New interview with novelist Minnette Meador

I'm pleased to welcome Minnette Meador back to Reviews and Interviews. This time she's talking about her novel The Gladiator Prince. Her first visit was in July talking about A Ghost of a Chance.

At the end of this virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions, Minnette will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Details are below.

Bio:
Somewhere between thirty and dust...red hair, blue eyes...six kids, one slightly used husband, and any number of pets from time to time... wanttabe hippy... wanttheirmoney yuppie...pro musician and actress for 20 years... native Oregonian... lover of music, beauty, and all things green. Willing slave to the venerable muse. Minnette currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, having replaced the children with one dog. The dog, Pierre, pretty much runs the show.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Minnette. Please tell us a bit about The Gladiator Prince. What inspired you to write this book?
Prince Thane was a minor character in The Edge of Honor who helps Delia escape slavers. He was such an interesting character, I had to write his story. After the Boudicca Revolt Thane’s tribe was completely wiped out, except him and his two young daughter, whom the Roman did not know about. To save them, he surrenders to the Romans and becomes a Gladiator, to fight in the arena until he dies.

What’s the next writing project?
Right now I’m finishing up the galleys and edits for The Bell Stalker coming out October 27th. It is an urban fantasy thriller.

Here’s a blurb: For a year, Belle Stark has struggled to conquer fears plaguing her since being attacked by a maniac who continues to roam free and the murder of her father. And she nearly succeeds, until she discovers her lover's murdered body spread over the furniture, making Belle a prime suspect. Certain her attacker is to blame, she seeks help from her ex-husband, homicide detective Mike Cranston, the one person she swore she would never let back into her life, or heart. In their hunt for answers, the two uncover more than a lunatic: a supernatural underworld hidden beneath the tall skyscrapers of the city and a secret that could kill them both. Faced with a terrible choice, Belle surrenders herself to the hands of a monster and Mike must solve an ancient mystery before it's too late to save her---

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
Finding the time. I work full time, promote full time, and write full time. There are simply not enough hours in the day. I’d like to be able to write 5-6 books a year, but three seems to be all the time I have. I wish I were rich… or had a rich sugar daddy. But I fell madly in love with the starving artist. I may not be rich, but I’m happy. Now, if I could only get him to become rich! :o)

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
I research as I’m writing the book and work hard at trying to research to the book. In other words, I try not to get lost in the research, which is tricky. My problem is I’m an avid voracious closet historian… I love history and I’ve never met an era I didn’t like. So I have to keep the dampers on and bookmark those things I’ll look at later… if I ever have time later.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I have a lovely little office at the top of the stairs in the 1930’s bungalow.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
I read a lot of different genres; mystery (Rex Stout, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Peter Whimsy, etc), Sci-Fi: Heinlein, Spider Robinson, Piers Anthony, and many more. Fantasy: JRR Tolkien, Ann McCaffrey. Romance: Lisa Hendrix, Delilah Marvelle, and many others.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
Just to tell them I really love these blog hops and have made more friends than I could have ever imagined. Thanks so much for being here to help me celebrate! :o)

I can be reached through my website and my blog.

Gladiator Prince just came out on Kindle and Nook, too.

Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!

Readers, Minnette is giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to a lucky commentor at the end of her virtual tour. So leave a comment on this post, and at the other blog stops she is making. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning.