Please help me welcome Ms. Casey Murphy!
LC: Hi Casey, and thanks for being with us on the Authorpalooza!
Can you tell us a little bit about your writing, starting with what you're currently up to?
CM: Currently, I’m working on a fantasy book about a teenage boy, Erik, who gets bit by a werewolf titled Out of the Night. He later finds out that him getting bit wasn’t a coincidence, and that there’s a pack of werewolves trying to infect the world with lycanthropy. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m almost done by first draft and am really excited to get to editing.
Besides working on that I have 6 short stories published and 1 creative nonfiction piece published. All the short stories are either fantasy/science fiction or literary. When I tell people about the plots to some of my pieces they usually tell me they sound like Kafka type pieces, which to me is pretty cool since I love Kafka.
LC: Wow! Congratulations on your published pieces! It's such a great accomplishment to have so many published works out there. What -- thus far in your career as a writer -- would you say has been your greatest triumph?
CM: I actually have two greatest triumphs. First, just being published in general is a great triumph for me. I’ve been into writing fiction since the fifth grade and never thought about sending stuff out. Then one day a friend sent me a link to Centenary College’s Literary Journal submission page, so I sent two pieces in and they got published. That’s when the author bug really bit me and I’ve been sending out pieces ever since.
My other great triumph was successfully writing a short story about a teenage boy who has the onset of schizophrenia. I’ve always been interested in abnormal psychology so I really wanted to try to write a piece on schizophrenia but I was really nervous about it because I knew it was going to be hard. But with encouragement from my boyfriend and help from a friend who is a psychology major, I was able to write one and send it out to a magazine.
LC: Those are both pretty awesome. Okay, some of the authors we've had on the Authorpalooza have shared little "quirks" or processes they go through when they write. How about you? Any strange habits or rituals?
CM: I find it easier to write when I’m listening to music, preferably Porcupine Tree. I always get distracted when the TV is on, so I try to stay away from it when I write. I also prefer to write in a notebook rather than on the computer so that I can take it with me wherever I go just in case I get stuck somewhere and have time to write some, or if I think of an idea on the go.
LC: Speaking of being "on the go", where is the most exotic or strange place you've ever traveled to?
CM: Un Lun Dun, which is the other London, where strange people live and giraffes are carnivorous beasts. Oh, you meant in real life? I haven’t had the chance to travel much, so, nowhere.
LC: Yeah, me neither. I haven't really gotten out much! But hey... Un Lun Dun sounds pretty darned exotic to me! Besides, it's much cheaper to travel in your head, right?Alright, here's another travel related question. If you were stuck on a desert island with one of your characters, who would you want it to be, and why?
CM: I guess I would have to say Alyson, the female werewolf protagonist in Out of the Night. I think I would choose her because she is a very smart and fun person. She’s also very sensible and down to Earth, so I know I’d be in good hands and have a larger chance of survival. As long as I don’t get bitten that is.
LC: Hmm, yes. I suppose that could put a bit of a damper on things!
So, Casey, tell us a little more about how long you've been writing. Have you always known that you wanted to be an author?
CM: In a previous question I mentioned that I’ve been writing fiction since the fifth grade, which is no over exaggeration. In fifth grade I wrote a few short books about 10 superheroes based off me and some of my classmates. I got the idea from the movie “Mystery Men”, and put my own little twist to it. I continued writing in high school by creating fanfiction and starting a few of my own stories that I never finished.
I didn’t know that writing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, though, until college when I changed my major from English Education to English Writing. One day I just realized how much I didn’t want to teach. I still wrote stories and knew it was something I loved to do so I decided to go for it and see what comes of it. Now I can’t see myself doing anything else but following my writing.
LC: Sounds like a passion to me! And what do you like to do when you're not writing?
CM: When I’m not writing I like to just chill with my friends. When no one is available to hang, I usually sit around and read.
LC: Read, huh? Have I got a couple of books for you! They're the first two books in the Lor Mandela series and...oops! *blush* Sorry...got carried away there for a second. Let's change the subject. Movies...what's your favorite of all time, and why?
CM: This is probably the toughest question for me because I don’t really have a favorite of all time. Just ask my friends. Every movie that gets mentioned I say is my favorite.
But if I had to narrow it down, I would say that it’s a tie between “Almost Famous” and “Zombieland”. Those are both movies I could watch a million times and not get tired of. I love “Almost Famous” because I can really relate to the main character and how he wants to be a writer. That movie hits home with me very easily. Plus, it’s a classic. Then I love “Zombieland” because it’s hilarious, and I love Jesse Eisenburg and Abigail Breslin. I’m also a big fan of zombies.
LC: Alright, while we're on this particular subject, if a big-shot Hollywood producer offered to turn Out of the Night into a motion picture, who would you want to play the lead roles?
CM: Funny thing is, I don’t really know about actors for Out of the Night, but I have an idea of what songs would be on the soundtrack. After some searching with a friend of mine we came up with this list:
Erik Sullivan (main character): Shiloh Fernandez
Alyson McCoy (female werewolf protagonist): Victoria Justice
Blaise McCoy (werewolf hunter): Clint Eastwood
Carl (Erik’s best friend): Alex Pettyfer
Officer Craig (police officer): Ethan Hawke
Lydia (female werewolf antagonist): Pauley Perrette
Malachai (antagonist werewolf): Michael Sheen
Anjing (antagonist werewolf): Jerome Flynn
Goliath (antagonist werewolf): Brock Lesnar
Mag (antagonist werewolf): Ellie Darcey-Alden
Bethany (Erik’s ex-girlfriend): Hayden Panettiere
Scott (Bethany’s random new boyfriend): Dylan O’Brien
Carl Ryzinski (Erik's best friend): Alex Pettyfer
and
Lydia Kings (female werewolf antagonist): Pauley Perrette
and
Lydia Kings (female werewolf antagonist): Pauley Perrette
LC: There you go! You're all set!
Well, thanks again for being here, Casey. It's been fun learning about you and your writing. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for Out of the Night! There's just one last thing before you go... and that is for you to... SELL IT! Tell us why we should read your stuff! (The heat is on, buah ha ha!)
CM: Because they’re awesome! :o) But seriously, you should check out my short stories (and keep an eye out for my book) because they are all unique. Each one takes place in a different setting, following different characters on different journeys. Some fall in love and some get sucked into forbidden doors, but in some way every character is searching for something.
Casey Murphy is a graduate of Kean University with a B.A in English Writing and a minor in Theatre and Women’s Studies. She loves to write fiction, but writing in general is her passion.
Her big goal is to have one (or more) book published, and plans on writing for Teens/Young Adults. For more information, visit her blog at http://www.simplydelete.wordpress.com
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