Interview with Nilsa Rodriguez author of The Rising Moon

Today our interview is with Nilsa Rodriguez, author of The Rising Moon! The Rising Moon is a great paranormal book with shifters and vampires. My review can be found here.

We are luck to get a good excerpt of the first chapter for this interview as well, so stick with us!
1. When did you start writing?

It all began when I was a little girl and in order to tease my older sister, I would write and draw comic books about her. It was titled "Edna from outer space." Basically, I was insinuating that she wasn't human, but really an alien from outer space. LOL It would take a long time after that to really take my writing more seriously. I began writing my novel in 2009.

2. What inspired you to do it?

I always knew I wanted to write a novel and one day the story just came to me. I could not do anything, but write it. I believe my love for books is what inspired me to write.

3. Any new projects coming up?

I'm currently working on book two for The Rising Moon and another YA fiction book titled La Rosa from the block. It's sort of a West Side Story meets Pretty in Pink meets Romeo and Juliet?

4. What is your opinion on people who post bad reviews?

I don't really have an opinion about it…I mean it's their opinion on rather they like a book or not. What may not be someone's cup of tea might be for another. As a writer, I take all reviews and critique seriously both the good and the bad. It's a learning process and it's good to learn from our flaws.

5. Do you have any particular networking groups you would like to share that have helped you move forward with your success?

Yes. I really enjoy being a part of Author Central on Facebook. I've met lots of interesting writers and authors on that site that are quick to answer questions, post opinions and suggestions on how to market your book. I've made some really good friends on that site. "Shout out to all the awesome people on Author Central!" ^-^

6. Are you an independent author or are you represented by an agency?

I'm an independent author for the moment, but I do hope to eventually work with an agency.

7. What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?

First, I would advice you to join a group or an online group where you can meet other people who already have been there. Who are experienced and ready to give you advice on what to do with your writing aspiration. Never give up. Follow your heart and always dream big!

11. What are your habits when you sit down to write? Do you have to be in a certain room?

I usually write in the sunroom at the back of the house. I always carry a little notebook with me throughout the day,  to jag down any ideas that pop into my head. At the end of the day after I have already fed my family and they're asleep and the house is quiet, is when I usually put on my writers cap and begin writing.

12. Do you prefer YA or Adult?

I enjoy reading both YA and Adult. I guess it all depends on the story line. If it's interesting enough, I will read it.

13. Give us a sample of your work.

Here is an excerpt of  THE RISING MOON: 

                                                        ∞ Chapter 1 ∞

                    THE AIR FELT THICK as a sauna. Clouds clustered overhead, like black mountains violently unleashing a torrent of lightning bolts that lit up the sky, making the night bright as day. I felt in the pit of my stomach that something terrible was brewing outside. The storm was unlike any other I have ever seen before…it seemed supernatural.

            "Lia!" hollered John. His voice sounded impatient and thunderous as the storm outside. "Li-a!"

            I rushed out of bed and met him in the kitchen.

            He was drunk again. The smell of whisky reeked through his pores and clothes and met me at the doorway.        He wasn't always an alcoholic. He once was happy and full of life, but it all changed the night his wife Veena died. Her sudden and horrific death was too much for him to bear.

            The night she died, John was returning late from a hunting trip and accidentally struck an animal as he drove up the dark and narrow road that led to our house. The animal was quick and John couldn't make out what it was. All he knew was he struck it hard because the whole front bender on his truck was damaged.

            He got out, reached for his shot gun, and followed the animal into the woods, but although the animal was injured, it was still fast enough to outrun him so he decided to leave the animal alone.

            When he got home, Veena wasn't there. I was asleep and John awoke me, asking me if I knew where she was. It wasn't like her to be out so late or to not answer her cell phone---especially after he's called her four times, one phone call after the other. Worried, John set out to look for her while I asked the other ranch workers if they've seen her.

            After searching for nearly two and a half hours, John found her lifeless body a hundred yards from the house in a pool of blood. She was badly injured. She had deep wounds across her face, her ribs were crushed and her legs were broken.

            The medical examiner declared the cause of the death as being mauled by an animal. John felt that if he'd killed the animal he injured with his truck earlier that night; Veena would still be alive today. He blamed himself for her death and ever since that night, he hasn't been the same.

            "Listen girl," he said. "It seems Star has gotten out again and the storm is picking up pretty bad out there. See if you can get that stupid horse to return back to the stables. God only knows why she listens to you and not me."

            Star's an Appaloosa mare and the latest addition to the ranch. Her temperament was supposed to be gentle, but since her arrival four months ago, John hasn't been able to tame her. I'm the only person on the ranch she allowed near her. I didn't mind it at all. There was something about her human-like brown eyes that comforted me as much as I comforted her.

            "Well, are you going?" he asked reaching for a chair, but nearly missing it.

            I really had no other choice but to go out in the storm. We didn't own the ranch we lived in, the Ulric's did. And if they saw John, or smelled him for that matter, in the condition he was in tonight they'd surely run us out in a heartbeat.

            "Go on now," he said as he swooshed me with his hand.

            "Yes sir," I grumbled.

            Not caring to change out of my blue cotton night gown, I quickly put on my boots and at the sound of a roaring thunder, I reached for my raincoat and headed out the door.      The howling wind and blinding rain was harsh and poured down unsteady. It came at me from all directions, slapping me as I attempted to make my way through. I pulled the strings on the neck of my hood to keep it from falling, but it was no use, my hair was already drenched and now stuck to my stinging face.

            "Star!" I shouted over the smacking rain. "Where are you girl?"

            Unable to see where I was going, I stepped on a thorny bush beside the stable wall. Blood ran warm and quick down the side of my leg. With a slight limp, I hopped into the stables and examined the wound. I was relieved that it was just a mere scratch, but boy did it sting! I limped over to where the horses were and to my surprise Star was there staring at me with those large brown eyes.

            It was obvious by the look of her chestnut coat that she was dry. What John saw outside the stable wasn't Star or any of the horses because all six of them were dry and cozy in their stall. 

            Bordering with the Shoshone National Forest it wasn't rare to come across a wild animal every now and then. We've been visited by grizzly bears, coyotes, elks, and wolves on the property many times before. 

            John was drunk and the storm was blinding. There was no way he could've known what he saw out there wasn't Star. I'm sure he must've saw something, but whatever it was the bullying storm chased it away. I locked the stable doors and rushed back home.

             I limped back to my room closing the door behind me. I wrapped my dripping hair in a towel and wiped the blood off my leg. The wind was becoming fainter, more like a whisper as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. I turned on my side and faced the window as a cool breeze crept in through a crack in the window frame. The sheer ivory curtains swayed gently, twinkling against the dark wood panel walls and floor.

            Hugging my pillow tight, I began to think of Veena. On how her brown eyes always sparkled when she smiled and how her short dark hair always smelled like lavender. She was the only person who truly understood me. She and John treated me like family and I was grateful for that, and just like John, I missed her too. Especially on nights like tonight.

The following morning the sky was blue and promising. I pulled myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I stood there brushing my teeth glancing hard and deep at the person staring back. I wondered if I looked like my father. Was he pale like me? Or maybe I looked like my mother?

            I looked closely into my large blue eyes. At the white pigment in the iris of my left eye that resembled a half moon. I was five years old when it first appeared.

            Dr. Parker, a medical doctor from River View Hospital, diagnosed it as heterchromia. He told me it was mostly common in animals, but it can also be past down genetically in humans. I always wondered which of my parents had it.

            No matter how many times I tried to remember them, I couldn't. All I knew was what was told to me: that they were killed in a car accident when I was four years old. When I thought back to my early childhood, all I could remember were the countless nurses and doctors from River View Hospital. I was sent to live there after my first foster parents, claimed I would howl at the moon and constantly suffer from night terrors.      

            Although they tried their best to comfort me, their attempts had reached its limit on the day they found me asleep outside, naked and covered in dirt and leaves. They felt I was too much for them to handle so they decided to return me to the state, which then sent me to River View where I was diagnosed with Lycanthropy, a rare psychotic disorder that causes the person to believe they can transform into an animal.

            During my time at the hospital, Dr. Parker helped me overcome the night terrors that he believed triggered the disorder through medication and psychotherapy. I haven't had any night terrors in a very long time. But ever since the night Veena died, my nightmares have returned and several times, I've found myself waking up in the woods.

I pulled out my favorite dark blue jeans, white cotton blouse and red hooded sweater from the closet and got dressed. Today was the beginning of my senior year at Lander Valley High School. I knew I should have felt like the rest of the students and be happy about starting my senior year, but I wasn't. I just wanted the year to fly by, graduate, and put the whole high school years behind me.

            I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out the door. As I walked through the wood paneled living room, I picked up the quilt I covered John in last night and neatly placed it over the couch. The room was once the place where we would gather and watch TV as a family, but until recently had evolved into an uninviting cave.

                                                                   *****
15. Any causes you are passionate about?

Ian Somerhalder who plays Damon on the TV series The Vampire Diaries has an awesome organization called ISF. It's an organization that brings awareness on how we can do our part to not only make the environment better, but to also help the animals that have no voice. To learn more about ISF go to:  http://www.isfoundation.com

16. Do you like vampires who sparkle or bite?

Sparkle? Are you kidding me? I like my vampires to bite.

17. Favorite book.

Too many to list, but I will mention the one I'm currently enjoying which is The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice.

18. Who does your cover art?

My cover art was designed by the very talented Barbara Neal. To see more of her awesome artwork go to: http://mistraven.daportfolio.com/

19.Where can we find your page/address?

I can be found at:
Website: www.nilsarodriguez.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Nilsa-Rodriguez/257970040897033

Blog: http://nilsa-rodriguez.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @Nilsa1221

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/NilsaRodriguez

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/The-Rising-Moon-Nilsa-Rodriguez/dp/0983910200/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1331605137&sr=1-1-catcorr

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80024

14. Do you use video to promote your work?

Yes. Here is the to the official book trailer for THE RISING MOON