UPDATE!!!
To all that have already entered this contest, you are now also entered in a giveaway that includes the first 3 paperback copies of Rebecca York’s Moon Series. A werewolf series. And if I get 40 entries, the First Place Winner will also receive a paperback copy of Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love. The contest has been extended until June 23rd at 12:00 A.M.
WOO HOO!!
I have some goodies to giveaway today along with an interview that the author graciously agreed to do. The giveaway includes 30 ebooks, 2 paperbacks/US and 1 paperback/International. That’s right! This little blog is rockin today! To enter the contest just follow the directions provided below the interview. This contest runs from June 10 – June23 so lets get started!
L. Thanks for being my guest today Michele. Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself and how you started writing?
M. Thank you so much for having me as a guest today Laura! Well, I am 43 years old and a mother of two adult girls, one of whom is my model for the book covers. My husband and I live on a small horse farm in Western Washington and operate a riding program for special needs children. My life passion has been helping people recover from trauma and go on to live fulfilled lives. As you might guess, I am a social worker/counselor and I work for a government agency with special needs people and do free counseling on the side. In my spare time I love to write and fit some of the people I have worked with over the years into my books. Once you work with someone who has suffered immense tragedy, or worked with people who have struggled with life, they become a part of you. Their voices will always be in my head and their faces etched on the hidden corners of my mind. Their personalities live on and their memory is never forgotten. Writing is healing in many ways and I can give good endings to the ones who didn’t survive the brutality of life.
L. Do you have a secret weapon that helps with writer’s block?
M. Hmm – When I write I am very disciplined and will sit at my desk all night and force myself to write a minimum number of words. I enjoy going out on the deck and looking at the stars and then think of people I have known. There is always a story to be told and creativity comes when you least expect it. It’s also good to go for a drive and go someplace relaxing. Sometimes I sit on the patio at Barnes and Nobel and just watch people. I try to imagine them in situations and take mental snapshots of how they would react. Sometimes, nothing comes and it takes days for my mind to clear. When I write, I spend many, many hours researching various things that I write about. It’s all quite a daunting task to take a book from start to finish but I never give up on a goal and push on until I finish.
L. What was your inspiration for writing Dark Passages?
M. The past couple of years I have had experiences with the supernatural. I was never a believer in ghosts but after my mom died I learned there was more to come after death. We would hear footsteps upstairs when we were in bed at night, pictures were moved(of her and I) from their places and strange things would happen. I think in her own way she was telling me she was going to be okay and not to worry about her.
There is a very old Victorian not far from where we live. It’s set on a hill and underneath it are tunnels from an army base that used to exist in the 1920″s. They were used to hide supplies and missiles were stored there. The house belonged to a sea-captain and his family. The wife was said to have been friends with the infamous “Dr. Hazzard” who murdered dozens of people in her sanitarium a block from the house. I enjoy history and the paranormal so I explored the house one day when they were having an estate sale. In the attic were various books on witchcraft and dark arts. There were also some crazy paintings hanging all in a row. They were crudely made and I imagined that the faces somehow were the avatars for the souls murdered in the valley. The house has been said to be very haunted and photos have been taken where faces(not living) were seen peering out. We have some photos and blew them up to see what was really there. They were misty appearing and had no substance to them. I have always had a wild imagination (I suppose that was my saving grace out of my own tragedy and on to a better life) and the stories came to me.
L. Can you tell us something about the next book, maybe give us a peek?
M. The next book takes up where the last one ended but is very different. It takes the characters into the underworld, as Lisa realizes the evil she has done and decides to go into the veil to find David. I would say it is a Dystopian and has as many twists and turns as part 1. The characters are further developed and new ones are added into the mix. My imagination was working overtime for this one lol.
Here is an excerpt from the book:
Lisa made her way quietly down the dank tunnel, the sound of wet moss squishing down under her converse shoes. The flickering light of her flashlight made shadows on the earthen walls and the drip of water could be heard further down. Her eyes burned but she refused to cry. Crying wouldn’t change the past and it wouldn’t do David any good.
She came to know David at a party. His winsome smile and the way he nodded to her as she glanced over at him. There was an aspect of him that had an undercurrent of danger, recklessness even, that aroused her senses. He was strikingly handsome and his blue eyes smoldered seductively. He was a man who knew precisely what he wanted and he made it clear that he wanted Lisa.
Lisa paused for a moment, as though to turn around and forget the madness. Her body betrayed her and buckled beneath her grief. She crumpled to the damp ground and pulled her knees to her chest, as though to shut out the pain. Finding the old book today had rocked her world. When Ivy started reading it out loud the words spun around in Lisa’s head.
There is a great veil that will be opened when the events are put into motion. Those who are living can cross over and find the tree of life. With the precious sap the tree produces, the living can renew the dead and bring them back across the veil. To complete the transformation the ancient alchemist must be found and then prophesy can be fulfilled. Beware that there is risk of never leaving the way of the dead should you die on that side. Take with you one from the other world to shield you from the evil. You will find what you need within the book.
She wanted to run back to the others in the cavern but a battle raged in her mind.and heart . Lisa put her hands over her ears but her thoughts cut into her mind like arrows. Images of David flashed across her mind like a movie. She remembered the night he grabbed her and pressed her hard against the wall. She had stiffened, clenched and protested, but he held her tightly as though to never let go. The weight of his body crushed her and she felt suddenly awakened. Passion was ignited and it was as though they became one. He possessed her, almost savagely, and tore down all the barriers in her mind. She was vulnerable to him. He had seen deep into her being and accepted her for what she was. To be loved when there is nothing in it for the other person but hope, that maybe someday they could be loved.
The hot tears she had been holding back rolled down her face and there was a terrible pain in the pit of her stomach. She felt as though she couldn’t catch her breath as the sobs came hard. Lisa hated herself for what she had done to David. When he needed her most, she walked away and left him to sacrifice his life for her own. She realized after he was gone that she had thrown away the most precious thing in her life. The one that she had least expected to fall in love with, became the man of her dreams.
Now it was time to take some chances and risk losing her very life. It meant closing her eyes and leaping into the void and facing the horror on the other side. Nightmares had plagued her and she had heard screams of dying people in immense pain. Their eyes were pleading for someone to help them as flesh fell from their bones. Smoke surged around the charred remains of bodies. The hungry flames glowed red-hot in the darkness of the night. In the shadow of the ghoulish light she saw David. He was looking at her with brooding eyes and she could feel what he was feeling. Nothing terrified Lisa more than losing the only one who made her life worth living. He was the first thought in her head when she got up in the morning and the last thing she thought of when she went to bed at night.
Lisa shivered as she pushed her body up from the cold ground. She knew what she must do, and was prepared to die if need be to make right the wrong she had done.
L. Is there anything else you would like to add?
M. To those of you out there struggling with life or not sure where you are going. Keep pushing forward and never give up on yourself because there is light at the end of the tunnel. Dreams do come true.
Fun shorts
butterflies or dragonflies:
Hmm – tough one. Dragonflies have always seemed mystical to me and held promise of some land far away, while butterflies make me think of the struggle of each person and how they emerge from the problems a beautiful butterfly. Butterflies-definitely.
dogs or cats:
Cats have always been a part of my life. When I was alone as a child they were my friends, dolls to dress up, comforters and constant companions. I have an old cat my mom gave me many years ago. He knows when I am sad or ill and curls up by me and purrs for hours. Cats are a treasure. I love all animals but cats are #1.
ebooks or print books:
I love to have shelves full of books, however, ebooks allow me to read on the go. I would have to say ebooks:)
elevators or stairs:
Haha! If I am trying to lose weight then the stairs, but if not I take the elevator.
Sweet or salty snacks:
I would say salty. I like to eat green apples with table salt:)
A huge thank you to Michele for such an insightful interview and a peek into her next book.
And now for the giveaway. There are 30 ebooks, 2 paperbacks/US and 1 paperback/International to be given away! All that is required is to leave me your email in the comment box so that I have a way to contact the winners. It would be nice if you were to follow my blog and follow Michele and I on twitter but it is not a requirement to be entered. You can follow me from my side bar and you can follow Michele here:
You can find her on Goodreads:
For updates about Underworld – Book 2 of the Dark Passage Series:
For my review of Dark Passage – Book 1
