Showing posts with label Paranormal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paranormal. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

WELCOME TERESA REASOR, AUTHOR OF HOT SEAL, RUSTY NAIL

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? 
“Welcome. Your computer is right this way. We like to read here, too.”

Hello Everyone!

I would love for everyone to give a warm welcome to Teresa Reasor, author of Hot Seal, Rusty Nail. Six years ago, I submitted my first chapter of In the Shadow of Evil and received my first critique from Teresa. I had so much to learn about writing a great story. This dear woman was so very patient as I re-discovered myself in this exciting new career. What she didn't teach me personally, I discovered from her wonderful stories. So...if you enjoy my novels, please take a moment and leave a heartfelt thank you in comments for Teresa Reasor. I owe her so much. 



Before I gush all over this post, I better start the interview. Teresa, I'm more than thrilled to have you here today. Can you tell us a little about yourself--the real Teresa Reasor behind the writer. 

I’m a Marine Corps brat and went to nine different schools in twelve years. I’m a retired art teacher and retired college adjunct instructor.  I still do art, paint, draw, quill, and create sculpture. I write a thousand words a day and I read a thousand words a day. But I never read what I’m writing. And I’m a New York Times and USA Today Best-selling Author.

If I hadn't said so before, congratulations for hitting those two incredible list. It is so well deserved. Please tell us a little about how you came to write Hot SEAL, Rusty Nail.

I came to write Hot SEAL, Rusty Nail because I was invited by Cynthia D’ Alba to be one of eight ladies writing in the SEALS in Paradise series.  I met Cynthia through the Kiss of Death Chapter of RWA when we were members of the critique group called Lethal Ladies. (Which is where I met you too.) I jumped on the opportunity because the subject appealed to me and writing Military Romance is my favorite type of book to write.
 
I love your SEALS in Paradise series and Hot SEAL, Rusty Nail is the next book on my Kindle. 
Doesn't this look yummy? I can't wait to disappear into this story!




Completing a book is an enormous challenge. What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it? In other words, what do you think drove you to complete this enormous project?

Writing is a joy and a compulsion for me. I can’t not write. Even if I’m on vacation I have my computer with me. My biggest obstacle is interruptions. I love my family. I’d step in front of a moving vehicle to save any one of them, but they still don’t understand the creative drive that compels me to write and complete the projects I take on. Because none of them create. They’re content to work a job and come home and just hang. I have too much creative energy to sit still for that length of time. I’m an artist as well as a writer. And if I’m not writing, I’m ready, painting, drawing, quilling (rolled paper filigree) or half a dozen other things. But mostly I’m writing. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get them to understand that writing is something I have to do.

I understand that completely. I talk about living in my writer's cave. My cave is my kitchen table, the center of the household. I write there because I want the family to know I'm there for them, but I still need quiet hours I can just create. It is a balancing game. 

The next couple of questions are my favorite to ask authors. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer and do you believe writers are born or made?

I think it’s a combination of both. As soon as I learned to read, I wanted to write. I wrote my first book in second grade. I believe that if you don’t love to read, you will never be a writer. I also think you have to have determination and perseverance to stick to the process and complete projects. And if you don’t love to write, you won’t be successful at it because it takes more than just putting the words on paper. It takes a keen sense of observation and insight into human nature, with a spark of creativity thrown in for good measure.

How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for a writing career?

I taught primary school Art for 21 years, seven hundred and fifty children a week. And I taught night classes at the satellite college for Eastern Kentucky University for 10 years. Writing was what kept me sane during all that, because the writing was all mine. I could lose myself in another world or century or a different life than the one that faced me everyday. My day and night job put food on the table and put two children through college and supported another one until she was on her own. My weekend job was my joy.  

I didn't write my first story until my senior year in high school. My English teacher, Mrs. Burns, and my sweet mother were the first to encourage the idea that I could be a writer. That dream lived in me for too many years. 

I mentioned my writer's cave above. What is your ideal writing space? 

My office. My son had been gone for years and I finally called him and said, “You wouldn’t feel like I was kicking you out for good if I take down your bed and turn you bedroom into my office, would you? He said, “I’ve been gone for 12 years mom, and I love you, but I’m not moving back in.” So my office was born. LOL

Great story. I can hear the same words coming out of my son's mouth. What moment in this journey are you most proud of?

When I submitted two books to a publisher and signed contracts for them both in the same month. Both were historicals, Highland Moonlight and Captive Hearts.

It's time for a few giggles. There is someone you will never meet but whom you desperately need for them to know who you are. The only way to communicate with them is to send them a box with three items. What would those three items be?
A painting (one of mine), a published book (one of mine), and a business card (one of mine).

You’re going into battle. What are you writing, who are you fighting and what is your weapon?

Since I write military romance, historical, and paranormal it could be a contemporary or historical weapon or even a magical device. I’ll go with the magical device, my soul- sucking wand in Have Wand, Will Travel. I’m fighting a clan of vampires who are trying to take over my clan’s territory, which is Scryville, Kentucky. The wand is so powerful it can suck the soul out of any vampire. All it needs is a focus( a person) to direct it. But my character has compassion for even vampires so it’s a weapon of last resort to save lives rather than take them.
  
OHHH...that was fantastic. If I had a prize for the best answer for my crazy question, you would win hands down. AND...I'm loving the soul-sucking wand. 

This next question should be easy-peasy with your imagination. Write a love story in eight words.

Love warm, passionate, breathed a promise along every nerve.

Nailed! It! If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

“Welcome. Your computer is right this way. We like to read here, too.”

LOL! What...not paints? Teresa, what is up next for you?

I have a trilogy of novellas I’m releasing October 3rd under the series title of the Have Wand, Will Travel. The first two were part of the Magic and Mayhem Kindle World. When I got my rights back I edited them and am releasing them as a standalone series.



Have Wand, Will Travel  CLICK HERE
Once Bitten, Twice Shy  CLICK HERE
Adventures of a Witchy Wallflower  CLICK HERE

Book three is a completely new release and has never been published before.
All three are available for pre-order. Currently they’re only available at Amazon.

I have to slip in here for a second. I love the new covers and just added this series to my TRP!

I  have my Military Romance titled Hot SEAL, Rusty nail. It’s one of the SEALs In Paradise series.  I’m 1 of 8 authors writing in that series. My book will be released October 16th but is available for preorder everywhere.

Where can readers find out more about your book and yourself?

Here are all my links.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I’ve loved answering your questions and hanging out here.
Read on,
Teresa Reasor

Teresa, it was wonderful getting caught up. Again, I can't thank you enough for for everything you have done for me. I wouldn't be the writer I am today without your kind and generous advice. If anyone has any questions for Teresa Reasor, please don't be shy. 

That's it for today. I highly recommend Teresa Reasor's books. She has something for everyone. As always, please take a moment for yourself and read a great book.

Hugs to all, 

Nancy C. Weeks

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

WELCOME KATHLEEN SHAPUTIS, AUTHOR OF THEIR WITCH WEARS PLAID

"There is, and always will be, such powerful magic in the pen."


Happy New Year, Everyone!
To start off 2018, I have a delightful author to introduce. Kathleen Shaputis is here to tell us a little about herself and her new release, Their Witch Wears Plaid. I read this charming paranormal romance and loved it. 

Here is a peek from my review of Their Witch Wears Plaid. 

I can’t thank Kathleen Shaputis enough for the enjoyable hours spent reading Their Witch Wears Plaid, the third book in her Baillie Castle series. On one hand, this story is a lighthearted read, lovable, funny characters, wonderful descriptive scenery of Scotland, castles, and a very handsome ghost who pops in at will. I loved our heroine Nell from the start. Her special ability—sorry—no spoilers—has always fascinated me....

You can find the whole review here.

On to the interview.

Kathleen, I'm so glad you could come by for a visit. As you can tell, I truly enjoyed Their Witch Wears Plaid. To start off this interview, please tell us a little about yourself so my readers to get to know the person behind the writer.

I believe I came into the world with a pencil in my hands. My first pieces were scripts and plays acted out by my neighborhood friends in our backyard, using the clothesline and a blanket as the curtain. In those days I dreamed of being a hermit, living in a forest and writing best-selling novels. I got one out of three so far, living in the Pacific Northwest on our two acres of woods, lol. If I’m not writing a story, I handwrite missives to relatives and friends. There is, and always will be, such powerful magic in the pen.

How about we give everyone a glimpse at your adorable cover and blurb. 

CLICK IMAGE FOR AMAZON

Even though Nell felt right at home as the palm reader at Scotland’s Baillie Castle, a romantic bed and breakfast, her own love life fell short. Surrounded daily by married and engaged couples, Nell enjoyed her independence, though there was this one sweet crush she had on a fantasy knight in shining armor.
Her delightful end of summer is shoved into a powerful hurricane of mystery when an evil druid battles for her service, throwing her into nightmares and catatonic trances. Will her infatuation with the professional knight rescue her from the darkness or is he entrenched with the dreaded Druid?
The hurricane reaches Category 5 intensity when a magic coin, the diva queen squad and a pair of witches collide at the castle. Will magic be enough to save Nell from a broken heart or cause certain death? 






Tell us a little bit about how you came to write Their Witch Wears Plaid? 

This is the last book of my Baillie Castle trilogy and I found the character Nell deserved her own HEA. She has carried a special place in my heart. I believe in palm readers and psychics and have had the good fortune of knowing a few talented ones. Nell is inspired by an incredible woman here in Olympia whose talent and love I’ve embraced for years. She’s gotten me through some tough times and encouraged my successes at others.

Kathleen sent along a couple photos I'm sure she used for inspiration. She was able to attend a writer's conference at Hever Castle. How amazing that must have been.


Kathleen in front of the gates of Hever Castle
Hever Castler, Edenbridge, 30 miles south-east of London, England




Kathleen, we both know that completing a book is an enormous challenge. What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it? In other words, what do you think drove you to complete this enormous project?

In the past twelve years, I’ve been a ghostwriter as well as an author, busy with various projects of other people’s dreams. But I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease in 2015, a debilitating, incurable nightmare. My days now are bothered by feelings of seasickness and dizzy spells. This makes it difficult to spend any major time at the computer. I had to give up my day job, ghostwriting and find I am more of a hermit shut indoors. Completing TWWP through these obstacles became possible from the love of the characters and a “never give up” attitude.

I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I'm very familiar with the love of creating new characters and worlds to ease the struggles of daily life. The best medicine in the world is your never-give-up attitude.

So here an interesting question I love to toss at my guest. Do you believe writers are born or made?

For myself, I was born a writer. However, I had a practical mother who caboshed my writing goals during most of my childhood. It was one thing to entertain the neighbor parents, but growing up meant focusing on school and getting a decent job. It wasn’t until the 90’s, I finally threw myself back into my passion. I do believe there are others who are self-made as authors. Their muse may have been chipping away for decades before breaking through to their hearts.

How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for a writing career?

I used to describe myself as a headliner for the Baby Boomer generation. I was the first of my friends to be a working single parent, take care of an aging parent, raise a grandchild, and be a Prozac Princess. If I looked back further, other events and such were mere fodder for the plot lines and characterizations yet to be.

LOL! I thought I held that title. I'm waiting for someone to write our story--The Amazing Baby Boomers.  Life does feed our already overactive imaginations. 

What is your ideal writing space? 

Though I carry a notebook with me everywhere so I can jot scenes or dialogue while waiting at a doctor’s office, the majority of my work is at a computer in my library. The room is in the front of the house with large windows overlooking Junior’s memorial garden and our cul de sac. Often black-tail deer are walking through the yard or my Pomeranians are going hysterical chasing the trash truck who had the nerve to stop at the end of our driveway.


Wow!! That is gorgeous. I can see myself hiding away in this space, warm, cozy, and doing what I love most, writing.

Now for a few giggles. There is someone you will never meet but whom you desperately need for them to know who you are. The only way to communicate with them is to send them a box with three items. What would those three ideas be?

A blank journal, a box of pens and a thick, fuzzy blanket.

Ahhh...yes! You have to have the fuzzy blanket. Here is one more if you don't mind. Write a love story in eight words.

He touched her hand and stole her heart.

Perfect! I stole this last question from author, Becky Flade. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

You have an incredible crowd waiting for you.

Yes, that would be lovely! What is up next for you?

I had always wanted to participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge and I can now check this off my bucket list. The manuscript titled Twinkies and Tranquilizers is about a confident, ERA supportive single mother in the 70’s during the disco-dancing, sexual revolution years. Her colorful, dedicated world is nearly destroyed by harassment and misogyny. I have six months to revise and edit before attending the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Conference where I hope to pitch it to a few agents.

Kathleen, I'll keep my toes and fingers cross that you find a wonderful publisher. Where can readers find out more about your book and yourself?

Check out my author page on Amazon for a listing of my books: http://amzn.to/2APaYlT

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathleenShaputisAuthor/

~~~
Kathleen, thank you again for taking the time to stop by. I loved getting to know you a little better. As always, if anyone has any questions for Kathleen Shaputis or me, please ask away by clicking on comments below. If you have trouble with blogger, please email me at nancy@nancycweeks.com and I'll post your question. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of 2018. Please take a few moments to put your feet up and read a good book.

Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks