffee.  Which one do you prefer? 

Both. I like to drink coffee in the morning with breakfast and then tea in the afternoon. I tend to drink more tea in the winter to keep warm since it's low in caffeine. Lately, I've been drinking ginger lemon tea with honey to soothe my throat since I'm trying to get over a cold.

Get well soon, Van : ) 

Thank you. 

Do you have a comfort meal, or what are your favorite foods?

This is another one of those questions that is hard to answer because when it comes to food, I don't discriminate. If it's yummy, I will eat it! But I do have comfort foods that I go to when I visit my family. For example, the last time I visited, my mom made me Nacatamales. It's the Nicaraguan version of the tamale and has pork, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers rolled in masa and wrapped in a banana leaf. You have to steam-cook it for a few hours, and then it's ready to eat. Another comfort food is a good burrito from a taqueria. I grew up in the San Francisco area, so there are awesome burrito places everywhere, but I moved away, and the small town I live in now doesn't have a taqueria (cries in emojis).

Do you have a favorite place to write or are there things that boost your creativity?

I tend to write throughout the day while working or doing things around the house, and I do it all on my phone. So, I guess you can say I write on the go versus having a designated space or time. However, I do find that when I'm washing dishes, showering, or exercising, I have the best brainstorming sessions. The downside is that my hands are usually occupied, so I have to remember all of the juicy ideas later on when I can write them down, and sometimes I forget the details.

Cool. Now, let's talk about your books. Tell us more about what you write, and for the readers from our profile who like steamy, dark, or mature topics, which of your books should they start with?

I dabble in a little bit of everything but always toss in some romance. A few years ago, I wrote a massive sci-fi story of about 240k words that ended up being a love story lol. Now I'm venturing into the world of dark romance, and it's been fun creating a sticky web of enemies to lovers, mafia, high stakes, and people who are rightfully stabbed. So, for anyone who loves those themes, check out The Divorcée Murder Club. Most people who read it end up falling in love with Angie Mendoza, a complicated character, full of venom, yet deep down, she is a heartbroken woman who wants to be loved.

In most of my stories, you'll find morally gray characters who are not entirely bad but also not entirely good. They toe the line and make you go on a rollercoaster of hating and loving them. I also like to have Latin MCs since I am Latina and don't usually see Latin leading men or ladies in the trad pub world. So why not write what I would like to read? Am I right?

Definitely! That's the way to go. Going a bit further, what inspired you to write the Murder for Hire series?

A few things. Around the time the idea came to me, I had been reading the YOU series by Caroline Kepnes. I loved Joe's voice and how, even though he's a murderer, he had witty internal thoughts that almost made him endearing. I also watched a short-lived show called Dietland, based on a book, and it had these crazy twists that made my ideas go wild. I kept having this vision or thought of disgruntled divorcees at a therapy session on a cold rainy night, discussing how they would kill their exes. Then, a woman storms in and has every intention to flip their world upside down.

From there, I kept adding ideas. I didn't intend for the book to have mafia elements, but then I got the idea to have these ladies called the Sisters, who control the entire underbelly of San Francisco. Throughout the book, there are strong-willed female characters that the MC, Miguel, encounters. So I love what the Sisters have added to the story, and now it's grown into a series, with the next book being Death, Shaken not Stirred. This one centers around a new leading man who is a hitman but works as a part-time bartender at a high-roller nightclub called Penthouse. It's the same nightclub the Mighel from Murder Club works at, so there is cross-over from the first book and new adventures with cameos of old characters like the Sisters.

Do you have a favorite book among the titles you've written?

Yes! That would be Carmela + Amos. I originally wrote it for the Open Novella Contest but then expanded it for the Wattys. I didn't shortlist or win a Watty, and it didn't reach viral success like so many other books on Wattpad, but it's still my proudest work because of what it means to me. I wrote it while going through some personal things, and I poured everything into that book. It was cathartic and helped me heal some wounds when I needed it. Anytime I see someone bing-reading it and the votes in my notifications, it makes me smile.

We are happy for you, Van. As we wrap things up, do you have any advice for writers who are exploring the genres and sub-genres you write and are unsure where or how to start?

Read books or watch movies similar to what you're interested in, and then allow yourself to get lost in daydreams. That's usually when great ideas come to me. Try to become comfortable with writing on your phone. I used to think I could only write on a computer, but when I discovered Wattpad, I didn't have one, so I was forced to write my stories in the app. After a while, I got used to it, and it allowed me to write on the go and capture my ideas in the moment.

Don't be afraid to bend the rules. These are your stories, your worlds, so have fun with them and don't get caught up on getting things "right." For example, I've never written dark romance before, but here I am with a series where I make the rules, and I'm having a blast. Writing is all about trial and error and taking risks.

Speaking of risks... I just brainstormed an outline for a werewolf story. I've never written Werewolf, and I know the genre has die-hard fans, so I'll probably get things wrong and called out, but you know what? I will write it my way, and I'll be proud no matter what of stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying something new. 

That's amazing insight, Van, and thank you for sharing.

Bye for now darklings. Till next month. Toodles.