Interview and Giveaway with Su Halfwerk

Welcome, Su. Thank you for joining us today.

Thank you, Roxanne for having me over.

Q; How long have you been a writer? What was your first published work?

A: I’ve been writing for about five years. My first book was a paranormal romance titled Untamed Temptation.

Q: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

A: I don’t have a set schedule or routine. I get the urge to write and I do it. One thing that really helps is the small nook I secured in the house and called it my office. It has a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. Not that it stops anyone :-)

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow? Do you have a ritual that you do before sitting down to write?

A: I sit to write with my trusty cup of tea right next to me. One thing I value over anything else is the quietness of my surroundings, especially during tricky twists in the plot.

Q: What is the strangest source of inspiration you’ve had? Maybe something weird that ended up in one of your books or short stories.

A: During the writing of Zuphreen, I found myself stuck. I had to get a couple of characters to open their mouths while they were asleep/unconscious. A breast-feeding woman at a mall inspired the solution.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: Never stop learning. Remember that even a bad book, review, or movie, can teach you a lot. Don't brush anything as silly or not useful. Recycle and re-use everything you come across.

Q: Do you have a “day job” or do you write full time?

A: I'm a home maker, and as good as this sounds, other women who have to write and take care of a house, kids, and a husband can testify to how exhausting it can get. Having said that, I wouldn’t take away any of it for all the wealth in the world. Did I just say that? Let me rephrase: I won’t change a thing in my life, that’s what I meant.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.

A: I’m numerically dyslexic. It becomes worse the longer I have to work on numbers in one session.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or a favorite author?

A: Stephen King in horror and Kresley Cole in paranormal romance.

Q: Could you tell us about your current work in progress?

A: I’m working on the story of a special type of hero. He’s after the man who killed his wife and daughter and scarred his son for life. But the hero’s powers come with a very frustrating sexual restriction, and he still has to maintain a good front for his glamorous day job.

Q: What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

A: I paint and I design book trailers. Basically anything that involves being creative visually.

Q: If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you spend the money on?

A: First, I will put some money aside as an investment for my son. Then I will go and buy one of those cute little mansions that has a nice view and decorate a special room to be my office. I think it will have a huge window and a roof made of glass—I love the sun. I might do something nice for my husband, depends on my mood :-D

Q: Which household chore do you abhor and why?

A: Vacuum cleaning. With everything else, I can take short breaks and type few words, but vacuum cleaning takes a long time and by the end I'm in no mood to write.

Q: Do you have a food that you absolutely will not even taste one little tiny bit of?

A: Fresh tomatoes.

Q: What started your love affair with the paranormal?

A: When I was a teenager, I watched "Evil Dead," my first real horror movie, with my mother and two sisters on one cloudy afternoon. When the movie ended, BAM! The electricity went out. We remained still, watching each other's silhouette, until my little sister turned her head real s-l-o-w towards me. It was freaky and damn right paralyzing after watching "Evil Dead."

Time froze, my heart slowed down as I stared at her. The rush of adrenaline that surged through me as I remembered that she had a stiff neck felt out of the world, almost euphoric. I got addicted to that sensation of ultimate fear and then relief. Now I try to share both with others every chance I get through my writing.

At this stage of my life, I write horror and paranormal romance. I try to inject that rush of adrenaline in both.

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release. Feel free to share an excerpt.

A: Diana, Sally, and Art are three unlikely friends who unwittingly unleash the horrors of hell in a vain attempt to boost their grades. Duped by their scheming professor, the friends summon an evil demon and command him to bestow his gifts upon them. But the gifts soon become curses and the friends watch in horror as they slowly turn into monsters. In a desperate race against time, the students must undo the curses before the demon's gifts destroy them forever. How far will they go to lift these curses? How deep will they sink to save themselves?

Here's a short excerpt from Zuphrene:

Deciduous trees littered the ground with their multicolored leaves. Sunlight shimmered on the wet blades, creating diversity between the fall foliage and the patches of dewy green grass.

Clear, bright skies stretched in the horizon; a crisp flush-cheeked chill mingled with the fresh air. On days like this, everything was in such sharp focus, as though the leaves and trees were nothing more than clippings of photos pasted onto a vibrant background.

Art filled his lungs with the crisp, unpolluted air.

“I wanna be normal again,” Diana pled to no one specific in a sad whisper, her glistening eyes fixed on the pond.

Art wanted to hug her, to reassure her that everything would be okay, but he couldn’t. For one thing, she might scowl at his friendly gesture, and for another, he might have to do the same for Sally.

No way.

You can watch the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvXbEywYebY

Book link: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615721290

Thank you Roxanne, and I hope to visit again soon. Meanwhile, here are some of my haunting spots on the net:

• My website is: www.su-halfwerk.com

• You can catch my tweets here: http://twitter.com/SuHalfwerk

• Or read my Facebook wall posts here: www.facebook.com/Su.Halfwerk

• I blog about anything and everything over here: http://www.suhalfwerk.blogspot.com/

Would you like to win an ecopy of Zuphrene?

Leave a comment on this post.

One winner will randomly be chosen