What is it about the paranormal, in
particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
I’m fascinated by
the paranormal, the fantasy of eternal life and circumventing the laws of
reality. It’s a great escape and opens up so much unique creative opportunities
for a writer.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve long been
interested by the Romani culture and many of the myths and old stories that
abounded. Between my love for romance, horror, writing, and culture, the
outcome was inevitable.
Do you have a special formula for
creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning
to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain
time periods or regions?
Names for A New
Day at Midnight, especially regarding the Romani characters in the novel, are
names traditionally associated with Romani heritage. I chose all names for the
book to be appropriate to the time period as well to ensure authenticity.
Do you
have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch
or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character
develop as you write?
I don’t have a particular formula, but when I start writing
I have a general sense of the character, of who I want them to be, and the
specifics develop as I write. After I’ve done a good amount of story
development, I create a loose character sketch for the main characters to
ensure they remain complex and credible, including paranormal gifts or
attributes, family history, motivations, significant life shaping events. It
helps to create layered characters and keeps me true to who they are.
What is the most interesting thing
you have physically done for book related research purposes?
Does staying up
until 1am most nights count? Cramming in research between making supper and driving
to dance class? Those are more mentally than physically challenging, but I feel
it!
Can you tell readers a little bit
about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from
our normal world?
There is a strong
focus on blood drinking demons and Romani myth within the story. It includes Bifrons,
ruler of hell below, and his captive wife, Queen Ana of the Keshalyi, a woman
once full of magic from above on earth, as the originators of the Hearne
family. World building consisted of a lot of research into Romani history and
myths, and the creation of a ‘master sheet’ to maintain the integrity of
supernatural continuity, realistic time line, and cultural elements.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s
block? How do you deal with it?
Sure do. Sometimes
I stare at my computer screen for a good hour before I actually write a single
line. Or if I’m stuck I’ll find distractions like gmail and facebook. Most of
the time I try to steer myself in a constructive direction when I’m struggling
to write, like researching on the internet or learning about marketing.
When did you consider yourself a
writer?
That question
still makes me chuckle. I suppose I consider myself a writer now, but it’s
really my part time passion. I squeeze it in whenever, wherever I can, and it’s
always on my mind. I think that, more than anything, makes me a writer.
What are your guilty pleasures in
life?
Trashy romance
novels, B rated horror movies, and a considerable affinity for my pug, Odie.
What was the last amazing book you
read?
That is such a
difficult question. Lover Awakened is
the best paranormal romance I’ve ever read. The
Stand is the best horror novel, and I
am Legend the best short story. There’s no possibility that I could pick
one, they all resonate for different reasons.
Where is your favorite place to
read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?
Any spot is
special when it comes to me and reading. I’ll read on the stairs at work on my
break, lying on the couch with the television blared, in bed before I go to
sleep at night.
What can readers expect next from
you?
By the end of this
year they can expect the second installment in the Hearne Family Saga,
tentatively titled Chasing Dawn.
Where can readers find you on the
web?
The website
includes blog posts on writing, sales information, and book excerpts. I also plan
to post excerpts from Chasing Dawn to
give readers a sample of upcoming work.
Would you like to leave readers with
a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Absolutely, here’s
an excerpt that exposes some of Merik’s struggle as a conflicted man playing
host to a demon:
What troubles you
so? What troubles you so? Her proximity jarred him, brought back
memories Merik fooled himself into believing long forgotten. Images once
misplaced in his mind blazed to life with brilliant colour and warmth. His body
ached.
Her smell was the very same as in the dreams haunting him. It was the
scent of a seraph on the breeze, biting with a thousand razor edges over the
course of a decade. Such beautiful suffering. If given a thousand years, he
could not wash her from his memory.
The very essence of her life called to him. The steady thrum of her
heart, the warmth radiating from her, he could scarcely tolerate it. She
touched him with a hand like a butterfly wing and his cock hardened, his body
straining to change in ways that would horrify the traitorous woman standing
before him.
He hardly took a step
yet felt as if he lost some of his footing. For many years, he existed alone
with his burden, carrying the weight only because his fevered purpose allowed
him to. Blind devotion to his self-appointed task served to keep his hunger at
bay, calming the cravings threatening to drive him to madness. Now he could not
help but think the poison might actually be the cure.
The Hearne Family Saga
Book 1
Michelle Hiscox
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Bookkus Publishing
Date of Publication: February 14, 2015
ISBN: 0991709497
ASIN: B00TGOODU4
Page Count Print – 264
Page Count Electronic – 268
Word Count: 92,691
Cover Artist: Bookkus Publishing
Book Description:
When Merik Hearne finally lays claim to the woman that betrayed him, she inspires much more than his need for revenge—but is her love worth dying for again?
Condemned to play host to a demon, the scarred Romani leader has amassed a fortune with only one goal in mind—to possess Hannah Worthington, the traitorous beauty that has eluded him for over a decade. With an exchange of coin, everything he has been striving for is within reach but nothing is as he imagined. The tender, sharp-tongued woman he encounters tests the bounds of his convictions and he is torn between the promise of reckoning and longing for a love that once destroyed him.
Exchanged for a purse of gold and informed she is to be a slave, Hannah vows she has not survived a lifetime of loss only to wither under the likes of Merik Hearne. And she will do everything she can to make sure he knows it. Despite his overbearing manner, his fierce scars, and her own determination to escape him, she begins to see that something beautiful might lie beneath…something that belongs only to her. She must discover the angle from which the great lord plays before his dark desires consume them both.
As they struggle to find truth amid pasts marred by sorrow and secrecy, they are unaware that a vengeful apostle orchestrates the rise of a forgotten god—and the end of their chance at a life together.
Available at Amazon Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk BN
Excerpt 2
Hannah realized
Merik had left her doors unlocked. Again. Did he believe she would stay now
that she knew his true name and nature? She dare not utter the real question
plaguing her, but it invaded her mind nonetheless.
Is he right? A
large ember escaped from the iron latticework in front of the fire, landing on
the rug at her feet. She watched it smoulder.
Smoke curled up
in delicate tendrils, disappearing before reaching the high ceiling. She stared
for several long moments, willing the flame to grow, to consume her. It held
the colour of Merik’s eyes, burning gold and crimson. A small flame flickered
to life, hungry for progress until she stamped it out with the heel of her
foot.
Rising from the
fire to flop on her bed, she stopped short as an echo rang through the hall.
Certain her battered senses played tricks on her, she pulled back her covers to
lay down but heard it again.
Whether it was a
call of rage, grief, or agony she could not distinguish. It came from Merik’s
quarters, echoing deep within the shadows of the hall. Padding to her door, she
warred between anger over his treatment of her and the desire to ease his pain.
She could not
ignore the fact he’d told her the truth. Pulling a robe about her shoulders,
she kicked off her charred slipper. Without consulting her mind, she made the
decision with her heart. She rested her hand on the door, opening the barrier
between her and the unknown.
“Shit. Shit,
shit, shit. What am I doing? I can stay in my rooms. There is hardly any need
to go out there.”
Another tortured
cry rose in the air, strengthening her resolve to help Merik.
Lighting a
candle, she forced herself to go into the hall. Another cry rang through the
air, and as she got closer to Merik’s chamber, she finally understood what he
was saying. Her name.
“I’m coming,
Merik.” Running to his room, she entered through the open door to see an empty
chamber. Desperation overrode the fear hammering her heart against her chest.
The room smelled of blood, of sickness. Could Vetala even get sick? Could they
die?
“No, please no,
not again. Merik? Merik, please call my name.”
He groaned. As
she followed the source of the noise, the candle shook in her hand. The hot wax
stung her flesh when she stopped several steps in front of a half-open door set
in the wall.
“Merik?” The
smell of death clung to the entrance and she gagged. The candle wobbled in her
hand. She steadied it, saying a quick thanks to God it did not go out. She
could not bear to go forth in the darkness without light. Setting the candle on
the floor, she swung the door wide. The candle flickered as she picked it up.
Fear twisted her guts and no matter how she tried, she could not stop her hands
from shaking. She took another step.
“Merik?” It took
her eyes several moments to see more than a foot from her face. When she saw
him in the dim light, she gasped. He now stood in front of her. It took her
several more moments to realize he was not standing of his own volition, but
rather restrained by chains embedded in the stone wall. When he lifted his
head, she covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
Eyes of molten
gold and crimson stared back at her. His jaw and facial bones were distended,
his hands curled into claws. The changes were much more severe than the few
instances she attributed to the loss of her mind.
“I…I…” Stepping
back toward the entrance, her gaze never left Merik’s. She turned her back on
him to commence a rather spineless retreat, but could not get her feet to
cooperate.
“Hannah?” The
voice held much more than pain. What? Desperation? Hope? She could not move as
her heart and mind waged war. Despite his appearance, she knew beneath the
angled bone protruding from his flesh, his distorted face, and the fangs
visible in his mouth, Merik stood in front of her. The man she met a decade
before. The man looking at her with the same single focused intensity with
which he always did. The man she loved.
Taking another
step and hearing nothing but her own harsh breathing, she took one more.
About the Author:
Michelle Hiscox is a Paranormal Romance fan and author who hails from Drumheller, Alberta. The dinosaur bones buried in the hills of her hometown inspired the first stories she ever wrote, and she feels blessed to walk those same hills with her daughter today. Crocus flowers and dust bowls full of cactus never fail to inspire.
While her little girl and husband provides many welcome distractions to writing, it's something she always finds her way back to. Michelle is the proud, and slightly crazy, owner of two dogs and three cats, all animals she loves more than she reasonably should. She's been reading voraciously since she was a child and, one night, pulled her nose from a book to start writing her own.
Website – http://www.michellehiscox.com
Amazon Author Page –http://www.amazon.com/l/B00VO2K990
A fabulous post thank you & I love this cover.
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