Naomi will be awarding a Somewhere Rainbow, a Jewelmark wearable-bookmark by Craftswoman, Laramie Sasseville featuring carnelian, citrine, blue Amazonite, blue zircon, to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a free download card for her previous release, Spirited, to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop. To be entered to win, leave a comment below. To increase your chances of winning (since she's awarding gifts at every stop) feel free to visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too!
Welcome, Naomi. Please tell us a
little bit about yourself.
It all
started when my parents had to go and teach me to talk. Then they sent me to
school where I learned to read and write. Seriously. I learned to read and
pretty soon I fell in love with books and stories. I loved fairy tales and
tales of magic from the very start. Even before that I loved to daydream; I
daydreamed myself into adventures with my favorite TV characters. I dreamed up
adventures crossing time and space on my own, meeting characters out of history
and stories. Books gave me the sense that there was a home waiting for my
daydreams, a place where they belonged.
Please tell us about your current
release.
Wonder Guy is a light-hearted fantasy, the first
full-length novel in my series of stories featuring the Fairy Godmothers'
Union, True Love Local. Its hero, Greg Roberts is brilliant but awkward with
women and he's never admitted his love to Gloria, the girl next door. Now she's
engaged to marry a nice sensible guy and Greg is prepared to stand by and let
her - it's her choice after all. But when Serafina, Greg's fairy godmother
steps in, it's a whole new ballgame. Serafina gives Greg superpowers just to
impress Gloria, who will see him in a whole new light. And that's only the
start of a story that includes dinosaurs, murder, evil fae, giant mosquitoes
and a rampaging elephant.
What inspired you to write this book?
Have you
ever watched The Big Bang Theory? I
actually know a fair number of young men who could qualify as nerds: brilliant,
good-hearted, but a bit socially awkward. I wrote this story for them. And I
wrote it for all the young women who may be too focused on values like security
and comfort and fail to recognize their own potential for deep, heart-felt love
and passionately lived lives. Maybe real life doesn't always give us what our
hearts desire, but if I can give people who need it a story that offers the
satisfaction of a happy-ever-after ending, I'm glad to do it.
Excerpt:
A
figure in gold and green blazed toward them from below.
Wonder
Guy! Gloria’s heart leapt in her breast. Oh, thank heaven. Oh,
crap. Her hair must look like hell, whipping and tangling around her face
in the wind.
In
the next instant, with a series of sharp popping noises and a smell she
remembered from summer evenings near a bug zapper, the giant mosquitoes lost
their holds on Gloria’s arms. She rejoiced and despaired again immediately,
falling free toward the earth below. Her stomach lurched, dropping even faster
than she fell through the air. The wind dragged at her hair and clothes,
stopping her breath. The pervasive drone of wings fell silent and empty husks
of giant mosquitoes filled the air, falling with her. The sharp black point of
the Calder sculpture’s support rushed to meet them. Gloria screamed.
Strong,
gentle arms scooped her up, and she threw her arms around the hero’s strong
neck, burying her face in the warm crook below his clean-cut jaw, trembling in
relief.
“Hey,”
he said. “It’s gonna be okay.”
They
swooped through the air, but this was totally different than flying in the
grasp of the giant insects. She lost all fear of falling. Wonder Guy cradled
her gently against his solid chest, one strong arm hooked under her thighs, the
other holding her tightly to him. She clung fiercely, arms clutched around his
neck. How could she feel so--contented? blissful? happy?--in the midst of this
craziness? Her face pressed close to the bare flesh where his lower face and
jaw emerged from his mask. His scent filled her like the breath of home, human,
familiar and safe. She checked the urge to nuzzle him, to nibble her way up to
his ear. She relaxed, molding herself to the solid wall of Wonder Guy’s body so
warm against hers.
They
neared the ground, the sound of insect wings growing louder as they descended.
The shrill whine, like police sirens on helium, surrounded them.
“Hold
on,” Wonder Guy told her, transferring her grip from his neck to what proved to
be the stalk of the giant cherry on which she now stood. His arms freed, Wonder
Guy turned to face the army of horrendous mosquitoes closing in around them.
What exciting story are you working on
next?
I've just
put out the second volume of Fairy Godmothers' Union short stories and now have
got a couple new stories in the works. First, a romantic steampunk story about
whaling in the 19th century with the added benefit of advanced (steam-powered)
technology. And also, the third in my series of Team Guardian novellas. Team
Guardian is an organization of people who acquired special powers as a
side-effect of a Probability Bomb set off about ten years in our future. They
work to police the rogue Talents who use their powers for nefarious ends. They
also tend to fall in love with each other. J In this newest adventure the urbane
Tom Stanton, teleporter, will finally get together with the talented
illusionist, Sophia Alvarez while they work with the FBI to stop a rogue Talent
serial killer.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
I go back
and forth on this. I'm a writer when I'm writing. I'm other things at other
times. i.e.: When I'm keeping house, I'm a house-keeper; when I'm sleeping, I'm
a sleeper, when I'm singing, I'm a singer. I've been a shopper, a driver, a
rider, an artist, a designer, a student, a cook, a secretary, a pawn and a
king… er, maybe not the last. I just don't like to put labels on myself, given
that they are misleading and confining. Everyone has the capacity to do and be
many things in our lives. Since I've had my stories published, I can call
myself an author, but that's still only part of the picture.
Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
No, I don't
write full time except in the sense that the back burners of my mind are always
simmering, taking things in and mulling them around only to throw out odd ideas
as they come to a boil.
I also do
freelance work through Final Draft Partners
(www.dreamspell.net/finaldraftpartners/) designing book covers and helping
independent publishers get their books formatted for print-on-demand or ebook
publication. When assignments are thin, I take whatever odd temp jobs I can
handle - and there have been an odd lot: everything from stocking crash carts
in a children's hospital to creating internal publications at the offices of
International Dairy Queen - where the job perks included a free Dilly bar now
and then. I find time for writing by making it a regular accompaniment to
lunch, and by writing on the bus when I have a long commute.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I'm not
sure that I should admit this, but I can write with my right hand while I wield
my fork with my left hand. I can and do write and eat simultaneously, making my
lunchtime writing sessions extra productive.
As a child, what did you want to be
when you grew up?
All kinds
of things, really. I had an active imagination and would daydream and act out
stories in which I was a mermaid or a trapeze artist, a witch or a cowgirl. My
favorite daydream was of being a time traveler with futuristic powers that kept
me safe in my travels to all different periods of history where I'd meet people
like Alexander the Great (my powers included a Universal Translator ala Star
Trek) and the Beatles before they hit it big.
Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
Thanks for
checking out this interview. Be sure to leave a comment to qualify for the
drawing to win a free copy of Spirited!
my very first full-length novel:
Amelia
Swenson's plans for the weekend didn't include a sexy djinni or saving the
world from demons, but plans change.
Her
whole life changes when Amelia discovers the ring to which the handsome djinni
is enslaved, and at the same time accidentally unleashes a demon into the
world. The djinni, Al-Marid has been alone for three thousand years -- is it
any wonder he falls for the woman who frees him? But who ever heard of a lilit?
Lilits prey on men, drive them to madness, kill children, and cause
miscarriages. And now Amelia has let one loose on her city
Wonder Guy buy links:
E-book
version from Lyrical Press available at
Thanks, Naomi!
6 comments:
Thank you for hosting
Yes; thanks so much for having me here today! I'm looking forward to hearing from your readers.
LOVE the concept of superpowers being granted to impress a girl and give a guy a chance with her. This sounds like such a fun read!
Very nice interview
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Great interview!
Thanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
Great interview! I love the prize, it's absolutely beautiful, and I will have to get one for myself. I'm a fan of pretty useful things :)
tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com
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