Interview with thriller author Matt Chatelain

Today's guest author is Matt Chatelain to talk about his new thriller novel, the first in a series, The Caves of Etretat. Matt has a giveaway to a lucky commentor, too. Details are at the end of the interview.

Welcome to Reviews and Interviews, Matt. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Born in Ottawa, fifty-two years ago, I have been the owner of a used bookstore I opened in Ontario, since 1990. I have been writing since I was ten.  Beginning with poetry, I quickly moved on to short stories and non-fiction pieces. I stayed in that format for many years, eventually self-publishing a franchise manual, as well as a variety of booklets.

Having semi-retired from the bookstore, I embarked on the project of writing my first serious novel, which I expanded to a four-book series after discovering an incredible mystery hidden within a French author's books.

My interests are eclectic. I like Quantum Physics, Cosmology, history, archaeology, science in general, mechanics, free power, recycling and re-use. I'm a good handyman and can usually fix just about anything. I'm good with computers. I love movies, both good and bad, preferring action and war movies. I can draw and paint fairly well but am so obsessed with perspective and light that I cannot think of much else. I am too detail-oriented.

I have been around books all my life. In my mid-forties, I decided to focus on writing as my future job. It took me five years to learn the trade. Now I know how fast I can write and how to develop my story and characters. I always wage an internal war to decide if my next story is going to be a mild mystery or a big stake epic. So far the big stakes are winning

Please tell us about your current release.

Canadian bookstore owner Paul Sirenne is thrust into a quest for answers when his parents are found murdered, their bodies cut up into the letters H.N. A note sent before his father's murder drives Sirenne to seek out the roots of a long-forgotten family secret.

He heads to the town of Etretat, France, on the trail of a hundred year old mystery hidden in the pages of 'The Hollow Needle', by Maurice Leblanc. Together with Leblanc's great-granddaughter, Sirenne unearths puzzles, codes and historical mysteries, exposing a secret war for control of a cave fortress in Etretat's chalk cliffs.

The Caves of Etretat is the first in a four-book epic adventure following Paul Sirenne, an average man unknowingly manipulated into becoming the key in the final phase of a complex conspiracy spanning millennia. Inextricably woven into history, the series re-writes everything we know in a non-stop rollercoaster of a ride where nothing is ever as it seems.

I tried to do many things in this series. Among others, I set a pace to rival Matt Reilly and a story to rival James Rollins. The story is complex, revealed in levels, through the four books. The story ends where it began, turning book one into book five of the series. My first attempt at writing an action/adventure series with a mystical edge, I hope it grips you from beginning to end.  

What inspired you to write this book?

At first, I wanted to revisit my childhood love, Maurice Leblanc stories about Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-thief. Lupin was France's answer to England's Sherlock Holmes, a thief able to solve the most baffling of mysteries. Leblanc second book, 'The Hollow Needle' (free as kindle book) was a perfect starting point. Everything changed when I did research into Etretat. A historical mystery was hidden there.

Inexplicably, the trail I had uncovered led to Rennes-le-Chateau, the very place I had wished to avoid, the center of the Da Vinci Code controversy. Even more bizarrely, the research connected directly to my first attempted story, 'The Greyman'. Unstoppably, 'The Caves of Etretat' turned into a four-book series explaining the origins of everything.

If you want to know more about the trail I followed, check my website for the file 'Writing the Sirenne Saga'. I must warn you, there are a few spoilers about the series but I do go in some depth about the strange coincidences I encountered and other motivations not revealed here. I can say the result is a story that will affect everyone who reads it.

What exciting story are you working on next?

The skills I learned with the Sirenne Saga have prepared me for my next challenge: The ultimate action story. I have created an insane pace, a non-stop story and a roster of well-fleshed characters to torture. Along the way, I'm going to explore the reasons for the economic chaos we are suffering, as a subtext to the story. If all goes well, it will be ready for publication by the end of this year. I don't want to give too much away yet but prepare yourself for the craziest rollercoaster ever.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I was eight years old, I went into my brother's room and saw a poem he had written. Instantly jealous, I decided I could write too. I went to my room and wrote two horrendous poems. I haven't stopped writing since. Hopefully, I've gotten better.

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 first few years, I wrote part-time, my first book taking two and a half years to complete. I wanted to speed up the process and starting writing regularly, eventually settling into nine AM to noon as a regular schedule. The rest of my day is usually spent on regular life, no matter what I try to do. The second book took one year to write, the third, eight months, and the fourth, six months.

Last year, I stopped writing and took up editing full-time, to fix my series and to teach myself the finer points of the English language. No writing took place during that time but the effort was worth it. I feel as if I have made strong progress, giving me the confidence I need to continue improving in other areas of writing.

This year, I wanted to step up the pace, so started spending six hours per day editing or writing. I ended up burning my eyes from monitor glare, causing me to lose more time than I had gained. A month later, my eyes are barely back to normal. So breaks are essential for good vision. Promotions can also take up a lion's share of your time, if you are not careful. Creative writing ends up on the back-burner more than I'd like.

           

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Through books one and two (about three years), I exclusively listened to the 'Voyager' album by Michael Oldfield while writing (not editing). I believe the music's heroic theme helped put me in the mood to write my heroic story (It's my best guess and I should know, I'm the author). During books three and four (another two years), I listened exclusively to 'The Wall', album two, by Pink Floyd, Live Berlin Concert version. I am still listening mainly to that one album. Along the way, I found that Radio-Ga-Ga, by Queen, satisfied all my urges for heroic music. I could listen to it on a perpetual loop while writing also.

A side effect was that, when I travelled and listened to the same music, my mind was transported to my story and I would spend my time there instead of concentrating on the road.

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

I always wanted to write. Books were part of my youth. I was a voracious reader. Later, I haunted bookstores, eventually opening my own. Reading was a search, looking for the perfect book, the perfect story. Eventually, I was driven to write the stories I never found. Recently, I have been examining my earlier work and found some very decent efforts, showing a direct path to my Sirenne Saga.

As time permits, I will revive some of these short stories and heroic poems and post them either as kindle books or PDF's on my site. There are some earlier works there now but more will be added.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

My website has 'Caves of Etretat' audio excerpts and various interviews for you to listen to. It also has several radio plays I did many years ago, while at CKCU FM, the Carleton University FM Radio Station. It has many articles about the series. If interested, you will find a code to solve, from Leblanc's journal in The Caves of Etretat.

I also have a contest to win signed copies of the series printed to date. The cost is to join my mailing list. There is one draw per month and you may re-submit your name every month. I plan to publish the four books of the Sirenne Saga within 2012, so, eventually, the prize will be a complete four-book series. Thanks for buying my book and, please, leave a message when you check out my site, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for being here today, Matt.

Readers, Matt will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commentor during the tour, so comment here and at any of Matt's other blog tour stops. The more times you comment, the more chances you have to win!

Interview with contemporary romance author Annette Bower

Today's guest is contemporary romance author Annette Bower who is here to talk about her new novel Moving On-A Prairie Romance.

Annette is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to a lucky commentor during the tour. Details follow the interview.

Bio:
Annette Bower lives and writes in Regina, SK Canada. She is an author of many short stories published in anthologies and magazines in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. She explores women in families, women in communities and women at the beginning and end of love and their quest for love. She pursues the writing craft in workshops, conferences, Writing with Style, Banff Centre for the Arts, Victoria School of Writing, Sage Hill Writing Experience, the Surrey International Writing Conferences and the Romance Writing of America Conferences. 

When she isn’t writing she walks or bikes around the streets and parks in her neighborhood imagining complex worlds behind seemingly ordinary events.

Her first contemporary romance, Moving On-A Prairie Romance is published by XoXo Publishing a division of Ninni Group Inc. 

Welcome to Reviews and Interviews, Annette. Please tell us about your current release.

Moving On-A Prairie Romance is a sweet contemporary romance novel in most ways and in others it is a relationship novel. One reader suggests that the novel explores the redemptive power of affection where Nick and Anna learn to trust and hope after their separate tragedies.

This story is set in the resort community of Regina Beach, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is small town in the fall, winter and spring but in the summer it grows to at least ten times the population with part time residents and visitors. Anna arrives in the spring and Nick is back in the community in the spring, the time for new growth. 

Because Anna has lived in a large city she needs to learn to live in a community where people notice where your vehicle is parked at night, what kind of bread you purchase, and when your lights turn out. Nick is familiar with the pros and cons of a small community. He left for the adventure of the armed forces but while in the war zone he remembered the deep rich earth he had left behind. With Anna he begins to dream of a life he thought he didn’t want in a small community close to the earth.

We follow Nick and Anna on their emotional journey in the town with Margaret and Herman Lamb Anna’s neighbors and Nick’s good friends.    

What inspired you to write this book?

I have been interested in the state of being a widow ever since I met my mother-in-law. She was widowed young as was her sister. I wanted to understand them so I read about the grieving process. Also when I was a nurse, I worked in rehabilitation units and with patients who lost limbs who grieved the life that changed when a prosthetic device or mobility aid was introduced into their lives.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m gathering visual clues for my next novel. I’m noticing pictures and articles. I have a real image of a limousine pulling up to the curve outside my condo building and a stiletto emerged followed by a leg covered in nylon. I stopped and waited to see who this might be. I would like to use this image in my next story.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

To be absolutely honest the first time I really considered that I was becoming a writer was when Colleen Sell from Cup of Comfort for Mother’s and Sons accepted my short story. Up until that time I had short stories published in smaller magazines and anthologies but this was a book that was going to be available on book shelves in many cities across Canada and the United States and perhaps beyond.

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?

Writing is what I do and many days it is an eight hour day. But those hours are broken up. I may write in the morning, break for appointments or lunch or a walk. Then I write in the afternoon and sometimes it is the hours after dinner that are the most productive.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

When I’m beginning a story I still like to use my fountain pen and paper to do the opening page or two. I like feeling connected between my hand rhythm and the paper as my hand slides across the page. If I’m stuck, I will bring out the pen and paper again.

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

When I was in grade 3, my friends and I would go to the convent and call on our teacher after lunch. Then we’d all walk back to the school together. I remember one day my friends all seemed to be saying, “I want to be a nun when I grow up.” I thought about it for a minute and said, “I want to be a nurse, isn’t that great that they both start with ‘n’.”

I became the nurse but I also wrote. I took creative writing courses whenever I could.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Even though writing is my passion it is also hard work for me. I admire writers who make their writing look effortless because they are very good at what they do. I’m still working very hard at making my writing appear effortless but some days it is a real grind. 

I enjoy chatting with readers and can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks, Annette.

Readers, don't forget, Annette is awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to All Romance eBooks to one randomly drawn commentor. So leave your e-mail address with your comment if you'd like a chance to win. Also, you can follow the tour and comment on other stops to increase your chances of winning.

Interview with author Sarah Tate

Today's guest is author Sarah Tate, who has written two books based on her personal experience. The focus today is on her first book, Web of Lies – My Life with a Narcissist.

Bio:

Sarah Tate is a British single mother living and working in Switzerland. She arrived in Switzerland eleven years ago and apart from a brief stay in France, has remained ever since. Sarah has three young kids, who take up most of her time, but she still managed to find time to write her first book Web of Lies - My Life with a Narcissist. 

The book is an autobiographical novel which describes in graphic details, the ups and downs of life with a person who suffers from (amongst other things) Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Web of Lies gives a deep insight into what it's like to be sucked into the world of a disordered individual, and more importantly, how to escape with your sanity intact. Her second book, Renaissance - A Journal of Discovery is also now available. It describes the road to recovery from narcissistic abuse, and charts the progress of Sarah and her children as they rebuild their lives following the breakup of the family, and slowly come to terms with the devastation caused by Sarah's ex. Sarah is currently working on her third book.

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

Web of Lies is an autobiographical novel, written in the first person. It begins with my arrival in Switzerland and tells the story of how I met (or thought I’d met) the love of my life. Marriage and children quickly follow, but the reader knows from the start that things just aren’t right.  The whole story unfolds for the reader as it happened for me, and I keep the reader with me through everything I felt and experienced during this extraordinary period of my life.

Narcissists and sociopaths live amongst us, yet because they are mostly undiagnosed many people don’t even recognize their character traits, and can be easily left distraught and confused thinking that they are the ones with the problem. 

By telling my story and sharing it with the world, I hope to help other women (and men) who have fallen for the seemingly endless (yet superficial) charms of one of these individuals. 

This is not a self-help book, but an honest and emotional account of what it feels like to be entangled in the world of a person whose reality is different to our own.  Leading psychologist, Dr. David Holmes, recommends the book to his psychology students as an extremely valuable case study. Apart from being a gripping read, it’s an important book for all those who have suffered in an unhappy relationship. 

What inspired you to write this book?

The book is an honest and open account of what happened to me in this relationship. It wasn’t until I was free of the relationship that I began to research it, and discovered how these personality traits manifest themselves. I wanted to write a true-life account to give ordinary people a chance to see how easy it is to get sucked into a situation like this, and to give them hope that it can be overcome. You can get away, and you can repair the damage that is done, but you need to fully understand what you’re dealing with. Web of Lies will enable many people to identify elements of their own situation, and hopefully help them to spot the red flags. It’s a useful tool for anybody who feels they may be in contact with a toxic personality, regardless of whether they are in a personal relationship with them or not.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I have already published the sequel to Web of Lies. It’s called Renaissance – A Journal of Discovery, and it documents the road to recovery for my children and me. Most people who have read Web of Lies then go on to read Renaissance.

I’m currently working on my third book, which is a novel called The Middle Aged Twist.  It’s the story of two friends who got to know each other against the backdrop of the early nineties, when they were both young students. Times were wild back then, and both were drawn into a world of excessive drinking and recreational drug use.

Their lives subsequently take very different paths, but as a result of the experiences in their youth, they share a common affliction which affects a high percentage of the population today, namely, depression and addiction. The book is an account of how they both deal with their demons in completely contrasting ways. It’s a very contemporary book and I’ve spent a lot of time researching the subject matter. I’m looking forward to completing it and getting it published.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I first began to get critical recognition for Web of Lies.

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?

Sadly not! I’m a typical ‘struggling’ Author. Not many of us are lucky enough to break into the big time. I work as a professional in the Aerospace industry in order to support my family. Writing is a hobby, and also a dream! I have ideas going around in my head all the time, but it’s difficult to find the time to actually sit down at the PC and put everything down on paper. As a single mum of three wonderful, vibrant children, I have to be incredibly disciplined about my writing. I mostly write in the evenings when they are settled, or I’ll snatch an hour here and there at the weekends when they are playing with friends. As any working mum knows, it’s a juggling game, but I enjoy writing and will continue to do it as long as I can find the energy!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I need silence. No TV, no radio, no music, and no people around me. The words won’t flow satisfactorily if there are any distractions (which is why I have to wait for the children to be asleep or out). I like to get completely submerged in each chapter as I write it. I tend to write quickly and therefore I need to set aside blocks of at least an hour at a time when I know I won’t be disturbed. I write a plan of what I want to achieve and I to stick to it.

Oh, and there’s usually caffeine involved as well!

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

When I was very small I always wanted to do something in creative arts such as acting or singing. As I grew I changed my minded and wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. I ended up going in a totally different direction though!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Thanks to everybody who has read my books so far.

I hope the readers all enjoy reading my books as much I enjoyed writing them. I welcome all kinds of constructive feedback and always try to reply to the readers who e-mail me personally to talk about their own situations. It may take a while, but I do my best!

Please feel free to join me on Facebook or my Blog to keep up to date with my writing career or ask any questions regarding the books.

Sarah, thank you so much for joining us today. Writing about such personal experiences must be so challenging.

Interview with techno-thriller author Ray Gorham

Today's guest is techno-thriller author Ray Gorham. He's stopping by as he tours his novel 77 Days in September.

Bio:
Ray Gorham was born in Calgary, Canada in 1966.  Prior to graduating college and settling in the United States in 1991, Ray had the good fortune to live in a variety of locations around the world.  Years in Australia, England, Lebanon, Japan, Canada, and the United States all helped to shape his background, worldview, and appreciation for other people and cultures.

Graduating with a degree in Accounting, he decided he couldn’t spend a future studying tax law and sitting in front of a computer all day, so he took a management position with Wal-Mart and spent the next 10 years in retail management where he had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of employees and thousands of customers on a weekly basis.  Growing tired of large corporations, Ray next tried opening and running a restaurant, but decided after a year that wasn’t for him either.  From there, he found a small log home business for sale in Montana in 2006 and settled in for what he hoped would be a long-term career.

When the construction industry slowed down in 2008, Ray knew he was going to have a lot of time on his hands, so he determined to cross off one of the items on his bucket list—writing a novel.  After thousands of hours of writing and editing he had the final draft of his first novel, a 108,000 word effort telling the story of a husband struggling to return to his family after a major terrorist attack. While agents and publishers have passed on his efforts to this point, he has found significant success so far in digital format, selling over 10,000 copies of his work.

Welcome, Ray. Please tell us about your book.

77 Days in September, is a story about a man separated from his family by a terrorist attack.  He's been away working for a couple of weeks when an EMP detonation shuts down the country and makes it next to impossible for him to return home.  The story then follows both his and his family's struggles to survive and re-unite. 

What inspired this book?

I wanted to write a story that would present a husband/father/man in a positive light.  Too many stories have guys that kill without remorse, sleep around, forget their families, or act without considering the consequences.  I wanted to have a character that would overcome amazing obstacles in order to do the right thing.  That was the "inspiration" for the book.  From there it was finding a device that would put the character in such a situation, and that is where the EMP came into play. 

Once I started writing, though, I found the EMP aspect, and the threat it presents, became just as important as the other part of the story.

Your book posits an EMP detonation and knocking out the bulk of technology in the country and thrusting the country into chaos. There's a lot that can be done with that scenario, but what themes did you choose to focus on?

I wanted to present normal people who suddenly have life and death decisions to make, and their struggle to maintain their decency in a radically altered reality.  I've had some criticism in reviews that my characters are too nice, but I think most people will find it very, very difficult to shoot their neighbors if such an event were to occur.  Most Americans are good, decent people, and the live and let live mentality will be the outlook that will guide them.  That is not to say that there won't be the shoot first people around, I just chose not to have them as my protagonists.

So, any post-apocalyptic book, by necessity, explores the limits of civilization and the nature of man. Do you see yourself as more a pessimist or optimist about human nature?

I think as you read my answers and my book, you'll see that I am more of an optimist than a pessimist.  I do expect that terrible, ugly things will happen if such an event were to occur, so tried to portray a variety of things--the good, the evil, and the in between. 

Why do you think people are so drawn to the stories about the collapse of civilization?

I think much of it has to do with the fact that every great empire that has existed has to come to an end, with the exception of ours.  And the only reason we are still around is that we are young, and likely just haven't met our end, yet.  The Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, British, Syrians, Ottomans, Mayans, and so forth, have all failed, most in violent, terrifying ways.  Maybe sub-consciously we understand that there is a finite time we have to be in the position we are in, and the expectation of our eventual doom motivates us to read/view those types of works.

Okay, scenario time. The EMP goes off tomorrow. Would you rather be near a city or a remote rural area and why?

While there would be advantages to both locations, I'd much rather be in a rural environment, provided it was someplace I was established in with a home or "getaway."  If the EMP does go off tomorrow, I think things in the big cities are going to go south pretty quick as people begin to starve.   I live in a rural setting, close to a city (15 miles), on 50 acres.  It provides us a good buffer, with the city conveniences, so kind of the best of both worlds.

Can you give us any insight into any future works?

I have a few things in the works, but nothing imminent.  I don't view myself as a post-apocalyptic or dystopian author, so my closest-to-being done novel concerns a guy who can really see the future, and how his ability affects the people of his community.  I also have a sequel to 77 Days planned, as well as a few other stories.  At some point I hope to be able to write full time, but that time is not yet.  Hopefully I can get a book out before the end of the year.

Here's an excerpt:

High above the sun-baked prairies of Lawrence, Kansas, the missile reached its target.  No one on the ground even noticed the blast.  Perhaps had someone been looking at precisely the right location, at precisely the right time, they might have noticed a tiny, momentary spark in the bright afternoon sky.  Had they seen the flash, it likely would have been attributed to the glint of sunlight reflecting off a passing airplane.  From every vantage point below the detonation, there was no sense of the destructive capacity contained in that tiny speck of light.  More than 300 miles above the earth, a nuclear explosion impacts nothing with the force of its blast.  It is merely a large bomb going off in a vacuum, creating no shockwaves, no fireballs, no radiation, not even any sound. 

Despite the lack of explosive destruction, this was now the most lethal weapon to be unleashed in the history of the world, but it was a weapon that would have had absolutely no discernable affect on mankind 200 years ago, other than creating a more colorful aurora.  Upon detonation, the bomb expelled an intense wave of gamma radiation in every direction.  The gamma rays traveling earthward interacted with the upper levels of the atmosphere and created a chain reaction of displaced electrons that rushed towards the surface of the earth at the speed of light.  Most of the these displaced electrons passed rapidly through the atmosphere and grounded themselves harmlessly in the earth.

A small percentage, however, encountered conductive materials:  metal, antennas, copper wiring, and silicon chips.  As these conductors absorbed untold billions of free electrons, they experienced sudden surges in both voltage and current.  In simple items, like a garden rake, this surge was manifested as a harmless static electricity-like spark.  But in larger networks and sensitive objects, the consequences of the electron overload were devastating.

Interview with fantasy author Lyle Blake Smythers

Today’s guest, Lyle Blake Smythers, is stopping by as he tours his novel Feasting with Panthers.

Bio:

Lyle Blake Smythers is an actor, writer and librarian in the Washington, D.C., area. Since 1976 he has performed in over 100 stage productions, including three appearances at the National Theatre. He has published fiction, poetry, satire and literary criticism in Manscape, FirstHand, Playguy, The William and Mary Review, Insights, School Library Journal and Children?s Literature Review. He is a former children’s librarian and is currently providing cataloging support for an ongoing project at the Library of Congress.

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

We found the first one-eyed man at dawn ...

So begins the highly original fantasy tale of warrior poet Catalan, when he and his band stumble upon a handsome acolyte near death in a mountain pass. But when the acolyte reveals his mystical vision, the poet finds himself at the center of a War Game between two mysterious sorcerers. To unravel the mystery, Catalan and the agents of the War Game must seek the missing pieces of an enchanted chess set in a quest complicated by deceit and treachery, in which nothing is what it seems.

What inspired you to write this book?

The original kernel that gave life to some of the multiple plotlines came from an old edition of the Arabian Nights I found as a child. My family was traveling through the mountains of southwest Virginia, on our way to visit relatives near Galax, and we stopped in a tiny hamlet called Fancy Gap. We wandered into a used furniture place that had a table of used books for sale. I picked up an old copy of the Andrew Lang retellings, one with terrific illustrations. Soon I was riveted by the great stories inside. I was already familiar with the well-known ones about Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Aladdin, but soon I got to lesser-known ones that were equally intriguing. One that really interested me described a porter in Baghdad who carried a package home for a customer and found himself mingling with strange visitors in her house, men who had missing eyes and shaved heads. Each had his own story to tell, and wondrous stories they were.

Even in elementary school, I had started to write my own stories. Adventure stories, science fiction, my own version of Tarzan tales, bizarre people and creatures hidden in darkest Africa. Somewhere along the way I resolved to find a way to retell some of these stories of one-eyed men and the dangers they had faced and overcome. Fast forward some thirty years.

I was visiting a friend in Baltimore and we went to a Star Trek convention. At this point I had started to tinker with an outline for the Arabian Knights novel, but was getting nowhere. I wanted a unifying thread more significant than just a chance encounter with strangers in a strange house. At the con they were showing a variety of fantasy/SF movies and I ended up in LADYHAWKE, the medieval fantasy story of two lovers trying to find each other again while under two very different shape-shifting curses. What caught my attention was the motivation behind the person who put them under their spells: They had been cursed out of REVENGE. I had it. My characters would be subjected to the horrible perils they faced because a powerful magician was wreaking revenge. On whom? And why? It didn’t take me long to work that out. And my book was born.

I wanted to work within the framework of standard heroic fantasy but add fresh elements to give the reader an experience never felt before. Not just sorcerers and a quest (they are there) but a hallucinogenic drug, green snow, a boy turned into a monkey, a convention of puppeteers, an outdoor festival where people come to see a magic trick only performed once a year. Also bloody revenge. I started to have fun with it.ouo a used furniture place that had a table of used books for sale. I picked up an old copy of the ings, one with terrific illustrations. Soon I was riveted by the great stories inside. I was already familiar with the well-known ones about Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Aladdin, but soon I got to lr-known ones that were equally intriguing. One that interested me described a porter in Baghdad who carried a package home for a customer and found himself mingling with strange visitors in her house, men who had missing eyes and had his own story to tell, and wondrous stories they were.

What exciting story are you working on next?

My work in progress is a blend of dark fantasy, New Weird, and urban detective noir. A little China Mieville, a little Jeff Vandermeer, a little Philip K. Dick, a little Raymond Chandler., in a realistic, complex real-world setting combining elements of both science fiction and fantasy. Two supernatural beings from Irish mythology, the hero Finn M’Coul and Viledark, the Hog Who Ate the Sun, are running a private detective agency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., when they come across a new sex drug that increases the male orgasm but also kills and only works on gay men. Their search for a missing boy leads them to Sin, a psychotic supervillain who claims to be the original model for Fu Manchu. I have not yet sold this book to a publisher.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I was in the sixth grade I was a big fan of the adventure novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, his Tarzan books, the John Carter stories set on Mars, and the Pellucidar books that took readers to a strange world at the Earth’s core. I started writing my own story, entitled Expedition Into the Unknown, a highly derivative work that took some men in a giant Devil Drill to the Earth’s core for adventures among strange people and monsters. It was not terribly good but I had fun with it. When I got to junior high school I said, “This is awful” and abandoned it. Since then I have been preoccupied with making my own stories.

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 currently work full-time as a librarian and do a lot of acting at night and on weekends. Because of my busy schedule, I can go as long as one or two weeks between writing sessions, during which time I am frequently thinking about what’s coming next in my work in progress and making notes to myself. I frequently find myself writing in a leather armchair at the cigar shop where I buy cigars, because they have a smoking area inside that is climate controlled. It’s a nice place to relax, look over my notes, and start trying to make more literary magic.

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

When I was in elementary school, the local TV station was showing reruns of the old Superman show with George Reeves. Probably inspired by that and by my love of stories, words, and books, I thought at one point that I might be a newspaper reporter. I changed my mind several times over the years, before finally ending up a librarian.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Oh, about the title. When I was in grad school, getting the Master’s in Library Science that carried me into the professional field of books and more books, I saw a PBS documentary on Oscar Wilde. It was entitled “Feasting with Panthers,” a phrase I immediately seized upon.

As many people know, Wilde was convicted and imprisoned as a sexual outlaw. Writing from prison, he said this of his sexual encounters with boys or young men half his age:

“They, from the point of view through which I, as an artist in life approached them, were delightfully suggestive and stimulating. It was like feasting with panthers. The danger was half the excitement. I used to feel as the snake-charmer must feel when he lures the cobra. They were to me the brightest of gilded snakes. Their poison was part of their perfection.”

I knew that I had to use that title somewhere, somehow. It wasn’t until I was well launched on my fantasy adventure, with its unusually large sentry cats, that it occurred to me where the title belonged. Once I had made that decision, I found myself using the image of a large dangerous creature as a symbol several places in the narrative, notably during the climax. And, yes, there is blood.

I hope that you will join me on this strange journey.

Right now Feasting can be pre-ordered from Barnes & Noble at bn.com and from my publisher at http://pinknarc.com/ and it will be available shortly from Amazon. Readers who have comments or questions can leave them here or reach me through Pink Narcissus. I am also on Facebook.

We are going to be giving away a free copy of the novel, either a print edition or an e-book, to one of the readers of this blog. Interested readers should leave a comment here that includes their email address. I will select the most intriguing poster to be the winner. Readers who follow me during this entire virtual book tour and post at each blog stop will be entered for a drawing to win a print of the outstanding cover art by Duncan Eagleson.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to be here.

You're quite welcome. I appreciate you stopping by and sharing a bit about yourself and your writing today. 

Folks, remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of his book. And you can stop at his other tour stops and leave a comment, too to increase your chances of winning.

Interview with YA sci-fi novelist Melissa Conway

Today's guest is YA sci-fi author Melissa Conway to talk about her newest book Xenofreak Nation.

Bio:

Melissa Conway is the author of four young adult sci-fi ebooks. She is the founder of Indie Review Exchange and the book review site Booksquawk. Her website is here, her YouTube channel here, she blogs at Whimsilly and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

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

 Xenofreak Nation is a near-future young adult sci-fi thriller. It's been referred to as a dystopian, but if it is, then it's pretty darn close politically to the world we live in now, which says a lot about our current society!

In the story, bioengineered animals provide organs for human transplantation. Grafts of animal skin have replaced tattoos in popularity, which gives rise to a unique new demographic: Xenofreaks. Bryn Vega is one of two main protagonists. Her father is head of the Pure Human Society and when she’s kidnapped by the Bestia Butcher, the most notorious of the criminal xenosurgeons, she assumes its payback for her father’s anti-xeno activities.

Scott Harding, the second protagonist, starts out as her kidnapper and jailer. His nickname is Cougar because of the claws replacing his fingers—but Scott is not who he seems. He's deep under cover for the Xenofreak Intelligence Agency, and has been given unprecedented immunity to find the Bestia Butcher’s lair and do whatever it takes to bring him to justice. When Bryn is forced to undergo a radical xenoalteration, she discovers a terrible secret: her father is using The Pure Human Society as a front for his own purposes. His willingness to sacrifice his daughter to accomplish them sends her running to Scott for protection, and into the hard-core underground subculture of the very xenofreak society she once despised.

What inspired you to write this book?

One of the things I'm challenged by is the fact that it's hard to come up with a truly unique plot these days. Many of the current books and movies are rehashed. Don't get me wrong, I love a good classic and I enjoy reading books that put a new spin on them, but I strive to produce something that distinguishes itself from the pack. Coming up with such a concept usually starts with a simple, what if? And then it snowballs!

What exciting story are you working on next?

I'm just about to release my latest, a paranormal YA romance called SelfSame, about a girl who lives two lives simultaneously - when she's asleep in the here and now, her spirit goes into the past to occupy the body of a young woman in colonial America. I'm very excited about it, so much so that I already made the book trailer, here.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

In the second grade. I wrote a poem in class that my teacher submitted to a contest in the local newspaper - and I won! Sometimes validation is all we need to give us a push in the right direction.

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 lucky enough to have the opportunity to do what I love full-time. My work day isn't regimented, but I don't need to enforce structure upon myself - on the contrary - I'm one of those driven people who need to schedule in down time! Other than writing, I've discovered I have a passion for creating 3D art. It stemmed from making my book trailer videos, and has blossomed into a hobby that keeps me occupied when my writing muse isn't sitting on my shoulder.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I'm a true 'pantser.' I start a story with only the vaguest notion of where it's going to go. Somehow, characters manifest and plot lines slowly come together. Sometimes it amazes me that I can take a few days off to let the story simmer and then wake up one morning and whatever solution I need is just there. The power of the unconscious mind...

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

A writer and an artist. It took awhile, but after college, where I studied Advertising Art, I ended up in a career as an executive-level secretary. I'm now doing what I anticipated I would do when I was a child. It's just as exciting and wonderful as I'd imagined!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Nothing comes to mind... :o)

Thanks so much for visiting and talking with us today! 

Live chat/interview with authors of the Haunted Mansion Project

The Writer's Chatroom presents the authors of The Haunted Mansion Project: Year One from Damnation Books.

WHEN?

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Eastern USA Time.....7-9 PM

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WHERE?

The Writers Chatroom at: http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Sign In. No password needed.

Please note: The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.