American Title Finalist: Mai Christy Thao

1) Tell us a brief bit about yourself (and please include your pen name).

My name is Mai Christy Thao. I grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand. My parents were refugees of the Vietnam War but I consider myself pretty much as American as it gets. I was one of those students who had perfect attendance, did everything I was told to do, and consistently made the honor roll. I'm the current president of my local RWA chapter and have been actively pursuing a writing career for about six years. I have an endless imagination, a love for history that plays a huge role in my books, and a
passionate affair with the written language.

2) What's your story about in a nutshell (ooo look, it's me in a nutshell!)? Please include the title of your book.

PRINCE OF DARKNESS is a paranormal fantasy romance set in an alternate world called Zenith. It's about two lovers reunited after several thousands of years and the struggles each will have to endure and overcome to keep a love they'd both thought lost to them. Each has his/her own personal demons and anguish. Princess Anoria possesses the magick of the Fates but refuses to accept her gift, blaming it for what she believed was the death of her beloved, Prince Kym'rin. In her anguish and in an attempt to thwart the Fates, she turned herself blind. Prince Kym'rin, on the other hand, is a man judged and punished for a crime he hadn't committed. His demons are not those of his making, but three hellish entities that exist inside him as a result of the curse cast upon him by the Fates of Zenith. Anoria lives in darkness while Kym'rin is darkness. PRINCE OF DARKNESS is a story of finding and accepting one's identity, of holding onto hope when all seems lost, and of the ray of light that shines in even the darkest bellows of hell.

3) Is it true you write in a trance?

No. Wish it could be that easy. I have to force the writing out at times.

4) Don't you secretly wish the other contestants would just drop
out?

LOL. Then it wouldn't be a contest now, would it?

5) What is your favorite paranormal being and why?

I'd have to say vampires. Over the years, vampires have been sensationalized from something demonic and to creepy into something dangerous but very sensual and alluring. Of all the paranormal beings, vampires are the most fascinating because of their widespread lure and eroticism. At the core of their being is a thirst that I think resonates with most people – the thirst for life. (And I mean life, not blood. *grin*)

6) Ever had a paranormal experience yourself?

Yes! My family is very superstitious. We believe in guardians of the house and souls and many other things that most people aren't even aware of or have heard of.

7) What's your writing ritual?

I write whenever I can, usually in the evenings and over the weekends. I would literally go to bed with my laptop in my lap and when I wake up, the first thing I do is reach for my laptop.

8) How much are you going to pee yourself if you win?

I think I'd be too excited to pee, lol.

9) If you could mud-wrestle any author, who would it be and why?

Hmm... I've been taught to play nice. =)

10) What kind of underpants would your main character wear?

The historical kind. And the kind that magic could easily dispense of.

11) You have to pick two cartoon characters to duke it out in a
colossal battle, Godzilla-style. Who would you pick and how would it
throw down?

Okay, it would have to be Wylie Coyote and the Roadrunner. And for once, just once, the big ACME anvil would actually fall on the Roadrunner. =)

12) Alliance or Horde? Peas or carrots? Franks or beans?

Huh? Definitely veggies. =)

Please visit Mai at her website - http://maichristythao.com/index.html