Meet Author of Secondhand Shoes--Shelly Arkon

      Author Shelly Arkon

Hi everyone. Well, I just wanted you guys to get in on the fun of the give away because today and tomorrow Secondhand Shoes is FREE! You don't want to miss out on this book by Indie author Shelly Arkon.

Who is Shelly Arkon you ask? Well, read on!

Author Bio

When she was nine, Shelly Arkon's mother advised her not to write a novel because no one would publish it...but she wrote it anyway.

Shelly Arkon has never stopped writing since she wrote that first novel as a child. In spite of more family drama than most of us could handle—as the mother of five daughters, drama is unavoidable--she's been writing most of her life. She says most of these stories, written in longhand in spiral notebooks, have been about vampires.

She now lives in New Port Richey with her husband and two dogs. She’s also a member of Florida Writer’s Association and Writer’s of Mass Distraction.

Currently, she’s working on a book series. It’s about two grandmothers, one a New Age hippie, and the other, a Southern Baptist, their grandbaby, their grown children who are pill heads, their extended dysfunctional family, and a dangerous drug dealer.

The two grandmothers find themselves in a dangerous pursuit to save their grandbaby while finding an unlikely friendship between them.

Interview

Why do you write?

There is a constant chatter going on in my head all day. Ideas and dialogue come quickly where I have to write them down. If I don’t, I may miss an opportunity to get it down the way I heard it the first time. Even characters get perturbed when you don’t relay their information correctly. They want their stories told in the right way. Not to mention, all of my characters bug me until I do-I have a tendency to work on multiple projects at a time.

Can you explain the trials and tribulations of writing your first novel or writing in general?

There’s a ga-zillion of those. My first set of trials and tribulations began in the first grade when teachers stuck me in a slow class because I couldn’t grasp reading and writing like the other kids in my class did.

One afternoon, one of my teachers handed me a stool, an eraser, and a piece of chalk. I was to write, say each letter to my name, and then sound it out and repeat. This tiny feat took up an entire afternoon.

First grade through the third were the most tedious years of my life. But I’m thankful to all my teachers for their patience and persistence. By the fourth grade, I was further ahead than most my classmates in reading and writing along with my big love for both.

Once I took off in reading and writing, I read everything I could get my hands on. And I had an affinity for diaries, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, and daydreaming. My imagination ran wild with stories and poems. I wrote non-stop as a child and teen.

Unfortunately, there were people and even myself who discouraged me from writing. Many times I heard ‘no one would publish you’ or ‘there’s nothing special about what you write’ or ‘so-n-so writes way better stuff than you do.’ Negative self-voices are the worst. So you have to find your positive self-voice to talk you out of the bad conditioning. This is something I’m always working on.

Not only do people and yourself get in the way of writing, but so does life. Marriages. Children. Divorce. College. Work. Mundane chores. Traumatic life events. These can really put a damper on one’s ability to sit in a chair and write out your characters’ problems when you have your own.

In 1998, I sat down one evening and wrote the first chapter to Secondhand Shoes. My thoughts were I would be able to finish it within a year, but I found myself suddenly a single mother of five. So I tucked it in a folder and stuck it in my closet. For years, I made notes and wrote dialogue for it and tucked it away.

Several years later, and down to two children in the household, I plunked myself back into a chair and wrote. I wrote it four times over. The first version, I hated and couldn’t relate to it at all. It was like reading a Monday night movie on Lifetime for Women. The second version, the protagonist was a real whiner. When I finally finished the third version, I could finally see the forest through the trees, and the fourth version of Secondhand Shoes was born.

Somewhere between the first and second version, in 2008, I became a member of the Florida Writer’s Association. Every second and fourth Monday evening, we meet at the Barnes and Nobles in Carrollwood. There, we edit and critique each other. The girls and one guy in the group are my checks and balances as I am theirs.

Once I got the okay from my group members that it was ready, it was onto the next stage in the writing experience. Finding an editor. Well, I had the gem of all editors. Kaye Coppersmith. She was a longtime member of Florida Writer’s Association and halfway through my manuscript when she passed. That was this past April. At the time, I felt like God and the Universe had stolen her from me. And the negative voices ate at me again.

But I rose above it, wiped my tears, and went forward. It wasn’t easy finding an editor who could keep my writing voice. So many editors out there try to change everything so much so they lose the characteristics of your characters and their voice. I also found a lot of people labeling themselves as editors, only to find out they didn’t know much about the profession.

And how did you publish?

I ended up going Indie (self-published). Yes. I did try the traditional route but after sending the requested manuscript to agents and publishers, most times I didn’t even get a rejection. Not getting a response bothered me more than not receiving one. It would have been nice to at least hear they didn’t think my novel was marketable. To this day, I haven’t heard back from one agent who requested my manuscript ‘as is’ in 2010. Getting published isn’t as easy as one thinks. No one writes a novel and becomes instantly published.

 Let me tell you, self-publishing isn’t easy, either. Since I’m not a computer geek by any means, I thought many times I would throw my computer into the street over formatting. My eyes thought they were going to fail me over the many times I proofread. Right now, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with the marketing part. Indies are a one man or woman show wearing many hats while maintaining their day jobs.

Also, being self-published takes the cost of making a book out of your pocket. Nothing is free. One has to hire a cover artist, an editor, and someone who can format for an ebook. It all takes time and a lot of dedication.

My novel, Secondhand Shoes is now available on Amazon either in paperback or as an ebook. Paper back is $13.50. Ebook is $4.99. But from February 19^th through the 21^st the ebook is FREE to everyone.

Spread the News and Cheer on the Run-Away-Bride Give-Away

Also, I’m giving away two $15.00 Amazon cards and two autographed paperback copies of Secondhand Shoes. Since I don’t do rafflecoptors, all I ask is for you to leave the best advice you can give someone on their wedding day and promise to spread the news. On March 1^st, I’ll announce the winners on my Secondhand Shoes blog, http://secondhandshoesnovel.blogspot.com/

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

Please Welcome Vic Jones to Lorelei's Muse

Vic is a fellow writer who likes to write poetry, fantasy, science fiction, and pretty much anything. He has been working his craft pretty much like the rest of us, in between moments when we are not working. I've been able to nail him down for a few questions today so we can get to know him better.

First, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from, and where you live.

I live in Redding California. I grew up in a small town that is about 110 miles north of Redding but it is still in California. When I left home I spent several years in Phoenix Arizona and six years in the US Army.

How and when did you become interested in writing?

I first started writing poetry about 31 years ago. I was in my teens but never saw any market for poetry so didn’t try to do much with it.

What were your first stories like?

I first attempted a novel after reading a Zebra (I think the company is now defunct) book (Romance) and deciding that if something that poorly written had been published by a commercial publisher I could do at least that well.

I tried my hand at a Sci-Fi story that is still sitting in parts on my hard drive. I then took a hiatus from all writing until I found Author Nation.
Actually I started a Blog at Blogspot in 2006 (it can be read at http://aethernotespolyblog.blogspot.com/

Did you have encouragement by a teacher, or friends to continue?

When I was a sophomore in high school one of my teachers noticed what I referred to as a doodle with words. She said it was an interesting poem. Until then I thought poetry had to be lyrical or at least have a meter. She encouraged me to write and that year I did several haiku style poems and a few others (all lost in the dust of time…) I continued to write poetry on and off even now.

Have you had obstacles in the way of publishing?

I honestly have never thought I had any chance at being published by what is now considered to be the traditional route. I’m not much of a salesman so I don’t know how I’m going to do on a nontraditional publishing route but I decided that I want to hold a book that I have written.

What is your inspiration to keep writing?

Self-defense! I read huge volumes of writing and cannot afford to buy as much reading material as I would like to, so I write new stuff for my own entertainment.

What genre do you write mostly?

I write eclectically the same way I read. If it interests me then I have at least given it a whirl. My current projects are a medieval style fantasy and an urban fantasy. I have a hard Sci-Fi project started but don’t have time to do the research necessary for it. I also have been working on and off over the past two years on a collection of quips and quotes. They are all what might be considered short wisdom sayings. The title of this one is Lessons from The Hard Knocks School of Life and I consider each quote or quip to be a lesson.

I understand you have a book about to be published, can you give us a synopsis of it?

The project that I have closest to completion is Castlebound which is a medieval fantasy. It is not set on Earth or if it is earth it is earth as it never existed. Magic works in Castlebound and the heroine is bound by magic to a castle because she is the princess.

How long did it take you to write it?

Approximately two years though that was the first draft. The bulk of it was done in 2008 when I experienced a layoff from my regular job. During that time I wrote up to 1000 words a day. Therefore in 40 days I had approximately 38,000 unedited words in a loose novel that just needed to be fleshed out and have an ending. I spent the next 20 months adding to the story and polishing bits of it.

Did it take a while for you to find a publisher for it, and how hard or easy was that for you?

I am not intending to even try to sell this one to a traditional publisher. I am working with Letting The Ink Dry www.lettingtheinkdry.com/ to get an edit done so that I feel that the book is as good as it can be.

What are your writing aspirations for the next year/what do you hope to accomplish in that time?

Hopefully Dana at Letting The Ink Dry and I will feel that we are ready to go to the presses with Castlebound. I would also like to find some markets for my poetry and to that end I’m going to be entering some competitions. Beyond that I have an outline started for a sequel to Castlebound that is not yet titled that I have been working on.

What is Vic Jones’ typical day like?

Like most aspiring authors I have a day job. I do enjoy what I do and barring winning the publishing lottery will probably continue to work as long as I’m able to work.

How many hours on an average do you write in a week/day?

I try to do a little writing every day but as it is a hobby I don’t worry too much about a production schedule.

What is it about writing you like the most?

I like discovering other worlds and the way that characters come alive for me.

I understand you have a blog?

My blog is at http://aethernotespolyblog.blogspot.com/ mostly I’m posting poetry and an expanded version of Lessons from The Hard Knocks School of Life. I also post short pieces on any other subject I find interesting. It is a eclectic collection of my writing about what interests me from moment to moment.

Where can people find out about your book, and when is it's publishing date?
The website for my novel(s) will be www.author-vicjones.com/ I don’t have a firm date for Castlebound but have every hope that an e-book or other format will be available sometime this year.

Thank you, Vic. And I wish to put in that Vic's niece is his artist who has done the rendition of the book's cover above. She's very good, and I think the cover conveys the main plot of the story line.

We will be checking in with you from time to time.

Interview With James Garcia Jr.

I'd like to welcome to my blog James Garcia Jr., author of Dance on Fire. James is a super guy to take time out to do this interview and I really think all of you will glean something from it.

What do you mostly write, or what genre?

First of all, let me thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to reach a new audience. I really appreciate getting to know both you and your audience.

I cut my teeth reading books like “The Amityville Horror”, “The Exorcist”, “The Entity” and “Headhunter” by Michael Slade, so naturally I began writing horror. Later, after I began going to church, I went through a phase where I thought I should write more for God. Eventually, I realized that, although I was a Christian, I liked reading books and watching movies that kept me on the proverbial edge of my seat. With that in mind, at least with this vampire series that I am writing, I backed off some with the sex, violence and profanity, aiming more for a PG-13 rating. That may not always be the case, however. There are some real tear-jerkers within me that want to come out, but there are some darker things, too. I think with sex, often less is more, perhaps with the violence as well. With the language, one must realize that, were we to be chased by a crazed killer, we wouldn’t exactly be yelling “shoot” and “darn it”. Lol.

How many hours on an average do you write in a week/day?

I’m a terrible example right now for writers, because I am not writing every day the way we should. I have spent the past year doing PR for my debut novel. During the time that I was looking for representation, I managed to write the sequel very quickly. On the other hand, I am writing. I write for my blog; I write twice a month for the Wicked Writers blog and sometimes for others; I write once or twice a month for a local on-line magazine where I live called Kings River Life Magazine. Were it not for my day job, I would be writing every day.

Do you have a blog?

Yes. Like many of us, all that we want to do is write. Unfortunately, we have to help sell what we have created. My publisher was kind enough to build one for me, since I knew nothing about the subject before I began. Then she handed me the keys, as it were. Now I have to keep it going. I try to use it as my platform, not only for my writing, but for my life as well. You won’t find out a lot about my kids and home life, but you will read reviews if I stumble across a superb film or novel or CD. I try to keep it interesting the best that I know how. http://jamesgarciajr.blogspot.com/

What are your writing aspirations for the next year/what do you hope to accomplish in that time?

Well, I am 42 years old and started this entirely too late. Were I 19, I would quit my day job and simply write. With one novel ready and another in the wings, I felt that I should push the PR machine in order to see what might happen. If little did, at least I would have no regrets because I had achieved the dream, which was to simply see a novel finished. Seeing it published has been a dream come true and a wonderful miracle. I will have the second novel in the series, Dance on Fire: Flashpoint, published in early 2011. After that, we’ll see. The series will extend at least one more novel, but there is the beginning of a haunted house story within me that has really begun to bubble to the surface. Yet, if 2011 ends up being a real busy year with little success, then I may have to back off. You will see why that is with the next answer…

What is James Garcia's typical day like?

Well, here’s the reason why I may be so unorthodox. I am a supervisor at Sun-Maid Raisin Growers of California. I am up at 3:00 am and in the office by 4:00 am. I work nearly eleven hours, five days a week. This leaves very little time for everything else. I have about 5 hours each day to spent time with my wife, my two sons, run errands, keep up with the house, keep my blog active and keep up with the blogs of others, write posts for others, write articles for the magazine I work for, etc. It isn’t easy. On the other hand, I really am living the dream. Yet, I cannot keep up this pace for long. In one more year, I will be making some serious decisions as to the value of pushing myself as hard as I have.

How and when did you become interested in writing?

I discovered hard rock music about the same time that I discovered horror novels. When I realized that writing song lyrics (thinking that I might want to pursue music) was too restricting, I moved over to much longer works. I suppose one might say it must have been part of the grand scheme of things.

What is it about writing you like the most?

Being creative has always been easy for me. I have told others that it is simply as if there are movies playing within my head, and all that I have to do is write down what I see. There’s also that part of me that seems to crave being artistic or creative. It’s just what I do. My mind is pretty quick when it comes to making things up.

How did you choose your publisher?

I spent about 18 months combing the Internet for an agent or publisher. The first place that I queried loved the novel and offered me a contract. Hours later I found out that it was fraudulent and I got out. It was very disheartening, as one might expect. It is very important that authors vet out who they query. There’s a lot of lying, cheating and stealing going on out there, so one must be cautious. Next came the months of anguish. Actually, with my novel being a crossover horror/Christian story, I can well imagine that it isn’t an easy sell. Eventually, I found Vamplit Publishing. They were a new house just getting started that loved anything vampire (hence the name). My publisher wasn’t scared off by the religious overtones.

Is this an eBook, or POD publisher?

Vamplit is an e-book publisher, primarily, because that is the future. However, knowing that not everyone has yet to embrace the notion, we are just beginning to produce paperbacks, too. My novel, Dance on Fire, is the first. As e-books continue to take off, we hope to be ahead of that. We have a rapidly growing stable of writers and their novels in our second year of existence, and should find ourselves in a good place very soon.

Do you have any up-coming events?

Hopefully before the summer is here I will be holding signings. In the meantime I am simply casting the net out further. I just created some press kits and am getting in contact with newspapers and magazines in my area. At the same time I am talking to retailers about partnering up. It is very new right now with more details to follow.

What is your Work In Progress? And when do you hope to get it out there?

My third novel in the series is only an outline at the moment. As I said before, I want to see what this year has to offer before I begin clearing what little time I have now in order to schedule time to write. Since this whole writing career is a work in progress, perhaps events will shape what things will come. I really don’t want to quit writing, but something will definitely have to give in order for me to keep up this pace.

What advice would you give beginning/struggling writers?

We have to ask ourselves why we are doing this. Is it merely a hobby and simply for the creative enjoyment for ourselves? Or is it a deep desire that will strangle us if we do not let the stories out? We should be reading and writing daily. Now, If only I had the time to take my own advice…



I saw that you said that it took you 20 years to write this book and get it published. What kept you from writing?

I have fun telling people that Dance on Fire took 20 years to write. I love to see their facial expressions. The truth is I was in school when I began writing this piece. Soon I was married and beginning my Sun-Maid career. Our two sons followed as did home ownership. My wife quit working and went back to school in order to begin a teaching career. We sold our first home and then built another. I went from being a regular worker to becoming an Administrative Supervisor. Perhaps more importantly, there was some maturing that needed to happen as well. After several failed attempts at jump starting the novel, I finally came to a place in time where I realized the magnitude of the regret that I was going to have. It was then that I was able to dust the novel off and see it completed.

Thank you Jimmy for coming to my blog. I think we can all related to many of the things you've said here.

Thank you once again for offering me this platform, Lorelei. If your readers take nothing else from this interview, I hope it is this: have no regrets. Thankfully, my novel has been read by many and they seem to like it. If I end up being only a minor local celebrity, then so be it! I will go to my maker with a few regrets in life, but none will have anything to do with not chasing the one dream that I have had since my youth. I’m an author now and no one can take that away.
I hope that you all see your dreams come true as well.

Kindle - Review - Interview

My Book is on KINDLE!

Wow, did I sound justlike Oprah, or what?

And while you're at Amazon another review is up by “Sandpiper”. Here is a portion of what he had to say, and then you can go ahead and take a look for yourself.

“Let me say up front that I do NOT read vampire novels. . . My wife has read and enjoyed Stephanie Myer's “Twilight” series and even “forced” me to watch the movies with her. Still, I do not read vampire novels. . .

“However. . .I (reluctantly) agreed to review Lorelei Bell's “Vampire Ascending” and now you can call me “converted”. Maybe it was Bells' captivating writing style that drew me in more and more into the story, which made it difficult for me to put the book aside. Bell's greatest talent is writing like she speaks while still maintaining a high level style, which contributes to an enjoyable and fluent reading.” read more here.
Sandpiper gave me 5 stars. Very generous. I don't know. I'm modest about my writing abilities. Some days I feel more like a monkey in sweats mindlessly hitting the keys, checking facebook and my blogs, etc.

My other news is there is another interview up on me, and book with J.L. Jackson at her blog today. You can go to see this here.

Middles - Of Stories, that is . . . And Endings of my three weeks off

Hey! We got through the holidays! My husband and I got through the lay-off okay. Every cent going to bills with a little bit left over--in case of over-drafts. The good news is we won't be put out on the street. Yeay!

My three weeks off allowed me to work on my books--both second and third--and toward promoting the first one. I'm told it will be on Amazon Kindle soon. Probably the end of this week, in fact. So, all you Kindle people, get ready.

It's amazing what one can do when they have the time to do it. I'd love to do this for the rest of my life if only I could make money at it. But, hey, I keep on getting mailings from Publisher's Clearing House, so you never know. Right?

To the middle part of my post.

Everyone of you writers out there knows that the middle of your books could have the potential to sag if you don't do something exciting to keep things going. You need the Idea Train to be fed. (Idea Train is my word for it, I don't know what any of you like to call it, but I call it a train because once that train begins to move, it chugs along up and down mountains, no matter what.) If we relax our mind, not worry about finding that one or two things that would shock, or make the middle exciting, then, when you least expect it, it will happen. Like I've posted before, it's like a bolt of lightning when it hits.

When I'm writing, this is how it works. I write as much as I know--like driving at night with the lights on, you see only so far ahead. When I get what I can down, I quit. I may make notes because there are tidbits there, I just don't know how to connect them.

Usually while in the bath/shower--and some of you know that's when things hit you--or during the night, the idea will jell and solidify and become the full, or at least a portion of an idea. That's the exciting part of being a writer, when this happens.

And this is where I am, at this point with the third novel. Dark, scary things happen, and just when you allow your readers to relax, you spring a whopper on them.

Yesterday I wrote two new chapters. Nearly 4,000 words, but not quite. And later on, I went to my notes for the book and wrote some things down and this morning POW, BAM, WHAM! It was there.

All things must come to an end.
Not that I'm thinking too much about going back to work, but it's a niggling thought, I even had a dream about my boss last night--oooo, I hate those--even though I like my boss. But I'm capping off my 3 weeks in a wonderful way, I couldn't have planned it better--but actually I did!

My book signing is this coming Saturday. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be popping into the bookstore to make sure the books are in (if they're not we're gonna have problems selling no books!)

Its a good idea to go and get to know your book sellers, the people in the bookstore are there to help you, because you are there to sell some books--hopefully a LOT of them. So, if you do get a book signing, it's a good idea to go to the store, get to know the manager and people who work there. It's sort of nice to be treated like a celebrity. Because you are.

And, last but not least, my friend Jen Jackson, has agreed to post an interview on her post. I will make a separate post announcing it on Friday, when she has it up, and give her link on it then.

Let's Ring In The New Year!

My husband and I are ready for a brand new year, for sure. We've lost a dear one, had backs go out, missed work, lay-offs, and the list was very long and we're just ready for a brand new start, if it takes a new year/calendar to do it, I'll drink to that!

Of course there were a few good things to feel blessed about too. We live in northern Illinois and somehow the bad weather that each coast has experienced has missed us--so far! We didn't spend Christmas eve and Christmas day in a motel because of a power outage.

My new book was one huge one. It took me a year to find a publisher who would take on this book (without trying to change it into something it wasn't), take a chance that it might do well. Copperhill Media is certainly trying to give it a go.

My blog was another thing that I worked on extensively because I knew I would need the base by which to launch a vampire novel. For the longest time, Heather seemed to be my only reader. We both came from Author Nation, I followed her to her blog, a few years ago, tried to settle into blogspot. Didn't know what the hell I was doing, but I learned. Eventually, of course, my blog became a vampire blog, but not exclusively, and my readers/followers, and viewers grew from maybe one to 30, and my hits have gone over 3,000 (of course it's been counting me, I think) and the country count is now up to 36--which is cool. I see Russia, Germany, Canada, England, and places like Lithuania, Romania are constantly checking my blog out. So, I'd have to say, this has been a successful year for the blog.

And not least are the many friends I have made here at blogspot--you, my writing friends out there are wonderful. I used to ache for feedback from other writers for years. It is a lonely world for us writers. I mean, unless you find a writing group in your area, you're pretty much alone. And I really can't find the time to go to one. Just not enough time in the day. So, my cup is full, I drink to all of you who have come and made comments and kept me encouraged, and being out there, posting your knowledge as well. Thank you!

Speaking of followers, and friends who support me, I want to thank Michele Hauf at VamChix for actually answering my prayer that she would follow through with featuring me/my book "if and when it gets published". We had a spammer, but I think between the two of us, we got rid of her. And Michele has invited me to be on VampChix again, and I'll be taking her up on that as soon as the next one is out.

And TODAY another fellow writer, Tammy McKee has so graciously agreed to hosting me/my book as an interview. So, I hope you'll stop by in your busy day to make a short comment, show your continued support as we all begin our new years.

Thank you!

Interview with Jamie Wasserman ~ Blood and Sunlight

So, how long have you been writing?

I've been writing pretty steadily since third grade.

Tell us why you chose the town and area that you used for Blood and Sunlight. I love the names of some of these places, like Hell House. Is it real?

Blood and Sunlight takes place in my hometown of Ellicott City. Hell House, the old ruins of a Gothic looking seminary, where some of the action takes place is real. As are most of the locations in the book. Ellicott City is a wonderful former mill town, the seat of one of the most important railroad lines in early America, and filled with surviving buildings, shacks, and Gothic architecture left over from its hey-day. And on top of that, it's surrounded by woods, and monstrous rock edifices, and the river. It was the perfect place to set a horror story. The novel is as much about my love affair with vampires as it is with the town.

You've got a couple of characters who are really flawed in this. Was that something you worked on, or did it just happen?

I realized about halfway through my second book that I am incapable of telling a story without flawed characters and Blood and Sunlight is no exception. The main protagonist Melanie is bored, self-destructive, unappreciative and terribly lonely. But she's also a bit of a romantic and still desperately wants the world to bend to her ideals. She believes in love over all else though she rarely knows where to look for it. Even the hero of the story is not without his faults. I think it makes for a more realistic story.

Okay, so why a vampire story?

It felt like a natural fit for the setting. Ellicott City is this sheltered, ancient community filled with secrets. Its Gothic atmosphere seemed to lend itself well to a vampire re-telling.

Tell us how long before you realized you enjoyed writing and that's what you wanted to pursue?

I've always enjoyed writing. Though until recently it was mostly poetry. I was writing poems in third grade.

When did your very first story—or anything—get published, and what was that?
My first publication was with a local literary arts newspaper called Lite. I eventually joined their editorial staff and learned a tremendous amount.

What is it that you enjoy writing about the vampire genre?

The vampire myth is one of the most malleable—it's different in the hands of every writer. I like the freedom of working with that creature. He's also an odd combination of monster and object of desire. It makes for a complex, personal figure. Plus, let's face it-- they're just plain cool.

I couldn't agree more.Have you any favorite authors, books, movies you'd like to mention which helped you either create your vampires or inspired you?

Gosh, too many to name. I really immersed myself in vampire literature and film while writing. Poppy Z. Brite's Lost Souls, Spektor's Light the End, Let the Right One In, Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series and True Blood, Twilight, Salem's Lot, but also classics like Dracula, Camille, Varney, the old Christopher Lee Hammer films. The genre is as rich and varied as anything.



Writing from a woman's p.o.v.--was that difficult? Did you have to have your wife read scenes and you get feedback from her?

Writing from a women's point of view actually felt more natural for me. I tend to enjoy books written by female authors more and Melanie felt like the strongest character--she almost dictated that it be her story. Now with that said, once my wife got a hold of some of the early drafts, she was quick to point out areas where I was clearly a man trying to write as a woman (and not doing it well). She played a major part in the writing of this book and I doubt it would have seen publication without her.

How long did it take for Blood and Sunlight to take shape and get to a final draft, start to finish?

I started back in March, 2009 and finished in April 2010. It then went through another month of hardcore edits once Penumbra Publishing got a hold of it. Patricia Morrison should be working at a major publishing house. She's just that good.



What are you working on now? Will we see a sequel?

I really wish I could do nothing but write full-time. There's so much I want to do and just not enough time. Currently, I'm about 2/3 through my second novel. It's a Young Adult, vampire romance called 'Holding Back the Day'. Although, it's kinder and gentler than Blood and Sunlight, there's definitely a dark edge. I can't seem to tell a story any other way. I'm also writing a serialized story for Amazon's Kindleboards about a vampire guppy named Fin-Land Aquarius III. The first installment is actually going to be published on Amazon and a few other sites for free download by Penumbra as well. They're wonderfully tolerant of me. Next up will be a sequel to Blood and Sunlight.