Gail Koger Interview Published on: 17, Dec 2021

Where did you grow up? What kind of child would you say you were?

I grew up in Snowflake, Arizona. What kind of child was I? Quiet, I loved to read and go fishing.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Have I always wanted to be a writer? Nope. Once upon a time I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher. Too many years of wild requests, screwy questions, bizarre behavior and outrageous demands have left me with a permanent twitch and an uncontrollable craving for chocolate. I took up writing science fiction romance to keep from killing people. So far, it has worked.

Why did you choose the paranormal romance genre?

Why did I choose the paranormal romance/Sci-fi genre? I have a vivid imagination and stories keep coming to me in my dreams. I started writing them.

What motivated you to write your first book?

What motivated me to write my first book? I can kill people in my books. It’s a big no-no in the real world.

Tell us a little about your book covers and how you go about creating them. Do you place a little or a lot of importance on your book covers?

Tell you about my book covers. I have a great graphic artist. I tell LimaBean Designs want I want and poof! It’s done.

What was the biggest challenge while writing the Coletti Warlords series? Did you find it more challenging to write the first book or to write the subsequent novels?

How do I come up with my stories? Being psychotic helps. Plus, I have all these weird critters and hunky aliens running amok in my head. Wulf, a Coletti warlord, was a persistence bugger. Nag. Nag. Nag. Write my story. Write my story. The thing about Coletti warlords is they’re the ultimate predator with a taste for blood, a passion for battle and the need to control everything in their lives. I ignored Wulf until he showed me his man parts. That got my attention.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

What question will I always answer with a lie? My age.

Which is your funniest memory from being a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department?

What is my funniest memory from my 9-1-1 days? People have no idea what a real emergency is. Take this for example: I answered, “9-1-1 emergency, what’s your emergency?” And this hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree.” Sometimes I really couldn’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… What about my husband? He’s up there, too.” See what I had to deal with?

What sparked the idea for "Catching Dragos?"

What sparked the idea for Catching Dragos? I had surgery and was high on morphine when the story idea came to me.

When writing novels, is it better to have daily time-spent-writing goals or words-written goals?

Writing goals. I write every day and my goal is 500 to 1,000 words a day. But sometimes that doesn't work out so well. Especially when my puppy gets the zoomies or starts chewing on things he shouldn’t.

How do you spend “quality time” with yourself?

Quality time? What’s that? I love to travel but with the pandemic, that’s out of the question now. I love to read, go to the movies and spend time with my friends.

What are your top five writing and marketing tips?

Marketing and writing tips? If I need to write a really hot sex scene all I need to do is go out in my backyard and wait. My neighbor and his current girlfriend are pretty frisky in the pool. Their screams get every dog in the neighborhood howling and I can pick up some pointers from their unusually athletic sexual positions. No, I am not a Peeping Tom. It’s called research. Geez. For marketing purposes AllAuthor is awesome, as is Facebook, Tweet Your Books, and Goddess Fish Productions.

How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?

Plot ideas? I’m currently working on Jinx, my new Coletti Warlord story. Here’s the first line of the book: How did I end up alone on the barren world of Cygnus? Fate and a promise made under duress. Turns out Fate is one twisted bitch.

How did you come across the AllAuthor website? Could you tell us your thoughts on the website and if there's anything we can do to improve it?

How did I find AllAuthor? Damn if I remember, but I love the services provided, especially the weekly book banners. I would love to see more variety..

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