An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Gregory Thompson

Welcome back to my interview series An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball! I'll be bringing you a new author and a new giveaway every Monday this year. I hope you'll stop by to check out these  authors and enter to win some prizes!!!! :D

Please welcome scifi/fantasy/horror author Gregory Thompson!!!! I've known Greg pretty much all of my life. He's so funny and a great guy. Read the interview, then enter to win: 
one of five ebooks of My Only One

UPDATE: Gregory has offered to add a paperback to the prize package too! Whoo hoo! Thanks, Greg!

MJ: Tell me about your novel in your own words, not the official synopsis.

GT: My Only One is about a future dystopian society where you're only allowed to own one book. Different "Bureaus" run what was the United States of America: for example, the Bureau of Lights and Flames is in charge of monitoring electricity and candle use. The Bureau of Words and Pages keeps tabs on book consumption and perform Sweeps, random searches of homes to ensure Citizens are following the One Book Law. The main character's daughter comes home one day with a second book she has stolen and he must find a way to return it without being caught with it.

When he does return it, he opens up a secret world that threatens to overwhelm him.

MJ: OMG, so creative! What's your next release?

GT: My next release is The Indiscriminate, a science fiction novella about a group of 12 Indiscriminates bred from birth and aided with cybernetics to protect the world from Risers and Runners. These Risers and Runners are strange beings that manifested from the fall of the Gray Dirt that has left the world desolate and marginally functioning. One day, while on patrol, Bas and the rest of his team are brought back to headquarters and are informed the Indiscriminate program is being halted due to the overwhelming presence of the Risers and Runners. However, Bas' friend Hillian has disappeared and he vows to find her.

MJ: Sounds amazing! If you were trapped on an island, what three books would you want to have with you?

GT:1. Lisey's Story - Stephen King. No book has made me tear up than this one, and if I need to have a good cry (whether it's because I'm stuck on an island or just because), this book will do it.

2. The Old Man and the Sea - Papa. I know this Hemingway book is short, but it's Hemingway and my favorite. Also, it's also an instructional book on how to fish.

3. A compendium of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Any collection as long as it has everything he ever did. Plus, he's my other favorite author and these stories would be good around my campfire for solo storytelling.

MJ: I looooove Poe too. Who is your celebrity crush?

GT: Nicole Kidman. Always has been, always will be. She can be pretty, she can be hot, she can be pretty hot. Sultry, dynamic, and I picture her as a laid back gal ready to drink a beer anytime. Even in the morning, which is perfect for me.

MJ: It's because you like redheads. Like me, right? lol! What is your favorite color?

GT: Purple. No, not because I like Barney or the Purple People Eater. I just do, okay?

MJ: LOL! What do you wear when you write?

GT: I wear what I normally wear on any given day: T-shirt, jeans, and socks. Sometimes I throw on one of four of my favorite Izod sweaters, and sometimes I switch out the T-shirt with a Polo shirt. I mean, if I said in my underwear (boxer-briefs) with a smile and a cigar, would that have impressed you?

MJ: Wow, that last one is a visual I didn't need! ;) What's your favorite vacation spot?

GT: My absolute, ultimate, most favoritest vacation spot in the whole wide world is Mackinac Island, Michigan. It's relaxing and unique and recharges the mind. I love taking a 5 a.m. bike ride around the island when there are a handful of people doing the same; it's like you OWN the island. The history there is amazing and eye-opening, and if you do go, make sure you take a nighttime or midnight ghost tour. Boo.

MJ: I've been there twice myself. It is gorgeous.  Do you have any pets?

GT: One cat named Freddie. I consider it my wife's pet really because the cat and I have a Kirk-Kahn relationship. We respect each other, but also have disdain for each other. When we say hello to each other, it's with a small nod and a monotone "Freddie" and "Gregory". Also, I wouldn't want him hurt because I feel he has to stand trial for his atrocities: begging for treats all the time and crawling into bed to nap with me. That look...oh that look...FREEEEEEDDDDDDDIEEE!

MJ: Hahahahaha!! Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

GT: Will Stephen King ever become my friend on Facebook (yes, his personal one)? I mean, I requested him so long ago and we have 7 mutual friends. Come on, King, you KNOW me.

MJ: That doesn't seem stalker-y at all....

M8B: You May Rely on It

MJ: M8B is never wrong, so expect Stephen to show up at your house for dinner soon!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Greg! I hope everyone takes a second to enter to win Greg's new book, My Only One in the Rafflecopter below!!!!

Website
Facebook
Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball - Angela Carlie Edition

Angela Carlie is, quite possibly, one of the awesomest people on the planet. Seriously. I wish she lived closer to me instead of on the other side of the country. I've known her online for a few years now and last year I begged her to join DarkSide Publishing. She agreed, making me one happy chickie!

Read on to learn more about her!!!!


MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, Loramendi's Story, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

AC: Loramendi’s Story is the first novel in the Lords of Shifters series. It’s about a teenage girl named Lora whose mother has been missing from her life since she was one year old. She falls for a hot windsurfer and she discovers that her life has been a façade. When she begins to go through a physical change, the truth about her life is finally revealed and she’s forced to accept her destiny.

This novel is full of adventure, romance, and sexy shapeshifters.

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

AC: 100% pantsed this one.

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

AC:   I’m currently working on the second novel of the Lords of Shifters series. It’s not yet titled, but I hope it will be available to the public sometime early 2012.

(note from MJ: since this interview, Angela titled her book Spider Wars and it has this amazing cover!!!)

MJ: Now for the fun stuff!!!

MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies?


AC: Zomvamplows

MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else?

AC: Something else. I was a loner with literally only one friend who I never saw because she always hung out in the art room while I hung out in the auditorium or … somewhere else. ;) I had daisies painted all over my car, wore bell bottoms and leg warmers, but not at the same time, and worked at a veterinary hospital.

MJ: Do you have any pets? 

AC: Yes! Four cats and two dogs live with us at the moment.

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

AC: I recently read on your FB page how fearful you are of scary movies. I used to be a paranormal investigator once upon a time. We investigated hundreds of locations. At one location in particular, we investigated a building that had been reporting activity for years. It’s now a famous haunted location. But, at that time, at around 1 am, a fellow investigator (a psychic) and I were on the third floor that once housed a brothel, in a room where abortions were performed and women often died. We were alone and setting up equipment in the dark. The air was thick and we felt like we weren’t really alone at all. In the room next to us, one of our motion alarms went off, screaming at us through the wall. We both shot up and made a run for it (very unprofessional, I know). In the process, my larger psychic friend pushed me out of her way to make her escape. My right leg fell through a hole in the floor and I was stuck, laughing and crying at the same time, all by myself.

My question: If you and your best friend were in the same situation, and you were the psychic friend, would you have gone back for your friend stuck in the hole near the scary room with possible activity or would you have kept running all the way down the stairs to safety?

(Do you have any idea how long it took me to read all of that to my Magic 8 Ball?!?!?!)

M8B: Outlook Good

MJ: Well, of course that's the answer! I would never leave a friend stuck in a hole in a possibly-haunted house. I grew up in a possibly-haunted house. Not afraid! :D




Thank you SO MUCH to Angela Carlie for participating in my interview series. You have to read Angela's books. Why? (1) Her books rock and (2) She's made of all things fabulous

Find Angela on the web:

Website

Amazon.com

Barnes&Noble.com

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: P.J. Hoover

The next author in my interview series is P.J. Hoover. Up until a few months ago, I didn't know much about P.J. Sure, I'd heard her name over the years, but it wasn't until I connected with her on Facebook that we found out we have a lot of unusual things in common (a love of Star Trek, to name one).

I've also read Solstice and really enjoyed it, so I'm excited to host P.J. on my blog today. I think you'll love reading her answers to my questions!

PJ: Thanks so much for letting me be here! I’m excited to meet your blog readers. :)

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, SOLSTICE, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

PJ: SOLSTICE is set at least eighteen years in the future when global warming is basically killing the earth. This girl, Piper, gets a mysterious box as a present for her eighteenth birthday, and her entire world shifts. She discovers that, in addition to her global warming world, there’s this world of mythology, and somehow she’s deeply connected to it. Her mother is psychotic and won’t give her any freedom, so when Piper gets a rare opportunity for freedom, she seizes it. And the next thing she knows, her best friend almost dies, she visits the Underworld, and gods are walking the earth. And that’s only in the first eighty pages. :)

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

PJ: I’m kind of a half and half person. For SOLSTICE, I plotted out general ideas of what I wanted to have happen in the story, and then, while writing, I totally diverged from this plot. And I love when this happens. In fact, I’ve come to count on it while writing, because I think these inspired breaks from the plan really bring something special.

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

PJ: I. Don’t. Know.

Okay, that’s not quite fair. Most likely, my next release will be the sequel to SOLSTICE, but I’m still in the revision stage for that, so it won’t be until next year.

MJ: Now for the fun stuff. I sent P.J. eight questions and asked her to answer three. She answered all eight! BONUS!

If you were trapped on a deserted island and you could only bring three books, what would you bring?

PJ: Wait, does the Nook count as one book? Okay, seriously, I’d bring the three longest books I could find on my bookshelf. Probably CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, WAR AND PEACE, and Dante’s INFERNO.

MJ: Who is your celebrity crush?

PJ: Thor. He was the perfect mix of arrogance and humility.

MJ: What is your favorite color?

PJ: Red.

MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies? 

PJ: I guess vampires, though I’m not much on any of them.

MJ: What do you wear when you write?

PJ: Since I go to Kung Fu most mornings, lots of the time, I am still in my Kung Fu pants and a tank top.

MJ: What’s your favorite vacation spot? 

PJ: DisneyWorld.

MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else? 

PJ: Not only was I a cheerleader, I was the captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. Yes, that was me. No, all cheerleaders are not bimbos and bitches. But I should point out that I was also the smart one and used to have Calculus study groups at my house.

MJ: Do you have any pets? 

PJ: I have a darling Yorkie who sits by me constantly when I write and two Sulcata tortoises, King Tort and Nefertorti, who will grow to 150 pounds and live to be 180. I need to sell lots of books to provide for their future.

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

PJ: Will it ever be back under 100 degrees in Austin, Texas?

M8B: My reply is no.

MJ: oooooh, that sucks....but sooooo appropriate considering the subject matter in Solstice.

Thanks so much to P.J. for hanging out with me on my blog today. You check out her book and her website:

Website - Roots in Myth

Buy Solstice on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is also a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice, takes place in a Global Warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade fantasy novels, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, and The Necropolis, chronicle the adventures of a boy who discovers he’s part of two feuding worlds hidden beneath the sea.

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Danyelle Leafty

This is the first in what I hope will become a long series of interviews with some of my favorite YA authors.

First up: The Amazing Danyelle Leafty

I met Danyelle through Facebook a few years ago when we both had big dreams of publishing our fantasy novels. I'm thrilled that this year we've both achieved our goals. Keep reading to find out more about Danyelle and her book, The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell.

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell, in your own words - not the official synopsis. 

DL: Breena is a mortal changeling who just wants to be loved. Nerissa is a fairy godmother who'd just like to take a vacation and maybe recover from a nasty cold she's caught from her last job. 

But when Nerissa ends up as Breena's fairy godmother, she gets a little more than she bargained for. Breena doesn't want a fairy godmother, and she's also a cat--which just goes to prove that you shouldn't drink potions unless you know exactly what's in them. The harder Nerissa tries to bring about Breena's Happily Every After, the further away the happy ending seems to be--especially once a band of magical cats gets involved. Undeterred, Nerissa is determined to do her job, even if it means breaking a few of the rules. But if there's one thing Nerissa is learning from all this, it's to never make a bargain with a cat.  

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft? 

DL: I pansted it, because I couldn't outline a novel if my life depended on it. O:) 

MJ: What’s your next release going to be? 

DL: I'm really excited for November of this year, because that's when I'll be releasing the finished version of TFGD (right now, it's available as a serial novel--two chapters are released a week), as well as some of the other books in the series. The whole series will be available sometime in December.

Next I gave her eight fun random questions and asked her to answer three: 

MJ: What is your favorite color? 

DL: My favorite color is indigo, closely followed by a deep purple. Even the name is pretty. :D 

MJ: What do you wear when you write?  

DL: My children can attest to the fact that I'm usually wearing my pajamas when I'm writing. (Probably because I generally forget to change out of them. :S) 

MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else?

DL: I was the teen that a lot of the class hated during test times, because I always messed up the curve. O:) I blame that on my love for reading textbooks. 

Finally, I asked her to ask ME a question and I will provide her with an answer from my daughter's Magic 8 Ball!!!!! 

DL: It's the year 2057 and a vicious paranormal plague has broken out. Every day, there are more and more cases of people turning into vampires, werewolves, zombies, and, yes, fairies. My question: will your survive? And if you do, will you remain human? 

M8B: It is certain. 
 

And, no, I won't remain human. I plan on turning into a zombie fairy!!!!

Thank you so much Danyelle for kicking off my new series! Get in touch with Danyelle on the web, you won't regret it.

Danyelle Leafty

~Collector of dragons, talking frogs, and fairy godmothers~

danyelleleafty.com

myth-takes.blogspot.com 

querytracker.blogspot.com