Michelle M. Pillow's Blog, page 45
January 22, 2015
Roxanne Rhoads, Author Interview
Roxanne Rhoads, Interview
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Story strumpet, tome loving tart, eccentric night owl…these words describe book publicist and erotic romance author Roxanne Rhoads.
When not fulfilling one the many roles being a wife and mother of three require, Roxanne’s world revolves around words…reading them, writing them, editing them, and talking about them. In addition to writing her own stories she loves to read, promote and review what others write. Roxanne is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours and operates Fang-tastic Books, a book blog dedicated to paranormal and urban fantasy books.
When not reading, writing, or promoting Roxanne loves to hang out with her family, craft, garden and search for unique vintage finds.
Q: In your book, Hex and the Single Witch you delve into the world of vampires, witches, and magick. What inspired you?
Roxanne: I fell in love with vampires when I was around 11. I found an old copy of Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire. From there I was hooked. I had always been a paranormal fan- The Munsters, The Addams Family, Bewitched, Scooby Doo…these were my favorite tv shows so when searching for books I tried to find anything with ghosts, witches and whatnot- and when I discovered vampires- well that sealed the deal and I’ve been addicted to paranormal romance ever since.
Q: When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?
Roxanne: Yes basically- in Hex and the Single Witch I mostly deal with vampires, witches and werewolves with some fae and demons thrown in (but many supernaturals are mentioned).
I used a little of the standard “monster myths” and add modern twists. Like the vampire myths- In Hex I start detailing why vampires all have different powers. Like some can mind read, some can fly, some are more sensitive to silver than others… I also start blending magick, science, and technology.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Roxanne: It’s an escape. It’s a guilty pleasure. We’ve long been fascinated with what scares us.
But now many of us have taken what scares us and made it sexy adding the erotic element of danger and power to sex. Vampires, demons, werewolves…in our everyday mundane world we are seeking something more and our paranormal romances and urban fantasy books are giving us just that. Something exciting and different that we’ll never come across in the real world.
Q: Do you have any paranormal pet projects?
Roxanne: I am the owner of Bewitching Book Tours, www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com , which specializes in virtual book tours for paranormal, urban fantasy, horror and related genres. I also publish Bewitching Book Tours Magazine www.issuu.com/bewitchingbooktours and I have a book blog dedicated to paranormal books, Fang-tastic Books www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com.
In my local area I participate in and/or donate to many of the paranormal events- Midwest Witches Ball, The Flint Zombie Walk, The Flint Horror Convention and The Flint Vampire Ball.
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Roxanne: Ummm all of them? LOL.
I love True Blood, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, and pretty much any other show that has anything paranormal.
And books- OMG the list would go on forever. A few of my favorite authors are Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, Annette Blair, Juliet Blackwell, Nicole Peeler, Chloe Neill, Laura Bickle, Theresa Meyers…and the list goes on and on.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural?
Roxanne: Oh I believe. Always have. I have had too many experiences not to. And my house is haunted. I don’t know by who or why but things happen here that cannot be explained away by anything rational.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Roxanne: Oh yes. There is one room in my house that is a hotbed of activity. As a child it was my grandmother’s room but she never would sleep in it. I always remember her sleeping out in the living room. Two of my kids have had that room and both were scared while in it. My oldest falls asleep during horror movies now. I think that has become his reaction to fear- just fall asleep and it’ll go away.
When my daughter was a baby she got that room. The things I would hear through the baby monitor creeped me out. One time my husband walked in there after hearing a noise and all the drawers on her dresser were open- even though she was in the crib and could not yet get out of it by herself. She never slept well. Then as she got older and could get out of bed by herself- she did. Every night. But as soon as she was moved to the other bedroom she never got out of bed scared.
My youngest- he absolutely refused to have anything to do with that room.
My husband has slept in there and had someone sit down on the bed only to open his eyes and see no one. Another time he thought I crawled into bed, there was even a “form” under the blanket but as soon as he put his arm around it- thinking it was me- it “poofed” into nothing and the sheet fell flat. Once he swears he saw a woman in black walk through the room and stand by the window as though she was looking outside.
I’m not a fan of the room and tend to avoid it when I can. I even close the door when I’m home alone so I don’t see anything moving around in the shadows.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Roxanne: A vampire. A friendly one not intent on draining me of my blood 
Q: If given the chance, would you become a vampire ?
Roxanne: I would love to say yes but realistically I’m not sure. Live forever and watch my family grow old and die. Probably not. At my core I’m a mom first and all my decisions are based on my children.
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a ghost?
Roxanne: I might have a heart attack and become a ghost myself.
Q: What does the future hold for The Vehicle City Vampire Series?
Roxanne: I am currently working on book 2 and hope to have it published soon.
Thanks for joining us, Roxanne!
Roxanne’s book, Hex and the Single Witch, is currently available. You can learn more about Roxanne and her books at her website, www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com.
Sampling of Roxanne’s other paranormal titles –
Hex and the Single Witch ISBN-10: 061570445, XISBN-13: 978-0615704456 Witches, vampires, demons, and more
Paranormal Pleasures Ten Tales of Supernatural Seduction ISBN: 978-0615470382 Witches, vampires, ghosts, demons and more
Eternal Desire ASIN: B003ICXITM ISBN-10: 1926704789, ISBN-13: 978-1926704784 Vampires
Insatiable ISBN: 978-1770650077 ASIN: B003ICXJS2 Succubi, incubi
Erotic Dreamspell ISBN: 978-1-60318-072-6 ASIN: B004K1EY7A Vampire/succubus
A Halloween to Remember ASIN: B0041T4J9O Ghosts, magic
Lust Bites – A collection of five erotic vampire stories ASIN: B003UNJXBQ Vampires
Spirit Lovers – Volume 2 ASIN: B003JH878S ghosts
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January 19, 2015
How to find your Audible.com Review Link
Note: This example uses the Audible US site.
1. Go to the book page.
2. Under “What Members Say” toward the bottom, choose the “Audible.com Reviews” tab.
3. Click on Your Name. That will take you to the reviews you have done on Audible.
How to article provided compliments of Michelle M. Pillow, Copyright (c) Michelle M. Pillow 2015 www.michellepillow.com
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January 15, 2015
Jaycee Clark, Author Spotlight
Jaycee Clark Author Spotlight
Michelle M. Pillow, www.MichellePillow.com
Romantic suspense and paranormal romance author, Jaycee Clark, might make plants tremble in fear at the mere mention of her name, but she’s actually one of the sweetest authors I’ve interviewed. Or course, this opinion may be influenced by our mutual love of brownies and the paranormal. Her newest release Retribution (A Ghost Cats Story) is currently in e-book.
In your book, Retribution, you delve into the world of shape shifting felines, alpha heroes and strong, sexy heroines, and demons. What inspired you to write about this?
Jaycee: Um, once upon a time, author Mandy M. Roth called me and said, “You’re going to write a paranormal and it has to have something to do with shifters…cats to be exact.” I said, “Okay.” Thus began my foray into the paranormal world the first time.
When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?
Jaycee: Yes and no. I fell in love with the history and legends of the Southwest, especially New Mexico. I had fabulous college professors and I found myself going back to things I’d learned in class at ENMU. Me, being me, I took a bit of history, sort of squashed it a dash of Taos legends, and what I knew of the area and weaved it with an evil obsessed villain, who happens to be a desert demon. To be honest, world building is challenging for me. Small details will freeze me for days sometimes. I love the challenge of thinking out of the box and just going with it, but I need parameters—which is where my New Mexico history and myths or aspects of myths came in.
What myths or legends inspired you?
Jaycee: For this Ghost Cat story and the one before, Revenge, there were Pueblo legends and a bit of Hopi and a large dash of whatever I wanted as the protagonist are actually Anasazi, a culture that has always fascinated me as there is so little known about them. Yes, I’m a nerd.
Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Jaycee: Personally, I think it’s the unknown. There are things that just can’t be explained, or explained easily and consistently enough to become common acceptance. The unknown makes them, well, edgy. So we try to find answers. I, personally, love that there just aren’t answers sometimes. You either accept the voice you heard when no one was there was real or it wasn’t. The belief in what we now call paranormal was once considered religion or just a way of life for many. The afterlife wasn’t really questioned in ancient times, no matter what culture you were a part of. Spirits simply were, communication between the worlds wasn’t weird or fringe. Omens, warnings, creatures that could be good or evil, not really human, not really other, but somehow walked in both worlds… Myths and legends throughout history and cultures attest to this. Now, though, now we have cool technology that can measure things in dimensions we can’t always see, but are all too often aware. And a vast many thinks it’s all hokey. Me, I sort of feel sorry they have a harder time than me thinking out of the box. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not real.
What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Jaycee: Shows: Haunted. I like Ghost Hunters, but I start making smart ass remarks. Haunted though has honestly scared me before. Okay, and I’ll admit, I did catch up on all the old Buffy shows as I’d never seen them before. Netflix is a wonderful thing (or an evil tempter). Movie: Poltergeist. I know, it’s old school. Scared me as a kid, but it’s classic and a fave. Ghosts that over run not only the home, but the family, their life, their safety. Portals into the afterlife? Yeah, Poltergeist. All right and Daughter of Darkness (a miniseries movie from the early 90’s) Book: Again, I’d have to go classic: Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Jaycee: I’m a Libra. I’m both. But after enough unexplained things, I’d have to confess my scales tilt more towards believing in the supernatural than not.
Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Jaycee: Well, once I was staying in Galveston, in a historic home that had survived the 1900 hurricane. Anyway, I was upstairs reading—ironically enough, about sparkling vampires. It was late and we’d had busy day. Kids were asleep in the living room downstairs. I heard, plain as day a loudly whispered, “Mama!” Looked over, and as there had been a nightlight left burning at the bottom of the narrow steps, I saw a little boys shadow. One of the rules was the kids didn’t come upstairs because they were narrow and steep and there was no railing around the top landing. Again, I heard, “Mama!” I said, “Just a minute. Don’t come upstairs.” Hurried to the top, looked down and nothing. I thought it was my youngest, shadow was about right, voice was right. But upon further investigation, all the kids were zonked out and snoring downstairs in the living room with the living room door shut. I’ll admit it kind of freaked me out for a minute, and then it made me sad. I thought, what little boy is looking for his mom?
What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Jaycee: That’s hard. A ghost? Then who? And isn’t it sad they haven’t moved on? A shifter, or werewolf. They are said to be hot. But, a vampire. I think it’s the traditionalist in me. Or the fact I loved reading Dracula too many times as a teen. I think it’s the mystery. Plus wicked cool eyes, well, blue or purple ones. Red ones might be a bit creepy. And if he sparkled I’d be soooo disappointed.
If given the chance, would you become a vampire/werewolf/shifter/alien test subject?
Jaycee: Can’t there be like a service that lets you chose a package. What would you like to be for a week, diets included (let’s face it, I really don’t want to go run down little bunny foo-foo). You could chose a different package and me, being me, I’d want the super deal, ya know? I get to be all of them for a day, though I’d add a ghost. Walking through walls might be cool. And then after my five day stint I could tell you which would be the best. Vampire would be the best I think, eating furry creatures like they were and shifters would have to…no thank you. Alien test subject? Can I have the Highlanders please because if my aliens looked like that, I’d be really happy. I know, that wasn’t really an answer was it?
How would you react if you came face to face with a vampire?
Jaycee: I’m thinking I wouldn’t screow would you react if you came face to face with a vampire?am as badly as I did when I realized the scorpion was no longer on the wall. Might depend on my mood, or if I was in deadline-hell. Let’s face it, Dracula could be reading poetry to me, or singing Beatles tunes in under roos, offering to clean my house, but if I’m crunched for deadlines I wouldn’t notice.
What does the future hold for you?
Jaycee: Well, right now Paige, my current heroine, is in New Orleans trying to decide if she wants the old medicated fog so she doesn’t see or hear the ghosts, or if she believes in herself as much as the hero does. She might want to listen to the voodoo priestess too. Paige is kind of stubborn. This is part of the Magical Temptations anthology I’m a part of with Mandy M. Roth (remember I mentioned her bossy phone calls?), Michelle M. Pillow, Jax Cassidy, and Melissa Schroeder.
Have you ever been to a psychic and/or a past life regression?
Jaycee: Had my palm read at the Renaissance Festival. Yes, I go, drag the kids too. Lots of fun, but I wish they could have been more specific—that was one of my skeptical experiences. A real psychic…no. Past life regression, I’ve had too many dreams or nightmares, I don’t want to find out they might have been true.
Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
Jaycee: Not unless they looked like hunky Highlanders complete with kilts and brogues and … no, that was probably just a dream, huh? Darn.
Learn more about Jaycee, her books, and her love of brownies at www.jayceeclark.com
Sampling of Jaycee’s other paranormal titles -Revenge: A Ghost Cat story, Firebird, Angel Eyes, Black Aura
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January 14, 2015
Dragon-shifters: Hear them Roar!
Dragon-shifters: Hear them Roar!
Dragon Lords now in Audio and Box Set!
New to Audio? Find out how you can listen to some of the books for FREE! (Restrictions and Rules Apply)
Read More: http://eepurl.com/bbhbHX
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January 10, 2015
Reader Email Questions Answered
Since I’m behind a bit, I thought I’d just post.
First, I am feeling better, so much better–THANK YOU for your lovely thoughts. The virus did knock me on my hiney, but it’s the same thing that seems to be going around to everyone. So, no, it’s nothing serious. But
It has put me a bit behind deadline, so you might not see me as much as I play catch up on the 4 different book edits sitting on my computer while writing 4 new books. Aw, the life of a busy author. I’m not complaining…ok, so I may be whining a little bit about the edit pile, LOL 
And, to answer the top three inbox questions:
1. Yes, there will be another Warlocks MacGregor book. It will release 2015. Iain’s story.
2. Yes, I really am writing another Lords of the Abyss book. Yes, finally, LOL. It will release 2015. Yes, you will find out what happened to/about Bridget’s babies. This is a case of overwhelming reader emails putting an older series back on my schedule.
3. How do I decide which book to publish next? There are a lot of factors. I only have so much time to work. Sale numbers and reader emails are two key factors that tell me what the most readers want to read. So, if you have a favorite series you think should be getting more attention from me–email me, and then spread the word to other readers.
As always, I love hearing from you!!
You might want to join the mailing list for release info, news, sales, etc: http://michellepillow.com/newslettersignup/
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January 8, 2015
Thomas J. Carey, Author Interview
Thomas J. Carey, Interview
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Tom, a native Philadelphian, holds degrees from Temple University (B.S.), California State University at Sacramento (M.A.) and attended the University of Toronto’s Ph.D. Programme in Anthropology for several years. Now a retired businessman, Tom became involved in the investigation of the Roswell Incident in 1991 by joining the team of Kevin Randle and Don Schmitt who had re-opened the active investigation of the 1947 incident. Since 1998, Tom has teamed exclusively with Don Schmitt in continuing a proactive investigation of the case. He has written over 40 published articles about Roswell and has co-authored with Don Schmitt two best-selling books, which are widely considered to be the best books on the subject of Roswell. Tom as appeared on many radio and TV shows to talk about his research, such as “Coast-2-Coast AM” with George Noory, Art Bell and George Knapp, “Dreamland” with Whitley Strieber, “Larry King Live”, “Jeff Rense” and a host of others. A major motion picture and a TV mini-series are in the works.
His newest title, Inside the Real Area 51: The Secret History of Wright-Patterson[AFB]released August 20, 2013. It is available in ebook and print.
Q: In your book, Inside the Real Area 51, you explore a topic that has fascinated people for centuries—life beyond Earth. What personally inspired you to write about this?
Carey: All of the many books written about Roswell, including our own, leave-off when the wreckage and little bodies arrive at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. We wanted to tell the story of what happened to these after the arrival. We also had never published information about the so-called “Hangar 18” at WPAFB, Project Bluebook, Dr. J. Allen Hynek and “The Jawbone That Spoke Martian.”
Q: There have been many books that have been written about Area 51. Why did you feel that another book on the subject was warranted?
Carey: Our new book is not about Area 51 in Nevada. It’s about the “original” Area 51 – Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. While Area 51 in Nevada has become a household word around the world because of its alleged ET connection, Wright-Patterson AFB, with a rich history involving ETs since 1947, has remained relatively unknown.
Q: How is this book different from the others?
Carey: Other books have mentioned Wright-Patterson either in passing and not in detail when discussing UFOs and/or Roswell. Our new book brings together under one cover the complete history of Wright-Patterson in its relation to the UFO phenomenon and Roswell.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Carey: It offers people a form of escape from the confines and hum-drum of the reality of their everyday lives. And everyone loves a little mystery in their lives too. To some people, however, it offers a form of salvation.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Carey: Of course, it depends upon your definition of the term, “supernatural.” I do believe in UFOs and Bigfoot, but I don’t believe in ghosts. Yet I believe that the spirit of a deceased human continues on – somewhere.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Carey: I have seen three UFOs, one in 1965, one in 2006, and most recently one year ago on a flight home from Dallas to Philadelphia. I also have experienced some form of synchronicity when I read a book, magazine or newspaper with the radio or TV on. My eyes will read a word or name of something at the exact same moment it is stated by someone on the radio or TV. It happened so often, I can’t explain it.
Q: When was the original Area 51 established, and for what purpose?
Carey: Area 51 near Groom Lake, located northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, was constructed by the C.I.A. in 1955 in order to conduct the testing and development of U.S. spy planes like the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird. It was later taken over by the U.S. Air Force for the testing and development of stealth technology, which appeared in the 1990s in the form of the B-2 Spirit bomber and the F117 Nighthawk fighter. Area 51 obtained its notoriety in the late 1980s, when a fellow by the name of Robert Lazar came forward and claimed to have worked there on captured alien technology.
Q: If given the chance, would you get on an alien craft?
Carey: I would get on an alien craft if it was secured (in our control). I would not get on one that was not secured. Likewise, I would have no problem facing an alien that was under control (i.e. secured) but probably would be scared if it was just me and it on a lonely road late at night.
Q: What is Wright-Patterson’s relationship to the Roswell story?
Carey: Wright-Patterson in Dayton, Ohio was where the Roswell wreckage, bodies and the one live alien were all taken after their recovery from the New Mexico desert. It was the only facility in our country that could handle such material remains.
Q: What is “Hangar 18” and are alien bodies really stored there? If not, how did the rumor of such a place get started?
Carey: There is and never was a “Hangar 18” at Wright-Patterson. The rumor of such a facility can be traced back to the early 1970s, when a Florida “Professor” by the name of Robert Spencer Carr claimed that dead alien bodies from a UFO crash were being stored there. Carr had heard stories from former civilian and military employees who had worked at Wright-Patterson and had conflated a real Hangar 23 with a real Building 18 there, where the wreckage and bodies from Roswell were really stored, into “Hangar 18.” A 1980 motion picture titled Hangar 18 served to cement this misnomer in the minds of people.
Q: What about a “Blue Room” at Wright-Patterson, where alien artifacts are/were stored? Is/was there such a room?
Carey: Yes. On any Air Force base, the term “Blue Room” is usually reserved for the most Top Secret place on the base. In 1947, that place on the Wright-Patterson base was where the alien wreckage and bodies were being stored – most likely in Building 18. U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater tried to get into the “Blue Room” at Wright-Patterson in 1963 but was denied entrance by the Air Force Chief of Staff at the time, General Curtis LeMay.
Q: Who was Dr. J. Allen Hynek and what was role in the Air Force cover-up of UFO information and public deception?
Carey: Dr. J. Allen Hynek was an Astronomy professor at Ohio State University, which was in proximity to Wright-Patterson AFB. When the Air Force established Project Blue Book at Wright-Patterson in 1951 as its official UFO investigative unit, it enlisted Dr. Hynek to be its “scientific consultant” to explain away UFO sightings as various atmospheric phenomena, such as the planet Venus, Jupitor or Saturrn, as well as meteorites, bolides and “swamp gas.” He ultimately became disillusioned with his UFO-debunking role because he became convinced that there was something real going on with UFOS, and he felt that the real good cases were not going to Blue Book but somewhere else. He later left the employ of the Air Force and created his own, private UFO-study organization, the J.Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies. He died in 1986 without ever being confided to by the Air Force as to what UFOs really were.
Q: What new book are you currently writing?
Carey: We are currently doing mega interviews for our current book just released, Inside the Real Area 51. We have already, however, put together a working outline for our next and final book about the Roswell incident, UFO Recovery at Roswell: Evidence in Need of Disclosure, which we hope will contain “proof” of its reality. A late 2014 or early 2015 release date is planned.
Q: Do you have any paranormal pet projects?
Carey: Our third major archaeological “dig” at the alleged Roswell UFO crash site will take place this month (October, 2013) in the hope of finding actual physical evidence from the 1947 crash. We will be excavating in places that have not been excavated previously. We are also close to production of a motion picture based upon our book, Witness to Roswell, and Stan Friedman’s book, Top Secret Majic. The title of the movie will be Majic Men and should be out in 2014. A four-part mini-series of two hours each based upon our book, Witness to Roswell, is also in the planning stages for 2014. Work continues on trying to better “read” the so-called “Ramey memo” and in doing due-diligence with regard to another possible “smoking-gun” piece of evidence.
You can learn more about Thomas and his books at his website, www.roswellinvestigator.com.
Inside the Real Area 51: The Secret History of Wright-Patterson (2013); New Page Books, Pompton Plains, NJ; ISBN-13: 978-1-60163-236-4; UFOs/Astronomy & Space Sciences
Witness to Roswell: Unmasking the Government’s Biggest Cover-Up (2009); New Page Books, Franklin Lakes, NJ; ISBN-13: 978-1-60163-066-7; UFOs
Witness to Roswell: Unmasking the 60-Year Cover-Up (2007); New Page Books, Franklin Lakes, NJ; ISBN-13: 978-1-56414-943-5, ISBN-10: 1-56414-943-9; UFOs
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January 1, 2015
Armand Rosamilia, Author Interview
Armand Rosamilia, Author Spotlight
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Horror Author Armand Rosamilia is a New Jersey boy currently living in sunny Florida, where he spends nearly every waking moment writing. This Jersey-Floridian hates long walks on the beach, which probably gave him the time to write over 100 stories including the extreme zombie series, Dying Days, and the Keyport Cthulhu series, a paranormal horror in a Lovecraftian vein. His books are in ebook and print at regular book retail outlets.
Q: In your book, Chelsea Avenue, you explore the concept of elemental horror. What inspired you to write about this?
Armand: I didn’t see it being used in more traditional horror books anymore. If it’s an evil it is usually a common monster (zombie, vampire, werewolf) or a demon or Devil. I haven’t read a good horror book with paranormal elements featuring an elemental god-like creature in forever. If ever?
Q: When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?
Armand: It is firmly set in the real Long Branch, New Jersey. The story begins with the real fire that gutted the Haunted House Pier, but I gave it an added twist by making the fire because of battling elemental brothers.
Q: What myths or legends inspired you?
Armand: Every other block of New Jersey, especially in this older area of the ‘Jersey shore’ (I hate that, by the way) has a ghost story or three. My mind started thinking of a ghost story but then it evolved (devolved?) into what it became.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Armand: I believe. As a child I had several experiences that make me believe there is some things we just don’t understand.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Armand: When I was a child I stayed at my grandparent’s home, and they had a creepy old basement. I went to go downstairs to get my paper bag of toys and the bag was floating. I screamed and it fell. Everyone swears I threw the bag down the steps.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Armand: Fear of the unknown drives all of us, I think. I know I like to read about normal people in abnormal situations. To maybe see what I would do, or how fast until I cried for my mommy.
Q: Why are the lines so blurred between genres, and why are there so many different subgenres for the same thing?
Armand: I don’t know. I wish I knew. We’ve stopped being satisfied calling it Paranormal or Horror or Romance, and feel the need to combine 2-4 genres into one to get an idea what the book is about. I feel it is limiting. I call my books horror or paranormal or whatever I’m writing. I hope a publisher never calls one of my books paranormal horror thriller romance nonfiction.
Q: Do you have any paranormal pet projects?
Armand: I do a podcast weekly, Arm Cast: Dead Sexy Horror Podcast, and I interview not only horror authors but those who fall into other genres as well. http://armcastpodcast.com
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Armand: As a kid, Poltergeist scared me enough to sleep with a light on for weeks. Which my younger brother was not happy about. I’ve always loved reading horror novels with a paranormal element to it.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Armand: Ones that won’t rip me apart and eat me. Those would be nice. A unicorn for my youngest daughter so she stops asking me for one every Christmas.
Q: If given the chance, would you become a shifter?
Armand: Actually, I’d like to be a doppelganger so I could take the form of people I don’t like and do bad things to other people I don’t like, and not be blamed. I’ll stop right there, just in case I do become one. Then you can’t point back to this interview and get me in trouble.
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with, say, a ghost or a vampire?
Armand: I’d do like I did as a child. I’d scream like a lunatic and hope it went away.
Q: What does the future hold for Tammy Kelly in Chelsea Avenue?
Armand: You’ll have to read the book to find out. I rarely have a happy ending in my books, and if I do the character really has to earn it.
Q: Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
Armand: Not that I can remember. I thought I had once but it turned out to be two bottles of Mad Dog 20/20 that wiped out my memory.
Thank you for joining us, Armand!
To learn more about Armand and his books visit http://armandrosamilia.com
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December 23, 2014
#8 New York Times Bestseller!
Over 25k copies sold in the first week alone! #8 NY Times Ebook, #11 Ebook and print NY Times Bestseller List and #41 USA Today!
Read more here: http://michellepillow.com/title/determined-prince/
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Check it out! New Website Features!
If anyone wants to play on my website I just finished the book pages today. You can now easily share your favorite pages, books, get direct links to leave reviews. I’m open to suggestions if there’s something you think is missing.
Check it out!
www.michellepillow.com
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December 18, 2014
N.J. Walters, Author Interview
N.J. Walters, Interview
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
N.J. Walters loves to write in all genres of romance including contemporary, time travel, futuristic and erotic, but most especially the paranormal. She has always been fascinated with the paranormal and even once lived in the caretaker’s house in a cemetery. Her newest release, Howl of the Wolf (Samhain Publishing, Oct 2013) is part of the Hades’ Carnival series. The story delves into the world of shapeshifters, where a group of immortal warriors are cursed to remain in their animal forms until they are set free. That’s when the fun really begins.
N.J. has authored over 60 books. She was awarded a 2008 Eppies for Best Erotic Romance Contemporary/Suspense Mystery and nominated for the 2010 RT Book Reviews Small Press Erotic Romance award.
Q: Why did you want to write about shapeshifters for the Hades’ Carnival series?
Walters: It’s funny, but the idea for this entire series actually came from a blog quiz I did a few years ago. The quiz told you what carnival ride you were most like. Not surprisingly, I was a carousel. That got me thinking about carousels and I started asking questions. What if the animals on the ride weren’t horses, but were more exotic? What if they were really immortal shapeshifting warriors who’d been cursed and were now stuck in their animal form? What would it take to release them? Who cursed them? It didn’t take long for the ideas to start flowing and the Hades’ Carnival series was born. What’s wonderful about this series is I get to delve into not just one shapeshifter but many, including a white tiger, bear, lion and wolf.
Q: Did you base Howl of the Wolf off of known myths throughout history?
Walters: I’ve built worlds around known myths throughout history. One of my favorites is the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which figures prominently in my book Out of Shadows. For the Hade’s Carnival series, I did include some of the Greek gods as well as a little known goddess—The Lady of the Beasts. I don’t like to tie myself too much to known myths. I much prefer room to play.
Q: What myths or legends inspired you?
Walters: Like many authors who write paranormal romance, I have to credit some of the classics like Dracula, which inspired my erotic contemporary Harker’s Journey. Then there is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I’ve written several books in which the heroes are wounded beasts in need of taming. These classic tales are so original and have held up all these years. Then there is the whole myth of the werewolf. What writer can resist tapping into a creature as elemental as a wolf who is also a man.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Walters: I think it’s the fact the paranormal is outside the realm of the everyday, the normal. They tap into the more primal aspects of our nature in a safe and socially acceptable way. Plus, they’re just fun to read.
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Walters: I absolutely loved the X Files and Fringe. Kindred: The Embraced was short lived, but really good. And, of course, Ghost Hunters. For movies: Dracula, Lost Boys, The Crow, and the Underworld series are at the top of my list. I could go on and on and on. There really are so many great paranormal shows and movies to watch.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural or are you a skeptic?
Walters: I’m a believer. I’ve had several experiences in my life, one positive and the rest scary, that make me believe in the paranormal.
Q: Can you tell us about this scary paranormal experience?
Walters: I lived in a haunted apartment back when I was eighteen years old and that was unnerving. I was sharing the place with two other people and none of us was saying anything about our experiences to the others until one night it all came out. All of us had some strange experiences. I woke one morning to see purple flames coming out the top of my clock radio. Another time I saw something looking back at me from the mirror. A chair used to turn around on its own and face away from the room. It’s the one place I’ve lived where I’d reach around and turn on the light before entering a room. Needless to say we moved out within a few months.
And I’m not someone who is easily frightened as I did at one time actually live in the caretaker’s house in a cemetery. The house faced the road
but three sides faced into the graveyard. I used to walk through the cemetery every day to get the bus and I wasn’t bothered at all.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Walters: That’s a tough one. An old vampire would have so much to share, so many stories to tell. But a shapeshifter would be a fascinating creature. If I have to pick one, I’d say a werewolf.
Q: If given the chance, would you become a vampire?
Walters: I’d love to live forever, or at least a heck of a long time. So many books to read and places to visit. It would be fun, but it would be hard to see everyone around me age and die. If given a chance, I think I’d say yes.
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a vampire?
Walters: Honestly, if I came face to face with a vampire I’d probably be so scared I wouldn’t be able to run. Either that or I’d set a new land speed record. Ghosts don’t frighten me as much, but a vampire would. A ghost won’t look at me as a possible meal.
Q: What does the future hold for your writing?
Walters: I’m currently working on a new werewolf series for Samhain Publishing—Salvation Pack. The first book is Wolf at the Door. I’m planning at least five books in this series and am having so much fun writing it.
Q: Have you ever been to a psychic and/or a past life regression?
Walters: I visited a psychic with some friends when I was a teenager but nothing she said came true. I did meet a man who was psychic. (He was a friend of the people I was boarding with at the time.) I was a teenager, but he looked at me one day and told me I’d just met the man I was going to marry. I’d just started dating the man who would become my husband.
Thanks for joining us, N.J.!
You can learn more about N.J. and her books at her website, www.njwalters.com.
Sampling of other paranormal titles
Alexandra’s Legacy—(E-book) ISBN: 978-1-60504-803-1 (werewolf)
Damek’s Redemption—ISBN: 978-1-61921-290-9 (vampire)
Mark of the Bear—(E-book) ISBN: 978-1-61921-435-4 (shapeshifter)
Harker’s Journey (E-book) ISBN: 1-4199-0138-9 (erotic/vampire)
Out of Shadows (E-book) ISBN: 9781419929212 (shapeshifter)
A Touch of Magick (E-book) ISBN: 978-1-60928-240-0 (paranormal/magick)
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