Two words best desrcibe me: quietly eccentric. ;)
I write YA paranormal fiction and am also currently considering a Fantasy series I've had in mind for years. Redemption is my first book.
I am the mother of three beautiful little girls ranging from 1 to 8 years of age. Aside from that, I am your quintessential Southern woman. Kind of hard not to be when I have been raised in the deep South. Mississippi is my home.
My favorite thing in the world, aside from my children and my husband, is coffee! I'm ridiculously addicted to the stuff as long as it's Folgers classic roast with at least four teaspoons of sugar. Of course, let's not forget Starbucks. mmmm . . .yes, lovely Starbucks. I have to drive forty minutes to the next town for my Starbucks fix but I do not hesitate to do so!
Add that to my addiction to sweets, and I'm waiting for my waist line to expand well past it's current size. I'm afraid it gets worse. I am in love with eating frosting from a can like ice cream and eating peanut butter mixed with syrup (it's not as bad as it sounds). And if you haven't tried Peanut Butter Cake, I highly suggest it!
Aside from sweets, I am addicted to old black and white movies, almost all genres of music, and I babble incessantly when speaking to others.
My spare time is spent reading, writing, and being outdoors when I get the chance. I am also not above crawling on all surfaces with my children as long as they are having fun. I'm an "I'm lucky if I remember anything" kind of mom and have been known to put my daughters' shoes on the wrong feet, but I adore them with all of my heart!
I love to cook. I am constantly in the kitchen trying to invent new recipes and batters (as we fry everything in the South). My middle child is named Rachel Rae, though I swear it is not after the cook. Both are family names, though I won't lie and say I didn't realize her name matched with one of my favorite cooking show hosts.
I am also a huge advocate for Autism as my twin sister has an autistic daughter who we all love and adore with all of our hearts. If you want a closer look at the life of an autistic mother, please check out her bloghttp://ourcrazyquirkymesseduplife.blogspot.com/.
But, all in all, give me a four-wheeler and a creek to wade in, a book to read, a computer to type on, and a large cup of coffee, and I'm one happy girl.
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The Non-traditional "Damsel" in Distress
By default, I am the type of writer who abhors writing conventional characters. It's not that I don't enjoy reading traditional novels and etc., it's that I love throwing a wrench into what might be an ordinary story. Therefore, I like writing heroes who have issues and heroines who are, in no way, predictable.
The Acropolis, for example, is a novel based on gargoyles. Gargoyles are people whose history dates back to the beginning of the first Angel's fall from Heaven. They were created to protect the world from Lucifer and his minions. Demons walk the Earth, whether humankind sees them or not, and gargoyles are the buffer between mortals and evil.
And then there is Emma Chase, my strangely practical, sickly heroine. Her description is not a winning one. The first line in her POV chapter, "I am dying," will either turn readers away or fascinate them. I am hoping for fascination. Those words alone make her appear weak, but she is far from feeble, and she is not your typical YA paranormal character.
Emma is practical and logical. In the long run, she's too practical for a paranormal world. But therein lies the entertainment. What is more interesting than throwing a practical, level-headed, but fearful person into a fast-paced world where she is forced to adapt quickly? She may surprise many. She may surprise herself, and she will turn one particular gargoyle's life upside down. This gargoyle expects a damsel in distress. He even has a history of being attracted to girls who need help, but will Emma be what he expects?
Emma has been a refreshing character to write. She isn't quick to anger, and she sees the world differently than most, a little too objectively at times, but she is loyal. She is a traditional girl, but she is a non-traditional damsel in distress. As the writer, I am nothing like Emma, but sometimes my characters surprise me. They teach me a different way to look at life. Their responses to life make me question the ways I should react in my own personal life.
Emma became real. She jumped off the page of a book, took form, and challenged me. She looked me in the eye and said, as she did to Conor in the Acropolis, "I'm not crazy, you know? I'm not weak." In that moment, Emma wasn't my character anymore. She was a real person traveling through a story she began to write. In that moment, I had my non-traditional damsel in distress. In that moment, I had the The Acropolis.
Click HERE for the The Acropolis Book Tour.
"We have a new assignment for you, Mr. Reinhardt."
These words are not comforting to me. At eighteen, I am a gargoyle who has been demoted because I broke the rules. Now I have a new mission, a new mark to protect. But I don't expect Emma Chase. I don't expect to question my own race. I don't expect to care for my own mark. And I am not prepared for what I find at The Acropolis.
You can purchaseThe Acropolis at the following Retailer:
Stopped by your blog on the tour. Thanks for sharing. Joined your blog, by the way. Would love your support...returning the favor and joining mine. It's http://www.thefatandtheskinnyonwellness.com/
ReplyDeleteThanks for connecting and sharing.
Ciao for now,
Carole