Author Interview - Okwor Onyeka

Please welcome Author Okwor Onyeka to the blog this week!

Have you always had a passion for writing? - Yes, a deep passion

Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books? - What I read influences what I write at times. My favourite authors and books include Purple hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie, Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe, Brother Jero’s play Wole Soyinka, etc.

What are your biggest inspirations? – Things happening me inspire me a lot.

Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings? - No.

Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? – Some times. It’s a great inspiration for me.

What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? – reading a lot.

How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?) Being a published author has opened my eyes to the reality of the industry, now I can find my way in the industry so long as I have the necessary resources like money. But I had thought that I would become rich immediately I become a published author, but it’s not that automatic, it’s a building process. But at least, I have gained huge experiences about the industry.

What are your biggest challenges as an author? Getting published, giving out your best in writing to satisfy the audience and getting your book(s) out there to a wider audience.

Do you have any pets? No.

What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing? Playing and watching football.

Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world? Enugu, Nigeria.

Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work… most of my new works are in the writing and publishing process. Here is the link to one of the published book, a collection of love poems and stories- http://www.amazon.com/A-Heart-Broken-Okwor-Onyeka-ebook/dp/B009QP6L3K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386152294&sr=8-1&keywords=okwor+onyeka

Here are the links to my social pages- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazon-Great-Books/446423635436799,

https://twitter.com/OnyekaOnDeck.

Special Interview! ME!

Hello ladies and gents! Jenny here! A little while back I had you compile your questions for our fabulous author to answer. Well this week's interview is from you the readers! Make sure you see what she said to all your questions!

Question 1 (from CJ Edhouse)

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

To be honest, I’m very happy with where I live right now. I love my beautiful country and I feel that my current location is a little slice of paradise. I have a beautiful view and peaceful environment, what more could a writer ask for? *smiles* failing this, I would choose another secluded spot. A cottage on a private beach or a secluded cabin in the woods, perhaps a cabin by a lake. I find nature a wonderful motivator.

Question 2 (from CJ Edhouse)

If you could become any animal, which would you choose?

*Laughs* I’m afraid this won’t come as much of a surprise. My two favorite animals are leopards and tigers. I love all feline animals but those two are right at the top of the list. I have a soft spot for the snow leopard in particular. Such a beautiful and alluring animal.

It is also the only one of the big cats that is missing the hyoid bone in its throat. (Which makes it closely related to a domestic housecat) it means it can produce a true purr by rolling air across its vocal chords and it cannot roar. Other leopards can make a purring sort of sound when relaxed, a sort of snore. However it is different from the snow leopard. I love that this particular leopard is unique.

Question 3 (from Andrea Boyde)

What is the earliest story you remember writing?

When I was in primary/elementary school I got an achievement certificate for a story I wrote. It was about an alien that landed on earth by mistake. He was frightened by the humans and couldn’t seem to communicate with them. So he made a tunnel underground until he had gone far from the cities and towns, and built himself a safe place to live there.

My first attempt at writing a “chapter book”, as we referred to them in our childhood, was when I was about eleven. It was a mystery thriller about a girl who avoided being abducted on her way home from school by outwitting her possible kidnapper.

Question 4 (from Lori Toshek)

How true to life are the character traits you’ve used, to you, your friends and your family?

Like any author, I find character inspiration in almost anyone I meet. Never a complete ensemble of course. I borrow this person’s tinkling laugh and add it to that person’s kind nature and someone else’s need for order/organization. I also find that I’m inspired by singular moments. A single smile by a stranger in the street can bring something to life in my mind. I always add my own spin though, no one character can ever be attributed to just one person in my life. It is a complicated web. A cocktail of personality traits, looks, interests, mannerisms and Johanna Rae magic.

Question 5 (from Lori Toshek)

Which city would you choose to do your first book tour?

Wow now there’s a nice thought! If I was ever lucky enough to have a book tour, I would probably start with the USA as while my readers are global, that is my biggest concentration of interest. Since that is on the other side of the world I would try to make the most of the trip by choosing cities that offer events such as Comicon, Dragoncon, and Romance Novel Conventions. I would love to start in either New York or Atlanta.

Question 6 (from anonymous)

You always talk about Muse when you post about your writing. How important is that and is it always that same band?

Muse is my favourite band but it also happens to be the driving force behind the leading male in my Therian Secrets series, Danny Archer. He has two songs in particular, Hysteria and Endlessly. Whenever I hear those two songs, no matter where I am, his character jumps to the front of my mind ready to be written. I have an entire playlist comprised only of Muse songs and it is what I play most often when writing about the Therians.

However, that being said… certain characters do not gel with Muse. I find that Luke Fletcher likes Seether, Blackberry Wednesday, Switchfoot and Imagine Dragons. Leon Ross likes rap and hiphop, while Eddie Pirini likes easy listening and pop. All my characters have their own style, therefore requiring their own music to get kick-started.

In another story I’m working on (Stronger than Blood) I have a character, an angel, who really challenged my boundaries. He requires all sorts of bands I would never have listened to prior to awakening him. (Aerosmith, Nirvana, Breaking Benjamin, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam). There is no telling what the characters in my brain may demand next. *grins*

Question 7 (from Amber Liddell)

What inspires/drives you to write about certain characters? (Or to write in general).

Much of my inspiration comes from music. Sometimes it only takes one line in a song for me to come up with an entire scene, perhaps a whole novel. My brain expands on the emotion created from those notes and lyrics, putting together pieces of plot like a jigsaw puzzle. This is probably my primary source of inspiration. As I said in question 6, different bands and music genre call to different characters.

I am also inspired by locations. The entire initial concept for the Therian Secrets series was sparked by a visit to my hometown. (Much of the fictional town of Redcliffe is based on my home town, though I have used a great deal of creative licence to perfect it to my needs and keep it unique).

Inspiration really does hit you when you least expect it. I was at the base of the cliffs at the Whakatane Heads, and gazed up thoughtfully. Having explored the top of those cliffs I knew that many years ago before the settlers came to NZ, there was a Maori Pa up there. (A village). I thought about how there could be an entire community up there and you would never know from down at the beach where I was sitting. It made me think of all sorts of secrets and forbidden things that could lurk there… and I began to infuse that notion with my love for the paranormal. The more the idea grew in my mind the more I knew writing about it was a must, no longer a want. Characters began to emerge and the rest is history.

Question 8 (from Amber Liddell)

Do you plan your writing beforehand?

I never outline at all. I don't spend hours writing down character details and plot ideas the way that some authors do, I find that it stifles my creativity. I think this is because I’m a very character driven author. Once the characters have residence in my brain, they start to think they have full control in the driver’s seat. *laughs* I have a basic idea in my mind… usually a starting and finishing point. Sometimes I have a few key events in between. It is the characters that decide how and when they will arrive at those points, and no coaxing on my part will push them in a direction they don’t want to go.

Often I have no idea what the small details will be until they are immortalized on the page in front of me. Sometimes I end up with such a different result than I expected, that I sit there in amazement, thinking: “Wow, I wrote this?” I like to think that this is both an advantage and a gift. I love that I don’t know every moment in advance, it’s like an adventure! I also don’t tend to write in chronological order. I have to write the scenes that scream the loudest, first. Sometimes I start in the middle and write a few sections, then I have to link it up and go back to write the beginning/end.

Question 8 (from Nikki Cameron).

Your writing has always covered many genres, what inspired you to lean towards shape-shifting and do you see yourself ever foraging into a general (everyday/romance) type of book to get published?

I have enjoyed a number of paranormal books over the years. Many were about vampires or shape-shifters. There seemed to be a pattern. Either there were all manners of creatures, including vampires and shape-shifters, or you got a singular group. (Vampires OR shape-shifters). I noticed a lot of the books focused on one animal. A high percentage were wolves, and there were a few about leopards. None seemed to be anything like what I wanted.

The only books that had multiple animal types had other sorts of supernatural creatures too. I also felt that it would be interesting if there was more than just were-wolves, were-tigers, were-leopards etc. I wanted a different sort of shifter. So when I became inspired as in question seven, all of these ‘wants’ came into play and I began to create it.

Question 9 (from Nicola Montford)

Do you ever forget the characters you’ve made, or are they always a part of you?

Yes, they will always remain a part of me. Whether or not the story makes it to print, whether it’s a singular book or a series, all the characters stay inside me. I guess it’s because every single one has a piece of my heart, part of myself in them. Some more than others, but all special to me. When others are able to share my stories and enjoy those characters too, it brings them to life even more for me.

Question 9 (from Janice Thomas) 

Was the Therians your first attempt at writing a book or did you write something else first?

I have four other books hidden away. Three of them will probably never see the light of day, but it is nice to look back at them and see how far I’ve come. I still think fondly of those characters, no matter how many flaws there were in the writing. I do have one which I think could be rewritten and published one day, but it is in a series of handwritten notebooks. It will be a big project and I’ll need to have a free schedule to achieve it.

Question 10 (from Robyn Mitchell)

Where do you get the inspirations for the different Therians animals and their personalities?

In the beginning I tried hard to balance the animal types to give the story a well-rounded feel. Matching the character’s personalities and animals wasn’t difficult, when inspiration hit with this series, it really hit hard. *laughs* the basic formation of the characters just sort of happened, but I was careful with the tweaking and minor details to flesh out the world of Redcliffe. Some of the newer characters arrived in a much less hurried fashion and slowly materialized, taking shape in a whole new way.

I have in the past asked friends and readers what sort of animals they’d like to see and why. Hearing the responses is almost a form of inspiration in itself. It doesn’t take much of an idea to build on when you have the world and story base behind you already. I think I had the most fun with Eddie. His animal is a fictional one. I invented a species of giant water lizard that modern scientists had not discovered yet. I likened him to the Komodo dragon and the tuatara.

Question 11 (from anonymous)

Do you ever have trouble with time management? How hard is it to find time to write?

Given that I’m a busy wife and mother of three young children, yes! My family and motherhood commitments always come first and I love that. I’m very lucky to have a fully supportive husband, and children who are so excited about what I do, even though they are too young to read it. I try to make time for editing and self-promotion during the daytime while the kids are at school, then I do my fresh writing at night when my husband is watching TV or after he’s gone to bed. Sometimes that needs to be juggled around a bit though to make sure I give everyone enough of my time.

Question 12 (from Maxine Patterson)

When are you coming to visit and can you bring some yummy donuts?

Maxine, it’s been too long. *laughs again* I will try to make a trip to Tauranga soon and I promise to stop at the bakery on the way to your place.

If you have not read Johanna’s shapeshifter series (Therian Secrets) and would like to know more, please check out the book trailers below for The Mercenary and The Fury.

                       The Mercenary Trailer                                        The Fury Trailer

Also you can find Johanna here:

Facebook

Goodreads

 Amazon
Twitter

Author Interview - Wendy Schuffert

Please welcome Author Wendy Schuffert to the interview seat!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing? 

Yes, I have. It all started when I started reading R.L. Stine when I was younger & I realized that is what I wanted to do.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books? 

Yes. I read a lot of male/male manga, novellas & young adult books. And it got me wanting to write that myself, but I’ve always wanted to write young adult. Some of my favourite authors include R.L. Stine, Lynn Flewelling, L.J. Smith. Yamila Abraham as for books…I have so many favourite books by R.L. Stine, it’s not even funny, Nightrunner Series by: Lynn Flewelling (her series got me wanting to publish male/male books), Forbidden Games by: L.J. Smith & The Vampire Diaries by: L.J. Smith. I even love Japanese manga where my favourite manga-ka Makoto Tateno got me wanting to publish male/male stuff as well.

3. What are your biggest inspirations? 

My biggest inspirations have to be Japanese rock singer Kyo of the band Dir en Grey, actor Rob Lowe & the Original Incredible Hulk himself Lou Ferrigno. Why? Because I am half deaf (with other medical problems & disabilities). I’m completely deaf in my left ear & have possibly about 75% of hearing in my right ear and those 3 men have shown me that even though I’m hearing impaired I can still do what I want to do. Because those 3 men are hard of hearing as well & I owe them a BIG thank you.

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings? 

Actually I don’t most of the time. Sometimes the characters just come to me & sometimes they come from being modelled after people and for the locations. For the longest time I never set my stuff in a certain spot. I’m from California in the States and I now use that for my characters or I’ll use my own world I created for my demons.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? 

Sometimes I listen to music and it’s usually Japanese rock/Visual Kei bands, but I mostly watch TV as I write.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? 

I read, watch true crime shows. I get ideas from just about anything.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?) 

As of this moment my novella is in the middle of getting published. It is in line to be edited, but I am part of a charity anthology called Shades of Pink that will feature a short story I did for it called Pink Rose. I’m not really sure what to expect yet.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author? 

Trying to work on other stuff. My first novella is part of a series & I’m really trying to get the second novella finished right now.

9. Do you have any pets? 

Yes. I have 4 cats. Oldest girl is Lizzie, second oldest is a boy Snoop Katt, third is a boy Neko Mana & fourth is a girl named Princess Icy Miku & 2 dogs both girls named Maggie Mae & Lacee No Name
10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing? 

My other hobbies include, reading, poetry, watching anime, reading manga, cross stitching.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world? 

Hmmm…No place yet

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work… 

I write under the name Perci T. Brooks and currently I am working on my Beloved Series and I am part of the Shades of Pink charity anthology that is a $5 donation for Breast Cancer. I am very glad to be part of that. 

Of course everyone can go to my author page for more info at https://www.facebook.com/PerciTBrooks

Author Interview - John Monk

Please welcome Author John Monk to the interview seat today!

Have you always had a passion for writing?

When I was in first grade, I got a poem published in the school newspaper.  I remember how it ended: “...with a beautiful spark of love.”  Even back then I thought it was sappy.  But I got so much positive attention from it that I kept writing cheesy poems and they kept publishing them.

Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?

By around fifth grade, I started writing short stories where I grossly plagiarized Ursula Le Guin and Terry Brooks. I came up with the plots—I just stole all the names.  “Shady Vale” and “Garret Jax” and “Ged” and “the island of Roke.”  My love of these names were the beginning of my love affair with language.  In high school, when I discovered Edgar Allen Poe, I started writing long, complicated writing that would have fit better in the 19^th century. These days, I like to think my writing is my own—but of course I’d be lying. All writers are a product of their literary environment. You’ll find a little Terry Brooks and Robert B. Parker peppered throughout my writing, as well as some Elmore Leonard, Neil Gaiman and Dean Koontz. And I’d be lying if I said Poe’s “...eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming” didn’t give me chills to this very day.

What are your biggest inspirations?

In a general sense, I’m inspired by beauty. Whether it’s a gorgeous woman or a great song or a really good movie, I get my inspiration from unique things. Often it’s something intangible, like a charitable deed or act of bravery—something that lifts a person, however briefly, from the plane we all exist on to regions indescribable.

When I’m sitting in traffic, I often wonder what makes something “great.”  Why does the Beach Boys song “God only knows” seize me the way it does when I hear it playing? I’m truly mystified.  And the funny thing is: this confusion gives me real hope. Do we really want a scientific answer for why things inspire us, like beauty? Or, for that matter, terrible ugliness?  When something horrific comes on the news, isn’t it better to feel the awfulness at a visceral level rather have it reduced to “a byproduct of our survival instinct which triggers an empathetic response”?

Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

Like a lot of writers, I try to write what I know.  So Centreville Virginia shows up in my published book, Kick, as well as the one I’m editing now.  I also like to write about places I’ve vacationed.  Likewise, I write about people I’ve met, though I modify them quite a bit.  Often I take several people and mash them together into a frankenperson, of sorts, picking and pairing the best parts for the needs of the story.  My buddy Rob isn’t a murderer, but the way he gets angry when he’s cut off in traffic might be just the thing for the murderer in my book. And I think my readers respond to it—they know when something seems real. An artist does his or her best work when the subject is painted from something in real life.

Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

I don’t always listen to music, but sometimes I do.  My musical tastes range into every single category dated before 1990 (with the occasional one-off like that funny C Lo Green song).  Rap, rock, punk, disco, jazz, bluegrass, country, big band, folk, jubilee gospel, mariachi—this is the music I listen to.  It really gets my brain working to hear something out of pace from my daily, natural rhythms.  Recently I’ve gotten into Spanish guitar—wonderful stuff. There’s a scene in Kick where one of the sympathetic characters plays some Spanish Guitar. Blame the Gypsy Kings.

What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?

When I’m having writer’s block, I read some Elmore Leonard or watch Justified on TV or anything with good writing in it.  Just like when I was a kid, nothing gets me going better than experiencing something marvelous.  It motivates me to make something marvelous too—to add something of my own to the world.  And it sure beats sitting there staring at an empty screen in frustration.

How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

Heh, now that’s a good question. Publishing my writing without the endorsement of Big Publishing and then having to market it myself to a world of readers who don’t know I exist has been a tremendously humbling experience. Getting that official nod from a major publishing house...look, we writers like to pretend that recognition isn’t important or that we’re sitting here all self-possessed and confident in our work and all that, but at the end of the day we just want to be told how brilliant we are.  Especially from some official body of professionals, ie., “the establishment.” 

There’s a part of me that wonders if Amazon and other eBook outlets aren’t a new kind of American Idol and whether I’m not the self-publishing version of William Hung. It sure would be nice to wake up every morning to another hundred downloads of Kick.  Until then, I’ll continue to assist my ego out of bed every morning, downstairs to breakfast and then off to work. And I probably won’t stop checking my sales rank several times a day to see if something’s changed. My ego and I will get through this together.  I don’t mind—my ego carried me for the last 42 years without complaint!

What are your biggest challenges as an author?

Time.  I need time to create, time to edit, time to market, time to do interviews like this, time to go to work and do a good job.  Time to be a husband.  My wife and I want to adopt—that’s going to take time.  When we adopt, our child will need so much of my time I’m afraid I’ll have to stop writing.  So I need to get even more done now—because I won’t have any time later.

Do you have any pets?

Dorothy and I have a cat, an Old English Sheep Dog, and a white Schnauzer (a rare color, we’re told).  The Schnauzer’s name is Shadowfax—which, to any fans of Tolkien out there, has revealed to you one of my other great inspirations: the Lord of the Rings. 

What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

I like to go sailing with a friend of mine, in his boat, out on the Chesapeake.  I like to go hiking once or twice a year.  I used to play an unhealthy amount of World of Warcraft—when I quit about 3 years ago, I used the time to write my first novel.  Now, looking back, I wish I could reach out and slap that WOW-playing John L. Monk.  Writing is so much more rewarding. 

Hmm, thinking of other hobbies...do potential hobbies count?  I’d really love to take up woodworking.  I think it’d be the coolest thing in the world to make a table or a chair.  One day when I’m rich and famous, maybe I’ll take a year off from writing to do that?

Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

When I was in college, getting my degree in anthropology, I visited the island of Malta for a study-abroad program.  Simply put, Malta’s a giant rock in the middle of the Mediterranean.  It’s cities are fortress cities.  It’s poorest people live in subdivided palaces for the Knights of Saint John. The water was an almost magical blue, and yet their beaches were littered.  A lady proprietor of a bar was worried when we were playing dominos at one of the tables and almost had a heart attack when we suggested switching to cards.  Bands walked the streets at night in a parade playing as loud as they could so a rival village could hear them coming.  Some of the band members smoked between parts or stepped in and out of bars, rejoining when it was time for them to play again. Perhaps the most shocking thing that happened was when I went looking for a boat maker so I could interview him. The boat maker and his sons almost threw me into the Mediterranean.  I didn’t speak Malti, but through hand gestures and smiles I managed to convince them I wasn’t trying to steal the secrets of their designs to sell to a competitor in the Regatta. It was a fascinating, memorable trip. 

Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

Kick is my most recent published work.  It’s a story about a college student, Dan, who commits suicide when the girl he loves dumps him. Afterward, Dan finds himself in a strange limbo where he can remember his life so perfectly that, if he chose to, he could tell you the exact number of breaths he took in his life until the very last second of it.  Such is the perfect memory of the dead.  He’s also able to come back into the world of the living by possessing the bodies of predatory criminals:  rapists, killers, pedophiles—the worst of humanity. Whenever he does, he has complete control and his motivations for living are entirely his own.  Mostly he just lives his life again—eating out, watching movies, reading books, and going to ball games.  He also spends a lot of time trying to remain celibate. Just because a women he runs into thinks she knows him, it doesn’t give him the right to know her back (so to speak).  This sets Dan up for sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious encounters.

Before Dan is kicked out, usually in about 3 weeks, he’ll find a way to take his killer down with him, either through a police confession with an evidence dump or a self-administered bullet to the head.  One reviewer said it was kind of a cross between the TV show Quantum Leap and the show Dexter on Showtime.  I always felt the same way about it, but it’s better when a fan says so.

The working title of my latest book, still unpublished, is Thief’s Odyssey.  Unlike Kick there’s nothing supernatural in it. It’s a story about a cat burglar and his adventures: from DC to the Bahamas to Florida and then back again.  I’m reluctant to give too much away right now, but suffice to say that unlike many of the caper movies made over the years, Thief’s Odyssey was heavily researched.  The methods used to crack safes, pick locks, and disable alarms actually work.

The one thing that ties Kick to Thief’s Odyssey is they’re both told in first person narrative, and that lets my John L. Monkiness shine through.  I like stories about outcasts from society—whether through a suicide, like in Kick, or that of a criminal like the main character in Thief’s Odyssey.  I’ve thought about my fascination with outcasts, and the best I can come up with is it’s an echo of my writer’s perspective on life. On some level, I’ve written my observer-self into my stories.

You can find Kick on Amazon!

Author Interview - Keren Hughes

Today I'm happy to introduce Author Keren Hughes for today's interview!


1. Have you always had a passion for writing?
Yes. Since I was a young girl I would dream of writing a Point Horror book, as they were back then, such as RL Stine’s ‘The Boyfriend’.

I actually wrote 2 books when I was a teenager. At 14, I wrote one called The Angel of Death about a babysitter who kept killing the children she babysat. Then at 15, I wrote one called Skye’s Secret, though I can’t actually remember much of what that was about.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?

I don’t think I’m influenced by what I read as in subject matter, but I am inspired by my author friends who write all kinds of genres. I aspire to be the best author I can be and who better to look up to than my friends who have been doing it for years?!

I have too many favourite books and authors to name and if I named only a few, it would make me feel bad for not including them all. But one of my all time favourites is the Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton.

3. What are your biggest inspirations?

My family, my friends and people who I meet on social networking sites that say “Hey I can’t wait to read your book.” Readers are an author’s bread and butter, but they are also SO much more than that. They are what keep you going.

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

For this one, I say Google is my best friend! I seem to spend a lot of time researching “hot male/female models” and if I find someone I like the look of, I save a copy of the image into a folder marked ‘Inspiration’. Music is also an inspiration. The lyrics of songs can be very poignant and profound.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

Yes. Music is something to be inspired by. I find when I am writing a love scene, I will play a few different tracks to see what inspires me the most and then I will have the chosen track on repeat for a while.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?

I don’t have a trick for this as I currently have writer’s block. Mainly because my characters are talking to me but my fingers can’t seem to type anything. I go to write something and then find myself deleting it over and over again.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

I have just been signed by Limitless Publishing. I signed the contract the second week of August. It hasn’t changed my perspective on anything...yet!

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author?

Finding the time to sit and write. It’s not always easy to do everything I should be doing. I should be writing. I should be on social network sites. I should be juggling everything and being a mom to a 6 year old boy.

9. Do you have any pets?

Thank goodness, no! And I don’t see any in the future either.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

I am a book reviewer. I like to make greetings cards. Umm… is being a mom allowed? ‘Cause that’s mainly what I do outside of writing!

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

Anywhere that means I’ve been able to vacation with Barry and Calum and make memories to last a lifetime.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work

I have no set release date for Stolen yet as I only just signed the publishing contract. but I do know it will be available in e-book, paperback and audiobook. Here’s the syynopsis:

Roshanna O'Dare wakes in her own home with part of her memory missing and is shocked when she finds her parents dead in their home. With no family, or any clues as to what happened to her parents, Roshanna makes a plan to move away from Cypress Hill to Texas, Austin, to live with her last living relative, Uncle Joe after the funeral. But it means leaving her best friend, Marissa Mason behind.

During her Uncle’s visit, she meets his chauffeur, Bodhi Vincent, who seems to understand Roshanna in a way no one else has. Bodhi is her rock after the death of her parents and the longer she stays with him while with her uncle, the closer they become.



Before moving away, Roshanna is confronted with a shocking secret that Marissa had kept from her, a secret that changes how she sees life and the people in it—Marissa is a pure soul and her foster parents are soul drainers who need her pure energy to survive.

Marissa gives Roshanna an amulet, knowing she will want to search for her parents’ souls and, after moving to Texas, Roshanna does just that, even as she begins to wonder how she'll ever find her parents' souls or track down the man that stole them.



When Roshanna goes back to Cypress Hill to talk to Marissa’s foster parents, she finds out that her best friend kept another secret from her.



Will Roshanna find her parents' souls and set them free? Will she find love along the way?



Stolen is book one of the Freedom of Souls series. Book two is called Freed and will be the last book

Author Interview: CM Wright

This week's Author interview is CM Wright!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing? 

Always! If I wasn't writing a story, I would write lists...lots and lots of lists.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books? 

Everything around me influences me. Everything! I can turn something incredibly boring into something crazy in my head. And of course, I have to share it! Stephen King, V.C. Andrews, Eric Asher, Joshua Guess, Karina Halle...the list of favorite authors grows steadily since I got my Kindle

3. What are your biggest inspirations? 

My husband, Bill, and my sons, Bryson and Austin. The rest of my family inspire, support, and encourage me too, which means so much to me. And then, of course, my fans. They are amazing!

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings? 

Not really. Planning my books, I discovered quickly, isn't going to happen. I can decide the basics, like; character names, where I would LIKE my book to take place, and the theme, but other than that, I have no idea what's going to happen. My surprise, shock, and delight comes second-hand just like my fans. I have to go back and read what I've written because I kinda just blank out. Weird, I know.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? 

I do sometimes. It's not something I have to have, but it's perfection when I have Thriller playing while I'm writing about zombies.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? 

Umm, you can do that? LOL I actually have had issues with the dreaded writer's block. The best way for me to get jerked out of it, is to read reviews and listen to my fans. I just wish they knew how much they influence me as a writer. I try to tell them, but I don't think they really understand how much I mean it.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?) 

Oh, wow! It's like I am finally ME! I don't have to hide my craziness, people love it. I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. Even with a pen name (which I don't hide my real name any longer, it's Candi Marie Noble. Wright is my maiden name), I can still be me...funny, mouthy, sarcastic, bitchy, and all of the above.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author? 

Finding time to write when I still have so much else going on. And allowing myself to let go and not worry about, “OMG! My mom and Ma (grandma) are going to read this!”

9. Do you have any pets? 

I have a black cat named Sassy (she actually only likes my hubby. She's a bitch.) And my son, Austin, has a dog named Chaz. He's a goofball...well, the dog and the boy both are.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing? 

Nope, none. Sorry. That's it. I'm boring.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world? 

Probably when I went to Canada with a bunch of my family. Canada was awesome, but my family made it AMAZING! And then of course, my honeymoon with Bill in Tennessee. We stayed in our own little cabin in the mountains. I want so much to do that again, but take our boys this time.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work… 

My WIP is book 5 in the Zombie Overload series, Will To Live. I was supposed to write a vampire book, but my main character refused to let me. She wasn't ready to be pushed aside yet. I would literally start shaking...hard!...whenever I tried to write, or when I would be driving (that's when ideas come to me. Scary, I know). Frustrated to tears and pissed off, I finally opened a new page and let Canada (my main character) loose. And she was off! Vamp book is still waiting – patiently, I might add – for me to come back to it.



Amazon Author Page amazon.com/author/cmwright

Facebook links www.facebook.com/writercmwright and https://www.facebook.com/cm.wright.9

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

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CMWzombie

Website www.zombieoverload.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/CMWzombie

Author Interview - Keely Myers!

This week we have Author Keely Myers in the hot seat!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing?

a. Yes, always. I think that ever since, 6th grade, I've always dabbled in writing. It was all the writing assignments that we were given. Anything I've written during my school days I still have. Even things from when I was little. I think I have enough short storys and poems to make a little book.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?

a. Some of the books that I read, can influence me. But the textbooks and movies also influence me. I do have my own way of creating ideas. My favorite authors include, Debbi Macomber, Sherrilynn Kenyon and Christine Feehan.

3. What are your biggest inspirations?

a. My mom. My friends. My dreams.

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

a. No. Whatever comes to me comes and it flows out of my fingers and creates..
5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

a. Some times, yes. When I do I listen to a verity of things.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?

a. I try to just emerse myself in what I'm working on. When writer's block does hit, it hits hard and some times it takes a bit for my muse to start working.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

a. I'm not yet published, but I hope in the future that I become published. It's one of my biggest dreams.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author?

a. Deciding what to write and how to write it.

9. Do you have any pets?

a. I had some pets, but they both passed away.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

a. I knit and crochet.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

a. I've never been outside of the United States, but one of the most memorable places I've ever been to is Connecticut. It's where my mother's family is, and the history of my family.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

a. My latest work is about a mail order bride who goes west to meet and marry a man she's never known or met, because she's unhappy with her current life in high society.

You can find Keely here:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keely-Myers/207468625937392

Tumblr Page: http://keelymyers.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PNKeelyMyers

Author Interview - Patrick Wendling Markwell

Please welcome Author Patrick Wendling Markwell!


1. Have you always had a passion for writing? 

Always. I started writing when I was six and when I first entered high school my English teacher noticed that I was interested in English, writing and reading beyond what most students are so he had me tested and they moved me to a honors English class. After being in the class for a week I became bored again and they moved me to a laureate honors English class. Seeing how bored I was there they decided to start testing me out of English classes and before my freshman year was over with I had tested out of all four years of English and started taking college English classes. They had my freshman English teacher teaching me so I could maintain the rest of my classes since I was the only student in the school at that level.


Before my sophomore year was done, I had completed four years of college English classes. When I got to college I pissed off a lot of advanced English and literature professors because I continually corrected them showing them how they were wrong in their methods of teaching; though I was right and they did change how they did things, it did not endear me to them. I did however prove to them I was their best student and I became a TA in every class dealing with English, literature and creative writing. I continued on in the same vein and took even more classes dealing with writing and English because I was pursuing an English degree. By this time I had several stories and poems published in high school and college publications. I entered a national contest three years in a row and won the Editor’s Choice Award each year. I never seriously went after a writing career because I felt a stronger calling to help people in a different way. That probably explains why I ended up becoming a Paramedic instead.



2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favorite authors/books? 

No. I have always had my own style of writing and what I want to write about. A lot of people get stuck writing in one genre and never move out of their comfort zone. I prefer to write any genre at any time, depending on my mood at the time. Surprisingly enough, I have never been the biggest fan of non-fiction, but I think that is because most people who write it are so dry and don’t know how to hold the interest of their readers. I can and will read it and have in the past, and I have no problem with it, but I prefer the adventures one can have when reading fiction. Non-fiction, well there is no real adventures because you know exactly what is going to happen; it is mapped out for you already.

I would have to say anything in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. He is my favourite author. I also love his Incarnations of Immortality series. Then there is Mercedes Lackey and her Valdemar series starting way back with the Black Gryphon. Robert Aspirin also with his Myth Adventures and there is Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time. But there are so many wonderful authors to choose from. Terry Brooks, Frank E. Peretti, Anne Rice, Christopher Rice, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc… It is so difficult to choose any one book or author, but I would have to say that Fantasy is my favourite genre.



3. What are your biggest inspirations?

I have to say my dreams and daydreams. I was tortured by family and other kids my entire life and my only means of escape were books and imagining different realities. That is why I am writing an autobiography, I know I said I don’t really enjoy non-fiction too much, but this book is about how I had to struggle to survive and start living and my triumphs over my suicide attempts and escape from my family, religious cult, abusive rapist and so much more.



4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings? 

Not really, no. I get an idea and start an outline process, start writing, then throw away the outline and just write until I have nothing left on it and call it done. I don’t plan or anything. I just let it out and be done with it. I have been blessed with a new family that I chose and the family that I received when I got involved with Rondal and then married him so in each book, even my erotica, I let them influence me a little. Hear me out before becoming judgemental though. Rondal has an innate ability to look at anything around him, anywhere, and know where he is at and tell you how to get somewhere. He is a human map and it doesn’t really matter if he has ever been there before or not. I use his knowledge to help me orient. I use family and friends names to keep them alive for me. However, I do not use them for the names of characters in erotica books. That would be too creepy, but I do allow their careers and locales influence what I have my characters doing or where they are living.


5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? 

Don’t laugh, but I only listen to music if it is Lords of Acid when writing, but I will usually not even listen then. I put on Scooby-Doo episodes in the background.


6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? 

Nothing really. I still suffer from occasional bouts of depression because of my childhood and early adulthood so I have to struggle with that on a daily basis and overcome it. Sometimes I can’t overcome it, so I just don’t write because I sit and stare at what I am writing and cry instead. My main motivation is this really; Rondal decided a couple of years ago that he doesn’t want me to look for a job outside of writing and our website, Lazy Beagle Entertainment, and instead he wants me to focus fully on writing and LBE, but mostly writing. He has realized my dream and decided that he would sacrifice a little extra to keep me home and only have one paycheck coming in. Any author out there will know that a paycheck as an author is not enough to really live off of, but the sacrifice in the end will hopefully be worth it if I actually get some books that do well enough to make a decent living off of. One can dream can’t they? Well, he is intent on making my dreams a reality. Just one of the reasons I love him so much.


7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? 

(If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?) It is very frustrating at times. You have to watch your books do very well for a couple of weeks then die off completely and maybe resurge for a couple of days when a new book comes out. It is very up and down and your emotions become a tangle of ugly things in your soul and you wonder why you bother to keep writing if no one is paying attention. I have to continually remind myself that the biggest names in this industry had to suffer through all of that in the beginning as well before making it big and they didn’t always put out great stuff. Erotica is something I only did as a challenge and I know I am not good at it, but I know how to write some steamy sex at least. LOL! I prefer writing something that has a real plot.


8. What are your biggest challenges as an author? 

The readers. You get all these people that send reviews in after your book has become available to them and most of those people who do are just plain petty. I have had reviews on books from people who are not even reviewers and they actually lie about things in the book to make it sound bad and there is nothing you can do about it. I once even had a person say they gave my book a two star review because the name of my mythical realm within the book for my main characters was silly sounding. Some people know it will ruin your ratings and they don’t care because they are just malicious jerks. Others don’t realize the time and effort you put into doing this and they just don’t like your book so they get ugly in their reviews.


9. Do you have any pets? 

We have a beagle. We had two, they were twins but one passed away in March from cancer. We named our company after them, Lazy Beagle Entertainment. In fact, them as beagles is what inspired me to use beagles in my book Bloody Shadows and the inspiration behind one particular aspect that affects the vampires in the book. I am a big animal lover.


10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing? 

I love to cook, garden, swim and go camping.


11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world? 

Being married to a truck driver I have gone with him on many occasions and have been all over the United States and many parts of Canada. However before being with him I have been to a few other places in the world, but as of yet I have not found a place I can truly feel over excited about. At least not yet, not anything that calls out to me. If I had to choose I would have to say, NYC and Honolulu, HI. I have lived in both places. If we could do it right now, I would say I would love to just up and move to either NYC or HI. Not Honolulu though; I would love to move to one of the small beach villages far from the tourists of HI. The tourists of NYC don’t bother me. I would love to live in NYC again because the place is just beyond fascinating!


12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work… 

My latest work was my erotica book in the Shifter Royalty series called Wolf vs Bat, number two in the series after Serpent vs Serpent. I am currently working on Tiger vs Horse and Eagle vs Bear numbers three and four in the series. I am also working on a book with my husband Rondal, a fantasy book that is going to be number one in a series about Shifters, Clerics, Arcanists, Druids and Gods. I am working on a stand-alone book called Deadly Waters, which is a thriller. There is of course my autobiography. There is the charity book that Lazy Beagle is putting together for four different charities. Then there is my series Fallen from Grace, which is about the Fallen Angles fighting back against God and his tyranny, hypocrisy, petty jealousy and narcissism. I am also working on a series called Warriors of Mist about a planet of people who some are born with a trait that allows them to manipulate mist and use it to change the world around them and fight as specialized warriors. Most of the main characters in my books are gay, but there is no sex in any of them, except the Shifter Royalty books, but the world has plenty of books with straight characters. I am also putting together a cookbook. This cookbook will have my own personal recipes in it. On the left will be the normal recipe and the right will be the same recipe, but I have altered it to be a healthier recipe. Oh and one last thing I am working on right now is a collaboration with another author, Kimber Kahn. We are writing a book together that is about a young man who is the most famous man in Hollywood and decides he needs to right a wrong. He still wants his current life as an actor and all of that, but he wants it with someone who used to be in his life and he screwed it up big time. It turns into a nightmare fiasco instead. Let me just say this; it is a thriller drama book and we are going to do at least four in the series.

You can find Patrick on Facebook, Twitter and Amazon! 

Author Interview - Andrea Boyde

Please welcome Author Andrea Boyde to my blog today!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing? 

Definitely. From a young age I can remember writing all sorts of stories and poems, many of which I still have.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?  

My dreams tend to be my biggest influences. Although my latest piece was inspired by something my sister said to me. As for favourite authors, Edger Allan Poe, Dean Koontz, J.K Rowling and J R R Tolkien. I do read a great deal of historical books too.

3. What are your biggest inspirations?

Life is my biggest inspiration. The ups and downs it can throw at you and the lessons you learn during the hardest times.
4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

 I had to laugh when I read this because I don't. They just kind of pop into my head and, if it feels right, I go with it.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? 

Always. What I listen to depends on what I am writing. Can be anything from Classical to Rock or Pop to Alternative.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? 

I belong to Toastmasters and have found it a great way to keep the old creative juices flowing.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

 I think the biggest thing for me will be the acknowledgement that comes with being published. It's all well and good thinking to yourself that you can write, but when someone else thinks the same and publishes your work, that would be amazing!

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author?

 Believing in my ability would be the biggest. Self doubt is a huge thing for so many people and I think you just have to try and push that aside and believe in what you do.

9. Do you have any pets?

 I'm smiling right now. I have 3 cats, one of whom has inspired me to write a children's book.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

 Walking is the biggest. It's a great way to clear the old cob-webs. Also make Jewellery and have recently caught onto the whole Steampunk thing. (It's loads of fun)

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

 There are so many places I would love to go to, so am certain this will change one day, but the most memorable has to be up the top of the Mountain in the town I grew up in. Hadn't been there since I was young and a group of us went up last year. Stunning views and a wonderful day filled with memories. You can't get better than that.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

 My latest work is called George the Dragon and was inspired by something one of my sisters said. It actually started as a bit of fun, but ended up more than that and I am so incredibly proud of it. While it is primarily a Fantasy piece, there are a few life lessons thrown in there. It's a story of love, adventure, friendship, loss and giving others a second chance. I have been posting it on its own Facebook page chapter by chapter over the last couple of months and am reaching the conclusion. Mind you, the idea of letting go of the characters is hard so will have to write some other tales.

You can find info on George the Dragon here!