Interview with dark fiction author Matt Carter

Dark fiction author Matt Carter joins me to chat about Bennytown.

During his virtual book tour, Matt will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

The book will be only sale for $0.99 during the tour

Bio:

Matt Carter has used his lifelong love for writing, history and the bizarre to bring to life novels like Almost Infamous: A Supervillain Novel, Pinnacle City: A Superhero Noir, and the Prospero Chronicles young adult horror series (all co-authored with Fiona J.R. Titchenell). Bennytown,is his first solo horror novel.

He is represented by Fran Black of Literary Counsel and lives in the usually sunny town of San Gabriel, CA with his wife, their pet king snake Mica, and the myriad of strange fictional characters and worlds that live in his head.

Please share a little bit about your current release.
Bennytown is a horror novel for adult audiences, centered around a major American theme park with a dark history.

For 60 years now, Bennytown has been America’s favorite and most exciting theme park experience, bringing to life iconic cartoon characters, including the world-famous Benny the Bunny. Featuring rides, shows and other themed attractions at the cutting edge of technology, Bennytown is a place of innocence and joy for the whole family. On the surface, anyway. Behind its family-friendly façade, Bennytown is a place of darkness ruled by eldritch magic, where ghosts, masked cultists and monstrous scientific experiments roam freely, and nothing is as it seems.

The story follows Noel, a 16-year-old new hire who believes he owes a lot to Bennytown. Though initially excited for his new job, he soon begins to discover that the dark forces that live within Bennytown might have designs for him…

What inspired you to write this book?

Bennytown is kind of a book I always knew I was going to write in one way, shape or form. I have always been something of a horror writer at heart, and living in Southern California and having reasonable access to a number of the greatest theme parks in the world, I’ve always been a bit of a fan. Growing up, I was fascinated and enthralled by a number of the morbid true stories and urban legends that surrounded a lot of the more popular parks, and that information never thoroughly left my mind. Then, when I was 16, I got my first ever summer job at Universal Studios Hollywood. Between my fascinations and the two years I spent working there, it feels like this story was an inevitability.

Excerpt from Bennytown:

Darkness is all I can see in any direction. I see shadowy, moving shapes I know to be buckets around me and maybe an outline of the escalators but nothing in complete detail.

I am abandoned.

No, no, no. I can NOT be abandoned. Somebody has to know I’m here. Somebody will look for me. Any second now. Any second…

I grip the railing and scream, “HEEEEEEEEEEEY! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!”

My cries are pitiful against the wind and the rain. I doubt anyone can hear me from thirty feet away, let alone from the distance of the station. Despite that, I’m too scared to stop screaming.

Someone has to hear.

I scream again.

This time there’s a scream back.

Not a person. Not an animal.

I don’t know what.

It’s low, mechanical and almost organic. Only something large can make a sound like that.

Briefly, I hope that it’s the motors starting up, ready to pull me to safety.

I’m not that lucky.

And maybe it’s a good thing I’m stuck here. There’s something about that scream I don’t like, something that reaches into the furthest, most primitive recesses of my brain and tells me that whatever made that noise is hungry.

The wind picks up, and the steel cables above me creak and groan in protest.

A bolt of lightning flashes close enough to light up the sky. It’s so bright it burns my eyes, and the thunder sounds like the whole world is exploding around me. With spots and stars in my eyes, I wonder if I’m going blind, as the electricity in my bucket turns on again. The light is dull and yellow, flickering, and the speaker briefly comes to life. The voice whispers right into my ear.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’ve got a few horror projects in the pipeline at any given moment, but my current next one is a gothic haunted house tale that my wife and I are co-writing. While I can’t give a lot of details about it, we’re having a lot of fun with it.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I have always been a writer in some capacity, but it wasn’t until the later end of college that I realized it was something I wanted to focus my life on. For so long it was something I considered to be a fun hobby, one that I could dream of making a life out of someday but one that would never actually get that far. However, once I got my degree and spent a good long while soul-searching, I realized that it was my path all along. And so, I write!

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?
Short answer: I try to. Life circumstances have allowed me to write full time, but with my attention span very easily distracted by anything remotely shiny, some days take more effort than others. All the same, I do love to write. Most days are a combination of a few rounds of coffee and hours spent staring at a screen trying to make words happen. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, but I shall always try.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I am incredibly long-winded when writing fiction, and it’s only editing that makes what I say remotely readable. Anything I write is more than likely to be cut by 30-40% from first to final draft, without losing too much of the story in the process.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
For the longest time, I wanted to be a paleontologist, and yes, it was because I was obsessed with Jurassic Park. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a teacher, and this was close to happening, actually, but as noted, after college I was in one of those soul-searching meets epiphany moments, and this is where it took me.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head, but I hope you check out Bennytown for a good, fun scare. Thank you for having me on your blog today!

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | IndieBound

The book will be only sale for $0.99 during the tour

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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Interview with writer Casey Samuel Bell

Writer Casey Samuel Bell is here today. We’re chatting about his new poetry chapbook, Poems from the Other Side.

Bio:

Proud Uncle Casey Bell has authored two Young Adult books, three General Fiction, three Non-Fiction, two Short-Stories, one Horror, one book of Poetries, five Children books, one book of collection of Art, and has produced four Word Search books. Twenty-two books in total, but has no intentions of slowing down. He enjoys sharing stories, ideas, and art that cause people to think beyond the box. Not only a writer, but also a playwright, graphic designer, fine artist, and fashion designer.

Welcome, Casey. What inspired you to write this book?

It is a book of my poetry. I always think differently from everyone. Basically, the side of topics no one ever sees. So, I decided to write poetry on topics from the side I see no one else sees. I also added songs and poems I wrote years ago (5-10).

Excerpt:

LOVE IS

Love is massaging the backs of those who stabbed yours.

Love is giving sun to those who shade you

Love is lifting the people up who took you down

Love is speaking kindly to those who gossiped and rumored

Love is praising those who criticized you

Love is complementing those who condemned you

Love is smiling at those who frown at you

Love is laughing with those who have laughed at you

Love is hugging those who dream of strangling you

Love is giving love to those who gave you hate

Love is not an emotion

It is an action you choose to execute in the midst of hate.

What exciting project are you working on next?

I am working on a series of children’s books, “American History.” They shine light on inventors and innovators the American school systems leave out of their curriculum. The first two have been published and I am working on five more.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

About two years ago. I wrote as a child, but never thought of it as a job. I wrote, songs, poems, plays, and prayers all the time. Mostly it was my therapy, but when I got ideas, I wrote them down. The second book I wrote was the first to be published in 2007, but I didn’t consider myself a writer until recently. I believed the lie the school system taught me that due to my grades I wasn’t good enough to be a writer. I kept running away from it, but writing seems to be the only thing I find success in so I finally denounce the lies I was taught and accepted me for who I am, a writer.

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?

I am not a full-time writer just yet, but I plan to be one within in the next two years.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I can’t say I have any. Every book I write has its own conception story. The only thing I can say is the book that took me ten years to write, I decided to write it backwards. From end to middle (the beginning was already written). As I wrote it backwards the rest of the book came to me.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Depends on the age. I started out wanting to be a gospel singer, then a fine artist (drawing), then a chef. By the time I was 13/14 I wanted to be a Broadway actor. By the time I left college I wanted to be a graphic designer.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Always remember to never judge yourself according to what people taught you. Your identity is in your fingerprint and no one can ever tech you how to be your fingerprint. That can only come from within. Because your fingerprint is unique and can never fit in, make sure you stay as unique as your fingerprint.

Thanks for being here today!

Interview with romance author L.J. Greene

Romance author L.J. Greene joins me today to talk about her new adult contemporary, Aftereffects.

During her virtual book tour, L.J. will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:
LJ Greene is a self-professed obsessive multi-tasker who writes really boring stuff by day and lets her inner romantic fly by night. This California native is married to the most amazing man and has two beautiful children, not old enough to read her books. (They probably wouldn’t want to anyway on account of the “Ew, gross” factor.) She’s an avid reader of all genres with an embarrassingly large ebook collection, and a weird penchant for reading the acknowledgements at the end of a novel. She's also a music lover with no apparent musical talent, a travel enthusiast, and a cheese connoisseur. 

Welcome, L.J. Please share a little bit about your current release.

Aftereffects is a highly relatable friends-to-lovers story about two people who meet in a random way on the Golden Gate Bridge and, through a serendipitous twist, find that they share a similar adversity. As a result, they forge a true bond of friendship and that evolves into a very endearing relationship. But things go a bit amiss when the interests of their friendship clash in a rather heartbreaking way with the interests of their relationship. They truly want the best for each other, so the choices are tough.

What inspired you to write this book?

Two things: First, I always wanted to write a friends-to-lovers story. I think the friends/lovers theme is so enduringly powerful because the risk/reward ratio is so high on both sides. How amazing is it to be loved by the person who knows you best – knows all your flaws – and thinks you’re perfect anyway? But if things don’t quite go as planned, how difficult to lose both the love of your life and the person you most want to call when you lose the love of your life? There are tough choices to make in that equation and they’re very real for a lot of people. In reading the reviews of this book, it’s incredibly gratifying to see how many people relate to that in a very personal way.

The second bit of inspiration came from my dad, who I lost just as my second book, Sound Effects, was being published. This book honors him, and so many men like him for whom the call to parenting is no less than sacred.

Excerpt from Aftereffects:

Keir

Selene lifted her left hand and touched my face with her palm. It was definitely a new kind of closeness for us, at least sober—one to which I gave no resistance. Her skin felt warm and smooth as she stroked my cheek gently. And I couldn’t take my eyes off her face. My God, she was stunning. This close, I absorbed the perfection of her features, of her delicate earlobes. A tiny piece of dark hair curled around the back of one.

The air between us seemed to crackle quietly, and I sat frozen in my seat in case any movement might cause her to draw away.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you clean-shaven,” she said softly.

I could feel her breath, too, warm against my face. My fingers itched to reach up and touch her mouth, to feel whether it was as soft as I remembered. My heartbeat picked up not only faster but harder, like it was punching me from the inside.

Had a goal been scored just then I wouldn’t have noticed. Nothing could have pulled me from that trance. I didn’t hear anything going on around us. Not the crowd, not the announcer, not the buzzer.

Only her.

Only her voice and her eyes and her breath. The memory of her mouth.

“Do you have a preference?” I asked roughly. I had no idea what possessed me to ask her that.

No, that’s a lie. That other side of me wanted to be everything she wanted and would have shaved every single day if that’s what she asked of me.

“No.” Her beautiful lips curved slightly upward. “How could I choose between James Bond and Indiana Jones?”

Her palm came to rest on my jawline, and I took a deep breath. When had my wanting her turned into this painful kind of ache?

Under the sanctity of her expression, I had a sudden and startling thought that maybe we could write a different ending for the two of us. One I hadn’t yet considered. Maybe there was a different story we could tell in which the things we had to offer would be enough.

There was obviously more to our relationship than just friendship, and perhaps we could figure out how to have something more than what we’d allowed ourselves. After all, there was care and respect at the heart of everything we did together. That had to mean something.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’ve just begun work on my fourth novel, which centers around one of the secondary characters from Ripple Effects, Marcus Abbey. Marcus is just a great character – not your typical romance hero – and I’ve been thinking about writing his story ever since one of my beta readers for Ripple Effects told me she loved him so much she was kind of rooting for him to end up with the heroine! I’m really excited to finally be doing it!

All of my books are standalones and can be read in any order so readers can jump in at any time. But I do love bringing characters from the previous books together with new ones to see what might happen. It’s always a joyful romp.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I heard someone say once that everyone has one book in them, but very few people have two. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but when I finished my second book I thought, okay, I’m now one of the few. Finishing this book, my third book, made me feel like a writer.

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?

I’m a consultant in the Silicon Valley. This typically means I have the pleasure of spending many hours in Bay Area traffic, hammering out the next scene in my head! In fact, that’s pretty much how this whole writing adventure started for me almost eight years ago – listening to “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” while sitting in traffic and musing about a totally different interpretation of that situation.

Aftereffects is my third book, and I’m enormously proud of it. It’s a beautiful friends-to-lovers story with a squeal-worthy HEA. The book took me nearly two years to complete, so your question about finding time is a really great one! I actually don’t think you find time to write. I think – at least this is my experience – you have to make it. Writing is work, no matter how you slice it. And it’s hard work, at that. So if you don’t love it, or maybe if you don’t need it more than you find it hard, you won’t put yourself through the agony of doing it.

I actually write something every single day, usually first thing in the morning. Sometimes it’s a lot; sometimes it’s just a few thoughts, but every day I write. To me, it’s kind of like exercise. When you’re in the habit of doing it every day, it’s not so hard. But if you take a few weeks off, re-entry is rough.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know if this is a quirk, but I typically design my cover very early on in the drafting process of a book. I’ve found that it helps me to visualize my characters and connect with them as three-dimensional people. It’s also fun because it gives me the opportunity to write their shirt or their jacket or their wristbands into a scene, bringing the cover into the story.

I absolutely love the cover of Aftereffects. This is exactly how I see Keir in my mind. And I was so lucky to be able to collaborate again with Joshua Bruce from X Book Cover Design, who incorporated a bit of a mystical feel that I didn’t realize would be so fitting when we designed the cover two years ago.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was in elementary school, I had a dress that said, “When I grow up, I want to be the President.” Looking back, I love that my mom and dad put me in that dress and sent me off into the world. I don’t know that I actually ever wanted to be president, but I never grew up doubting for a second that I could. That’s awesome, right? I’m certainly ready to see a female president – maybe one of my daughters…

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

More than anything, I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your having me as a guest. Blogs like yours play such a critical role in giving a voice to independent authors like me. I don’t ever take that for granted. And to those of your readers who welcome Aftereffects into their hearts and homes, thank you! It’s an honor to be part of your ‘me time.’

Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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Book excerpt for The Blue Effect by Rose Shababy

This post is part of a virtual book tour celebrating the release of The Blue Effect by Rose Shababy. Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card at the end of the post. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Blue Brennan is jaded and bitter despite her pinup girl looks and quick wit. Night after night, she scours the Seattle club scene looking for someone or something to fill the emptiness inside.

When she meets the mysterious Kasey, her world stops… literally. He claims she has the ability to control time and stuns her even further when he reveals his own gifts.

Blue is inexplicably drawn to Kasey and reluctantly enters his world filled with a new breed of humanity. They’re misfits like her, blessed or cursed with powerful abilities, struggling to hide their differences from the rest of society.

Then the group discovers a nameless, faceless sociopath with nightmarish powers; and he’s coming for Blue. She’s left reeling when they discover her gifts are the key to defeating his terrible evil and saving them all.

Now she must race against the clock to harness her own powers and save her new friends. Can she be more than a renegade? Can she be a hero too?

Enjoy an excerpt:

He held out his free hand and I reached for it without thinking. Taking the hand of this stranger seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Our fingers touched and my skin came alive. I felt a surge of electricity as some sort of energy shot from his hand into mine, running through my whole body and back to his like an endless circuit. I couldn’t stifle the gasp that broke through my lips. I stared at him, my vision narrowing until his face and eyes and smile were the only things I could see.

The energy between us exploded outward like a wave into the crowd, through the people and everything around me stopped. The music ended like a switch had been flipped, the people froze mid-step and even the air around me seemed to stop moving.

About the Author:

Rose Shababy and her family reside in eastern Washington State. Rose grew up in the Northwest but swears she’s going to move to warmer climates someday. She’s claimed this for over 20 years, however, and has yet to move more than 75 miles away from her mother.

Rose has a deep love of all things Star Trek and yearns to travel the heavens, as well as an intense desire to be bitten by a radioactive spider. Unfortunately she sucks at science and math so she hasn’t been able bring her dreams to life, instead living vicariously through books, comics, television and film. She hopes to someday make a million dollars so she can afford to buy her way to the international space station, but she’d settle for being able to fly around the world and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Rose also loves to cook and worked for years in a gourmet Italian grocery and deli where she learned to hone her skills. She prepares culinary masterpieces for her family, but fervently wishes the dishes would wash themselves. Especially now that her dishwashers/children are nearly grown and only one still lives at home.

Rose likes to use her free time wisely. For instance, she likes to daydream, will often read for hours until she falls asleep on the couch with an electric blanket and a warm tabby cat curled up on her hip, as well as spending cozy weekend days watching Syfy movies like Sharknado and Mega Piranha with her husband.

If Rose were a cartoon animal, she’d prefer to be a wise old owl or a sleek and sexy jaguar, but in reality she’d probably be a myopic mole with coke-bottle glasses.

https://www.facebook.com/rose.shababy
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Buy links:
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