Book Tour: Interview - Hot Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

Welcome to the second day of my participation in the Book Tour for Hot Chocolate by Dawn Greenfield Ireland.  

Today you're in for a treat, because I have an interview with the author, Dawn Greenfield Ireland, and she is even funnier than her book!

Dawn Ireland is the author of two self-published award-winning books: The Puppy Baby Book (a fill-in-the-blanks baby book for anyone who adopts a puppy), and Mastering Your Money which she hopes to get into every high school and college across the country.

She’s been writing stories since attending summer camp around the age of seven. To date she has written five novels (one contemporary mystery and four science fiction), 15 screenplays (comedies, dramas, one horror, action adventure and science fiction) three short scripts and five reality TV concepts.

I caught up with Dawn and despite her busy schedule, she answered some questions for me.  Let's find out more about her:

 

     Most of your main characters are middle-aged.  In a time where younger heroes and heroines abound, what made you decide to go with older characters and were you worried it might affect the success of your book?

I’m a Baby Boomer… we Boomers are getting to the point of retiring from the day job, or have already retired so we need something to do, or someone to follow.  One of my favorite TV shows was Golden Girls staring Bea Arthur.  That’s what I see in my head when I think of my characters: quirky middle-aged women who are set in their ways, opinionated and sassy. I had test readers for my first draft and the majority of them were 20-30 years younger than me and they LOVED the characters.  Everyone seems to identify with them and enjoy them so I don’t think there’s going to be a problem with finding my audience or success with the series.  Once you open the cover, you get sucked into the story and the ages don’t seem to matter.

     Who are your favorite authors to read?  Have any inspired your writing?

I read a wide variety of genres, from science fiction to horror to mystery to romance, paranormal, history, research and scientific books – I swing from a wide pendulum.  Some of my favorite contemporary authors are: Ann Brashares, Sandra Brown, Patricia Cornwell, Terry Goodkind, Janet Fitch, Dick Francis, Colson Whitehead, Leon Uris, John Updike, John Steinbeck, Neal Stephenson, Anne Rice, Janet Evanovich, Thomas Harris, Stuart Woods, Frank Herbert, Dean Koontz, Rudy Rucker, Steig Larson, Lee Child, and of course Stephenie Meyer.  I just finished reading the two Lorien Legacies books (I am Number Four and the Power of Six) and I’m sad to hear that the two authors have had a dispute so I may not get to read the rest of the series.

Many have inspired me.  Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum inspired the Hot Chocolate gals.  Edgar Rice Burroughs and Arthur C Clarke were inspirations for some of my science fiction.

       Do you think being such a success at your technical writing helps or hinders your creative writing?

There’s no doubt about the role my years of technical writing have played in my creative authorship. Technical writers are methodical. Everything has an order and you can’t do something out of order without consequences. I’m also very practical in my approach to all projects. When I get an idea for a novel or screenplay, I jot it down, then I expand on it, move things around so that they follow an order, and fill in the gaps. Most of the times I have to have an outline to keep me on track, but the outline is only a suggested path. It changes as events take place.

      If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, when would you go and what would you say?

I would return to two different periods in my life where I would have pulled myself up by the bootstraps, had I the chance and a time machine.  The first time I would return to is my 16 years-old self.  I would have gripped my shoulders and told me to forget about boys, study hard, get good grades, graduate, go to college, pursue history and creative writing.  That did not happen.  I quit school and got a GED a decade later.  The second time I would choose would be to get a grip on my 30-yr old self and tell her to get to college regardless of the sacrifices.  That didn’t happen and should have.  One of these days I may complete that journey and get that degree.

      I read that you are working on the second book in the Hot Chocolate series.  I know there will be new characters along with the old favorites.  But let’s get to the important issue.  What new food and drinks will be presented?

Lalalalalala… I don’t hear you. Yes, I’m currently working on Bitter Chocolate where you will meet Benny, Chewy, Jingo and Carmichael, and Roger (I keep forgetting to mention Roger Bainsworth III). You’ll love them and the roller coaster ride of the plot. However, I’m not giving any hints on food or drinks. You’ll have to suffer through the waiting. (This is my cruel streak coming through.)

     Besides Hot Chocolate, name one or two books you think everyone should read at some point in their life.

Everyone has their own taste in reading.  What I love you may hate, so I have a difficult time narrowing this down to one or two books.  I think everyone should read the classics.  They should read Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Louisa Mae Alcott (most likely a distant cousin to Lila Mae Alcott) and Daniel Defoe.

     What other projects are you working on?

You may have read somewhere that I started my novel writing back in the late 70s with science fiction. There are currently three science fiction novels and one futuristic novel sitting on a shelf tapping their toes waiting for their turn to shine.

Prior to getting Hot Chocolate ready for publication I had been working on The Last Dog - my futuristic novel. I have invested a lot in that book with different types of editors and I am now to the point where I am working on the final draft from the last editor’s comments. Whether you are a dog lover or not, if you have a family and would do anything to protect and keep your family together, then you will want to read this book.

I am also preparing for my big webinar (online seminar) titled: Nuts and Bolts Guide to Publishing an Award-Winning Book. The maiden voyage is Feb. 28, 29 & March 1 (followed by March 6, 7, & 8) on your computer or smart phone (cocktails and fuzzy slippers optional), at 6:30 CST. Sign up at my website: www.dawnireland-writer.com/webinars.html

It will be 1-1/2 to 2 hours each night for three consecutive nights. If you have written a book, are planning to write one, or have one sitting in a drawer, this workshop is for you. My two award-winning books were not accidents. They are very well planned out books and participants will shorten their learning curve from my experience. Also, if a participant can’t make one of the nights, they will be able to go online and watch the presentation as many times as they want.

      What question have you wanted to be asked that no one has asked you?  Tell us the question and answer it, please.

No one has asked: Are you available for dinner Friday night? Oops… I guess you didn’t mean a dating question, huh?

I would say the question no one has asked is: How does your family feel about your writing?

Answer: They are very supportive and have been in my corner for decades waiting for my “big success” to arrive. I try to explain that every writer wants to be recognized. Not everyone wants the “big success”, and it doesn’t always happen. You have to just embrace your writing and write from the heart; satisfy yourself with your stories. Then, if by some quirk of fate the world of readers discovers you and embraces your books, you have found your place. 

1   Thank you, Dawn!

Author Interview: Christine Nolfi - Treasure Me

 My regular readers will recognize this book, as I reviewed it a couple weeks ago.  Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi is a great book and Christine has offered to chat with us.

Christine Nolfi and family

Did you always want to be a writer, even when you were growing up?

Honestly, I can’t recall a time when I didn’t write. Poems. Short stories. Later, novels. After college, I owned a small public relations firm in northeast Ohio. But I was always moving toward the day when I’d write fiction.

Like all writers, I began with an insatiable hunger for reading. As a child, I used to wander through libraries drawing my fingertips across the spines of books. I felt like I was touching other souls, reaching into other lives I would only know through their words.

What kind of books do you enjoy?

I read across genres. I loved Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain is a favorite—who wouldn’t admire the gymnastics required to produce a novel from a dog’s point of view? I’ll read anything Nora Roberts pens. Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian, Michael Crichton’s Next, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple—my addiction is only tempered by the number of hours I can reasonably allocate to feed a reading habit.

What is the biggest obstacle you have to overcome when you want to write?

This may sound strange, but my biggest obstacle involves knowing when to stop and rest. I get utterly caught up in my character’s lives. During the first 100 pages I’m able to conduct a normal 9 to 5 routine. By page 250, all bets are off. I wake in the middle of the night with half of a scene spilling from my subconscious and hurry to the computer. Midway through dinner I leap up to scramble for pen and paper because I’ve suddenly solved a story problem. It becomes rather silly, but my young adult children and fiancé are very understanding.

Since you are a new author, what are a few of the best tips you’re received about your writing?

I began writing fiction full-time eight years ago. The best advice came from editors at Penguin and Random House who were interested in my novels, and from literary agents. In each instance I was urged to go deeper into characterization, to put more emotion on the page. I also learned that even though I initially thought I was writing for the romance market, my stories are women’s fiction. Seven years ago, I didn’t understand the distinction between genres.

What was life like before writing?

My twenties and thirties were a blur—working in public relations, living from deadline to deadline. Then my now ex-husband and I adopted a sibling group of four children from the Philippines. Moving from career woman to fulltime mother was a shock. It took many years of doctor visits to The Cleveland Clinic to heal my kids—today they’re all healthy, happy adults.

What is one thing your readers would be surprised to know about you?

The age thing is usually the biggest surprise. I’m fifty-two years old. People usually think I’m much younger. And the composition of my family is always a surprise. It’s not every day you see a single mother with four adopted kids. I affectionately refer to my children as The Asian Invasion. We definitely stand out in any crowd.

When is your next book coming out and can you tell us about it?

Second Chance Grill will appear on Amazon this autumn. It’s a “prequel” of sorts to Treasure Me that depicts the love story of Dr. Mary Chance, the town’s doctor, and Anthony Perini, a single dad with a precocious daughter. Of course the feisty women of Liberty—including Theodora—will be featured. You’ll learn a little more about the “bad blood” between Theodora and Ethel Lynn. Their battle was “fur and feathers” in Treasure Me. In Second Chance Grill, they’re even wilder.

I’ll also release a darker stand-alone novel in September, The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge. And the paperback version of Treasure Me will be available in several weeks!

Where and how can your readers find out more about you and your upcoming books?

I’d be delighted if they’d follow me on twitter @christinenolfi and visit my blog:

http://christinenolfibooks.blogspot.com/



Author Interview: J.A. Paul

I've had the privilege of getting to know J.A. Paul, the author of Gladius and the Bartlett Trial.   He's a truly delightful person and a great writer!  He graciously agreed to do an interview for us, so without further ado:

1.  Hi Jason!  Thanks for the interview.  Would you tell us a little about yourself?

I have lived in the great state of Minnesota my whole life. I love the changing seasons and always look forward to the next one while doing my best to enjoy the current season. I started writing in the 1990’s and published my first fantasy adventure novel for young readers this past spring. My family and I enjoy the outdoors and try to partake in it as much as possible. Having three boys makes that a rather easy endeavor.

2.  Did you read as a kid, and if so, what books were your favorites?Yes, my favorite reading as a kid was the Ranger Rick magazine and Zoo Books. Then it progressed to The Hardy Boys to The Hobbit to LOTR series and so on.

3.  Tell us about your efforts towards getting kids, especially teen boys to read.This subject is near and dear to me – any chance I have I try to be an advocate for getting boys (kids) to read more. I have three boys and want them to be readers and grow from it. Many boys start to lose interest in reading at a young age and often don’t return to reading until late in life. If you have boys at home who struggle with reading, don’t force it on them. Instead read to them. Read whatever they want to them. Let them read whatever they want; comics, magazines, easy books, picture books, chapter books… just get them in the habit of making time to read. Calvin and Hobbes works wonders in my house! My 4yo loves to go to the library and pick out his own books. I also try to read in character acting out the voices – it’s the most fun with the children’s books and my kids love it when I do.

4.  What got you started writing?I think it was Loius L’Amour non-western books and sense of adventure that made me first want to write a story like him. So, I wrote some really bad short stories until I decided to get serious about learning the craft of writing. I enrolled in some writing classes, read dozens of books and talked to many writers, but it was my own kids that made me want to write a novel. One night after a long bedtime story I was telling (acting out) to them, they asked why don’t I write my own book. Long story short that is what got me heading down the novel road.

5.  What are your favorite authors/books now?I love to read adventure stories. Some popular mainstream authors would be Clive Cussler and Michael Crichton, Michael Chabon. But I also love real life adventure authors like John Goddard and Krakauer. And of course J. K. Rowling, she’s the best for fiction!

6.  What is your favorite part of Gladius and the Bartlett Trial? For me it’s the scene with VaporRot and the Passage of No Return. It’s the whole “hide and seek” thing.

7.  Are you writing anything now?Yes! Much. I am nearly finished writing book two in the Gladius adventure series tentatively titled, Gladius and the Sea of Lost Souls. Last week I finished a fun 6,000 word short story about Gladius and his pre-Bartlett Trial days. I have also outlined another short story involving characters from Gladius and the Bartlett Trial which I hope to write soon. The short stories will be on my website http://www.authorjapaul.com/ and other free reading sites like Wattpad and Scrib’d.

8.  What question have you always wanted to be asked, but noone has asked yet?  Tell us the question and answer, please.

Have you ever tried to teach writing to children? Yes! Great question! Aside from helping my own sons develop the proper sense for story telling in their school work I have also worked with one ambitious 10 year old girl who has her mind set on becoming a professional writer one day. She sent me a story and asked if I liked it. I did and I saw something that I wanted to point out but I chose not to at the time for fear that she might take it too negatively. She then replied (via email) and asked me to be more critical because it was the only way for her to learn (her words). So, I replied with a few helpful tips which she seemed happy to learn, but she replied back again and told me to find five more. Now it was getting hard and nit-picky but I did and she was very satisfied with the outcome of the story.

A few weeks later I received another email with another short story from her. This one was much better. The writing, the characters, the dialogue… she proved she wanted to learn and she was learning. It reminds of when I coach youth sports and I see one child’s vast improvement from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. I enjoy helping kids get better and if I can do it with writing then it is all that much more enjoyable.

Thanks so much for the interview.  Can't wait for the next Gladius adventures!  Everyone remember to pick up the first in the series:

Author Interview: Abel Keogh, Author of The Third

I read and reviewed The Third a few weeks ago.  I really enjoyed the book, so I contacted the author, Abel Keogh for an interview. 

Abel Keogh is the author of the novel The Third and the memoir Room for Two and numerous short stories and poems. For nearly a decade he has worked as a professional copywriter and composed hundreds of print and online pieces of marketing collateral for technology, real estate, health care, and education organizations—including several Fortune 500 companies. Abel and his wife, Julianna, are the parents of three boys and a girl.

1.  Do you think the world of The Third is a possible future reality for the U.S.? 
One of the main themes The Third is the individualism vs. collectivism. This battle over individual liberty and the greater good has been fought as long as people have existed. So, is the future world of The Third possible? Well, that depends how much people value the freedom to have as many or as few children as they want.

2.  The Third depicted a lot of extreme recycling measures, but the focus was on the limitation of population.  Do you see that as the main way to help our environment, or were you just trying to show how far some environmentalists would go?
For decades many of the more radical environmentalists have called for world-wide population controls. The Third is, in part, an environmentalism-run-amok story.

3.  Ransom Lawe was a loyal, law-abiding citizen until his family was threatened.  How do you think you would fare in such a society?
 If a person, group, or government agency was trying to take away one of my kids, I'd do whatever it would take to protect my children. I think most parents would do the same.


4.  Is The Third to be a stand-alone book?  Or do you have ideas for a sequel? 
I have a sequel in the works and an outline for a third book. I’m crossing my fingers that the sequel will come out next year.


5.  What other works of yours can we look forward to reading?
 I’ve got a self-help book called Dating a Widower coming out in August. In addition to the sequel, I also have a young adult novel that’s in the early stages. I hope to have a solid draft done by the end of the year.

6.  Tell us the answer to a question you've always wanted to be asked (and what the question is).
 Q: What’s the one book you’ve always wanted to write?
A: One that would keep people up at night and/or give them nightmares because it’s so scary they can’t get it out of their heads. 

Thanks for the interview, Abel!



Author Interview: Sibel Hodge

Allow me to introduce Sibel Hodge, the author of  Be Careful What You Wish For

Sibel Hodge has dual British/Turkish Cypriot nationality, dividing her time between Hertfordshire and North Cyprus. She is a qualified personal trainer, sports and massage therapist, and writes freelance feature articles on health, fitness, and various lifetyle subjects. Prior to this, she also worked for Hertfordshire Constabulary for ten years.

Her first novel, Fourteen Days Later, was short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008 and received a highly commended by the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009. It is a romantic comedy with a unique infusion of British and Turkish Cypriot culture. Written in a similar style to Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes, Fourteen Days Later is My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Bridget Jones. My Perfect Wedding is the sequel to Fourteen Days Later, although it can be read as a standalone novel.

The Fashion Police is her second novel and was a runner up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition 2010 and nominated Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010 by The Romance Reviews. It is a screwball comedy-mystery, combining murder and mayhem with romance and chick-lit - the first in a series featuring insurance investigator, Amber Fox. Written in a similar style to Janet Evanovich and Harlan Coben, The Fashion Police is Stephanie Plum meets Myron Bolitar.Be Careful What You Wish For is the second Amber Fox mystery.

 Now that you know a little more about her, let's get to the questions!

1. Amber Fox is a sassy, wise-cracking investigator with wild hair.  Is she anything like you at all? Oh, yes! She's got a lot of her in me but I'm not telling you exactly which bits for fear I might incriminate myself!

2. What was your favorite part of Be Careful What you Wish For? Ooh, that's sooo hard! It's my baby so it's all my favourite. I love the fact that it's got a solid mystery combined with a lot of humor, wit, and romance. Probably typing The End is my favourite part - then you know that all the ideas in your head have finally come together.

3. Will we get to read more about Amber Fox in the future? Oh, yes! Amber loves to talk so she'll definitely back to tell another story. Just try and shut her up!

4. How do you come up with ideas for your books? It's all the voices in my head that make me do it. I write so I won't have to be medicated!

5. What do you do when you have Writer's Block? Drink a bottle of wine and throw ideas around with my husband. Well, that's my excuse for cracking the wine open anyway!

6. What's your favorite thing to snack on while writing? Nuts.

7. As most authors are big readers, what are you reading now? I've just finished Burn Out by Traci Hohenstein - a fab thriller.

8. Would you tell us a bit about what you're writing now? I'm working on some new ideas for my next chicklit novel which will be called The Hen Party. it's about a group of girls who go to Vegas for...yes, you've guessed it, a hen party. But they end up getting much more than they bargained for.

9. If you could go back in time and have a conversation with yourself, when would you go and what would you tell yourself? I'd go back to when to when I left school and tell myself that I should follow my passion to write.

10. What do you do besides write? Promotion takes up a lot of my time, but it's lovely to interact with other readers and authors. I swim, do yoga, walk, read. Oh yes...and the occasional bottle of wine!

11. What one question have you always wanted to be asked, but never were.  Tell us the question and then answer it. Question:  What was the last thing that made you laugh? Answer: I've just come back from holiday in Turkey and we booked a trip to look at Thermossos, a ruined city at the top of a mountain. When we booked it they said we'd need good walking shoes but all I had with me were flip flops so I had to borrow my husband's size 9 trainers! As I've got size 6 feet I looked like Charlie Chaplin!

So there it is!  I think we can tell exactly where Amber Fox gets her feistiness from!  We're glad to hear that there will be more Amber Fox adventures in the future.

Thanks, Sibel!

Author Interview: Sally Clements

Hello Readers, I would like to introduce you to Sally Clements, the author of Bound to Love.  Sally was gracious enough to answer some questions for us.

1. Tell us about yourself. I live in the Irish countryside, about 12 miles from Dublin. I love writing, and write romance and crime (although I haven't had any crime published, yet). I'm also a mum, so I spend a lot of time in the car, driving children everywhere.

2. Were you the kind of child that made up stories, or did writing come to you as you grew up? I've always loved writing, and when I was a kid I used to write stories and plays, and make my siblings dress up and perform them, much to their disgust!

3. What was your favorite book as a child? I had quite a few, but I think She by H Ryder Haggard was a particular favorite.

4.  How do you get ideas for your books? My heroines usually have interesting jobs that I would love to do myself! Tempest is a jeweller who replicates ancient gold artefacts, and in another book my heroine is an artisan chocolatier. I love research, and any things that tickle my interest end up in a notebook (I aways carry one). Surprisingly, these threads somehow come together into stories!

5. What was your favorite part of Bound to Love? I actually loved writing the whole book. But I have a soft spot for writing villains, so I loved getting inside Paul's head for a while.

6. What other books do you have out that we can read? My first book, Catch Me A Catch is set in the West of Ireland during a matchmaking festival, it's available as an ebook, and you can find it on Amazon and most everywhere else you can find an ebook, and I have also published a collection of short romantic stories called New Beginnings as an ebook.

7. What are you working on now? I've just sold two new romances, which will be available from The Wild Rose Press and ebook stores in the next few months. The first, Love On The Vine, features a very sexy Frenchman, and is a 'sweet' romance, and the second, Marrying Cade is set on a Tuscan island, Isola dei Fiori and is definitely steamy!

8.  Who are your favorite authors? For romance, I love India Grey, Heidi Rice, Kelly Hunter, and Abby Green. For crime, I read Jeffry Deaver and Patricia Cornwell.

9.  What are you reading now? I've got very keen on Italian detective stories, and am powering through a Donna Leon or two, and also reading James Patterson's Mary, Mary.

10. Is there anything else you'd like us to know? Just that if you're considering writing, don't push it to the back burner as I did for twenty years. Sit down and write that story inside that's dying to come out. It's very fulfilling, and you can do it!

I love meeting new people, especially readers and writers, so do check out my blog,
http://www.sallyclements.blogspot.com/ or follow me on twitter, which I'm on far too often when I should be doing something else! There, I'm @sallywriter

Thank you so much for the interview, Maria.

Thanks for the opportunity to find out more about you, Sally!  We look forward to reading your new books!

Author Interview: Christine Amsden

I would like to introduce you all to Christine Amsden, the author of Immortality Virus, which I reviewed yesterday.  First, let's get to know the basics.

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. (You can learn more here.)

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success.  They have two beautiful children, Drake and Celeste.

Now for some questions.

 Were you the kind of child who made up stories, or did writing come to you later in life?

I made up stories even as a child, usually about magic or aliens. The first story I ever wrote, at the age of 7 or 8, involved Cabbage Patch Dolls going to Mars. I found my mother's old manual typewriter in the basement, and I was drawn to it like a moth to flames.

If you could go back in time to visit yourself, what moment would you pick and what would you say to yourself?

Wow! That's a loaded question. Strangely enough, it's something I even daydream about from time to time -- usually I see myself as a teenager and tell her she's going to be okay. I suppose I'm supposed to say I would tell her about my novels, so she knew she had that dream come true to look forward to, but actually, I'm not sure I would. That's not exactly something I was ever going to give up. I was always more fatalistic about love -- "Oh, I'll never find anyone!" -- but my husband is wonderful and my only regret is how much time I wasted worrying that he would never come into my life.

In Immortality Virus, your protaganist Grace was a very strong woman going through some very dark times, yet she kept her witty, ironic sense of humor.  Does this reflect you and your usual style?

Yes. In fact, though my stories vary widely in topic and genre, the strong female protagonist working through tough times is very consistent. For example, in Touch of Fate, Marianne is trying to find a way to live with and control a prophetic ability that has always seemed more curse than gift. As far as the sense of humor, that's all me. It slips in there when I'm focused and on task, a little piece of me searching for the fun and hope in even a dark situation.

The book showed bad effects from human beings living almost immortal lives.  Do you think there are any positive effects of such long lives?

On an individual level, I can see the draw of immortality -- in part because of the fear/mystery of death, but even more because wouldn't we all just love the chance to see it all? Travel the world? There's so much to experience, and so little time....or so they say. :)

But for humanity as a whole, I'm afraid I see no advantages to very long life. In a way, I think we're already immortal -- humanity, that is -- we live on in the next generation. In this way we grow, change, and continue to learn with each passing year. We contribute to the health of the whole by caring for the next generation (not necessarily thorugh having children of our own), and caring for the planet on which we live. To use an apt cliche, it's the circle of life. We're born, we grow, we learn, we love, we nurture, and then we step aside so it can start anew. If we don't step aside, what happens to the next generation?

What was your favorite part/scene in the book?

This may surprise some readers, since it's a moment when the book kind of slows down, but I really liked the scene in which Grace meets Meg, and they begin a friendship. It was a real defining moment for Grace, and one in which she learns something from this much, much younger girl with stars in her eyes. Similarly, I enjoyed the scene in which Grace and Alexander get to know one another.

Will there be a sequel?  (hopefully)

I realize that while I brought the events in this story to a conclusion, I left the book open for a sequel. I will say that I did this on purpose, though without any clear plans to begin a sequel right away. In fact, since finishing this book, I moved onto another project that I hope to see in print soon (still looking for a publisher). Having said that, it is always possible that Grace will make another appearance, especially if The Immortality Virus does well.

What other books have you written, so we can get those, too!

My first published novel is called Touch of Fate, a paranormal suspense about a woman who can predict the future, but not change it. It is also available as a paperback or an ebook. There will be more in the future, of course -- writing is in my blood!

Speaking of the future, tell us a little about what you're working on now?

Well, I already told you I'm scrapping it, so let's see, what else...it is going to be a fantasy romance novel about two people who can move in and out of other people's dreams. They first meet in their dreams, in fact, and don't realize for some time that they know one another in real life. (And please don't quote me on that years from now when the book comes out!)

How do you overcome writer's block?

I see writer's block as a sign that something isn't right with my story. In fact, I'm going through a bout of it this week, so I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing -- I'm reading more books, responding to this interview, taking long baths, and writing stream of consciousness journal entries designed to help me pinpoint what my subconscious is trying to tell me. This process usually takes a week or two, depending upon how big a change the story needs. (In this case, it's a doozy -- I'm scrapping 40,000 words and starting over. I *might* keep the prologue. :) )

Wow, that's a lot of change!  Alright then, you're reading more books...what ones?

A Heart in Sun and Shadow -- a high fantasy/romance by Annie Bellet, who I know from an on-line writer's group, and Test of Time by Jayne Ann Krentz, who writes very nices paranormal/romance/mystery combos under her several aliases. (Although this one is a bit different -- it's an older title I just ran across by chance.)

What question have you always wanted to be asked?  And what is your answer?

Question:  I know you say you write because you've always loved it, but why did you decide to get published? What do you hope for? Money? Fame?

Answer:  I hope people will read and enjoy my books. The rest is just gravy.


Thank you so much for interviewing me. You've asked a lot of thought-provoking questions, and I enjoyed answering.

Christine

It was a pleasure, Christine, reading your book and talking to you!  I hope everyone will go out and get their own copy of Immortality Virus, the book is released on June 15, 2011.