Category: Interviews

Angel Thursday: Interview with Eden

Posted on by writermike in Eden Fortuna, Interviews, March, The Last Archangel

Happy March everyone! Two weeks until my birthday, and Spring is on the way. What could be better? 
I’m happy to announce that I once again reached my word count goal last month. Though February had only 29 days, I still managed to write over 50,000 words, to bring me to over 100,000. I’ve got not intention of stopping now!
Here’s a flashback interview today with one of the characters from “The Last Archangel”. I’m currently writing the third installment and she figures pretty importantly there too.  Enjoy! 

Interviewer:  Today we have Mrs. Eden Fortuna with us, with a segment you won’t want to miss.  She recently experienced a rather…traumatic episode in her marriage.  I’ll let her explain.
Eden: Traumatic is one word for it. I recently found out that my husband Daren is possessed by a demon. 
Interviewer: That’s awful.  I’m sure many of our readers have suspected the same thing in moments of frustration.  Tell us, what were the warning signs?
Eden:  Well there are the more obvious signs.  My mild-mannered husband suddenly took a violent turn. I prepared this really nice dinner and got all dressed up and instead of a romantic evening, I ended up with bruises and a nearly shattered windshield.
Interviewer: I’m sorry to hear that, but there are many reasons a man could turn violent.  What were some of the other signs that tipped you off?
Eden: Now here’s a weird one: demons have an affinity for spicy food.  My husband hates spicy food, but then I found out that he started going to lunch several times a week at this Indian curry house—Taste of Bombay.  For a guy that can’t stand a green pepper in a sauce, that was a serious change of character.
Interviewer: What did you attribute all this to before you found the truth?
Eden: I thought he might be having an affair.  He was spending much longer hours at the office, and seemed less interested in spending time with me.  He even started telling me that he couldn’t even discuss what he was doing at work.  Eventually, he even claimed that there was another woman, but something still didn’t add up.
Interviewer: What finally tipped you off that something extra strange was going on?
Eden: The night after he stormed out, I found his cell phone that he had left behind and his day planner.  On the day he stormed out, he had written, THE END, and when his cell phone rang and it started smoking.  Before I dropped it, I saw the number…with a 666 area code.  Then when I picked it up again, I thought it would be a lump of ashes, but it didn’t even feel hot after it stopped ringing. 
Interview: Creepy!  Did the caller leave a message?
Eden: Yes, but I couldn’t make out a word of it and neither could my friend, who is a professor of Linguistics.  That really awakened my inner conspiracy theorist.
Interviewer:  There you have it, everyone.  The surefire ways to tell if your loved one is possessed by a demon: violence, strange phone calls, disinterest in normal activities, long hours away, and…spicy food.  I guess the only question is what will you do now? I’m guessing traditional marriage counseling is out.  Perhaps if your therapist were also an exorcist.
Eden: I’m not exactly sure.  All of this pretty new to me. But one thing is certain: I haven’t been alone through all of this.  I mean, how many people get to meet their guardian angels? I don’t know how this is going to play out, but I know that the man I love is still there somewhere.  I’ll do anything to get him back.
Interviewer:  Thanks for answering my questions today, Eden.  We wish you the best of luck in getting this sorted out. 

Jewel is a Gem

Posted on by writermike in Author Spotlight, Interviews, Jewel Adams



This month, I will be highlighting author Jewel Adams.  I had the chance to interview her and will be reviewing her story “Tears of Heaven” later this month. 

  1. Who are your writing heroes – authors have inspired you?
I have many, but my top two are Anne Perry and Richard Paul Evans
  1. When did you decide to become an author?
When I first moved to Utah in 1989. I met an author who suggested I write a book. I had never thought about it before then, so I decided to give it a try. My first YA romance was published and I was hooked.
  1. In your latest e-book, “Tears of Heaven”, you take the readers to Sweden and Russia. You seem to have a pretty good handle on those places. Have you been to those places? Are you a world traveler?
I get to travel with my husband for work sometimes. He is a sound engineer for the LDS church and frequently travels out of the country. He did a stake conference broadcast in Stockholm a few years back and I was privileged to go. While there, we visited Italy. Tears of Heaven sprung from my time in Sweden, and Of Blessings and Dreams, a new e-book set to come out in June, is a rewrite that came to me in Venice and is set there.
  1. You told me that your husband helps you by designing covers for your e-books. In what other ways does your husband support your writing career?
He’s so great about my writing. He gives me the space I need in order to write. He also talks to his coworkers about my books and sells quite a few of them for me. His belief in me and my writing never wavers and I appreciate him more than I can say.
  1. Do you ever listen to music when you write, or do you need silence?
I don’t listen to it while I’m writing, but depending on the kind of book I’m working, I do have certain types of music that put me in writing mode for that particular book. I just started a new project and because it is so different from my other books, I burned a muse CD that I listen to before I work on it. I even entitled the CD Muse Music:-)
  1. Do you have any advice for authors that would like to publish e-books?
Well, I consider every e-book I write just as important as a printed book because so much of my heart and soul goes into them, and I market them the same as well. Always remember that should you decide to publish e-books, they aren’t just e-books. They truly are just as important, and you can still reach many readers with them. If you have a story you really want to get out there and can’t find a publisher, or even if you just choose to go the e-book route all together, then do it. You have something to say and this is definitely the way to make your voice heard.
  1. What are you future writing plans? Are there other projects in the works?
Right now I’m putting the finishing touches on an romance e-book I’m releasing in June, and I’m also working on a contemporary romance that is kind of different for me because it leans a little toward the paranormal. I’ve enjoyed working on it.
  1. Do you have anything else you would like to say to your throngs of adoring fans?
I really appreciate all the support I get from readers and I hope I can keep producing work my fans love. After all, you are the reason I keep writing:-)

April Author Spotlight: Frank L. Cole

Posted on by writermike in Author Spotlight, Frank L Cole, Hashbrown winters, Interviews, Mashimoto Madness

From now on, I’m going to try to spotlight different authors I am discovering, hopefully about once a month.  I’ll try to review at least on of the authors books and have an author interview.  As well, you will find a picture of the author on the blog’s sidebar linked to their blog or website.  I know I’ve heard about many great authors by word of mouth, and so consider these my personal recommendations.

This month I’m starting out with Frank L. Cole.  I’ve already reviewed both of his books-here are the links to those reviews on my blog:

The Canticle: “Hashbrown” is a tasty treat
The Canticle: Second Helping of Hashbrown Just as Tasty

I also had the chance to interview Frank so you all can get to know him better.  Without further ado, the interview: 
1.      We’re you an imaginative kid? Do you write/tell stories growing up? I think I qualified as an imaginative kid. I started actually writing stories down in grade school. Of course, I was lucky enough to go to a somewhat unique elementary school and live in a neighborhood where out of the ordinary situations happened. It was bound to make its way into my writing.
2.      Are any of your quirky characters based on people you knew in grade school? If so, I sure hope it wasn’t Whiz. A lot of the characters from my stories are based on actual people. Luinda “The Manatee” really existed, as did Ms. Borfish. Mr. Buse was my 6th grade teacher (though his name was changed slightly.) Fibber is a guy I know today and Whiz, unfortunately, holds a special place in my heart. Don’t we all have those moments where we wished we wore rubber pants?
3.      Do you have specific plans for the Hashbrown series, like how many books you’d like to write? I’m thinking of writing at least 4 maybe more. The third one is finished and I’ll be turning it in really soon. I think it’s my best one yet. Do you have plans for any other projects? I’ve written another novel for the older middle grade crowd. It’s called The Guardians of the Tebah Stick and it is by far my most thrilling manuscript. Hopefully I’ll have some news about that book really soon (fingers crossed.)
4.      When did you decide you wanted to write books? I think it was around nine years ago when I decided to take a stab at writing for publication. Like I said before, I’ve always written and told stories, but it wasn’t until after I was married and my first son was on the way when I decided children’s books would be a fun adventure. I really had no idea what I was sinking my teeth into, but it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
5.      Is there a certain place and time that helps you write? There’s really not a specific time I need to write, although it has to be quiet and I have to be all by myself in the room. If I have a lot of distractions nothing productive happens. I’m pretty quirky when it comes to writing. Doors have to be closed (including closets), the lights have to be dim, and I need to be wearing socks. Yep socks. I can’t write with cold feet. Can you? Do you set goals to help you write? I usually set a word count, like 2,000 words or something like that, but that doesn’t always mean I’m writing quality stuff. Still, I have to have a goal to keep me motivated.
6.      If they made your books into a movie, who would you want to play the main characters? Oh boy. Unfortunately, the perfect matches for my characters have all grown up and would have a difficult time playing convincing 5th graders. Other than a few unique characters that own visually strange qualities, there really aren’t too many descriptions of my characters that would single out any one actor in particular. My son, Jackson, would make a pretty good Hashbrown once he’s aged a bit.
7.      It sounds like you like to do school visits. Could you share with us one of your favorite experiences visiting a school? I really enjoyed my visit to St John the Baptist Elementary. I was up on a stage in the junior high auditorium and all the seats were filled with excited kids. I think I performed my best and it was a really fun presentation. There were a few schools where I had a blast afterwards when about thirty kids came up and had me sign their hands and scraps of paper. That really made my day.
8.      Is there anything else you would like to tell your throngs of adoring fans? Seriously, thank you for even reading Hashbrown’s Adventures. They’ve been fun to write and I never dreamed they could actually be published. The fact kids are reading them and somewhat enjoying them is very flattering. Stay tuned for more wackiness with Hashbrown. I’ll try to keep him out of too much mischief… yeah right!

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