Here is my interview with Awen Finn

Name Awen Finn

Age

Too old to tell 😀

Where are you from

I was born in the United Kingdom and began my career in fashion before moving to Australia. In Sydney, I went on to develop a successful business in the art world, co-founding art galleries and a successful art publishing company.

 

I began my journey in spirituality after attending a meditation class with a friend. I went on to train and qualify as an energy healer and spiritual teacher before I began to understand the incredible connection hidden within music and the spiritual energy of the world. I now interpret how to apply this life-changing knowledge in people’s favorite songs while completely transforming their understanding of music and its energy.

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I have 2 new books!

Soul Music has just been released. In this book I pin down the traits most common to people who share the same favorite song. Using psychic intuition, Soul Music is a unique book that reveals your strengths, weaknesses, and major issues while providing practical advice and life guidance.

It is a must have for every library and anyone even remotely interested in the dynamics of personality. While you study your profile you will find it hard to resist examining those of family and friends. Soul Music helps you to better understand yourself and celebrates our differences and similarities as human beings.

You can find it on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2bFLw5Z 

And my latest book, How to Beat Criticism and Feel Good is launching on 8^th November. This book offers practical advice and simple techniques for how to beat criticism and make your life happier.

 

I show you how to:

• Recognize the tell-tale signs of criticism
• Respond confidently to criticism
• Free yourself from the negative clutches of criticism
• Empower you to live a happy life and feel good

How to Beat Criticism and Feel Good has the potential to turn around your relationships and help you feel good with all of the people in your life.

You can find it on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2cDahB7

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing 3 years ago. I was compelled. I didn’t really have a choice. It was something I had to do. I started writing Song Reads, which are personality reports which I intuit from your favorite songs.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I considered myself a writer and author straight away. I didn’t beat around the bush J

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

My first book, Read my Song, Read my Heart, Read my Soul is a compilation of personality reports taken from my clients favorite songs. I think, deep down, everyone likes to read about him or herself. I am inspired to help people know themselves on a deep level. I am inspired to help people if they need direction, confirmation, reassurance, solutions to their pain, soul connection, or are looking for answers to the big questions in life.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I meditate before I write and I allow the writing to come through me. I see myself as a vehicle. I don’t really think that I am the one doing the writing J

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

One of my clients gave it to me. How lucky 😀

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes, look inward. The answers are within and there is more to life than meet the eye.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I write using psychic intuition, so my SongRead books don’t factor in the realistic realm at all J With How to Beat Criticism and Feel Good I write about overcoming criticism, which is something I have had to learn to deal with from an early age.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who  is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I love good literature. My favorite book is ‘Disgrace” by J.M. Coetzee. I adore his clipped writing style. He had a badass writing style and writes to the point. He doesn’t mince his words and his style is in some ways shocking, just like his subject matter. I love the title too! I love William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury.” I also love the classics, such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. For nonfiction Noam Chomsky is a big influencer of mine and also the writings and teachings from Paramahansa Yogananda.

All the books I read are in some way a mentor.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

My close friends support me and also my writing teacher. 3 years ago I took a 1 week writing course as I wanted to learn and see if I was up to the job J

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Absolutely yes. I used to call myself an Art Gallery Director, I now say I am an author.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I no longer try to make my work perfect. I let it live. So, no. But I am open to releasing new improved, upgraded versions, with the hashtag, even bigger and better…

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Yes, being an artist, I imagined that I would create a book of illustrations, titled “Beach Babe and Bella” (my 2 muses)…..a bit like Herge’s adventures of Tintin, but with my 2 ladies in the leading roles J

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Showing up every day and doing the work.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

One of the reasons I chose to be a writer is location independence. So I travel whilst I write.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

Derek Murphy, Creativindie

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Be compassionate. Be kind. Mediate more. Forgive more. Love more. Read more

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead

That’s a difficult question as I would like to play the lead role! My daughter aspires to be an actress, so I would pick my daughter too. J Julianne Moore would do a fantastic job and is always wonderful to watch J)

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

For this, I will defer to 2 beautiful quotes in my book How to Beat Criticism and Feel Good

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

―Oscar Wilde

 

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”

―Ella Fitzgerald

 

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

And here’s another quote from the same book:

“Discover yourself, otherwise you have to depend on other people’s opinions who don’t know themselves.”

―Osho

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

“How to be a Success” by Paramahansa Yogananda. (I carry this book with me in my handbag)

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

The first book I ever read was probably “Janet and John.” The first book I enjoyed and was inspired by was, “My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell. I loved the Mother character and she inspired me to be a Mother, to my own children, in a creative and fun way J

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell! And music. I cry, laugh, dance and sing to music 😀

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

Sri Yukteswar. He is my guru

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why ?

That’s a secret 😀

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?

Meditation. Art. Laughing, dancing, good conversation, good food, good times J

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

I’m a sucker for Reality T.V. I find it interesting how people interact and understand themselves.

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

My favorite food is Indian food. My favorite color is orange and my favorite song is “This is The Sea” by The Waterboys

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I would like to have done more humanitarian and charity work.

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

http://readmysongreadmysoul.com

 

My Amazon author page is: http://amzn.to/2eccEdw

 

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Here is my interview with Helene Louard

Name Helene Louard

 Age 40

 Where are you from

I’m originally from France. I was born in Paris and lived in a small village in the south of France until my family moved to Canada. I currently live in Montreal, Quebec.

 

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

My novel, The Tunnel – a YA dystopia/science-fiction/paranormal romance book – was published by DreamBig Publishing on August 19^th, 2016. It is now available on Amazon.com and through other major retailers.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote my first short story when I was ten years old. I had read a book about a boy and his dog and didn’t like the book’s ending so I decided to write my own.

From a very young age, I felt drawn to books. I’m very creative and have a wild imagination so it’s easy for me to get lost in a good book. I love how wonderful a great novel makes me feel. It’s a superb escape! When I was a teenager, I wrote a lot of dark poetry (typical teen angst stuff). It took many years for me to decide to write my first book. In 2005, I wrote a fantasy entitled “The Dreamer’s Vengeance”. I’m now actually in the process of publishing it.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Not until my novel, The Tunnel, was picked up by DreamBig Publishing. I’m not sure why it took me so long to embrace my talent. It’s probably because I spent so many decades locked in the corporate world trying to find my place. I have finally figured out that that world simply isn’t meant for me.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

I can’t really explain it. The plot for a novel usually strikes me out of nowhere. Within minutes, the entire storyline is played out in my head.

With The Tunnel, it was a listening to a specific song – one I’d never heard before – that sparked the whole story.

Now, if only I could write the story as quickly as I imagined it…!

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I prefer writing in the third person because it enables me to delve deeper into all the characters’ traits and personalities. I also hate extensive details that don’t add anything to the storyline. I like to think that readers enjoy using their own imaginations. So in my opinion, there’s no need to describe a landscape or character’s face in intricate detail. I leave that to the reader.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

When the storyline for The Tunnel infiltrated my mind (during my usual lunchtime walk), I pictured my main character, Alexa, at the wheel of a car entering a dark tunnel. The tunnel is the portal that propels Alexa into the future and into the post-apocalyptic world she is meant to save. I also thought the title would sound very “paranormal-y”.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are many but primarily, I want readers to believe in love again. And not just romantic love but also in the love that is shared by siblings, friends, and the entire human race. The Tunnel celebrates selfless and sacrificial love. It also sends a strong message about the consequences of humans playing God. In the book, the human race hangs by a thread because of genetic modifications and human pride. Ultimately, the world is destroyed because human beings messed around with nature.

There’s also a message about spirituality and destiny – that we are all connected and here for a purpose.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

In The Tunnel’s prologue, a woman named Elyssa takes a trip to Israel to search for her missing mother. During the trip, she is “bitten” by a supernatural force that soon bestows her with visions of the future. This part of the book was definitely influenced by an event in my own life. When I was only four years old, my maternal grandmother went on a trip to Israel. When she came back, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died shortly thereafter. When my mother told me that story, it stuck with me and kind of haunted me, to be honest. So when I started writing the prologue, I felt a strong need to incorporate my grandmother’s story. I think it’s a way for me to pay homage to her and the incredible life she lived.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? A mentor?

The first trilogy I ever read was J.V. Jones’ Book of Words. I read those books in record time! That author really changed my life and inspired me to write The Dreamer’s Vengeance.

I then dove into George R. R. Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series (Game of Thrones!!). A few decades later, I discovered the world of YA writing and totally fell in love with authors like Amanda Hocking, Suzanne Collins, James Dasher, and Michael Grant. I like to switch genres and I find I go through phases. Like for a couple of years, I read nothing but horror novels. I guess I like to experiment and broaden my horizon.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I can’t pick one author as I simply have too many favorites. I definitely like Michael Grant because his “Gone” series really steps outside of the confines of traditional paranormal writing. His imagination is insanely wild and his books, very popular. I like it when an author proves that even if it’s never been done before, it doesn’t mean it can’t strike a chord with readers.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

God. After all, where else did all my inspiration come from? I really can’t take any of the credit. Even when I’m writing, I’m amazed at what I’m typing because it feels like an out-of-body experience. I totally attribute all of my gifts and talents to the Lord.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

I think every author’s dream is to be able to write all day and get paid for it. The reality is that only a few ever get that chance. I guess it’s a lot like trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood. But regardless of the financial aspect, I do see writing as a career. Bottom line: It doesn’t matter if a book sells millions of copies, an author should write for the joy of writing.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Nope, I wouldn’t change a thing. I am very blessed to be working with a publisher that didn’t feel the need to change my storyline or any other details. And so far, my book reviews have been fantastic which leads me to believe that readers like it just the way it is!

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

From my love of books and reading. Plus, I think that writing is my only talent (hee hee). I just love to create worlds and stories. When I was a kid, I would set up a storyline for my friends and sisters to play out. Everyone had to follow the plotline or else…! I should have known then, I was going to be a writer!

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’m working on two projects right now. I’m half-way through writing my next novel, The Tide, which is a prequel to The Tunnel. I’m also working on publishing my fantasy novel, The Dreamer’s Vengeance.

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Yes. Trying to get the story from my brain to the page. Sometimes I get writer’s block. It’s horrible. When it happens, I know it’s because I’m not on the right track so I usually take a break and then totally erase whatever last paragraph or section I’ve been working on. A fresh start usually unlocks my mind again.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

No, I don’t need to travel. That’s the beauty of the internet and social media. I can do all my research and promotions online.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

I came up with the design but I hired a Graphic Designer to put it together. Her name is Jocelyne Pena. I think she did an amazing job!

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Making sure the plot flowed effortlessly and that no details were missed. There’s a prophecy in The Tunnel so I had to be careful to follow its course. I also had a few family members read the book before publishing. I strongly recommend that authors get the opinions of friends or family before they finalize their manuscripts. You’d be surprised at how useful their comments can be.

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned that although I’m a skeptic in real life when it comes to romantic love, I sure enjoy writing a good love story!

 

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead

I love this question! I really do hope The Tunnel will be made into a movie because I already imagined the entire trailer. It gives me chills when I think about it!

I think Tane could be played by Jeremy Sumpter, and Micah, by Kellan Lutz. As for Alexa, I recently saw the movie “Nine Lives” and immediately thought Malina Weissman would be amazing in the role (once she’s a little older, of course!).

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Yes. Write because you love to write – not because you want to make money. Also, cherish the positive feedback and discard the negative. It makes life much more pleasant.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I just want readers to sit back and enjoy the ride!

 

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

I’m editing The Dreamer’s Vengeance so I’m not reading right now. When I write, I just don’t read other books. But once I’m done, I’ll be checking out the authors’ books that are published by DreamBig Publishing. I also plan to read more books by indie authors.

 

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

I’m pretty sure it was that book about the boy and his dog (I just can’t remember the title). The dog dies at the end. I was absolutely outraged which is why I wrote my own alternate ending. In my ending, the dog comes back to life. Ha. Take that!

 

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

I watch a lot of TV so I can state that watching Game of Thrones does both for me. I love watching comedies like Seinfeld and The IT Crowd. I’m actually a huge fan of comedy. That’s being said, I find it interesting that my books tend to be very dramatic.

 

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

 

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why?

This might sound like an odd answer but… I don’t want a headstone. I’m happy to be cremated and have my ashes tossed in the ocean (one of my favorite places). If I had a headstone, I’d be taking up place in the cemetery and since I’m an environmentalist, I’d rather not do that 😛

 

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

I am a major TV and movie nut. I always enjoy going for walks and surrounding myself with all kinds of animals. I especially love cats!

 

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are my absolute favorite!

 

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

I’m a vegan so I love all vegan cuisine. I’m a big fan of Daiya pizza and “cheese”cake. My favorite color is blue. As for music, I currently enjoy Twenty-one Pilots (their lyrics are fresh and original – a nice change from the usual!). I also like most of the stuff on the top 40 list and enjoy the music of Chris Tomlin.

 

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I would have worked with animals. I always wanted to be a zoologist or biologist. The problem is that I wasn’t any good at math and physics so that dream was a bust at an early age. But I still have the dream to open up my own animal sanctuary one day.

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

You can visit my website at www.thetunnelnovels.com. I also have a Facebook page www.facebook.com/thetunnelseries. My book’s information is also available on DreamBig Publishing’s website at www.dreambigpublishing.net.

 

Amazon Authors Page https://www.amazon.com/Helene-Louard/e/B00ITJCY12/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1477946997&sr=1-2-ent

 

Here is my interview with Christina E Pilz

Name  Christina E Pilz

Age  54

Where are you from?

I was born in Waco, Texas in 1962. After living on a variety of air force bases, in 1972 my Dad retired and the family moved to Boulder, Colorado. There, as the moss started to grow beneath my feet, my love for historical fiction began with a classroom reading of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I attended a variety of community colleges (Tacoma Community College) and state universities (UNC-Greeley, CU-Boulder, CU-Denver), and finally found my career in technical writing, which, between layoffs, I have been doing for 19 years. During that time, my love for historical fiction and old-fashioned objects, ideas, and eras has never waned.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

My latest news is that I’m working on book #6 in the Oliver & Jack series, and that I’m headed out to a writer’s conference where I shall do all sorts of writery things and have all sorts of writery conversations!

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

When I was in the 4^th grade, I handed in a short story about a boy and a girl getting lost in the woods and being chased by a bear. They escaped, of course. My teacher, Mrs. Harr, thought it was a very good story and told me so. That little bit of praise was all I needed to start writing other stories.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’d like to think that I considered myself a writer when I got the first paperback copy of the first version of Fagin’s Boy. It had been snowing, and the package from the printer was on the back step – it was all very dramatic and quite memorable. But really, I’ve thought of myself as a writer since the 4^th grade.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

When my dad was stationed in Germany, we went to England for a two-week vacation. During that time, I saw the movie Oliver! on screen and fell in love with a little boy whose life was so tragic and hard. I loved his sweet little face and his courage and the happy ending that he got.

That little boy stayed with me for a long, long time, until finally I realized that he wanted me to tell his story. So I did. I mean, there was really no resisting his very courteous request.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

If there is a scale with Hemingway on one end and Anne Rice on the other, I’m more toward the Anne Rice end. (Not that I’m comparing my talent or skill to either!)

I think of my writing as being very curlicue, looping around itself like fancy cursive script. My sentences tend to be very dense, as well, with compound subjects and parenthetical phrases and the like. It’s definitely fun to write this way!

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

The original book was titled Oliver Twist or The Parish Boy’s Progress.

As a paean to Charles Dickens, I wanted to reflect that type of wording in of the title of the first book in my series.  I also wanted to connect with the original book by mentioning it in some way. Thus, I came up with

Fagin’s Boy: The Further Particulars Of A Parish Boy’s Progress.

When I determined to make a series out of the story, I wanted to reflect the two-part nature of the original title, as well as give each book a sense of place. Thus, I came up with the following, with Oliver & Jack as the first part, and a prepositional phrase and location as the second part:

Oliver & Jack: At Lodgings In Lyme
Oliver & Jack: In Axminster Workhouse
Oliver & Jack: Out In The World
Oliver & Jack: On The Isle Of Dogs

And the last book in the series will be:

Oliver & Jack: In London Towne

 

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I believe that each reader comes to each book with a template of their own experiences and adventures and knowledge, which they then use to filter the story through.

I am often surprised when a reader will mention a specific detail that resonated with them, when in fact it was something I’d thrown in at the last minute to create a segue with. This does not mean I demean that experience in any way. Instead, such reflection on their part, as well as the reader’s willingness to share it with me, gives me great joy.

If there is a theme in the Oliver & Jack series, one that I put there on purpose, perhaps, it would be the theme of found families, and the message that you can find your kin, find people like you, if you look for them in the right place.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

This might be a little sad to hear about, but the story of Jack’s mother leaving him on a fountain for the gypsies to find is based on a similar event in my own life.

After a Camp Fire Girls meeting in late December, my mother was supposed to pick me up at five p.m. The family, whose house it was, had gone out to dinner, and it started to snow very badly, but my mother had forgotten I was there. This happened in the days before cell phones, and I was there, sitting on that step, with the snow pilling around me for a good two or more hours.

That’s the most specific event I can think of; other events in the book are based on something that happened to me or someone I know. I don’t think I pulled anything in the series out of a hat; with the exception of picking pockets and riding a 19^th century coach across England, most everything else is based in something real.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?

The book that most influenced me was Catspaw by Joan D. Vinge. She’s an amazing writer and Catspaw was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read that was more about the character than about the technology. Plus, Cat, the main character, was an orphan, so I was pretty much hooked from the beginning.

As for a mentor, I once had a friend named Nik, who taught me more about writing just by being a great writer herself. We talked about writing, and no detail was too small to obsess over. She gave me the length of the room and the height of the sky to expand my wings as a writer.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I’ve been so busy writing that I’ve not had a chance to check out any new authors.

My favorite non-fiction writers are Sarah Wise and Judith Flanders, both of these writers do such great research that their books are a go-to source for me.

My favorite fiction writers are Sarah Waters, who wrote Fingersmith, and Louis Bayard, who wrote Mr. Timothy, both of which inspired me to write my own historical fiction.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

My best supporter, and a terrific writer, is Wendy Rathbone, who is much more prolific than I am!

We’d known of each other years ago, but it was at a convention in 2014 (we think) that we actually met. We’re a kind of mutual support society, and do NaNoWriMo together, and share word counts, and bounce ideas off of each other. While I write historical fiction and she writes brilliant sci-fi, we can still meet in the middle and talk about writing.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Yes, I do. I would love to make a living by writing and selling books, but I’m not there yet. I would love it if I could wake up, talk a long walk down by the water, come back, have breakfast, and spend each morning writing. Then in the afternoon, I could do marketing stuff, then take a nap or plan a trip.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I would have started writing it long before I did. I think that has to do with my lack of courage about my skills as a storyteller. I put off writing it, focused on other things, wrote short stories, all while thinking that I’d write that book “one day.”

When I got laid off the first time (2007) I finally decided to write the book. That draft was so bad, it took me a while to re-work the story. But I did, and in 2014, I began my writing career in earnest.

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

It came from having gotten such praise about something I had written. If I’d gotten praise about a drawing I’d done, perhaps I might have gone in a different direction. But, as the praise about that little story in the 4^th grade was like water in a desert, it had quite an effect.

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

It’s the last book in the Oliver & Jack series, and it’s meant to tie up loose ends, and also to give the lads a Happily Ever After. As many reviewers have commented, I am not kind to my characters, not at all. So, to make up for that, while it will be dark, there is a huge, very bright light at the end of the tunnel, and Oliver and Jack will very, very happy, I promise you.

Here’s an excerpt, at the beginning of the book, when Jack is waiting in the inn of a coaching yard for Oliver to return from his rescue mission:

The White Hart on Drury Lane reminded Jack only slightly of the Angel at Islington, for it was much smaller, and it being in the deep of the evening, was much quieter. He didn’t know whether it was the sprinkling of piss-warm rain or the thudding of distant and near bells tolling the hour at ten o’clock that made him edgy. He shouldn’t have been, for he knew this part of London quite well, had done work for Fagin here, and with the patch being only a mile from home, well, he wasn’t exactly on foreign soil.

The coaching inn yard was smaller than the Angel as well, though it had the same tri-level balconies all overlooking the yard, with the same sagging wooden beams, and old cobbled stones, now all of it dripping with slight rain, just enough to bring up the sour stench of a cow pen that was none too clean. He might have cursed Nolly for showing him the difference, because before, none of this would have bothered him. Only now it did, for, by the bells, and the yellow-sheeted schedule nailed to the archway leading into the yard, The Comet was due from Hyde Park Corner any moment.

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Writing a series makes it hard not to repeat myself, or to have the characters repeat themselves. So what I do with that is have the characters realize that some idea or emotion is happening again, or is similar to some other point in their lives.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Actually, I get to travel to do research! That’s almost my favorite part. I find that going to a new place or even a favorite, old place, is much more engaging if I’m looking at it with a writer’s eyes. My current plan is to get to London again, and maybe stake out some of the places in the book just to get a good feel for them.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

My beautiful covers are designed by James Egan at Bookfly Designs! He is a lovely and talented man, and very patient with all of my emails and suggestions. I’d rather keep him to myself, but he deserves the praise and the acclaim.

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The first third of any book tends to be the hardest for me to write.

I love working on outlines, and I love it when I’m deep in the throes of the story. But during the first third, I’m just staring out and all the pages are blank. It’s hard to get a handle on what I want the story to be about – not just what happens in the story, but what it is about, what it will mean in the end.

So what I usually do, to get myself going, is avoid it for as long as I can! Then, when the last, last, last day comes where I have to write or fall behind, I’ll have a nice glass of wine and just go at it. That sort of kick starts me, and I’ll just make a habit of it. The writing, not the wine.

My substance of choice for writing is: a large block of time, a good night’s sleep, a full English breakfast, and a large cup of Yorkshire Gold tea with cream and sugar. Then I can write till the cows come home.

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Do the thing, just start out and do the thing. Break the project down into steps, and work through each step, one by one. Take little bites of what you’re working on, and don’t overwhelm yourself.

And, of course, treat yourself. Ice cream is my treat of choice.

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

This question makes me feel shy! But I’m going to answer it, because I am brave like that.

Oliver would be played by Bradley James. This is not only because he’s blonde haired, blue eyed, and beautiful, he’s got the most adorable grumpy expression I have ever seen.

Jack would be played by Sebastian Stan, who is dark haired and saucy eyed, and can smirk like nobody’s business.

Plus, I think they would look well together.

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write the thing. Just keep writing the thing. Then write some more.

Go to coffee shops, and listen to the conversations there. People in coffee shops are jacked up on caffeine and say the most amazing things, so you’ll get some great insights into the human condition.

Also, don’t follow the market. Write what you’d love to read about. Write the book you want to read but can’t find on the shelves.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Do the thing. Just do the thing and write. Don’t wait for anyone to tell you yes or no or anything. Never mind them, just do the thing.

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson; I needed something different from all the historical fiction and the books I read for research.

Most recently I read, for research, The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise, which is about body snatching in 1830’s London.

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

It must have been Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My 4^th grade teacher read it out to us, so after that was done, I checked it out from the library and read it myself.

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Hallmark card commercials. I can’t watch them for sobbing.

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

Sometimes, when I’m feeling saucy, I like to say that I’d like to meet Charles Dickens and ask him why he was so obsessed with his sister-in-law and why he was so mean to his wife!

But then I realize that Chuck was a bit of an egomaniac, and that I’d much rather meet Jane Austen. We could have a conversation, she and I, about the people around us, and how interesting they are. Then we could go for a long walk and enjoy the fresh air. (This would require that I wear Regency-era clothes, of course.)

Fiona: What do you want written on your headstone and why?

I’m going to live forever, thus, no headstone. But if I did have one, it would say that I was kind, that I was a good writer, and that I gave something creative to the world.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

I love to cook and I love to go on road trips. Both open my mind and fill my soul.

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Sense8; Stranger Things; Starsky & Hutch; The Professionals; Stargate: Atlantis; Elementary; Due South.

All of these have great writing and characters, and yes, some are dated and showing their age, but they all have spoken to my heart.

Sense8 is an especially brilliant show. I’d love to give the guy who came up with it a big, smoochy kiss for being so clever and creative.

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

Favorite food: Lobster. Lobster stew, lobster rolls, lobster tails. Lobster.

Colors: All shades of blue and green.

Music: Mumford and Sons, Billy Joel, Adele, and Sia

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I wanted to be a meteorologist. Not the guy or gal in front of the camera, but the person in the background, measuring isobars and tracking thunderstorms and testing dew points.

You can be wrong every single day, if you’re a meteorologist, but they will never fire you.

 Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so, what is it?

http://www.christinaepilz.com

http://www.christinaepilz.com/books/

https://www.amazon.com/Christina-E.-Pilz/e/B00KNPITFU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1477859815&sr=8-1

 

Here is my interview with Olivia Norem

Name Olivia Norem

Age Old enough to know which bad decisions yield delicious results, and young enough to carry them out.

Where are you from

I grew up in the Chicago area of the United States. At 17, I moved to Florida to attend the University of Tampa, majoring in Political Science. I’ve lived in Tampa so long, I’m considered a native. A generous feline shares her home with me and my tall, dark, handsome (and wondrously supportive) husband. Between us we have four children, two sons and two daughters.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

My new release, His Viking Bride, just published on Amazon in September. It’s a fun romance, loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew.

Firewater, book one in my Brothers In Justice western series, and Wicked Wicked Wilderness, a stand-alone novel of erotica, will both be released before the end of the year.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

The “when” is easy, I wrote my first story when I was six, “The Cat Who Wouldn’t Die” and even created a dimensional, construction-paper cover and bound it in book form. The “why” is a bit more difficult. I guess it was simply a compulsion, a natural thing to do. With more than twenty years in sales, advertising, and marketing; writing has always been necessary – business writing. After leaving corporate life and closing a small business in 2015, I decided that summer, I would finally write novels full time.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

At fourteen, my official “title” as author came when my short story “The Program” was published in a local town literary journal. I think I still have it somewhere, as this was just a tad before the internet existed. My poem, Televised Side Effects, won 3^rd place in the 2016 Writers-Editors Network International Writing Competition, so that has also stamped me as official.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

His Viking Bride is one of nine novels I began to work on in 2015. No, I can’t seem to work on a singular project, but rather jump back and forth between ideas and inspiration. I was doing research on the Nordic region and history for my novel Aftermath of Five, and Viking lore fascinated me. The deeper I looked, the more captivated I became. His Viking Bride just seemed to spill out of me, hence it is the first release this year.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I vacillate between descriptive and narrative, often using them in support of each other. Specifically, I love conjoined sentences and abrupt, one-word paragraphs to convey mood and action. In other words, I use style to coax a deeper emotional response from the reader, and impart an additional layer to my characters – a connection for the reader to the character’s headspace and personality, as it were. According to my editors and beta readers, I abhor commas.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

Ah, Fiona…titles. The bane of my existence. I can bang out fifty-thousand, a hundred-thousand words without a problem, but make me title the work? [Shudders]

Honestly, titles are an involved process in our house. I usually interrupt my husband from whatever he is doing (including peaceful slumber), and we brainstorm potential titles. Please keep in mind he has already suffered through endless recitations of draft after draft after draft, so he’s familiar with the general story; either that, or he is a very good actor.

His suggestions range from witty to ridiculous, to absolute, pure gold. For example, a story I was working on involving high-end racehorses, needed a title. He suggested “Won Horse Town” and “Who’s Hoof is it Anyway.” [Laughs] While neither of them made the cut, I find working in a vacuum on titles is impossible for me.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Regarding His Viking Bride, the overall message is true love, no matter what the circumstances, cannot be denied.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

His Viking Bride is pure fiction, yet the characters and their feelings are all based on either personal experience or events from people I know. You can’t describe a soul-stealing kiss in the cold moonlight unless you’ve had one. Æstrid’s seasickness in the longboat was taken from memories of a diving trip I took once in Belize, and Veleif’s axe-throwing scene was loosely based on my husband’s past dart tournaments. I think it is critical a good writer experiences as much of life as possible, yet is able to adapt personal occurrences into their characters.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?

Literary influences include:

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein, Ancient Evenings, Norman Mailer, and A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

A mentor? That one is easy, The Art of War, Sun-Tzu. The lessons here are applicable in every aspect of life.

Fiona: Are there any new authors who have grasped your interest and who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Currently, I am a huge fan of Grace Goodwin and her Interstellar Bride Series of books. Ms. Goodwin works on a formula that never disappoints. She balances her dominant heroes with just the right amount of attitude and good intentions. Her heroines are strong, snarky and their inner voice expresses what you yourself would feel. As she continues to release books, her writing style gets better and better. Go Grace!

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

I attend a few monthly open mic events, but the Safety Harbor Writers and Poets is run a bit differently. Comment cards are encouraged and while, at times, I feel out of place among poets and performers, I am ever fueled to drive myself even more fiercely, encouraged by my peers. The response to my work has been invaluable as I can experience first-hand if my excerpt resonates or not with the audience.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Yes. I write full-time now and it is my career.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I wouldn’t change the story, but I would change my process. I would definitely hire a full-time editor.

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’d love to!

Sample Chapter

His Viking Bride

By Olivia Norem

Veleif turned toward the sack as a taunting smile lifted the corner of his mouth. He couldn’t help but admire her resolve. Weaponless and securely bound, Æstrid was still spouting threats. He sliced the ties from the top of the sack and stepped back. With his hands folded behind his back, he prepared for her cyclonic rage. Once she realized it was him in the cottage, instead of Arnor, he had no doubts her full fury would rival that of an unleashed Kraken.

Æstrid thrashed wildly at the tangled fabric of the sack. Her hair had cascaded loose from its braid and she shoved the tangle frantically back from her face. Her eyes widened in shock as Veleif gave her a mocking bow of his head.

“You!” she cried.

“Tainting my water isn’t enough, my lady? Now you wish to blind me as well?” Veleif tsked

In the next instant she went livid with rage. Æstrid sprung like a wild beast, forgetting her legs were still trapped inside the woven bag. She tripped headlong into Veleif, who caught her hard against him, just in time to save her before she crashed to the floor.

“Let me go you whelp of a bastard!” Æstrid screamed and wormed ineffectively at the twisted sack imprisoning her feet.

“Feed my eyes to the dogs you said,” Veleif taunted as he pressed closer, his voice laced with amusement. His arms tightened around her waist as he leaned back, lifting her enough that her toes skimmed the floor. Between the jollity in his voice and the evidence of his arousal against her thigh, Æstrid’s temper crested beyond reason.

She kicked in earnest, trying to free the wicked sack. Stamping the thing out of the way, her knee shot up and struck him hard in the groin. Veleif’s arms dropped immediately as he doubled over in a groaned pain.

Æstrid stumbled backward; momentarily surprised she’d gained the upper hand

“You… hell-bound…vixen,” Veleif choked, his eyes narrowed dangerously beneath his dark brows. “I warn you, Æstrid. Cease this foolishness.”

“Foolishness?” her voice pitched, “yes, I was a fool. A fool to believe your lies.” A shriek of frustrated rage escaped her. Seeing him at a disadvantage, Æstrid continued to press the attack.

Grasping at anything she could lay her hands on, Æstrid seized upon a half-broken shield and chucked it hard in his direction. Veleif flung his arm upward to ward off the missile. The shield clattered noisily to the floor.

“Lies?” he fumed, defensively, “what madness has seized you, wench?”

Veleif ducked as a battered pot sailed past his head. A low, warning growl rumbled in his chest, as he crouched low. Æstrid sprung lightly across the room, grabbing a hilt from one of a pair of discarded short swords.

“You said you had no ship to take me home. Yet at dawn, one sailed East!” she raged. She drew back her arm with a snarl and let the thing fly. The sword, woefully unbalanced, missed him wide. It clanged and rattled behind him in the hearth, sending a scatter of sparks over the floor.

Veleif jumped to stamp out the glowing embers. Æstrid hurled the second sword, this time catching him in the shin. With a pained grunt, Veleif bent to rub his leg.

Æstrid glanced about wildly. The cottage was so crowded; there was no clear path to the door. Veleif could easily cut off her escape. He maneuvered toward her and Æstrid launched a clay vessel at him. He dodged it in time to have it splinter behind him on the floor.

“Cool your temper, woman! I brought you here to talk,” Veleif thundered darkly. Her hand paused above her head, ready to throw another earthen pot at him.

“Talk?” Æstrid retorted harshly. “You had me stuffed in a sack!”

“Merely a small retaliation for the pranks you played in my chamber,” Veleif smirked and cocked a brow. She stopped suddenly, the wake of her skirts swirled around her as gaped at him. If she didn’t know better, the blackguard seemed to be enjoying himself.

“Arghh! I hate you! Liar! Whoreson!” Æstrid shrieked with renewed rage and sent a barrage of pottery toward him.

Shielding his face with his arm, Veleif ducked toward her. Æstrid feinted to her left as Veleif followed her movements. Seeing her deception, he spread his hands wide to cage her in. Darting to her right, she grabbed a shelf with strength born of rage and heaved it with all her might.

Veleif took the brunt of the shelf with his shoulder as broken wood, metal bits and earthenware rained down on him. Æstrid scrambled past, twisting away, but Veleif’s fist snaked out and grabbed a handful of her skirt. Veleif yanked her backward with a growl, as her foot skidded on a broken chair leg. She fell face first to the ground with a hard thunk! A searing pain shot up her leg, and Æstrid couldn’t help but cry out at the contact.

Ignoring her sob, Veleif leapt on her in an instant, pinning her to the floor with his weight. Æstrid screamed, her fingers desperate to grab hold of anything to use as a weapon.

Outside the cottage, Arnor turned a quizzical look at the crash and wails coming from beyond the door. Taar passed close enough to shoot a puzzled look at Arnor. The big Viking smoothed his beard and shrugged. Taar moved closer. “

Problems, Arnor?” he called out.

“No, Taar,” Arnor assured, and waved him off. Æstrid’s scream pierced the air and both men visibly winced. Taar hurried close, his face fraught with worry.

“But, it’s a woman’s scream,” Taar worried, and pointed nervously.

“Be off with you, Taar. It’s only Veleif…” Arnor leaned in, conspiratorially. “Wooing the lady Æstrid.” He gave Taar a knowing look and smiled as the man straightened in surprise.

“From the sounds of it, I don’t think either one is wooing,” Taar joked, “more like warring.”

Both men laughed as Taar trudged away through the drifts, promising to bring Arnor a skin of ale.

Veleif straddled her back and grabbed her hair in one fist with a devilish laugh.

“You’re rash with madness, wench. Calm yourself before I seek more fleshly pursuits,” Veleif panted.

Aestrid’s arms windmilled frantically as she tried to loosen Veleif’s grip from her hair. The shoulder of her gown caught on a protruding nail in the floor. As Æstrid fought to avoid his clutches, the fabric parted with a rending tear, baring her shoulder and leaving nothing but the soft linen gown beneath to cover her breasts.

Veleif exhaled an annoying breath and lifted up just enough to roll her to her back. Seeing her breasts strain against the thin cloth, combined with the sparks shooting from her eyes, he was gripped with lust of an unfathomable depth. The woman was wild, irascible, and utterly bewitching. He craved to experience the full onslaught of her passion without breaking her spirit. This quicksilver realization catapulted him on a headlong course to tame this creature.

Sensing a change as Veleif’s gaze wandered, Aestrid let loose a mortified gasp. She shielded her torn bodice with her arm. “You black-hearted pig,” Aestrid spat, “brute!” “You shouldn’t give in to your anger, Aestrid. You will lose every battle, every time. That’s your first lesson,” he said gravelly.

“Lesson? As if I could learn anything from you, Kollsvein,” Aestrid barked. The flat of her hand thumped his chest, trying to push him away. Veleif snatched the flailing hand and enveloped it in his larger one. Ignoring her resistance, he pressed a warm kiss onto her open palm.

Aestrid inhaled sharply at the searing touch of his lips against her flesh. Forgetting the pain in her banged knee, she strained in earnest. Veleif leaned closer, squeezing her immobile between his powerful thighs. The hand in her hair tilted her back, exposing the creamy column of her throat.

“The second lesson, my lady, if you harnessed your temper and expended a like effort toward passion instead…” he grinned rakishly at her, and trapped her useless hand over his heart, “I vow you could bring the entire kingdom of Kollsveinholdt at your feet.” Æstrid stilled as his soft words permeated her brain. The scent of leather from his trousers, and the pressure of his hard body around hers amplified her fluttering pulse. Veleif’s eyes roamed down her face, her neck. His measured gaze paused leisurely on her heaving bosom. Æstrid felt her cheeks broil under his deliberate perusal. Did he think to keep her as a willing bedmate? Her lips curled back in a sneer.

“You vow?” Æstrid’s brows arched in astonishment. “From which side of your mouth do you speak, Kollsvein?”

“I would ask you that question,” Veleif replied lazily. The icy eyes locked with hers in a chilling demand.

“Me?”

“Yes. You broke your word,” Veleif stated. “I did not!” Æstrid denied hotly.

“Did you not give me your word you wouldn’t harm anyone here?” Veleif chided. “Didn’t you tell me no ships would be sailing until the spring?” Æstrid countered. Hot tears of frustration sprang from her eyes.

“Did you not say ‘clear as crystals’ to my request?” Veleif pressed.

“And the ship I saw this morning was my imagination? You could have easily…” she argued.

“Enough! You speak of things you do not know,” Veleif interrupted. He snatched her hand covering her bosom and pinned it above her head. Veleif leaned down even closer and Æstrid swallowed as she read the flare of hot desire in his eyes.

“You have no right to treat me thus!” Æstrid protested in a croaked whisper.

“As lord and master of Kollsveinholdt, I’ll treat you as I see fit. Lesson three, my lady, and this one I encourage you to pay special attention to,” Veleif threatened in a low growl, “You’re better served to stir my pleasure, not invoke my ire.”

“You dare threaten me?” Æstrid hissed.

Veleif smiled. He held the advantage, yet the vixen still challenged him. His fingers squeezed her hands in warning, until he heard her whimper. Veleif gripped her hands tightly in one fist, and nudged her legs apart, until he was cradled between her thighs. He pressed against her, leaving her no doubts the evidence of his arousal

. Æstrid’s eyes went wide with panic, as his free hand plunged into her hair. Her wasted struggles seemed to do nothing more than tempt him.

“I dare more than that, Æstrid Karisson.” Veleif’s voice was husky with need.

“We are enemies sworn, Veleif Kollsvein,” Æstrid reminded him.

“By your admission, not mine.” His lips hovered above hers and his eyes roamed everywhere. “I cannot remember ever facing an enemy more beautiful, or desiring one so well.” He pushed against her thighs to underscore his words.

“Your lust has unbalanced you, barbarian. Until you return me to Karissonholdt, I vow you’ll not have a moment’s peace.” Æstrid promised tightly. Veleif chuckled deeply as his thumb grazed the delicate line of her jaw. Æstrid stiffened beneath him, as he expected.

“I agree. There wouldn’t be a moment’s peace around you. You stir a man’s blood to boiling,” Veleif admitted, twisting her words. Shrouded in the inky curtain of his hair, his lips pressed tiny kisses against her neck, leaving streams of fiery trails in their wake. “Give up this recklessness, Æstrid,” Veleif murmured along her skin.

His intention, bringing her to this deserted cottage was to lay down the law to her, even frighten her a bit at first. She was formidable, his warrior princess. Her reactions were instinctive and predictable. She fought and squabbled and waged a protective front against her fear. She was far from home, and the familiarity of her people.

Veleif wanted to assuage her fears, convince her to relinquish any more conflict between them, and comfort her with his protection. But facing the most tempestuous vixen he’d ever encountered wouldn’t be an easy victory.

His intention was to turn this battle to his favor, calm her with a reassurance of peace, and gain a degree of her trust. His intentions were rooted in honor, but his body quickly outpaced his mind. He hadn’t prepared for the sight of her lips parted with her heaving breath, or her body soft and plaint beneath him.

Æstrid stood up, clutching the cloak tightly around her. “Why did you kiss me, Veleif?” she repeated, her voice rising with her insistence. His eyes held hers for a stretch of time before he shrugged his answer.

“You needed kissing, Æstrid.”

Veleif closed the door behind him, concealing his mirth that he’d rendered her speechless. Meeting Arnor’s questioning gaze, he simply smiled back at the big Viking. Veleif plucked the horn of ale from the man’s hand before he could protest. Swiftly draining the full contents, Veleif wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and thrust the empty vessel back into Arnor’s stunned palm. Arnor’s lips pressed into a tight line as he scanned Veleif quickly.

“Well you appear unscathed. But who knew wooing built up such a thirst?” Arnor jested, looking down at the empty horn.

“My friend, you have no idea,” Veleif slapped the man’s shoulder and gestured his thumb to the door. “See her back to the keep, Arnor. And have a care when you remind her to return the combs she borrowed.”

“Combs? What combs?” Arnor called out as Veleif headed through the drifts. “I want them returned before eventide,” Veleif tossed back over his shoulder. “What combs do you speak of?” Arnor yelled, only to be answered with a wave of Veleif’s arm above his head and his retreating form.

“Women!” Arnor grumbled to himself as he contemplated the empty horn. Eating, drinking, fucking, warring, and more drinking… he thought with a sigh.

Life used to be much less complicated, when it didn’t involve a bride.

 

Excerpt from “His Viking Bride” by Olivia Norem. Copyright © 2016 by Olivia Norem. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpt provided solely for the personal use of visitors to this website.

 

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The challenge I have in writing is describing emotion and inner conflict in my characters. While I like to reveal this through dialogue, as a reader, I know dialogue is not enough. Walk into a French bistro with the aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and coffee permeating your brain, the hint of bleach used to clean the black and white tile floors. The smooth feel of well-worn, thick, wooden tabletops beneath your fingers as you arrange yourself in your chair… but describe how that makes you feel? Or what emotions the setting invokes? See Fiona, it is a bit more challenging.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Not at this time. Currently all of my travel is on hold until mid-2017, when I finish a few more novels. Then I will take a break as I have tentative plans for London, England, Lublin, Poland and Managua, Nicaragua within the next year. Who knows what stories those visits will prompt?

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

My covers are designed by my husband and myself. We collaborate on the mood, theme, etc. He creates the visuals, the layout and composition, and I usually work on the copy and typesetting.

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Convincing all my friends I was not gravely ill, or lying in a coma in the hospital, I had merely “gone dark” in the final weeks of completing His Viking Bride.

Fiona: If any of your books were made into a film who would you like to play the lead

Wicked Wicked Days, an erotic novel which will release late 2017, is on my radar to turn into a screenplay. I wrote the main male character, Grayson Flynn, with Johnny Messner in mind. Mr. Messner has to play the male lead. Hey, Johnny… call me will you? I have a project I know you’ll be interested in. We’ll do lunch, organic, of course.

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Read. Read. Read. Write, and then read some more. And despite what you’ve heard or read, or researched about writing challenges and encouragement, there truly is only one “secret” to complete your work – keep your butt in the chair.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

The words ‘Thank you’ is such a small way to express so much, similar to ‘I love you’ tiny expressions used to convey the magnitude of my sentiment. Yet, I say, Thank You. Thank you for supporting my work and I hope you receive as much enjoyment from my tales as I did creating them for you. And lastly, if you like my books, post a comment, a review and tell your friends; but if you don’t like my stories, tell me. [smiles]

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Ah Fiona, regarding me, the question should be plural. Books. I read one to two books a day. I am largely a genre reader, lately I’ve gravitated toward time travel romance, erotica, fantasy, some science fiction and philosophy thrown in.

Quite a mix, right? Once a week I add in a true literary classic by the greats, such as Fitzgerald, Whitman, or Wolfe.

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

Only that it was a hardcover and contained a lot of pictures.

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Most everything makes me laugh. People make me laugh. This question makes me laugh. I laugh all the time, sometimes even sitting alone in my office, I laugh. Why? I just think funny things.

What makes me cry? I don’t really cry anymore, I haven’t in years. I haven’t broken any bones in over a decade (extreme sports), all our children seem to have overcome their challenging times, and my heart has zero chance of being broken… maybe typos? Yes, typos make me weep.

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

Oooh, great question. If I have to pick only one, it would be Mae West. She is iconic and was so far ahead of her time. Mae was the complete package, sexy and brilliant with her distinct wit. I feel Mae was the original feminist and did a lot to empower how women were perceived, yet all the while scoffed at the establishment. A rebel. I can envision sharing life’s perspectives over a pitcher of chilled martinis with Mae, and one-upping each other with stories and observations.

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why ?

I want something clever, like: “Look behind you” or “I should have taken lessons first” or “Hope you don’t get my doctor” because I think if you can make people laugh in a graveyard, that’s real talent.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?

I am a huge cigar aficionado, and am passionate about classic cars. I love travel, abstract art, fine Bordeaux and all types of music. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in any one, but I certainly know enough to be dangerous 😉

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

I found television to be such a distraction, we removed cable from our entertainment repertoire over five years ago. Netflix and the huge DVD collection we have satisfies us. I’ll binge-watch 24, Chuck, and West Wing. Movies… I’m a fan of just about everything from black and whites to now. I gravitate toward epic movies and action films. Give me great stunts, mindless plots, pyrotechnics and weapons and I’m in. I don’t watch horror and do add in the occasional chick-flick.

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

Food… anything healthy and fresh. I don’t eat processed foods, red meat and avoid salt. I’ve found my brain works so much better when I eat fresh. I have been known to covet organic 90% + dark chocolate.

Favorite Colors? Tiffany Blue. Always. For everything.

Music? How much time to have? [Laughs] To write, I prefer absolute silence but will play Mozart, Leonard Cohen, Elton John, and John Lennon sometimes when I need an evocative mood. Otherwise, my playlists will include everything from rap, classics, world beats, reggae and disco and on and on…

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

Oh, Fiona, I’m still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. [Laughs] I’ve been blessed to have worked in a multitude of careers, and have done so many things this far… Writing and storytelling will remain my constant until I’m no longer able to breathe, and who says I won’t do other things as well?

However, to answer your question specifically, if I weren’t writing, I think I would work toward becoming a benevolent potentate of a tiny island nation, or become a gypsy, or manage a Hip Hop artist’s tour, or import fine wines, or restore classic cars, or… who knows? I may just do them all.

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

Of course!

My website and additional links are:

www.olivianorem.com

 

Socially, you can find me on

Facebook www.facebook.com/olivianorem

Twitter www.twitter.com/olivianorem

Instagram www.instagram.com/olivianorem

Pinterest www.pinterest.com/olivianorem

 

 

You can also find me on

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/Olivia-Norem/e/B01M5FJHK8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1477655913&sr=8-1

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/olivianorem

Here is my interview with Helen Henderson

Name  Helen Henderson

Age Beyond a double nickel, (55 if you’re not familiar with the term) that’s all I’m going to say.

Where are you from:

My people are from Pennsylvania (USA) coal country. My heritage is Scotch and Pennsylvania German, which fits perfectly with the two sides of my Gemini sign.

A little about yourself `ie your education Family life etc  

I grew up on a small farm and had a voracious appetite for reading. Fortunately, the small town library was part of a larger system. It meant a 12-mile drive but at the library there were enough books to entertain a young girl.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

2016 has been an unusual year. I moved from my home state to another part of the country, and this past summer had two releases in the same month. Hatchling’s Vengeance completed the Dragshi Chronicles while the release of Windmaster with a new cover and new publisher re-introduced The Windmaster Novels.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

Like many authors I have been writing a long, long time. Unlike some, I didn’t learn to love writing as a result of school assignments.Quite the opposite, school assignments sent the muse away. When I did write, it was for the other reason many authors got started. I wrote to entertain myself. Through the stories, I travelled from the family farm to exotic locales.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

The statement, “I am a writer” marks several points in my career. The first when I opened the mail containing payment for my first feature article. Although now a paid ‘professional,’ I did not feel like one until receiving contract offers for two non-fiction books. I would say I officially joined the ranks of romance writers with the appearance of the short story Recov in Romance of My Dreams 2, released for Valentine’s Day 2011 by L&L Dreamspell. However, all the previous moments paled with the release of Windmaster. With two series now either released or under contract, I can no longer doubt that “I am a writer.”

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Although fiction came later onto the scene, writing has been in my official job description in some share or form for several decades. Computer code and ‘how-to’ manuals gave way as the technical writer shifted focus to a more public audience. A feature-story writer and correspondent, my writing credits include over 300 articles on a number of topics including military and American history, antiques and collectibles. All of which form a great basis for world building.

Among the more unusual stories covered were air shows and battlefield archeology. (Yes, I do know a little something about the subject and have participated in digs using both traditional screen and trowel methods and the new-fangled metal detectors). I’m proud of my local histories. Two cover Monmouth County (New Jersey) towns: Matawan and Aberdeen – Of Town and Field and Around Matawan and Aberdeen. The history of the Society of Methodists of Middletown Point from its founding in the 1700s to the congregation of today was chronicles in From the Back Street to Main Street… And Beyond.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

There was no single inspiration for Windmaster. In fact, I don’t even like being in water over my head so writing about a ship captain is not something I would normally do. I was taking a writing course and there were several specific criteria to be met. I was reading a lot of fantasy at the time so that was the genre chosen. I like strong heroines who can fight as well as any man. Add in a little magic and a touch of romance (courtesy of the talented Carol McPhee) and the concept of the windmaster was born.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

My writing has been described as action mixed with adventure and romance. Or to paraphrase a popular commercial, enough romance for a woman, and enough action for a man. How I get there is a combination of the structured road map of a plotter to start the journey, then the discoveries of an explorer filled the remainder.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title? The title for Hatchling’s Vengeance demanded it fit several criteria. Being the fourth volume in the romantic fantasy series, the Dragshi Chronicles meant Hatchling’s Vengeance had to be consistent with the other books. The first book in the series, Dragon Destiny, was never intended to be the start of a series. But the characters refused to leave. The next book was titled Hatchings Curse, with the text chosen to reflect the goal of the dragon shifters to break the curse of childlessness. Which led to Hatchling’s Mate. Although I wanted the last book to be Dragon Something, I couldn’t find a combination of words available that I liked. Especially ones that began with the letter “d” to keep the symmetry with Dragon Destiny. I went back and reviewed the book and discovered that although it was not the original intent of the storyline, vengeance had become a prominent theme for several of the sub-characters whose futures were being determined. So the title became Hatchling’s Vengeance.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Redemption is a goal worth achieving, even if you don’t know you want it. And the path is through duty, honor… and love.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I write fantasy so the world as we know it doesn’t fit in. That said, there are ways that my experiences appear in my writing. The first is the portrayal of strong women, worthy of walking beside a man rather than behind him. The idea of the twinned souls from the Dragshi Chronicles grew out of watching a hawk play tag with the clouds and a long-held desire to fly.

I am a firm believer that the imagined world needs to be real enought that the readers feel as if they are moving through it with the characters. There are things that are universal in the real world and the fantasy ones I create, people’s emotions to name a few. Despite being a fantasy, locales of Scotland, China, Australia, and Polynesia have been used as the inspiration for the worlds of the Dragshi.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most?

The books of E. E. Doc Smith such as the Galactic Primes introduced me to science fiction. The Tower series by Anne McCaffrey and the Sackett books by Louis L’Amour showed me how to blend characters and create a different world than the one we live in.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members. In acknowledgements she is usually referred to as the wandering sailor. In the low points she has helped me decide to continue writing. To the readers of her science fiction and romance, she is known as Judy Griffith Gill.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I would write it sooner. There was a lag time between writing Hatchling’s Mate and Hatchling’s Vengeance. The tale of Glyn and Talann felt complete and I went on to write several novellas that although they were based on the world of the dragon shifters and their twinned dragon souls were not part of the Dragshi Chronicles. Something kept nagging at me and I decided to try something new and explore more of an epic fantasy genre and vengeance and redemption provided the means. Fortunately I hadn’t lost the contact with the dragon shifters and were attuned enough to them to finish the final work.

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I inherited a love of books from my mother and grandmother and as a result read anything and everything I could get my hands on. Lying in the grass, watching the clouds go by I became part of the stories. Not the main character, but in a supporting role which better fit my personality. Later in my professional life, I was described as being the perfect number two, which I took as the ultimate compliment as Star Trek: Next Generation was popular and I was being compared to the first officer of the Enterprise. Able to take charge if situations required me to be in command. After which I willingly relinguished control back to the captain.

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Windmaster Legacy, the second book in the Windmaster Novels is being finalized for production. When the book stops fighting me and the vision settles, the windmaster series will continue with Windmaster Legends, a tale from the history of the world inhabited by Captain Ellspeth and the mage, Lord Dal.

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Characterization challenges me in two ways. Ensuring the necessary depth of characters is one issue. Of course, having to rise to the test takes the work to a higher level. The second challenge is result of longevity. When I started writing, telling a good tale was sufficient; however, now readers expect more, that the characters change in some way, whether for good or bad.

 

What is the most difficult part comes not with the writing but the promotion because so many of my books are parts of a series. Specifically, what do you reveal about a book that won’t be a spoiler for the previous one. I’m still working on that.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

While I would love to go to Scotland and Ireland, or to horseback ride in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, itis not possible. The Shetland pony of my youth and infrequent outings at local stables have to suffice for the one and pictures and other’s memories for the other. The farthese I travel for a story is the deci of a log cabin overlooking a lake. My room is paid for by labor, staining the logs and deck.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

Fantasia Frog Designs created the covers for the Dragshi Chronicles and Michelle Lee is responsible for the piercing gaze of Ellspeth on Windmaster.

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

For Hatchling’s Vengeance, it was changing several characters who had obeyed orders to kill and other crimes to make the men worthy of redemption.

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead

If I was ever so lucky, Adrian Paul (Duncan McLeod, Highlander) would handle the character of the archmage Dal in Windmaster. Lighter hair would put Gabrielle Anwar (Fiona Glenanne, Burn Notice) behind the ship wheel.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I love to hear from readers. They can reach me through my website or direct through helenhenderson.author@gmail.com. I try to answer all notes. Putting one of my book titles in the subject line will help ensure the message doesn’t get caught in the spam filter.

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

It has been so long ago, I don’t remember the first book. A task made more difficult by the shelves full of books that I read when I was younger. Looking back at old records I would say Fun With Dick and Jane was probably one of the first, if not the actual first, book I read.

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Long before I learned to include romance in my stories, I was a romantic at heart. Tales of opportunities lost, especially when they are the result of duty and honor can raise tears to be blinked back.

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

Lois L’Amour. His Sackett clan was always a favorite and since I can’t ride the Old West with them, I would have to make do with their creator. However it wouldn’t be a formal dinner. We would be in sheepskin jackets, denim jeans and cowboy hats and boots. And riding the high mountain trails he was so familiar with.

Fiona: What do you want written on your headstone and why ?

This is definitely a different question. Surprisingly, it is one that has been on my mind recently. Name and dates don’t capture the imagination of the viewer when they walk through the cemetery. I prefer the old-fashioned sandstones with epitaphs rather than the new-fangled markers with a video embedded in it. So here goes.

Here lies an author, storyteller and historian. She captured the past for the future and cared for all.

As to the why?  Although I am no longer as active in the field, history is still part-of-my past and is embedded in my fantasy worlds to make them realistic. Storyteller because at some time we all need to escape our everyday lives and a good tale will take us to another time and place. The last has nothing to do with my career (although I  like to think I’ve given a hand up to people rather than trampling them), but rather with me as a person and my hope that the scales of life tilt in favor of a loving, caring, decent human being.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?

Knitting, crocheting and cross-stitch have kept fingers nimble. Photography and beading provided a creative outlet.

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

The NCIS shows and Scorpion are either watched or caught on video for later viewing. Past favorites sometimes reflect the popular shows of the time, and at others were more eclectic. Military shows like Rat Patrol and Garrison Gorillas (yes, I’m dating myself) replaced westerns, and they in turn slipped away as starships and futuristic explorers filled the airwaves.

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music
Favorites: Blue / Pizza (or a good steak with a sweet potato, butter and brown sugar and a frozen peach schnapps drink.)

Music is harder to answer. My favorite depends on the date, what life is dealing me, or where I am in a specific writing project. Some songs translate from book to book, while other tunes help create one book, then go back into the CD pile. On the spindle as inspiration for characters can usually be found “Desperado” and “Ireland’s Call” performed by Celtic Thunder. Instrumentals of celtic flute and harp motivate the pen for fantasy settings.

I assumed the question related to my choice of music, not that of my characters. In the Windmaster series, Ellspeth, Captain of the Sea Falcon, was a talented composer and flutist. Both music and captaincy required total dedication and a lifetime to learn. When her two abilities fought to control her destiny, Ellspeth had to choose between music and her ship. She chose to make her life on blue water.

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

Due to age, caregiving responsibilities, and a host of other reasons, taking to the skies as a pilot (or at the helm of a starship) which were my early dreams are no longer feasible. If writing were denied me, I would still need some kind of creative outlet such as painting or jewelry making, then travel making the rounds of craft shows across the country.

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

Author website: http://helenhenderson-author.webs.com/

Blog: http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com and while there you can check out the first chapters of my books

Or find me on Goodreads at http://ow.ly/ircv302xHVD and Twitter https://twitter.com/history2write.

Amazon Authors Page     https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Henderson/e/B001HPM2XK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

 

Dragon Destiny – http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com/p/dragon-destiny.html

Hatchlings Curse – http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com/p/hatchlings-curse.html

Hatchling’s Mate – http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com/p/hatchlings-mate.html

 

Hatchling’s Vengeance – http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com/p/hatchlings-vengeance.html

Windmaster – http://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com/p/windmaster_5.html

 

 

Here is my interview with Wynette Davis

Name    Wynette Davis

Age 54

Where are you from

I was born in Columbus, Ohio, but I spent most of my life in Sacramento, CA

A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc

My father was in the military, as was my husband. I married pretty young, so I didn’t go to college until I was in my late thirties. I have my degree in social science, and was a substitute teacher for ten years. My husband retired in ’96, and we settled in Antelope, which is suburb of Sacramento.

 

 

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

Well, right now I’m in the middle of finishing up the fourth book in The Maidens of Mocmoran Series. It’s my first fantasy series, and I love writing it.

 

 
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing? 

Being the middle child in my family, I guess I’ve always had an active imagination. But I seriously started writing back in 1998. I knew nothing about what I had to do. I only know that I had this story in my head that wouldn’t go away. The only thing I knew to do was to write it down. And I mean I wrote it down in long hand. In tablets. But I never sent it in. I still have those tablets, though.

 

 
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I remember the moment that I said that to myself. It was when I was sent my first contract from Siren. I thought, yeah…this is it. I’m published. I’m a writer. It still to this day feels weird.

 

 
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

I’m sure a lot of writers do this, but I have stories that unfold in my head. I walk around my house saying dialog lines of the characters I’ve made up. So, this one time I was in the mood to have a southern accent. For no other reason than to have some fun with myself. Now, this is the first book I had published, A Taste of Sugar. The very first book I wrote, I couldn’t begin to tell you what was going through my head it was so long ago. But this specific time, I was just having fun with the accent, and it morphed into a love story between a long-time crush, a sweet southern girl, and the man she’d always thought of as her closest friend. That’s usually the way my stories unfold, with the accents or by talking to myself.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

Relatable characters that aren’t super rich, or race specific. Most of my books are about interracial, biracial, or multiracial characters and loves. And my heroines are all what some would call plus size. I won’t use the word fat, but the women are curvy, with lots of boobs and butt. With the exception of my fantasy series, which isn’t race specific, I like to mix things up in my books. I think it shows the reader that love can happen to anyone regardless of who they are, or what race thay are. I come from multiracial background, and I like to show that part of who I am in my books.

 

 
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

Some writers are plotters, while others are what we call pantsters. Plotters write out outlines of their storylines and characters, while pantsters sit and write from the seat of their pants (gotta love ‘em). I’m a plotter. I have to write out what my characters look like, where the story is taking place, the major conflict, etc. I don’t decide on the title until I’ve finished my outline for everything. Then I can get a feel for what the book should be called. Sometimes it’s a few words that I use in the book. In the case of Buttercream, I used what Cadence saw was her perfect love. Her perfect life. Buttercream. The sweet and silky, and sinfully delicious icing also had a double entendre, if you know what I mean?

 

 
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes. I want my readers to know that they don’t have to be a certain size to experience love, passion, and desire. I want them to grasp that race isn’t important, but that everyone has their own perceptions and stereotypes that they have to get over in order to love fully. And that there are handsome, sexy, muscled men that can appreciate the curves of certain women.

 

 
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t say that there are some things in some of my books that I’m basing on real experiences. But if I have to put a percentage on things, I would have to say that less than five percent of my books have that. Most of what I write is strictly from my head. I have an active imagination. I write erotic romance. If most of what I wrote was from personal experience, I’d be exhausted. Happy, but exhausted.

 

 
Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?

This is a strange bit of information about me. I write erotic romance, but I love to read horror and mystery. The gorier the better. But I do read some romance. I like Angela Verdenious, Marilyn Lee, Laurel K Hamilton. But I’m mostly a Stephen King, Robert McCammon, and Kelly Armstrong reader.

 

 

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who  is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

It’s hard for me to answer this question because while I love to read, I don’t actively look for new authors. I usually just read the blurb, and if it peaks my interest, I read it. I love to read horror, but of the romance books I read, I became critical of some of them because I can’t relate. The characters are usually rich, petite, and white. It was the problem I saw in many of the romance books I used to read in the past, and why I suppose I turned to reading other genres. I mean, Danielle Steele is a very accomplished writer, but each of her characters are petite, live in loft in NYC, and have attracted the eye of the oil baron bachelor.

 

 
Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

I would have to say my Siren author friends. Siren authors are so supportive of each other’s accomplishments. With my first book, they’ve been right there with me. I’m sure that other publishing houses have supportive writers also, but those that I’ve had the opportunity to know have been my support from the beginning.

 

 
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

I had to think hard on this one. I don’t see it as a career in a sense that it’s something that I’ve always wanted to aspire to being. I love writing. I love creating, but if I get writer’s block and don’t write for a week, I’m still going to survive. I see writing as a gift. I suppose some people see what they do as a career as a gift also, but writing for me, and I stress that it’s only in my opinion for me, is like taking my mind to Disneyland. It can be stressful. I may get tired because of the exercise I have to do to walking from one side of the park to the other. But it’s also amazingly fun. It’s exciting, exhilarating, sometimes disappointing, but always surprising as to what I can write down and how I tell a story.

 

 
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

My latest book is a series. The Maidens of Mocmoran. My first books were contemporary, as was the series The Conjure Bones. This series is my first fantasy. I love writing fantasy, because it’s more or less an anything goes kind of thing, as long as it makes sense in the context that it’s written. If I want someone to bleed blue blood they can. In most contemporary novels, strict research has to happen in order to know about the region or area you’re writing about. It’s liberating to write fantasy. So, no. I wouldn’t change a thing.

 

 
Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

As I said before, I became kind of disillusioned with some of the books that I was reading. I love to read, and I used to love to read romance. But as I read romance, I want to feel a connection to the characters. In horror, my connection is hoping they survive or get out of the predicament they’re in. But in romance, readers become so invested in the emotions of the heroine and hero, that they can at times see themselves in place of that character. But if the heroine is a beautiful, size four, blonde, that has a successful business, and travels to Italy to meet the hunky Italian playboy, I can’t become invested. I can’t connect because it’s so far from my reality. Understanding that it is fantasy, but let’s admit that while reading everyone puts themselves in the place of the hero or heroine that’s lucky enough to find love and passion that we all want.

 

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’m on the fourth book in The Maidens of Mocmoran series, and I have to admit, I’m loving the way the story is heading. Like I said before, I’m a plotter. I’ve written the outline for this book, but sometimes the book doesn’t want to go in that direction, and I change some things. This has been one of those times. I have to let the book go where it wants to go. In the beginning, I thought it would be a four book series, but it needed to be a six book series. Each book is titled with the heroine’s name. Each book is centered on the romance and love of the heroine and her hero or in some cases heroes. And in each book, the conflict central to all of the other books is building to ultimately end in the finale. Maybe.

 

 
Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

In writing contemporary books, the challenge is always am I portraying the city, town, or the people in the correct way. I remember writing a fictitious town in a region on the east coast in one of my books, and also giving it two fictitious rivers near the town. I remember the editor writing that there was no such river in that area. I had to tell her, yeah, I know. I made them up. But her suggestion was to make it more relatable to the reader by using actual rivers. As a writer, you sometimes just want to go off the grid and not be regionally correct or specific.

 

 

 
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Thankfully there is the Internet. But I was also lucky enough to have travelled when my husband was active duty. On top of that, my father was also in the military, and my family travelled a lot. Unfortunately, there are some places that I would love to just go to and study the area and the people for a specific book, but travelling isn’t free. Some people may think that because I write, I’m pulling in the big bucks. Nope. But I’ve been to most of the southern US states, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and some of the US mid-west. I suppose that if I’d been writing in the eighties, I would have to travel in order to get a better feel about what I was writing about. But nowadays, I can take a cyber vacation.

 

 
Fiona: Who designed the covers?

I’m fortunate to be with Siren Bookstrand. They have amazing in-house cover artists. I can get an outside artist and pay for them to design my covers, but it isn’t cheap. Some want a percentage of your sales, and others want a set amount up front. Either way, it cuts into the profits. So far, I’ve been pretty satisfied with the covers of my books. I would love to have my heroines on the cover more curvy and sexy, but the artist is limited to what they have in stock. Unfortunately, there aren’t many curvy, fuller figured models that they can pick from.

 

 
Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I love this question. When I began writing, I didn’t know anything. I just regurgitated whatever was in my head out. I had no idea what POV was, or what was meant by head-hopping. I didn’t know if there would even be a market for what I wrote. I hadn’t put a name on it. I actually had to Google it. I just thought I wrote a book about love, and passion, and that dangerous, sensual, sexual experience that comes with it. Knowing that there was a genre out there called erotic romance, kind of made me feel at ease. But then the hard part began after my book was accepted for publishing. Blurbs. I’d written a book with over 50,000 words and they wanted me to give a hook about the book in twenty-five. Then do it in sixty. Then again in 160. I hate blurbs. It’s that hook that’s the hardest. That grab that’s supposed to pull a reader into your book and make them want to read it. They want that in the opening of chapters, also. I write as I see my story unfolding, like a fade-in of a movie. It’s difficult to try and make each chapter a hook, and harder still to condense all that you’ve written into twenty-five words. Yes, the hardest thing about writing a book is blurbs.

 

 
Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Some people write from experience. But as an erotic romance writer…um, that’s not going to happen. That’s supposed to be a joke. I suppose the one thing I learned is to write in my own voice, and write what feels right to me. I’m published under Siren. There are some very talented and amazing authors with Siren, but most of them also write books that are far from my own style. I was worried about that in the beginning. When I told people that I was being published with Siren, they immediately said things like, “Oh they publish straight sex books,” or “Oh, Siren only publishes LBGTQ books.” We all have our own style. Our own voice. There are some books that have scene after scene filled with sex. That’s fine. I don’t write sex that tells a story. I write stories that have some sex scenes in it. In most instances, my characters won’t have their first kiss until chapter five or six. I believe in developing the romance, as what would happen in real life.

 

 

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead

I’ve often had this fantasy that one of my books would make it to the big or even the small screen. I don’t know of any actress out right now that would fit the character description of most of my heroines. I would have to have a casting call. The women would have to be curvy. I peruse many sites that have curvy models for my muses in my books. I would have to say that it’s one of my favorite things to do when I begin to flesh out my storylines. Especially when I’m looking for that specific male image. But an actual actress or actor? That would be hard. None come to mind.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Just do it. No matter if you think no one would read it, write it down. It can be absolute garbage right now, but that can be fixed and cleaned up. Write it down and send it in. Conquer that fear that we’ve all had in the beginning. Even now, after finishing, and polishing, and reading through my manuscript five times, my finger still hovers over the send button for a little too long before I actually hit it. I have friends that always joke with me about where I would be now if I’d sent in the first book I wrote eighteen years ago. But I have to say one thing. If you’re looking to become super rich from writing—if that’s the reason that drives you to write—don’t. Write because you love it. Write because you can’t function until you get that story out of your head. I didn’t start writing because I wanted to get rich from it. If one person reads my books and likes them, that’s enough for me. And I say that without trying to sound altruistic. I say it from the pure joy of loving to write. And that first book will be far different from the second, seventh, or whatever that you write, as you grow and learn your voice. Do it.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

For those who read and like my books, thank you. I’m one of those writers that doesn’t look at reviews. I feel they’re subjective. What one might love, another may not, so I thank my readers. I will continue to write stories that feel good to me. I won’t write something just to sell. Even at this moment, I’m having characters in my head clamoring to be written (not literally, because that would be weird, right?)

 

 

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

I’m re-reading all of the Anita Blake Series by Laurel K Hamilton. I read them years ago, but I love vampire novels. Real vampires. Not pseudo-vampires that are in high school, and shimmer when they come in contact with sunlight. I like vampires that are seductive, drink blood, and can’t see the light of day without “dying”.

 

 

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

I’m going way back. It was a Dr. Seuss book I got from the library at school. I think I was in the second grade. It could have been the first. I think it was “I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew.” I loved all of the weird names and rhymes. That might have been the catalyst for how I come up with all of the names in my fantasy series.

 

 

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

If I’m watching anything on TV and a dog or a pet dies, that’s it. It’s blubber city for me. I also cried when I saw the last Harry Potter movie, and Lord of The Rings. Laughter? I laugh all of the time at stupid things. I crack jokes to myself and laugh at them. Getting older is hilarious. At the rate I’m going, it should be a tickle a minute as the years go by.

 

 

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

Idris Elba, and do I really need to explain why? I mean, I could say the G-rated reason, but I can’t really concentrate on that with the XXX-rated one playing out in my head.

 

 

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why ?

I want to be cremated and scattered at sea off the coast of some beautiful island in the Caribbean. And then my loved ones are to go back to the resort (all inclusive, of course) and party to celebrate my life. But if I were to have a tombstone, I would want “F*** that was fun” on it.

 

 

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?

I love to spend time with my very first grandbaby. She’s beautiful, and her name is Fiona Rose (Hmmmm?). I also like to crochet, read, play The Sims 4, video games, and I love to go to the movies.

 

 

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

The Walking Dead, The Strain, The Exorcist, Law and Order SVU, anything on HGTV, American Housewife, Empire, Rosewood, and my Thursday night trifecta- Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal or Notorious, How to Get Away With Murder, and a bunch of others. Too many to go through. I love to watch TV.

 

 

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

Chinese food. If I were on a deserted island, I would miss Chinese food more than my husband (Not seriously, though). I love Chinese food. My favorite color is blue. But not the normal blue. More of an aqua-greenish blue. Vibrant, yet still not to be misunderstood to be blue. The music I like is eclectic. I’m old school R&B to my core, but I also like 80’s rock, country, some pop, some hip-hop (Hip-hop not gangsta-rap), jazz, I love ballads of the 50’s and 60’s, and alternative. If I like it, I like it. Right now I’ve been listening to this song from the 80’s, “Missing You”. It’s on every time I’m in the car.

 

 

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

Talk show host! I’m a talker. I can honestly picture myself as a talk show host. Other than that, I’ve done it. Call me old fashioned and a blemish to the feminist movement, but I loved being a wife and mother. I’m proud of the two human beings I raised. And when I had to work, I truly missed being with them.

 

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

I do have a blog page, but to be honest, I’m not that diligent at blogging on it. I always kind of forget I have it, but my blog page is http://wynettedavis.blogspot.com

And just saying, that picture of me is eighty-four pounds ago. I try to keep on top of my website. It’s not perfect, but I like it. My website is http://wynettedavis.weebly.com/

Thank you, Fiona. I enjoyed this. Here are links to my books. Plus links are on my website for each book. I’m changing that soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Wynette-Davis/e/B00LV4XTI4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1477545394&sr=8-2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Wynette%20Davis%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/search?query=Wynette%20Davis&fcsearchfield=Author

http://www.bookstrand.com/wynette-davis

My author page.  http://amazon.com/author/wynettedavis

Here is my interview with Mark Chisnell

Name: Mark Chisnell

Where are you from: Norfolk in England

A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc:

I was brought up on the east coast of England, close to both the sea and an inland network of lakes called the Norfolk Broads, so boats were everywhere. I started racing sailing dinghies, got a degree in physics and philosophy and then worked in a factory for a summer to buy a ticket to Australia, with a vague plan to see some stuff and write a book.

 

By the time I got home I’d published some travel stories in the New Zealand Herald and the South China Morning Post, and I’d broken into the professional sailing circuit via the British America’s Cup team that was racing in Australia at the time. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between those two things – writing and pro sailboat racing – ever since, before finally settling on writing.

I now live on the south coast of England, with my lovely wife and two young and unbelievably energetic sons – whenever I get a couple of minutes peace I can usually be found reading a Lee Child novel.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

My most recent book is the thriller Chinese Burn – this is the second in a series of featuring Sam Blackett, a Vermont backcountry girl and a wannabe investigative journalist.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote my first novel in the back of a school exercise book aged 12!

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I guess that would be after having a travel story published in the New Zealand Herald.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

I honestly couldn’t say, I’ve wanted to write since before I can remember.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I’ve written everything from technical books and manuals, to advertising copy and narrative non-fiction to novels, so I’ve constantly had to adapt the style to the medium.

But in the case of the novels, I aim to write the kind of stories that keep you turning the pages on holiday, and still thinking about them when you get back to work… They are mainstream action thrillers in the mould of John le Carre or Robert Ludlum, and they all have some sort of moral centre to them, something that will make you wonder about the values and principles that bound your own life. I hope people are left thinking about the characters and their decisions. And perhaps thinking about what they might have done in that same situation – the extreme choices in the books do still reflect on things we do every single day.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?

I think Chinese Burn is pretty realistic – all my books are, I do a lot of research and work hard at getting the details right.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?

There are five writers that I particularly loved when I was younger, whose influence I can now see in my own work. The first was Arthur Ransome, who wrote fantastic children’s books about messing around in boats. They really sparked my love of the ocean. The next two were Ian Fleming and Alistair MacLean. The latter is almost forgotten now, but he was a hugely successful thriller writer in the 1960s and 1970s, and I could inhale one of his books in an afternoon when I was a kid.

 

When I was a little older it was books with ideas that took more of a hold – George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm stopped me in my tracks for weeks, I couldn’t think about anything else. And then there was another largely forgotten book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig – that was the one that got me studying philosophy as well as physics, so it had a pretty big impact on my life.

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

It’s a novel about the Vietnam War called Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, I’m getting ready to right another in my Janac series based on his experiences as a sniper in Vietnam.

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

There are two tough bits; the first is the middle 50,000 to 60,000 words of the first draft – this is when you’ve lost the thrill of beginning, but can’t yet even imagine the finish line, yet alone see it. The other tough part is the final check of the final draft, when you know that any mistakes or errors that you miss will be seen by the readers – that knowledge always makes me stressed!

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Work hard and don’t give up – but always have a plan B, very few people make a living from writing.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?

Reading, movies and any sport – surfing, cycling, yoga, football.. whatever really!

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

The Wire is the greatest tv show ever made, but right now I’m enjoying Game of Thrones and The Americans.

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

This is it, this was my dream. I wouldn’t mind having come up with a solution to climate change though! 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

www.markchisnell.com

Powder Burn: viewBook.at/Powder_Burn

Chinese Burn: viewBook.at/Chinese_Burn

The Defector: viewBook.at/The_Defector

The Wrecking Crew: viewBook.at/The_Wrecking_Crew

The Sniper: viewBook.at/The_Sniper

The Fulcrum Files: viewBook.at/The_Fulcrum_Files

 

Here is my interview with Veronica Larsen

Name Veronica Larsen

Age 29

Where are you from
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, but have moved around the US because of military ties.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?
Latest news? Well, I’m getting to release Reckless Touch. It’s got romance weaved into a fast-paced mystery, with edge of your seat suspense. I’m super excited about it!

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
I was in elementary school. I can’t remember the exact age, but I remember that somewhere around seven years old, one of my teachers told me I should be a writer. That bolstered my confidence and I started to pen stories. Short stories, flash fiction.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Such a good question! I’ve been writing from a young age, but finishing a full-length novel eluded me. I didn’t tell many people that I was writing. In fact, I was never referred to myself as a ‘writer’ even though it’s been at the core of my identity much of my life. I wish I would’ve owned it much sooner. Sometime before I finished my first novel, I finally started calling my a writer. And zeroing in on what I wanted helped me push through the walls of finishing a novel.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?
My first novel was a YA Urban Fantasy. What inspired me to write it was the deeply rooted desire to reconnect with myself after a really rough period of my life. I buckled down, wrote every single day, even when I hated the story. Six months later (after years of being stuck at the half way point), I had a shitty first draft. And even though I haven’t gone back to that story, it was the best thing that could ever happen to me.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?
In romance, I write introspected stories. Character driven, and with a healthy dose of angst. I really appreciate digging into the characters and figuring out what makes them tick.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
I’m awful at coming up with names or titles. Typically my friends help me, but Reckless Touch fell into my head. I can’t remember how. I think maybe I was brainstorming titles with a friend and it just clicked.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
If my novels have a message, it’s for the characters to grasp. That may sound weird, but I write to take the character through a journey to heal and find themselves. So if the reader connects with the character, then I think the reader will also find that message. But I’m not consciously trying to deliver a message to the reader.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Reckless Touch is mostly fiction. There is something that was inspired by something unpleasant that happened to me (nothing violent) but it’s a spoiler, so I won’t get into that.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?
This is such a boring answer, but Stephen King’s memoir ‘On Writing’ has been the most influential book I’ve ever read. My sister got it for me when I was in middle school.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who  is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
CD Reiss is one of my favorite authors, so she comes to mind at the moment. And the reason is that her writing is smart, rich, and poetic. Her writing style drew me into the romance world and gave me the courage to publish my first romance.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My friend Courtney Houston. She rallied me to publish my first book and has been in the arena with me every step of the way, always a call or message away.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?
Writing? No. Writing is something I do because I have to, it’s a compulsion and I feel heavy when I go too long without writing. But publishing? Yes, I see publishing as a career. That is to say, I could quit publishing, but I could never quit writing. Still, I’d love to be able to publish for as long as readers wish to buy my books!

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I would write cleaner drafts. The rewrite process kills me every time.

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I think I started off writing silly poems. But I started writing stories when I was in an after school program at my elementary school. The teacher would ask us to write about our weekend and I’d somehow make my boring life sound exciting on paper. J

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Okay…here’s a snippet from the prologue:
__
No one knows tonight’s the night.

I stroke the blade with my forefinger and pull up an image in my mind’s eye. An image of her. Sitting on the mattress, staring at that television with those pretty eyes of hers, wide as an owl’s. Watching, for the first time, what happens when she’s the headline. When the hunter becomes the prey. When the reporter becomes the story.
__

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
My biggest challenge is that I can’t write a story without knowing the characters and I don’t know the characters until I’ve written the story. So my first drafts are usually wildly different from the final.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I’ve only been to two signings so far. I plan on traveling more next year.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?
I do my own design work and I enjoy it tremendously!

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Reckless Touch was hard to write because I was (still am) pretty sleep deprived.

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned I have an amazing support system. My editor, publicist, beta readers, friends, family. They all rallied behind me to help me bring this novel to fruition.

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead
If Entice were made into a movie, I’d like to see Jennifer Lawrence to play Emily. She has the same attitude and general looks I image Emily to have. But definitely the attitude.

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Keep your head down and focus on your own thing. Don’t compare yourself to anyone but the writer you were before.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
My readers are AMAZING. Thank you for all of your support! And for embracing my stories. I like to write slow burn romances and my readers are so patient. I appreciate that more than I can say.

Fiona: What book are you reading now?
I’m gearing up for release so I’m super busy with not much reading time. However, I just got the audio book for Marriage Games by CD Reiss. Looking forward to that!

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?
Not the exact name, but it was a Nancy Drew novel.

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?
I laugh easily. I laugh at pretty much everything. It’s almost my defense mechanism. I don’t cry easily, but lately when there’s something sad involving kids. That gets me in the feels.

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?
I’d love to meet JK Rowling. She just seems fascinating and I’d love to have tea with her. Also, I’m a huge potterhead.

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why ?
She showed up and gave it all she had.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?
Painting! I love to paint. I’m not very good at it, but it’s very soothing.

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
The Walking Dead (back before it turned into a gore fest). Recently I got into Marcella on Netflix. If you like mystery and an unreliable narrator GO SEE IT. It’s so, so good.

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music
Pizza, White, and…country

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?
I’d have loved to be a movie director.

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?
Yes! My website is www.veronicalarsenbooks.com

Amazon Authors Page USA    https://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Larsen/e/B00P1SGGS6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1477444391&sr=1-2-ent

UK   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Veronica-Larsen/e/B00P1SGGS6/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

 

Thanks so much!

 

Here is my interview with Sara Holland

Pen Name Sara Holland  

Age 42  

Where are you from

Born in Stirling, Scotland, I lived in the North Lanarkshire area for most of my life before making a move to Florida.  I now split my time between Scotland and Florida. My ‘career’ path has been a bit convoluted as my original dream of becoming a vet fell by the wayside, then I was forced to stop working with horses due to back problems.  I worked in a variety of office roles from shipping to construction to project management, but I always kept riding and learning as well as trying to keep my hand in at giving riding lessons. In Florida, I live on a ranch with my husband, our three horses, dogs, chickens, turtles, budgerigars, fish and all the local wildlife.  I’ve been riding since I was a teenager, and learning about caring for horses pretty much since then.    As well as a love for animals and writing, my other passion is cooking/baking, and trying to recreate traditional Scottish foods that I just can’t find over here!  

 

 

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

Latest news…  Hmm…  Well, my first two books were published by Ellora’s Cave, who recently and abruptly shut up shop.  I won’t get into the details of how they dealt with their authors etc., but suffice it to say that I forfeited all royalties to ensure that the publishing rights of my two currently released books will revert to me as of December 31st 2016, and I will be re-releasing them both, available from January 1st, 2017.  This time I’m going the self-publishing route, and I’m quite excited that Amazon offer paperback publication at no charge to the author, so my books will be made available as e-books and paperbacks. I have my third book “Legalizing Kane” planned for release by the end of this month (October) and the next one “Jumping Into Love” should hopefully follow before Christmas.

 

 

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember, be it poems or stories, and I always remember that my favorite part of school was when we were asked to write stories.  I don’t know why I started writing.  Seems excessive to call it a compulsion, but maybe it is.  I’ve always loved to read, and I enjoy following my stories as they unfold on the page – trust me, the directions things go are often as big a surprise to me as they are to readers!

 

 

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t know that I do.  Seems really pretentious to call myself one.  Maybe once I have a couple more books under my belt (or at least ones where I actually make some money!) then it’ll feel like I’m a real writer.

 

 

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

 

 

Not so much inspiration as just a weird idea I got into my head (the first book was “Gabi’s Secret”).  A bit like when you get a song stuck in your head, the idea percolated for a while before I put pen to paper – or at least fingers to keyboard – then I just followed the adventures of the characters and wrote it down.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

 

 

Not really sure what you mean!  If you mean genre, then I seem to fall pretty solidly into erotica/erotic romance.  I guess I do always go for a happy ending (at least for some of the characters!).  I’ve only ever killed off one main character.

 

 

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

I have more trouble with titles than writing!  Gabi’s Secret…  Well, Gabi (female lead) has a secret!  A pretty big one…  I just try to come up with a title that gives some element/hint of the actual story, then if I can’t decide (like with Legalizing Kane) I put up a few on my Facebook page and ask for opinions!

 

 

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Not really.  Just read and enjoy, hopefully!

 

 

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Not based on anything but my twisted imagination.

 

 

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor? I don’t think any books have really influenced my life.  Closest thing to a mentor would be my old High School English teacher.  She was always supportive of anything I wrote.  I did try to track her down when my first book was to be published, but didn’t have any luck.  I would have loved to be able to tell her that I was actually a published author!  So if anyone knows how to track down a retired English teacher in Scotland…

 

 

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who  is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I have a few authors I really like.  Wilbur Smith, Robert Ludlum, James Clavell, James Michener.  I love how they are able to create characters who are relatable and either likable or hateable, depending on how they want them perceived.  I love how they can create not just a family but a dynasty (especially Wilbur Smith with his multi-generational families and Michener with his wide-ranging historical tales).  I also really enjoy Matthew Reilly’s books, and I find it really encouraging that he started out self-publishing and basically selling his first book (Contest) out of the back of his car!  That was actually the first book of his that I read, and it got me hooked on his style.

 

 

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

None so far.  Well, perhaps The Reading Café website/blog, since they (Sandy) were the first to actually review my books, and gave good, honest feedback.

 

 

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

I’d love to think that I can perhaps make writing a mainstay of our finances LOL but I also try to not think of it too much that way, because if I start thinking of it as “work” I may lose the enjoyment of it and then the writing I produce could suffer.  I know there’s the old saying “do a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”, but I also believe that if you take something you love (whether it be writing, painting or whatever) and make it your financial support, it can change your relationship with it.

 

 

 

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

No.

 

 

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I think it’s always been in me.  Kind of like I love to eat, so I love to cook; I love to read, so I love to write!  

 

 

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Please bear in mind this is currently being edited, so the version released probably won’t be exactly the same! 

But a little piece of Legalizing Kane:

Libby pushed irritably at her hair as she peered over the rims of her sunglasses, searching in vain for a waitress.  Typical.  She finally has the trip she promised herself, a week in beautiful and remote Tahiti, and it happens to coincide with some rock band visiting for a TV special, which of course meant that every waitress in the place was desperately trying to get into the picture.  Or trying to get a rock star into their panties.  Female guests had suddenly become lower than pond scum, without a cat in hell’s chance of getting a drink unless they went up to the bar for it themselves.  Anyway, it seemed like ever since Bon Jovi had appeared on that MTV show in Jamaica, every rock band was jumping on the bandwagon of ‘a weekend in the sun with – fill in appropriate name’.  Which was fine.  She got it.  They all had to work the publicity machine.  But why the hell did it have to be the same week she was there? Another look around, and she groaned as she was forced to admit defeat and get off the sunbed.  She laid her book down and stood up, walking barefoot toward the cute thatched-roof bar.  Before she got halfway, though, she realized she’d picked the wrong route around the pool when she saw the cameras pointed at the five guys sprawled sweating on beds at the water’s edge.  Shit.  Well, there was no way she was backtracking, she decided – she’d paid enough for this trip, and she had as much right to be there as they did. Moments later, she was debating the wisdom of her decision as her pink bikini and the expanse of tanned skin it displayed caught the attention of one of the band members. “Hey darlin!”  He yelled.  “Why don’t you come on over here and sit on my lap?” She ignored him and kept on walking, irritation making her strut like an angry cat, stalking across the poolside to the bar. “Hey!  I’m talking to you!”  The blond guy yelled again, a hard edge of anger in his voice which scared her – one abusive man was enough for anybody’s lifetime. As she reached the bar, she heard another raised voice coming from the area of the band. “Daryn!  For fuck’s sake, man – let it go!” Next thing she knew, a male body was pressing against her back, and she felt hands on her waist as the same voice spoke again. “I was talking to you.”  He muttered, pushing his hips against her ass. “Yeah, and I was ignoring you.  Now take your hands off me!” “C’mon girl, don’t be like that.  It’s nice to be nice.” “How would you know?  Get OFF me!” She put her hands on the edge of the bar and pushed back, trying to make him let go, but he just laughed and pushed against her harder. “Let go of me, you prick!”  Libby was angry to hear her voice crack when she spoke.  Dammit – it had been almost a year since she’d finally come to her senses and kicked Ray out after he hit her, for the first and last time, the culmination of two years of emotional abuse.  She should’ve been over it, but the guy behind her even looked like her ex – sort of – and she could feel all the old insecurity come rushing back.  Then, like some kind of savior, she heard the second voice again. “Daryn, get the fuck off her!  Can’t you take a hint?” The guy – Daryn, she assumed – let her go then, so suddenly that she was fairly sure he’d been pulled away from her.  Libby didn’t turn around, just stood with both hands still gripping the edge of the bar, her eyes focused on the timber. “For Christ’s sake, Kane – it’s just a bit of fun – isn’t that why we’re here?  She’s just playing the game.” She heard a heavy sigh before her rescuer spoke again, a resigned note in his voice. “Yeah, Daryn, sure.  Listen – they want us down at the beach.  Can you grab the guys?  I need to make a quick phone call.” “No problem.” Hearing footsteps move away, Libby relaxed slightly, her death grip on the bar loosening a little, but she still started violently when a gentle hand touched her forearm. “Excuse me?” The softer voice of her rescuer, and she turned her head to look at him, praying that her sunglasses hid the tears in her eyes.  She found herself staring briefly at a pair of mirrored sunglasses, which were quickly removed, leaving her gazing into a pair of the most brilliant green eyes she’d ever seen.  The sunglasses were better, she thought – at least they hadn’t made her insides clench tight and her stomach do flip-flops. “Sorry – I just wanted to apologize for my friend there.  He’s…  Sorry, I’m Kane, by the way.”  He held out a hand, and Libby automatically shook it, only slightly perturbed when he kept hold of her. “Libby – nice to meet you.”  She said politely.   Kane felt his blood quicken as she spoke.  He could certainly see why she’d caught Daryn’s eye, although these days his only real requirement was a pulse.  This girl, though, was put together just the way Kane liked, yet still looked normal.  Deep red hair pulled into a ponytail and a bikini that concealed more than it revealed – a welcome change from the bouffant blondes wearing little more than string to cover whatever modesty they pretended to have.  Her voice was a definite turn-on, too, soft but rich with just a trace of huskiness, and Kane found himself wondering how that voice would sound when she woke in the morning.  Or moaning his name. “Libby.  That’s pretty.  I wanted to apologize for Daryn.  He’s – well – to be honest, he’s got some problems, and…” “Bet your ass he’s got problems!”  Libby interrupted angrily, but Kane’s sudden grin disarmed her. “Yeah, well, he doesn’t always act that way – he just sometimes can’t keep himself under control, especially when he’s on…  Uh, when he’s drinking.”  Kane suddenly realized he still held her hand, but she wasn’t exactly pulling away from him.  “Could I buy you a drink? Libby smiled at him, which nearly put him down on his ass as her already pretty face lit up. “Thanks.  But didn’t you say you were needed somewhere?” “That was just to get rid of Daryn.  What you drinkin’?” “Pineapple juice.” “With…..?” Libby shook her head slightly.  “With ice.  I don’t like alcohol in this heat.”   As Kane turned to the bar to get the drinks, Libby took the opportunity to have a better look at him.  Unruly brown curls hung down his back, and his chest looked like a slightly threadbare rug.  She’d always thought she preferred smooth-chested men, but there was just something about this guy that made her ache to scratch her fingers through that furry mat.  He was talking to the barman, and after he’d asked for her juice, he pursed his lips as he decided what he wanted for himself.  Watching the voluptuous curve of his full mouth, Libby felt the ache move from her fingers, down much lower, and her instant reaction shocked her as she felt the heat of arousal between her thighs. Flustered, she dropped her eyes, looking at the ridiculously short cut-off denims which cupped his ass, then lower, to the strong tanned legs and the bare feet.  When Kane turned his head he caught her off-guard, and she could only hope that her reaction had gone unnoticed.  He didn’t say anything, but a soft smile played around the corners of his mouth, and she was pretty sure she wasn’t as subtle as she’d hoped. “Want to grab a seat in the shade?” “Sure.”  Libby surprised herself with the swift answer, but she followed Kane across to one of the cabanas set aside for VIP guests. Inside was cool, with a huge fan creating a welcome breeze, and Kane waved toward the low chairs. “Make yourself at home.” Libby was glad to sit down, her legs trembling slightly, and she couldn’t be sure if it was reaction to the encounter with Daryn, or to this guy’s presence.  Inside the cabana the light was dimmed by the curtains across the entrance, and she pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head, noticing Kane watching her. “What?”  She asked, but there was no anger in her voice now. “Nothin’.  Just, well – don’t take this the wrong way – but I can see why Daryn came onto you.  I am sorry about that though, Libby.” “Not your fault.  He’s an adult, and you’re not his keeper, are you?” Kane gave that grin again, but there was a wry twist to his mouth, then he licked his lips before answering, and Libby tensed as she almost felt his mouth on her. “Sometimes I feel like his keeper.”  He muttered darkly.  “Sorry if he scared you, Lib.” He didn’t appear to realize he’d shortened her name, and for once it didn’t bother her – she liked how it sounded in his voice. “He only scared me a little.”  She assured him.  “To be honest, the last guy I was seeing was kinda like Daryn, only worse I guess.  Took a while to get past it.”  

 

 

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I often know a scene way before it’s time to write it.  Jumping Into Love, for example, I knew the final scene/chapter months before I reached it.  The struggle is to not rush through the lead up to get to the ending!

 

 

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Only on Google!  I’m a little bit pernickety about some things, and I feel like the story seems more real if I actually use a road name or number when a character is traveling, rather than just have them go from A to B.  I want to be able to accurately say they took…  Let’s say Park Street to get from A to B, and have that be the actual street.

 

 

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

The current covers for Gabi’s Secret and Rocking The Storm were done by Kelly Martin (www.kam.design) via the publishing company.  The cover for Legalizing Kane was done by a wonderful and multi-talented friend Taryn Elliott (also an outstanding author http://www.tarynelliott.com) who will be doing my covers moving forward.

 

 

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Finding/making the time!

 

 

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned that I have an even dirtier mind than I thought!  But seriously, no, I don’t think so.  

 

 

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead

Oooh….  I think for Jumping Into Love I’d love Christian Kane!  Rocking The Storm maybe Chris Pine?

 

 

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Never give up.  Never be afraid to ask for advice.  Never be upset by criticism – honest feedback is far more valuable than false “oh yes it’s great”.  And always remember, if you’re turned down by a publisher or two (or more) it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s anything wrong with your writing.  You may just need to find the right publisher!  And find a good editor.  If you can’t afford to pay for one (I’ll be honest, right now I can’t/won’t!) then find a couple of good friends who are avid readers and who you trust to be brutally honest.  Give them the file.  Let them read and critique/edit with tracked changes.  Read their edits and be just as brutally honest yourself.  And for goodness sake use spell check!

 

 

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Just a huge THANK YOU!  

 

 

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

“The Horse From Conception To Maturity”.  But my absolute go-to book is always James Clavell’s Shogun.  

 

 

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

The first book I remember reading and re-reading and re-reading was “101 Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith.  Another perpetual favourite is “For Love Of A Horse” by Patricia Leitch.  

 

 

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Laugh, usually something silly (mostly something one of our animals does).  Cry…  Stress/frustration.  

 

 

Fiona: Is there one person past or present you would meet and why?

I would actually like to meet President Obama, because he seems like a really good person.  

 

 

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why ?

“It’s just my bones that died here, so save those tears you cry.  My spirit is still riding, somewhere in this night, and it’s these three words that come to me as I kiss this world goodbye:  Never Say Die.”  Slightly altered lines from a Jon Bon Jovi song that just seem really appropriate.  Of course if they charge by the letter then just my name!

 

 

  Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?

Cooking/baking/making candy, riding horses, going on motorcycle rides with my husband.  

 

 

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Criminal Minds!  Love that show.  Also Big Bang Theory.  For films I’m definitely not a chick flick girl so things like John Wick, World War Z, Armageddon, Expendables….  Basically your “switch off brain; enjoy mayhem” type of thing.  

 

 

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

Is chocolate considered a food?  But it’s got to be real Cadbury Dairy Milk (and not the American version!).  Sushi.  Coffee (trust me, when you make it strong enough, it’s a food group all by itself!).  Pretty much anything.  Colors I do love pinks and purples.  Music has to be rock.  Anything from Tom Petty to Aerosmith to Godsmack to Five Finger Death Punch etc., etc.  What one of my favorite DJs in Scotland used to say his granny referred to as “shouty music”  

 

 

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I really wanted to be a vet, but that never happened.  I enjoy my life as it is.  Horses.  

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

Website also has a blog section, and it’s at www.sarahollandauthor.weebly.com

I’m also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sarahollandauthor

And Twitter as @sarahollandaut1  

Amazon Author Page is  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01IBZTW9K  

Here is my interview with Athena Morgan

 Name  Athena Morgan

Age  45

Where are you from  Portland, OR

 

Fiona: Tell us your latest news? 

I’m currently working on another psychological thriller

 

 
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing? 

I began writing in the summer of 2014.  I had this unexplainable urge to go to my computer and begin writing, so I did.  Sounds odd, but it’s true.

 

 
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When a good friend told me after I published my first book, “You live to write, not write to live.”

 

 
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

E.L. James.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I don’t have one.  I know the plot then the rest just falls into place.

 

 

Fiona: How did you come up with the title? 

It just popped into my head, because somebody was watching.

 

 
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 

Yes, that there is life after a horrible assault that happens to someone.  We don’t “get over” it, we move passed it.  It doesn’t control our lives.

 

 
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? 

It’s very realistic, sexual assault happens everyday, unfortunately.  I gave Alexis the power to take her life back, and then I let her get her revenge, although it isn’t legal.  But, I let her loose her mind for a moment.  This book has no experiences from anyone I know.

 

 
Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor? 

Nora Roberts’ Angels Fall.  Loved this book and movie so much that I read and watched them several times.

 

 

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest and who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? 

Audrey Carlan and Meredith Wild.  Love them.  I like the way they smoothly write love scenes, they’re so clean and tidy.  Mine are not, they’re raunchy and dirty.

 

 

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career? 

Definitely.

 

 
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? 

No, I love it the way it is.

 

 
Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? 

From a Halloween story my class in the 6th grade had to write.  I scared my classmates with my creepy story.  It was awesome.

 

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

The House In The Woods is about a group of friends who check out an abandoned house in the woods in Long Beach, WA.  And one by one the ladies disappear and then are found weeks, months later, dead.  Paige and her boyfriend of 9 years, Luke who is a world famous rock n roll star are on the brink of breaking up when Paige forgives Luke of his affair.  After a world tour to promote Luke’s group Twisted Chaos’s latest album all hell breaks loose and Paige and Luke’s worlds crumble.

 

 
Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Writer’s block, it’s rough!

 

 
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)? 

Only to Long Beach, WA to look around the town and relax on the beach.  And Cape Disappointment to look at the cliffs and lighthouse for research purposes.

 

 
Fiona: Who designed the covers? 

Pixabay

 

 
Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book? 

The rewrite, I rewrote it three times to get it just right.

 

 
Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 

Patience.  I needed to learn to have patience.

 

 

Fiona: If any of your books was made into a film who would you like to play the lead? 

Hmm, good question.  I don’t know, maybe Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Alexis and Jason Momoa as Zach.  I’m not sure Jacqueline could pull off playing a 40 year old woman though.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Have patience and have fun with the research, literally.  The research is fun.  And let your mind go where it wants.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? 

I hope you enjoy my work.  And thank you!

 

 

Fiona: What book are you reading now? 

Colors of Immortality by J.M. Muller

 

 

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read? 

Nancy Drew’s The Thirteenth Pearl.

 

 

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?   

Laugh….silly people and the sound of my kids laughing.  Cry…..a child that is hurt or hungry, it breaks my heart and I cry like a baby!

 

 

Fiona: Is there one person past or present you would meet and why? 

This is going to sound corny but, Jon Bon Jovi because he is an amazing humanitarian and human being.

 

 

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why? 

I’m Watching You, because I will be from above.

 

 

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies? 

Going to lavender farms during the summer and cutting as much as my kids’ and my hands can hold.  I make wreaths, sugar scrubs, bath soaks and sachets for my family and friends.

 

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching? 

The Walking Dead, Vikings, Game of Thrones.  And house flipping shows. I’m hooked on Fixer Upper!  Films….anything scary, suspenseful like The Conjuring, love those movies.

 

 

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music? 

Italian.  Black.  Rock and country.

 

 

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

Lawyer if I would have been better in school.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?  http://athenamorgan713.wixsite.com/athenamorgan

 

Here are links to my 4 ebooks that are available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Somebodys-Watching-Athena-Morgan-ebook/dp/B01HUIMK8O/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Madam-Part-One-Power-Pleasure-ebook/dp/B01HVIAVNO/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Madam-Part-Two-Love-Secrets-ebook/dp/B01IE0IE78/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Little-Secrets-Athena-Morgan-ebook/dp/B01JDFO80A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1477263454&sr=8-4&keywords=athena+morgan+books