HAPPY NEW YEAR'S 

TO ALL

BOOK-LOVERS!

TO ALL AUTHORS, 

HAPPY WRITING FOR 

2014!

CHRISTMAS DAY's Author on the 'Hump': Anna Sanders

Her latest release in the Befallen Tides series:

DARKNESS UPRISING

1) How long have you been writing?

I've been writing for fun for about thirteen years now. It all started off as fanfic, which I know can be cheesy but its a nice, safe environment for being creative within a universe. It has the potential to be the building blocks for imagination, or a fuller endeavor, in my opinion. From there my interests evolved into written role play, also cheesy yet daring. The universes I wrote within were CSI: Miami, Xmen, Firefly, and (for comics sake, on occasion) Twilight. I didn't start creating my own themes until I delved into NaNoWriMo, that was in 2007. From there I've dabbled less in my favorite shows and gone on to create my own little haven with my own rules.

2) What is a typical working day for you? When and where do you write?

Well, though writing is my passion it isn't the main source of my income. I work as a massage therapist. I'm lucky that I have been able to take two of my, for lack of a better word, hobbies and made them into something lucrative. I love working on people, and I love working on fiction. The majority of my days are spent with clients, so I really have to make a conscious effort to sit down and write. But I find that when I do make the time, its like taking a deep breath of fresh air. Usually I'm spending my off days from massaging writing while my daughters are napping, taking that chance to make a fresh cup of tea or coffee and slamming at the keys as if my life depended on it. However, I do have a wonderful husband who gives me time to be isolated in the lands of demons and angels. He has been very supportive of me and gives me as much time as I need to meet certain deadlines. So I guess the real answer is, I write within the cracks of time in my day when its convenient.

3) What book (or book series) are you known for?

The only series I have out right now is the Befallen Tides series. Winx Rowan is my main dame, and she highly entertains me. I have other books in the works, worlds outside of Winx's planned, as well as more characters for Befallen Tides, but time constraints make it so that these new revelations will take a little while to be unveiled. But its all in the works.

4) Please give us a fun fact about yourself…something that the readers would love to know!

Alongside massaging and writing filling up my days, I have an intense love of community theater, and I've participated in three shows for 2013. I was in a production of the Vagina Monologues in February, then in 12 Angry Jurors in August, and most recently a murder mystery play called Murder in the House of Horrors at the beginning of December. If I'm not found rehearsing lines lately, I can also be spotted out at karaoke on Fridays at a local bar called the Twisted Spoke. I've been told my voice isn't too bad, my favorite song to tackle lately is I Will Always Love You. Some Whitney Houston isn't an easy feat, but the crowd seems to love it when I crack at that one. I suppose I'm a pretty theatrical person.

5) If you were being interviewed two years from now, here on my blog, where would you be (accomplishment-wise) as a writer? Which of your book series would be the most popular? How many titles?

Two years ago having anything published was just a dream. I would have only had my fanfic to share with anyone. This whole series has been the product of a year and a half of intense work. The first book in the Befallen Tides series, Cursed by Darkness, was a book I had written for NaNoWriMo. It took some (exhausting...but exhilarating!) time for editing, but was recently made available in January. I had submitted it for a publisher to read, thinking it wouldn't be anything too impressive, but got a shock when said publisher informed me that it was something that people would like. This entire writing career that I have started has been exciting and immediate. I'm flattered, honored, and humbled by the fact that these books have been purchased and enjoyed by some of the public. And look, I'm even being interviewed! Its all fun and I'm having a great time with it all. But two years ago? I wouldn't have been able to believe it.

6) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

I've never thought of anyone interviewing me for my writing. I've thought of maybe being thrown on Conan after some passersby heard me singing show tunes in the shower, or being discovered at karaoke and made an overnight sensation. I'd have been on the cover of magazines, People magazine in particular would be asking if I was gaining weight while the Inquirer was asking if I was losing weight, and I'd belt out ridiculous mash up songs on Glee. Then I'd carry on a secret affair with Adam Rodriguez from CSI: Miami before it ultimately being discovered, I'd have a scandal on my hands, and maybe it would be uncovered that aside from having magical musical talents I'd written a series of books about demons and zombies murdering each other...

But in the future, if I'm to be known for my writing? I'd like to be asked something like, “how do you juggle all of your time and fit in the chance to even think about writing?” And the answer would be, “you make time for the things you love. Period.”

7) How long did it take you to write your current book? In example, how long between coming up with the concept and starting to write, did it take to complete the novel?

The last book I've written for the Befallen Tides series is called Darkness Uprising, and the concept for the book was created over the span of about three months. I started a synopsis of it in February after the second book in the series was published. Then in May I began writing and it was finished by September, to be done with edits and published by October. So for the entirety of the last book, it took eight months. It takes so much out of me to pour my ideas into one manuscript, but cathartic to see it all done with. I'm writing another for the series currently, and I'm hoping it will be ready for edits by this upcoming February in 2014. But honestly there's no way to tell for sure. It can be rather uncertain, and you want to make sure its gone through all the straining and reworking possible before putting it out there like, “Ta-da! Its finished!”

8) What can we expect from you in the future?

The public can definitely expect more Winx Rowan and more Cristis Von Dietrich. But they can also expect a new series that I'm working on, veering away from the Befallen Tides universe and delving into another potentially dark path. I've been plotting away inside this head of mine and there are so many stories brewing. I'm just excited to get to tell any of them.

         9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up, one last thing. This is the trademark of this blog. What's your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine? Inquiring minds want to know, please. (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).

My favorite bedtime drink it definitely a nice cold glass of moscato. On occasion it can also be a dark chocolate wine from Chocolate Shoppe. And yes, sometimes water.   

      Thanks for stopping by the blog, Anna!!

      

Happy Holidays, readers!  Stay safe!

WINNERS!!!! (Better later than never...)

Here are the names of Dormaine G's HOLIDAY giveaway WINNERS. 

 Congrats, guys!

Caroline

Sarah

Jennifer

Tammy

Christie

So....The Field's review comes on Sunday, not Saturday...(I'm sorry)

Honestly, I had no clue what I was getting into when I signed up to review The Field by Tracy Richardson.  Usually, I need to have a picture in MY BRAIN about ‘what I think a book is about, where I would like it to end, yada’.  On this one, I just didn’t know.  So I used a technique that I haven’t used since college, practically.  {SHAME, but it works!}  I dipped in, to a random page, several chapters in, and seized a phrase:

Remote viewing

And THAT was all it took.  I LOVE the concept of remote viewing, ever since I first heard the terminology.  Then I saw:

Enhanced consciousness

Yayyyy!  I kept reading…..

So, as it turns out in The Field, there is an experiment in progress, to study the actual presence of 'enhanced consciousness' between bonded pairs.  This basically means that a pair of people, who are relatively close, best friends, lovers, siblings, etc, are able to transmit mind images to each other.  Eric, the main character, and his best friend, Will, ended up going in to be tested/ studied as bonded pairs.  How did they end up getting involved with this?  Since they're teenage boys, you know THERE IS A GIRL INVOLVED.  Eric has a serious crush on the main researcher's daughter, and this is why he goes ahead with this.

As it turns out, Eric's genetic makeup already makes him pre-destined to have skills in the whole psychic/ remote viewing realm, BUT developing his mental powers DO. NOT. MAKE. him happy.  He begins to develop insecurities along the course of the book.

The Field was an interesting read, with catchy concepts, and the author herself is also intriguing.  She mentioned that she loved the book, A Wrinkle in Time, which I also loved as a kid.  My sister and I read A Wrinkle in Time over and over and over.  I can see where Ms. Richardson receives her writing inspiration from.

Good job!

BLOG TOUR!!! presenting.... The Field

Guys, I will be posting a review for this book on Saturday.  Get ready........ 

[book teaser below]

Genre: Young Adult. Paranormal. Mystery.

Eric Horton finds himself plagued by terrible nightmares of explosions, fire, and someone screaming. The more they occur, the more real they seem, causing him to question whether they're just harmless dreams or foreshadowing of a dark and devastating future.

And that’s not the only strange thing happening. On the soccer field, he's been in the zone, saving shot after shot with what feels like a supernatural awareness of where the ball is going to go next. Then there's the connection he feels with Renee, the hot new student from France. It's as if he's known her forever.

Still, all these wild visions and synchronicities pale in comparison to the strange experiments Renee's dad is cooking up in the University physics lab. When he asks Eric to serve as a test subject, Eric must again question whether what he's seeing and hearing is reality—or something far beyond it.

When his best friend Will starts drinking way too much and Renee has eyes for other guys, Eric loses the edge he’s always had in the goal, and confidence in himself. If he’s going to pull it together, Eric must tap into a part of himself that he never knew existed, and that might just be the part that connects us all.

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Pamela Cash

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I spoke with Author Pamela Cash on about the creation 

of her books in the Chausiku series.

Chausiku: The Gathering Storm Book One is FREE on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and BN.   Click below to grab it!

iTunes

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

KOBO

1) How long have you been writing?  

This is a difficult question to answer because I am a lawyer who still practices law so I have been legal writing for well over a decade.  However, even when I was in elementary school I would write short stories.  I have always been a supernatural geek but I found that diversity was lacking in the stories that were published.  The Chausiku story has been in my head for years so I finally decided to put the saga on paper a couple of years ago.  

2) What is a typical working day for you?  When and where do you write?  
Due to the fact that I also like practicing law and have a full-time job, I write in the evenings and on weekends.  My days are full of serious stuff so writing about the supernatural is entertainment for me.  My books aren't heartfelt dramas.  They are for young adults and teens who just like interesting entertainment like I do.

3) What book series (or series) are you known for? 

The Chausiku series is my first series and I am currently working on the third book out of four.  Some readers have asked me if I plan to write any prequels because there is so much going on with the clans in my series.  I have already jotted down some chapters for prequels.  

4) Please give us a fun fact about yourself…something that the readers would love to know!

I love to exercise and I do it almost every day!  Sometimes when I only have enough time to either write or go to the gym, I go to the gym!  Yikes!  But I believe that one can have a passion for more than one thing.

5) If you were being interviewed two years from now, here on my blog, what great accomplishments would have happened for the Chausiko series?  How many books?

The Chausiku series would be a No. 1 Best Seller!  There will be 6 books with the 2 prequels that I have in mind. 

6) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview?  How would you answer that question?

I honestly don't have a question that I want to be asked.  I am more interested in learning what people want to know about the series or me. 

7) Tell our readers about a surprising turn of events in the series…something that even you, the author, didn’t expect to happen.

There are so many surprises that I don't want to spoil it for the readers!  I will just say that there is a cliff hanger at the end of Book Three just like there is in Books One and Two.

8) What can we expect from you in the future?  Do you have plans for additional books, aside from the Chausiko series?

I absolutely have plans for additional books, aside from the Chausiku series.  I have no plans to stop writing books...ever!

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up, one last thing.  This is the trademark of this blog. What's your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).

Red wine!  I love a good Meritage or Merlot.

YA Fantasy Holiday GIVEAWAY!

Check out this Holiday giveaway!!!!

CONNOR by Author Dormaine G

CLICK HERE TO ENTER AT GOODREADS

Book Release on Cyber Monday!!

Book Release on Cyber Monday!!

$0.00 SALE on Amazon.com

(ending on Wednesday)

Geek to Diva in 20 seconds

The first book, Geek - Boy Equals..... ends really abruptly, and I am sorry for that (sad face).  However, that was by design, as the second book follows right on the heels 

of the first.  

So, the next book, Geek to Diva in 20 seconds, will be released less than a week behind Geek - Boy Equals....

I would have loved just one book, but the entire saga is lengthy, and completely too much for a single ebook.  

Enjoy!

FINALLY FREE for Black Friday .....

FINALLY FREE for Black Friday 

(or at least the weekend)

Geek - Boy Equals.... is NOW available for $0.00 on Amazon.com!  I announced that it would be available starting on Black Friday, but alas, I was wrong.  Starting today, Saturday, Nov. 30th until Monday, Dec 2nd, Geek - Boy Equals.... will FINALLY BE FREE!

Sorry for the mix-up!

FREE E-Novel for BLACK FRIDAY!!!

If you’ve been following me on Wattpad, where I release all of my Chick-Lit novels for THE FREE, then you’ve been keeping up-to-date with the Geeks saga.  

Well sorry, guys, but I got impatient. 

So for Black Friday, I am releasing the entire book, also for THE FREE, on Amazon.com!

Meaning, you don’t have to wait for Chapter by Chapter, if you grab it on Black Friday, Saturday, or Sunday 

(basically Black Weekend 2013).

ENJOY!

BLOG TOUR TIME - Cover Reveal.....TWISTED!!!! by Author Holly Hook

Twisted (Deathwind Trilogy #1) will be released on December 15, 2013.

Add the book to your want to read list on Goodreads

Twisted (Deathwind Trilogy #1) is a spin off from The Destroyers Series

Sixteen-year-old Allie isn’t like other girls. Instead of spending her summer break sitting around on the beach, she takes the epic vacation of a lifetime.

Tornado chasing.

And she’s not disappointed. Just a few miles from the town of Evansburg, Nebraska, Allie meets her dream of seeing a tornado. In person. She can’t wait to tell her friends back home. Never mind that her parents are going to kill her.

But her dream soon turns into a nightmare, and a strange event leaves her shocked. Confused. When she returns home to Wisconsin, something’s…different. Allie now bears a curse so awful, it could destroy everyone and everything she’s ever known.

With her best friend, Tommy, Allie must return to the plains to find a way to reverse it. She enters a world that she had never imagined, where she becomes a pawn in a fight to save the people of Evansburg from her fate…or to destroy them.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Holly Hook

Holly Hook is the author of the Destroyers Series, which consists of five young adult books about teens who are walking disasters…literally. She is also the author of the Rita Morse series, a young adult fantasy series still in progress, and After These Messages, a short ya comedy. Currently she is writing Twisted, a spin-off of the Destroyers Series due out in December. When not writing, she enjoys reading books for teens, especially ya fantasy and paranormal series with a unique twist. Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Writing Advice on Worn-Out Cardstock

So, I finished moving and among my satchels of keepsake pages (as all writers have), I found a piece of cardstock that has been a flagship for me.  It was some hasty advice that I jotted down years ago, advice from Editor Anica Rissi.  I read it somewhere once, and it made such an impact, that I wrote and saved it. 
See:

So, in case you can't read my handwriting scribble, these are the GOLDEN words:

1) Revise, revise
2) Start with conflict and tension
3) Start with the story, not the backstory
4) Give reader something to wonder about
5) Avoid explaining too much, too soon
6) Make sure story has both a plot arc and an emotional arc ie. (cross internal conflict with external conflict. Give more dilemnas, and force them to deal with the consequences of their choices)
7) Read your dialogue out loud
8) Use adjectives, adverbs, and dialogue tags only sparingly (trust your readers)
9) Make sure your details matter

Words to live by, writers!!!!

Hola, bloggy!!!!!

It's so good to be bad....oops....back!  Moving takes up all your time..(ahem)....writing time, but the worst is that you have ZERO online connectivity!!!

Poor little blog....all abandoned and alone.

Well, Kish is here now.

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Adrienne Ritter

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I spoke with Author Adrienne Reiter on the release of her book, Twist, the first from her 

Rebecca Ashley series.

1) Was writing always your dream? I’ve been putting pen to paper ever since I can remember. I was always telling stories. Even before I could write I would draw picture boxes to describe scenes. The first thing I wrote for an audience was a play I had my cousin and I perform for our family Easter Sunday. It was about two girls finding a baby on the beach. They try to find its mother and then discover they’ve been carrying a dead baby throughout the play. My family still talks about it.

 

2) What was the greatest thing you learned at school in regards to writing? The greatest thing I learned in school is also one of my favorite things about writing. There’s no right or wrong way to write. Everyone crafts a story differently.

3) What current book or book series are you known for? TWIST is the first book of my Rebecca Ashley Mystery Series and is about a down on her luck, newly divorced art student Becca (Rebecca Ashley) who is taken under her professor’s wing. Shortly after Becca moves into her professor’s live/work loft her professor is murdered. Becca is then thrust into the underground world of black market art and artifact smuggling. The mystery surrounds a mysterious dark object Rebecca has to find or suffer her professor’s same fate.

4) What is a typical working day for you?  When and where do you write? I try to write at least five pages a day. I don’t read over a first draft until I’ve reached the end. I have writers ADD, which can be own special kind of writers block. Working on multiple projects at a time helps me avoid burnout. The northeast corner of my living room is my writing studio where I get most of my work done. I write mostly in the evenings and early mornings right when I wake up. Pretty much whenever the moment takes me.

5) So, you're a mystery novelist.  Is that your fave genre all around, or just for writing?  What genre do you prefer to read? I love crafting a story that takes readers on a rollercoaster ride. ‘Who done its’ are fun to plot point. I think writers write best in the genre they most enjoy reading. I grew up watching mystery theatre on KPBS and at a young age graduated from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie. In college and just recently again I got into Raymond Chandler, Dashielle Hammond and Ross Macdonald.

6) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one? I’ve been asked how much my protagonist in my Rebecca Ashley series and I have in common. I think all writers put bits of ourselves into our protagonists so some if my writing is unintentionally autobiographical. They say to be a good writer you have to first go out and live. I’ve definitely done that. Ha.

7) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview?  How would you answer that question? Is that your real hair color? Just kidding. What I want to be asked the most is Will you be writing sequels? How many?

 ‘The Rebecca Ashley Mysteries’ is a three part series. I’m almost finished with the first draft of TWIST’s sequel ‘CHOSEN’. I’ve loosely outlined the third book ‘BORDER LAND’.  Last September I wrote the first draft of a mystery featuring a different sleuth for the International Three Day Novel Contest. I’m already anticipating making that into another series. I won’t want for writing ideas for a awhile.

8) What was the greatest thing you learned that helped you write the life-story of your characters? I think any story that relates to readers is a good story. I appreciate good character development that sends a message. I’ll take seemingly uninteresting characters, throw adversity at them and find out they’re actually extraordinary. Like I mentioned above, I agree with the saying that “A good writer has gone out and lived.” The characters I’ve met in real life through work and travel helped me develop my characters on the page.

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up, one last thing.  This is the trademark of this blog. What's your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds  want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).  A Hot Toddy is my favorite bedtime drink. It’s hot water, lemon, honey and two fingers of scotch. 

Thanks, Adrienne, for stopping by the blog!

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Dormaine G

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I spoke with Author Dormaine G. on the release of the first book from her Connor series, Connor.

1) Was writing always your dream?  Initially writing was not my dream because I didn’t think it was in me but the older I became the more it became one. 

2) What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?  I try to work out before sitting down to write in order to clear my head. I like working later in the evening being that I am a night owl.  I work at the kitchen table and usually have a science fiction movie on as I write. I don’t always set a daily writing goal but try to get as much as possible done at least five days a week.

3) Can you tell us where you got the idea for your book, Connor?  Are there any plans for any sequels or other related books?   The idea of a teenage female having powers concept came from  childhood but the storyline, as a whole, came to me as I sat down to write it. I had no idea where I was taking the story or which direction only that she was going to be sarcastic, it needed to be science fiction and it felt right. There is most definitely going to be a series of books involving Connor.

4) So, about your book, are there any spoilers that you can give us from Connor?   I don’t want to give away too much but I will tell you it’s not a picture book ending and there is a love triangle.

5) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one?  No, I don’t see myself as one of the characters but I can relate to Connor since she can be sarcastic at times.

6) If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?  It would be called, ‘Why I Refuse to Grow Up’

7) What was the greatest thing you learned at school in regards to writing?  My English teachers liked my stories and told me I should write more.  Their encouragement was lasting.

8) What was the greatest thing you learned that helped you write the life-story of your characters?  Always be true to yourself instead of pleasing others or you will never be happy in life.  While writing, I relied on what felt right to me while developing the storyline and the characters. 

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up.  This is the trademark question (we're not just being overly nosy) - what's your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds  want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).  My favorite bedtime drink is either a cup of green tea with lemon and stevia or red wine preferably Point Noir.

Thanks, Dormaine, for stopping by the blog! 

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : R. Leonia Shea

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I  spoke with Author R. Leonia Shea on the release of the second book from her Relic Hunter series, Destructive Magic.

1) Was writing always your dream?  

Writing was always just something I did to amuse myself.  I have notebooks from when I was in the 8th grade and wrote the normal teenage-angst stuff that was natural for an adolescent girl.  Years later, I saved up money from a waitressing job to buy myself a computer so I could write.  That's when it became a serious ambition for me. 

2) What current book series are you known for?

The series I'm currently known for is the Relic Hunter series.  I love archaeology and myths and I read a lot of urban fantasy.  It was natural for me to combine those three things and come up with Dr. Arienne Cerasola.  I wanted her to be older - someone who had a life and a career and then had to start over.  I think that's a scary place to be in, but it's also very exciting. 

3) When and where do you write?

I write in the wee hours of the morning and usually devote Sunday to writing and editing.  A few years ago, I developed the annoying habit of not sleeping well so rather than stay in bed and obsess over the fact that I'm not sleeping, I get up and work.  I just set up an office this past spring, so I'm still adjusting to working at a desk!

4) So, you're working on the prequel to Tattered Shadows.  Are there any spoilers that you can give us from the new novella? 

I'm going to write the novella from the perspective of Finn.  As a demon who feeds on strong emotion, I think Finn would be a fun guy to tell the story of how he gets banished by his lover, Cleo.  You have to be a really bad boyfriend to make someone send you to demon-jail for a thousand years!

5) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one? 

I think I see myself as Arienne more often than I'd like to admit.  I have a successful career in another profession and in a way I'm also starting over with some the same fears she has.  There's the fear of the unknown, of what's next, of how to determine the success of the venture, but there's also the excitement of finding success and learning new things.  When I'm working on a project, I tend to see the characters more as my friends, but every once in a while I think "oh wait!  I know how that feels!" 

6) Do you have a favorite book character (not in your novels)?  Please, please, do tell who!!! 

I think my favorite character right now is Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.  She has guts, she's sharp, and completely self-reliant.  It's impossible for her to ask for help, but she takes it when offered and she never hesitates to help someone else.  I really love the way she champions causes nobody else pays much attention to and the way she'll defend to the death what is right - she has a great sense of justice and the people in her life appreciate her quirkiness.  I also relish her ability to do things that are distasteful - she really lives the "ends justifying the means" philosophy and I enjoy her twisted side. 

7) What was the greatest thing you learned at school in regards to writing?

I've often said "it was always my writing that saved me" because that was often the truth.  I'd read the syllabus in college and immediately look for what papers I would be required to write for each class.  I could give you thirty pages - typed and double spaced - on any topic you asked for - and it would be logical and well organized.  I loved crafting the papers and developing the argument.  I didn't always have a strong opinion when I started the paper, but I wrote it with conviction.  I can't tell you how many times I got papers back with a huge "A" on them and knew that it was my writing that had earned that grade. It always made me smile!  

8) What was the greatest thing you learned that helped you write the life-story of your characters?

It's been over two decades since I bought that first computer and I remember thinking "but I have no real life experience!" as I faced a blank screen.  That type of self-doubt killed some of my early attempts.  I hadn't lived, really, and I forgot that my "experience" as a writer didn't need to come from my own adventures all the time.  When I started writing seriously a few years ago, I incorporated so many things into my character's life stories because I knew people who had similar experiences or because I imagined what something would be like.  I think the biggest thing I learned was that there are some experiences that are universal but how each person reacts to those situations is very different.  

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up.  One last thing, what your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol). 

Since I don't sleep well to begin with and I always fear I'm on the verge of dehydration, I really do drink water constantly!  Some nights I'll have herbal tea or caffeine-free root beer or ginger-ale but nothing stronger than that.  I'm absolutely no fun because one glass of wine or a nice imported beer saps all of my ambition and makes me want a nap - but then I'm up again three hours later and I'm cranky!

Thanks, Leigh, for visiting the blog!

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Mahlena-Rae Johnson

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I  spoke with Author Mahlena-Rae Johnson on the release of her second book, 

Bianca Regan Where the Action Is.

1) What are you working on now?

Right now, I am working on THE BOOK OF NOA, a trilogy of intergalactic sci-fi novels. I am planning to put out the first one, ORIGINS, in 2014. I am also developing a few pilot scripts and a web series.

2) What did you want to be when you grew up?  Always a writer?

I wanted to be a lot of things when I grew up. In kindergarten, I wanted to be an astronaut. In elementary school, I did want to be a writer, then I shifted to fashion designer. In middle school, after watching D2: The Mighty Ducks, I decided I was going to be an actor, a filmmaker, and a top athlete in Jerry Bruckheimer's hockey league, despite growing up in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, which has neither ice nor a rink.

3) Do you research your novels?

I do! I didn't have to do much research for the BIANCA REAGAN series, since I have worked in entertainment for over a decade now. But for THE BOOK OF NOA, since much of the story takes place in Eastern California and Hawaii, I have been investigating the terrains and cultures and travel accessibility of those locations. Also, the main characters in THE BOOK OF NOA represent a variety of ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, and abilities, so I want to make sure that they are portrayed accurately.

4) Tell us about your titles, please.  Where do you get the ideas for them?

My first two books--STEVE THE PENGUIN and WHERE THE ACTION IS are a part of the BIANCA REAGAN series. STEVE THE PENGUIN is about a Hollywood assistant named Bianca who goes home to St. Thomas for her ten-year high school reunion. WHERE THE ACTION IS follows Bianca back in Los Angeles, as she gets caught between the worlds of politics and entertainment.

5) What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

A typical working day for me begins in the morning with breakfast at home while I listen to a podcast, and ends at night with my returning home from a networking event. In the middle, I definitely have lunch, and possibly take a nap. I usually don't have a daily writing goal, unless I have a deadline for something, like a speech I'm planning to deliver later in the week. I also try to exercise at least every other day. I especially enjoy yoga and Insanity.

I write wherever and whenever I can. Whether I'm at the doctor's office or sitting at a restaurant waiting for a lunch friend to arrive, I bring my notebook with me to detail a scene from my sci-fi series, or work on characterization for my web series. There are times when I do block off periods for specific writing tasks, but at the moment, since I am focusing on promoting my second novel, much of my day involves more marketing than generating literary ideas.

6) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one?

Well, the main character of the BIANCA REAGAN series is based on me, but the rest of the characters are fictional. In THE BOOK OF NOA series, many of my best and worst traits are spread throughout the ten main characters, like tenacity, curiosity, introversion, guilt, and ambition. 

7) Do you have a favorite book character (not in your novels)?  Please, please, do tell who!!!

One of my favorite characters is Hermione in the Harry Potter series. I identify with her need to know everything and be right all the time, and her passion for education. I also relate to the way her strength and her genius is constantly overlooked because the people in charge are more concerned about the luck-driven accomplishments of her male colleagues. Aside from Professor Dumbledore, Hermione was the most brilliant person at Hogwarts, yet the entire series focused on how a boy who was good at flying was going to defeat a criminal mastermind who could bring himself back from the dead? That said, loved the books and the movies! I've read and seen them all.

8) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?

I would have lunch with Whoopi Goldberg's character in The Associate, and she would invite along Dianne Wiest's character. We'd eat at a sushi/dim sum fusion restaurant, and on the walk back to their office, Whoopi and Dianne would hire me to set up their digital media division.

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up.  One last thing, what your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds  want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).

I'd love a Jamba Juice before bed, but mostly I drink water.

Thanks, Mahlena-Rae, for stopping by the blog!!