Interview with Mary Ann Poll

Novelist Mary Ann Poll is here today and we’re chatting about her latest supernatural thriller, Ravens Cove, 2^nd edition, An Iconoclast Thriller, The Supernatural Battle for a Small Alaska Town.

During her virtual book tour, Mary Ann will be awarding a $10 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!

Welcome, Mary Ann. Please share a little bit about yourself.

I’m Mary Ann Poll, America’s Lady of Supernatural Thrillers and charter member of Author Masterminds. The first question most people ask is, “What is an Iconoclast?” Iconoclast means, “The destroyer of religious beliefs or symbols.” I took this definition and applied it to the supernatural realm, which is how the Iconoclast Thriller series was born. My books revolve around the battle between good and evil. They also revolve around the heroic acts of ordinary people who must face extraordinary, even unbelievable, circumstances.

I draw from real-life experiences, as well as my imagination, to create these supernatural thrillers. My love for a creepy, goosebump-creating ghost story and my love for Christ come together in these books.

I am a proud pet lover, which is also reflected in my writing. In my off time, I enjoy gardening, swimming and spending time with beloved family.

I pray you enjoy reading Ravens Cove as much as I enjoyed writing it. Blessings in Christ!

Please share a little bit about your current release.

Ravens Cove was originally published in 2010. After nine years, and three additional books, my publisher and I decided to create a second edition. I am not the same writer as I was when I originally wrote the book. The second edition of Ravens Cove reflects my growth. It has new scenes and new characters. It was fun revisiting my first book. It was a bunch of work, too. The finished product is so much better than the first. It was worth the rewrite.

What inspired you to write this book?

I love a creepy, goosebump producing story. I am, and always have been, interested in the supernatural and the battle between good and evil. I wanted to write a story which brought the battle for human souls to life. So, the Iconoclast series was born.

Excerpt from Ravens Cove:

Josiah marched to the back of the church, lifting his hand, waving it back and forth to part the black mist covering the door.

It shot to one side before he walked through, a dark curtain blown by an invisible wind.

The dark mist, Atramentous by name, vibrated with hatred, then fear at what he saw. An angel of God stood beside this man.

“Uriel!”

The angel turned and nodded. “Atramentous.”

Atramentous bent his head to avoid the blinding light. After they passed, he raised his head, formed an invisible mouth, a deep red chasm where the black mist had been. A guttural, gurgling roar spewed out to sound the alarm, sending sleeping birds flying into the sky crying in terror.

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next book begins a new adventure for my readers and for me. The Iconoclast series, of which Ravens Cove is the first, ended with Book Four.

This new book is set in an abandoned theme park and introduces new characters and brings in some of the previous characters, too. It promises to be as creepy as my previous books.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I excelled at writing from a young age. Yet, I didn’t consider myself a writer. It wasn’t until I started taking novel writing classes to see myself as a writer. I truly considered myself a writer when I wrote the first edition of Ravens Cove.

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?

My writing career is full-time. I don’t write on my novel every day. I do market almost every day, which includes much writing. My days are filled with responding to marketing efforts, writing articles for a book club I’m involved in and developing characters for my new novel. Some of my days are filled with fun. I watch some TV, play some games, swim and garden.

When I’m writing a new novel, I spend every day writing – between 2,000 and 4,000 words a day. The first draft is usually complete within three weeks. This all happens after I’ve developed the characters and have a rough storyline.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? I’d say it’s the way I put a book together. I am a ‘seat of the pants’ writer. I cannot tell you how a story is going to play out until the book is finished. I write from beginning to end and do not look back until it’s complete.

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

I wanted to be a physicist. Not because I enjoy science, but because I loved the word. Haha. As I grew, I wanted to go into music. I was in a band, wrote songs and have always enjoyed singing. Then reality hit me in the face. I had to make a living. So, I opted to go into a career in administration.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Moving to Alaska in 1972 began an adventure and love for the location that will never leave me.  Coming home to Texas in 2014 is a dream fulfilled. Unfortunately, events didn’t allow us to move home before my father passed away in 2011, who I still grieve. I am blessed to be with my sisters, brother, nieces and nephews. I am an avid animal lover. Presently we have two dogs and two cats. My books always have an animal—dog, cat, wolf—in them. These characters show the loyalty, antics and intuition of our fur pals. I relax by spending time gardening, swimming, reading and playing PC games.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Author Masterminds | Buy link

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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Interview with author Jody Summers

Author Jody Summers joins me today to talk about her supernatural thrillers, Dark Canvas and its sequel, The Mask Maker.

Bio:

Born in New Orleans, Jody Summers' life has been filled with unconventionality. The adopted son of a prominent Texas restaurateur, Jody grew up in New Orleans, Memphis and then Houston, learning the restaurant business while he built a career as a competitive gymnast that propelled him to a scholarship at the University of Kansas.

After college, Jody followed in his father’s footsteps owning, at one point, three 24-hour restaurant franchises along with four tanning salons in Tulsa. Finally leaving that business, he turned his entrepreneurial skills to everything from a patent in the Pet Industry to a Single’s website.
 
A restaurateur, a gymnast, a stunt man, an entrepreneur, a pilot, skydiver, scuba diver, and an accomplished martial artist for twenty-five years, Jody Summers has tried it all. Now he brings all those experiences to paper in his first novel, the supernatural thriller, Dark Canvas.

Welcome, Jody. Please tell us about Dark Canvas.

When artist, Kira McGovern mixes paints with the ashes of the dead, she discovers her extraordinary gift, but it also leads her to some horrifying crimes in this psychological thriller of a novel.

It seems innocent enough at first, thought Kira McGovern---mixing her dead mother’s ashes with paint to create a tribute painting. What a way to personalize and immortalize her mom’s memory! The idea so ensnares her that she forms a new business, Canvas of Life, to do just that for others. As she begins with her first clients, something inexplicable occurs: Kira experiences segments of the dead person’s life. In dreams and visions, she begins to receive images, some are gratifying, some unpleasant and some of them are downright deadly.

Sean Easton is a Kansas farm boy with a special talent he is just beginning to understand. His father, too, has recently died, but something sinister still lingers on the farm. When he takes his father’s ashes to Kira as a pretense to meet her, he not only falls in love but makes some startling discoveries about his own life as well, and as Kira begins to paint with Sean’s father’s ashes the real terror begins….

                                    Sometimes Secrets Don’t Stay in the Grave.

The sequel, The Mask Maker picks up where Dark Canvas left off and as a result of their previous experiences; Sean and Kira find themselves involved in a deadly chase for a unique and gruesome arsonist with unpredictable results.

I have another book I am about to release which is also a thriller, however with a bit less supernatural tilt than Dark Canvas. It is called The Mayan Legacy.

I am also finishing the first draft of Mental Marauder which is the third installment in the Dark Canvas series.

What inspired you to write Dark Canvas?

A lovely lady I had a chance date with was actually painting with the ashes of the deceased, cremains, as she calls them, and it occurred to me that as much as I’ve read (and trust me that’s a lot) I had never read anything like this before, and the notion of writing something new under the sun fascinated me so that I just jumped on it.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I believe my next endeavor will be a Sci-Fi novel tentatively entitled “The Amazing Enigma of Aiden Quiver. His name is an acronym that I will share with everyone at a later date.

Stay tuned!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

LOL. Somewhere AFTER I finished Dark Canvas. Even though I’ve written hundreds of poems over the years

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 currently making a living in the oil and gas business as a permit agent. Therefore, most of my writing comes early in the morning or is dictated when I’m driving. I hope for that to change in the near future.

I also have a number of producers evaluating Dark Canvas for a movie. Fingers crossed.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I like to change perspective frequently, even within a paragraph. I like offering the observations from more than one person in a scene while still keeping it abundantly clear who is speaking. This little quirk gives editors fits.

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

I had no clue as a child. Later, I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast.

The next thing I KNEW I wanted to be when I grew up was a writer….figured that one out at age 50.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

My books are going to keep coming but as you can already tell in addition to the Dark Canvas series, I’m jumping genres, I already have a sci-fi plot that I mentioned earlier which I intend to tackle right after I finish the third book in the Dark Canvas series, which means later this year or early next year.

I already have the first draft of another novel, a religious thriller I plan to edit and finish entitled The Note from Christ.

I don’t plan to abandon the Dark Canvas series, though; I have plots in mind for at least two more in the series already.

As Robert Jordan, one of my favorite authors, said, “I intend to continue writing until they nail my coffin shut.” Which he did by the way with his brilliant Wheel of Time series.

Also, along with my hero Dean Koontz, I love to read Clive Cussler novels and would love to write a story someday to emulate his style of fast paced action and adventure comingled with a touch of history.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Thank you for being here, Jody! 

Interview with supernatural thriller author Charles R. Hinckley

Author Charles R Hinckley is with me to wrap up the week. We’re chatting about his supernatural thriller, Dream State.

Bio:

Charles R. Hinckley is an author, audiobook producer, playwright, and fine artist. His short stories and articles have been published by online magazines, and News America Syndicate. As a producer/voice actor, Charles has several titles available on Audible and Amazon.

Inspiration for his novel Dream State came when he had a precognitive experience. He saw a crime happen just before it was committed. After this experience he began to realize the potential for exploring this phenomenon in the form of fiction.

Welcome, Charles. Please tell us about your current release.

August Chase is an ordinary man plagued by extraordinary precognitive dreams. When he foresees the brutal murder of a young woman, he tracks her down to warn her. His warnings go unheeded, and the dreamed murder becomes a reality. The victim’s sister, frustrated by slow police work, enlists August’s help, and he is launched into his first case as a private investigator. Delving deep into the victim’s life, he soon discovers a common thread in the shadowy world that may have claimed her. This is book One of the August Chase Mystery Series.

What inspired you to write this book?

When I was twenty-one I had a very powerful prerogative experience where I saw my car was about to be stolen. I was able to get to my car and stop the thieves, but not until after they had done some damage. The cops came and they said the exact same things I had witnessed them saying in my precognitive vision. It was an unsettling experience. Since then I have had a number of small precognitive visions occur such as, knowing someone would visit, or I’d hear from someone I had been thinking about. I had a football dream once. During the AFC championship game, the Patriots would beat the Steelers, and then go on to win their first super bowl. I knew Tom Brady would hurt his ankle and Drew Bledsoe would come in against the Steelers, and they would win the game. I dreamed all this. And after that, I knew they would go on to win the Super Bowl. I didn’t bet on the game, but I guess I should have.

Excerpt from Dream State:

1

PLAY BACK

Pablo Carrillo was killed in the same dream several times before I attempted to save him. The dream always starts the same way: I’m in the passenger seat of a large sedan travelling along a suspension bridge. Light flickers through support girders, creating a strobe effect on the faintly illuminated guardrails. Outside to my right, at least a hundred feet down, is black water. I turn to the driver. He’s a heavyset man with a five o’clock shadow and thick, dark eyebrows. He’s fishing around for something between his legs, his eyes darting from the road to the seat. I try to speak, but nothing comes out. Awareness that this is actually a dream begins to dawn on me. It’s already set in motion. I’m only along for the ride. The car will crash, and the man will be killed. I dream this again and again. But this time I have the presence of mind to do something.

“Stop the car.” My voice is slurred and low as I choke out the words. He glances in my direction and smiles, like I’d paid him a gentle compliment. I turn down the sun visor and gaze into the mirror. It’s not my reflection I see, but a dark-haired woman sitting in the back seat. Her eyes are black and intense. She glares at me as if I’d robbed her. Her mouth moves, but I cannot hear her words.

Up ahead, in the oncoming lane, a large pickup truck swerves across the road, coming straight at us. I hear the piercing sound of tires skidding on cement, and shock reverberates through me. A slap to the head and we’re falling off the bridge toward the river. My stomach flies around in my chest; my heart pulses hard enough to burst my veins. Then the guttural smack of hitting the water, the puzzled look on Bushy Eyebrows’ face as his fat frame pushes into me, the crunching of bone as my cheek melts into the car door. His face is in front of me now. I see it in his eyes. He knows. All is lost. Death rears up and there is no escaping. It’s happening no matter what I do.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am currently working on a sci-fi story about an astronaut that encounters an alien species that is toxic to humans. As the space station he’s in changes course towards Earth, he must overcome the effects of the toxicity to save the space station and, ultimately, the planet from the alien threat.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I have been writing off and on since high school, but was drawn into acting and playwriting. I guess, you could say I have come full circle back to writing. Just in the last few years, I have been able to write full time.

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 try to get all the daily chores out of the way and start writing around mid-morning. I take many breaks throughout the day, and sometimes can work up to 10 hours a day. Some days, I hardly write at all. Maybe I’ll spend the day reading or doing research. I also paint and produce audiobooks, although I try to do one thing at a time. So when I’m writing full time, no other projects take up my time.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? 

I get into the mood and sort of get the creative juices flowing by listening to music. (Although, I can’t listen to music while I’m writing. It’s too distracting) Dido is a great artist for me to get into the state I like to be in when I write. There’s something about her music that gets my creative juices flowing. Also, classical music. Love cello. Also, dreaming is big in my life. I solve problems while dreaming. I often lucid dream. Many times when I write, I’m seeing the story in my head and just writing down what I see. I dream small movies at night. They usually have a beginning, middle and end. Sometimes with music!

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

When I was really young I played soldier all the time. As I got older, I was drawn to the arts. Music was huge for me growing up. I learned to play the drums and attended Berklee College of Music. But I soon realized music would not be my full-time passion. I gravitated towards the theatre and storytelling after that.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I am very happy and grateful to be able to write full time and plan to write as long as I can. I hope you enjoy my writing as much as I do.

Links:

Website | Twitter | Amazon

Thanks for being here today, Charles.

Special excerpt from supernatural thriller, Marionettes, by Kerry Alan Denney

Welcome, readers.

Today I have a special excerpt from the supernatural thriller, Marionettes, by Kerry Alan Denney.

During his virtual book tour, Kerry will be awarding a $20 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 his other tour stops and enter there, too.

A little bit about the author:

Colleagues and readers have dubbed Kerry Alan Denney The Reality Bender. The multiple award-winning author of the paranormal thrillers Dreamweavers (Juju Mojo Publications, August 2015) and Soulsnatcher (Juju Mojo Publications, April 2014), the post-apocalyptic sci-fi/ horror thriller Jagannath (Permuted Press, February 2015), and numerous short stories published online and in anthologies, Kerry blends elements of the supernatural, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror in his work: speculative fiction at its wildest and craziest. With joy, malicious glee, and a touch of madness, he writes reality-bending thrillers, even when the voices don’t compel him to. His protagonists are his children, and he loves them as dearly as he despises his antagonists... even when he has to kill them.

On July 24, 2015, Jagannath became a #1 Amazon bestseller. On March 31, 2015, Soulsnatcher won 2nd Place as 2014 Book of the Year in The Drunken Druid’s International Book Award competition. Jagannath and Soulsnatcher each received a rave blurb from New York Times bestselling author James Rollins.

Kerry lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia with his golden retriever Holly Jolly, a veteran professional Therapy Dog, where he is currently writing his next supernatural thriller... and deciding who to kill in it.

Be on the lookout for Kerry’s new post-apocalyptic/ paranormal thriller A Mighty Rolling Thunder, coming December 3, 2016 from Burning Willow Press.

A little bit about Marionettes:

Resuscitated after he drowns and dies in a flood, David Flint discovers he has returned from the other side with an uncanny ability: He can “jump” into people’s bodies and minds, and control their thoughts and actions.

David believes it's a gift, and wants to use it to help people. Then four members of a ruthless drug ring savagely attack his fiancée and leave her in a coma, and David tries to use his new power to destroy the whole ring. But the ringleader, a voodoo priest known as the Zombie Master, is a formidable man with a deadly secret: He has the same incredible ability as David.

When the two human marionette masters clash in a brutal bloody showdown, using the ring’s members as their puppets, David discovers he’s battling for much more than his life—he’s fighting to rid the world of an evil human abomination.

Marionettes illuminates the greatest achievements of the human spirit and the darkest corridors of our minds, and answers the age-old question: What are the consequences of absolute power?

Excerpt from Marionettes:

My head was turned sideways, and I struggled to push myself into a sitting position only to find another sadistic little swordsman was trying to slice his way out of my gut.

“Let me adjust your bed. Take your time, sweetie,” the angel said. She used the bed’s controls to raise it so I could sit up.

The combination of the brutal swordsman in my gut, the vicious little bastards in my throat, and jackhammer-man in my head made me want out of this bad dream. That’s when things got mega-weird: I found myself inexplicably staring down at… me. My face was slack, my features drooping, and my open eyes looked empty and barely aware.

It scared the hell out of me, dream or not.

I saw the angel’s delicate hands gently adjust my shoulders and brush strands of my long dark hair out of my eyes from her perspective, as though her hands were mine.

I’m Cynthia, a nurse, I realized. I have two kids—Johnny and Leah—and a doting husband named Paul who is a wonderful father to our children. I want more than ever to help my patient, David Flint—the subject of much gossip among the second floor nursing staff—to be well and whole again.

“Little pieces, David,” Cynthia said, feeding ice chips from a spoon to the bedridden zombie who looked like me. I worried about the slack look on my face. “Let them melt in your mouth.”

Cynthia knew about Karin’s tragic death, and felt sorry for me at the same time that she felt hopeful for my continued recovery. This screwed with my mind, and because pity is something I can’t tolerate, I found myself jerked out of Cynthia’s perspective and back into my own.

I felt the cool, soothing comfort of the melting ice slide down my throat and wash away some of the little swordsmen. Take that, you bastards. But the pleasant sensation triggered a darker, nasty memory of brackish waters involuntarily swallowed recently.

My body shook with spasms as the memory rose to the surface of my mind and hit me like a sledgehammer blow crushing my skull. The surrounding dark waters engulfed me, and I panicked.

“Can’t… breathe,” I rasped, grabbing Cynthia’s arm. “Save me.”

“Oh honey, you’re remembering, aren’t you?” Cynthia took my hand and set the cup of ice chips on the rotating bedside table.

“Drowning,” I croaked, squeezing her hand. “Save me.”

“No, David, you’re not drowning. You’re in the hospital, safe and alive, and I’m right here with you.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I looked up into her kind eyes, and saw worry etch lines in her brow. I suddenly remembered the razor-sharp chunk of glass penetrating my gut as I submerged beneath dark waters, unable to stay afloat any longer. That was when I gave in to the merciless deluge, seeing Karin’s face before me as I drowned.

Links:

Website | Amazon author page | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Google+ | Amazon | Goodreads book page

Dreamweavers on Amazon | Jagannath on Amazon | Soulsnatcher on Amazon

Kerry’s short stories:

http://www.kerrydenney.com/published-short-stories.html

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