RKCLose:As I’m sure you are a fan of vampire stories, what would be your favourite tale, except your own?I was horrified to push the button to publish the first chapter. Not only was it the first chapter I’d made public but it was the first time I’d written anything more than a Christmas card. Unlike so many other writers, I only dreamed of writing stories because I loved to read books and thought it was above my abilities to actually write a story.
May:I’m sure many of the readers can relate to that. Putting a story, our baby, out there up for criticism, of any kind, is beyond scary. Thankfully, the Wattpad community is very nice.
RKClose:As usual, I like to ask interviewees an abstract question or two. So, here’s the first one. If you and Samantha Chase, the female MC in the Red series, were out to have fun, where would you guys go?That’s a difficult one to answer because when it comes to vampires there are so many awesome stories. All of the Ann Rice stories are excellent and my current favourite on Wattpad would be Leila Adams, ‘Offering’. I really like her take on vampires. It’s fresh and she really knows how to keep the tension high from chapter to chapter. I enjoy stories that keep me on the edge of my seat.
May:I swear I should read Ann Rice’s books. I can’t believe I haven’t yet. I have watched every movie adaptation of her work. At this point, I feel I need to fit it into my schedule sometime.
RKClose:Could you tell us a little bit about your writing process?Hmmmm. Sam likes to cut loose with her friends who are more like family to her. But most likely we would do a CrossFit class together and then go pig out on a big breakfast. I can’t hang with her at night. I’m ready to crash by 9:00 p.m. *yawns* *giggles*
May:*laughs* I can actually imagine that and I think sticking around her at night may prove to be a dangerous ordeal.
RKClose:For every writer out there, this question will be answered differently. What drove you to write?Oh, gosh! That might scare my readers. *laughs* I just write. I just need to know the general direction I’m heading and then I let the characters dictate the story. Most of the time, I really don’t know what will happen in the next chapter beyond a vague notion. I have found that the second story in a series takes a little more thought because you’ve set all these parameters in the first story that you are free of when writing the first book.
Once I sit down to write, it’s pretty easy as long as I have uninterrupted time. I can knock out a 2000-3000 word chapter in 3-5 hours. It’s finding the time and balancing all the other things happening in my life that makes it more challenging.
May:I know what you mean. Writing a chapter for me can take anything between 3-6 hours and sometimes I feel really drained afterwards and have little energy to do anything else.
RKClose:This is the toughest question by far. I hope you’ve prepared yourself and have used the seatbelt provided because it requires a lot of thinking and possibly an explosion. Red or Blue? The answer to this will forever designate you to a team, so choose wisely.As I said before, if I had to pick my dream job it would be an author. It’s always been in the back of my mind but life was busy and finding time for yourself when you are a mother is difficult. I’ve only recently arrived at a place in my life where my kids are mostly self-sufficient (I say that loosely). Once I started writing that first chapter, I was addicted! Writing fulfils me on so many levels. I’m sometimes sad that I didn’t figure this out sooner. But it’s like someone gave me a precious gift and I don’t plan to ignore it or put it on a shelf. Writing makes me happy. People reading my work takes ‘happy’ to a whole new level!
May:There really is no better feeling than finding something that’s like a calling in life. I felt lost and quite depressed before I started writing. To me it’s therapy while to many others our there it’s torture.
RKClose:Looking back on your writing experience so far, what would you say is your biggest achievement to date?Hopefully, I’m just choosing a colour preference but I lean toward Red….red night, red moon, 3rd red book. Lol, I hope that’s a good answer.
May:Every gamer out there now knows you belong to the red team, Russ.
RKClose:As I am running out of questions, I simply have to ask this. Out of all your male characters, which one would you date in real life if ever given a chance and why?A week ago, I would have said that when my story RED NIGHT was featured by Wattpad, but now I would have to say being offered a publishing contract for my three book series is the biggest achievement so far! It’s not official so I won’t mention more than that.
May:I’m sure everyone reading this is crossing their fingers for you and for your future success in your career. I do hope that publishing will be a good journey for you to gaining more exposure and readers.
RKClose:Could you share some writing advice that had worked for you with the readers?I know that 75% of my readers will want to kill me but I have to say Alex. Only because he appeals to me on so many levels. He’s almost as strong as a vampire, attractive but unassuming, and intelligent. Plus, he has a lot of awesome tattoos that you wouldn’t know were there most of the time. Alex is loyal, faithful, and generous and he has angel blood in his DNA. Also, I think he’s a bit spiritual as well and I like that level of depth to a man.
May:Ah, poor Adam. I am sure he’s sulking in your head right now.
RKClose:Are there any projects you are currently working on that you would like to share with everyone reading this?I know this is said over and over but there is no better piece of advice for someone who wants to be a writer. Read, read and read everything you can get your hands on. Fall in love with the written word and you will be on the way to becoming a writer by simply absorbing how and what others have already written. I might note to start writing something, every day, even if it’s just a journal of thoughts and ideas.
May:Personally, I think a balance has to be there. To improve, we must read the works of others as well as write as much as possible. It is hard to achieve, yet, as long as there’s a will, there’s a way, right?
RKClose:Only that I’m working on wrapping up book two of ‘The Red Trilogy’ and I’ll start book three as soon as that’s done with only a short break. I have in mind some novellas of back-stories to go along with the trilogy that I am considering. One would be the history of Adam, Zac and Katherine. Another might be the back history of what’s different about Sam and why. And I’ve had some requests for more of Dayna and Jacob’s story. I’m also searching for some ideas for another separate series to work on once the trilogy is complete.
May:That sounds just like me. I am flooded with work and have so much writing backed up that I’ll be old and wrinkly by the time the side stories are finished. It was a great pleasure to have you here with me and thank you so much for answering the questions.
For those of you interested in her stories, check out the blurb for RED NIGHT below:
Samantha knows what hides in the shadows…and now they know about her.
Beautiful, immortal, deadly, and living right under our noses. Vampires are real. How do I know this?
Because I met Adam, and he’s one of them.
My name is Samantha Chase, and I’m a private investigator. My life is about to change forever. Everything I thought I knew about the world around me is wrong, so very wrong.
Death in the desert.
A serial killer with an appetite for young blondes is on the loose in my city, and he’s just added me to the menu. I’m a pawn in a game played by beautiful monsters, and one wrong move could be my last.
If having one immortal after my heart isn’t enough to convince me I’m out of my league, there’s another one after my blood.
When did I become so popular?
Adam may be my only hope. Or he might be the wildest—and deadliest—mistake I’ve ever made.
Also, you can find her through the following links: Wattpad, Twitter, Website.
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