TVS:  India knew from age nine that writing would be her passion. Since then she's discovered many more, but none quite so fulfilling as creating a world, a character, or a moment and watching them evolve into something complex and compelling. She has lived in three countries and four American states, is a dual British and American citizen, and currently lives at the base of the Scottish Highlands in a village so small its main attraction is a red phone box. In other words: paradise.

The supernatural and paranormal have always fascinated India. In addition to being an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, she also enjoys mysteries, thrillers, and romance. This probably explains why her novels have elements of adventure, ghosts (or elves, fairies, angels, aliens, and whatever else she can dream up), and spicy love stories.

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People who know me in “real life” are often surprised when they learn I write paranormal / urban fantasy novels. Once we get over the hump of me explaining what that is, I then have to contend with the confused look. “But why?” I’m often asked. (I should note that the people who ask this are always people who have never read a fantasy novel--usually their closest connection to any sort of speculative fiction is Lord of the Rings.)

I’m not sure what they expect me to write, but the answer to “why” is always the same—it’s the power of “what if”.

I don’t write about vampires…mostly because I can’t get past “what if you had sex with a dead guy?” Eww. Ick. I’ve heard all the reasoning from vampire fans, how hot these immortal and aloof men are, but I get such a horrid picture in my head that I keep coming back to “Eww. Ick.” So the “what if” cuts both ways.

But angels? Them I can get into. What if angels were real? And what if none of the stories we had heard about them were true? This is what started me down the road in my debut novel Ordinary Angels. This is why my angels don’t have fluffy goose-wings, but instead have leathery wings, scales, and faces that vary from dragon-like to griffon-esque. All because one question led to another.

Starting a novel is a bit like the childhood game of playing “pretend.” I remember many afternoons that started something like “let’s pretend that we’re movie stars.” Or “let’s pretend there’s a war. You’re hurt and I’m a nurse, but we have to get away from the shooting.” Or “let’s pretend we’re robbing a bank.” (That one usually involved stealing cookies from the pantry.)

The great thing about kids is that their imaginations don’t have a set of brakes. Somewhere along the line, we’re told by parents and teachers to avoid certain thoughts. A parent would be horrified to find their kid pretending to be a serial killer, and perhaps rightly so. As writers, though, we have to learn to recognise the limits we’ve placed on our thoughts and pitch them. We’re grown-ups. We’re allowed to ask ourselves “What if I had sex with an otherworldly being?”

It’s liberating when we stop avoiding the thoughts that scare (or thrill) us.

I believe all the best stories start with not characters, not settings, not a list or an outline, but with a question. What if?

The most powerful words in the universe.

Question for you: Once, when my son was a little over three, he wanted to know what would happen if he drank shampoo. I should have taken him more seriously, because we found out! Has asking yourself “what if” ever led you to an important discovery or put you in a terrible spot?

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