Predator Blog Tour: Interview with Janice Gable Bashman @month9books @janicebashman @chapterxchapter

Today we're taking part in the PREDATOR blog tour by chatting with author Janice Gable Bashman. Pull up a chair and get to know Janice and her book.

Hi, Janice! Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am the Bram Stoker nominated author of PREDATOR (Month9Books 2014) and WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE (w/NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Jonathan Maberry) (Citadel Press 2010). I am editor of THE BIG THRILL (International Thriller Writers’ magazine). My short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, and the International Thriller Writers, where I serve on the board of directors as Vice President, Technology.

Tell our readers a bit about PREDATOR.

Sixteen-year-old Bree Sunderland must inject herself with an untested version of her father’s gene therapy to become a werewolf in order to stop a corrupt group of mercenaries from creating a team of unstoppable lycanthrope soldiers.

When Bree went with her scientist father to Ireland, she thought it would be a vacation to study bog bodies. She never expected to fall in love with a mysterious young Irishman and certainly never expected to become the kind of monster her father said only existed in nightmares.

Dr. Sunderland discovers that lycanthropy was not a supernatural curse but rather a genetic mutation. When they return home, her dad continues his research, but the military wants to turn that research into a bio weapons program and rogue soldiers want to steal the research to turn themselves into unstoppable killing machines. Bree’s boyfriend Liam surprises her with a visit to the United States, but there are darker surprises in store for both of them.

As evil forces hunt those she loves, Bree must become an even more dangerous hunter to save them all. Predator gives the werewolf legend a couple of new spins by introducing the Benandanti (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil) as well as a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics.

She will become the thing she hates, to protect those she loves!

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I came across some articles on bog bodies and was fascinated by how the bodies were preserved and how the people died – most were murdered. I’ve always been interested in science and genetic engineering. And, I researched and wrote about werewolves in Wanted Undead or Alive, so it all naturally came together, with a lot of hard work of course.

Of course! Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m definitely a plotter. First I create an extensive outline of the book. Then I make a character list in a separate document. Once that is completed, I use a Post-it to represent each chapter by writing a brief description, chapter number, and main characters for the chapter on the Post-it. The Post-its are then placed sequentially onto a tri-fold science fair display board that stands on the floor of my office. This process gives me a visual feel for the novel and enables me to see its structure all at once. I can move the Post-its however I wish to see how things would look if I changed the ordering of the chapters. Of course, as I write the book, things change. So, although I’m a plotter, the book ends up different from my outline.

Sounds familiar. *wink* What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

For Predator it was making sure all the science was plausible within the plot of the book. Creating super soldiers had to have a scientific base that made sense. Making sure readers understood that science amid the high pace and high action was important. I gave readers only the information they needed and not a bit more so that the science didn’t drag down the story.

In general, it’s finding a title. I’m terrible at coming up with titles for my books, short stories, or articles. It takes me forever to find a good one. I could spend a year writing a book and just as long agonizing over the title.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

I suck on mini jawbreakers while I write in the afternoons—I’m eating one now. I can pretty much write anywhere as long as I have my laptop or a pad of paper and a pencil, so I guess they’re must-haves.

What are you reading right now?

I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff – it’s one of those books that you say to yourself, “I’ll read just one more chapter before I go to bed.” And then you read one more chapter and then another and another and so on until you’re too tired to read anymore.

Been there! If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I would want the ability to fly. But more importantly, I’d want a super power that would let me create peace throughout the world.

Aw, that's nice. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve googled?

I don’t know if it’s the weirdest thing I’ve googled, but I googled how nanobots could control a lion. I needed the information for a short story I wrote (“Vibot”) for an anthology a few years ago.

Ooh, sounds cool. Finish this sentence: If I’m not writing, I’m probably ...

Reading. I have a pile of books waiting to be read and am open to suggestions in any genre. I’m into photography and have been for as long as I can remember. I also love to travel. And spending time with my friends and family is very important to me.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let’s hear your shout outs.

There are so many people who work to support authors and I could probably spend all day naming those who support me. Here’s a big shout to my fellow Liar’s Club members (Jonathan Maberry, Kathryn Craft, Marie Lamba, Gregory Frost, Solomon Jones, Merry Jones, Kelly Simmons, Dennis Tafoya, Jon McGoran, and Cordelia Biddle). We’re a group of professional writers who do workshops, classes, and events in support of libraries, writers of all genres, bookstores, and literacy. I must also thank my fellow Weggie Writers (Donna Glanti, Lisa Papp, Kathryn Craft, Tori Bond, Karen Toz, and Linda Wisniewski). We meet every Wednesday at Wegman’s, set up our laptops and write whatever we each are working on. But we also support each other, personally and professionally. And, of course, thanks to my family, my agent, and my publisher, who are always on my side.

I must give a giant shout-out and thanks all the readers, bloggers, librarians, teachers, and everyone else who supports authors. I really appreciate it.

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Interview with Phaedra Seabolt

Happy Friday, everyone! Let's chime in the weekend by chatting with author Phaedra Seabolt. Phaedra's here today as part of her blog tour to talk about her new adult paranormal novel, IMPERFECTION.

Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a stay at home mom of one with another on the way. My husband and I have been trying to sell our house for almost 5 years now. Pretty much my life revolves around my family, house, writing, and reading for book reviews.

How long have you been writing?

I like to say I have been writing my whole life. I have a master's degree which means I spent a lot of time in school where I was constantly writing. It just was academic writing instead of creative. I have only been writing creatively for a year.

Tell us about IMPERFECTION. What’s the story about?

Well it's about a college girl named Meara Falk. She's nerdy and overweight, not the standard Miami University student. She's also a very good girl, meaning she does everything mommy and daddy tell her to do. However, she decides to break the rules one night and ends up in bed with a complete stranger. Her single indiscretion results in a baby. Her life starts spiraling out of control at this point. She gets attacked by a werewolf and her baby is stolen from her by a rival werewolf pack. Now she is on a mission to get her son back.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

Through a dream! I had just finished reading Stephanie Nelson's Taming the Wolf and was dreaming about werewolves. One night I woke up from a dream that I just had to write down.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

My long time best friend is always the first person to read my work. She is amazing with grammar. After her, I had a few people from a writing group I am in read it. Finally it went to my publisher and editor.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A little of both. I wrote down a very short outline before I started writing, but while writing I let my characters tell me where they wanted to go.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Time. It's hard to make enough time to write everything down when I think if it due to chasing a toddler around.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A really big drink, and I don't mean alcoholic. I hate having to get up to refill my drink while writing.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Teleportation. I would be one happy person if I could eliminate all my driving without giving up visiting my family.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Ummm...I really don't know. I use google daily so it is hard to remember what I have searched for. I really couldn't say.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: perfect, imp, and affection.

If there were such a thing as a perfect imp, Sadonicles would claim to be it with one exception, his ultimate flaw of showing affection.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... 

Watching my son play with his toys.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

I definitely have to thank my best friend Raechel Moermond for helping me with the initial editing process. Also, my husband for listening to me ramble and helping me fill in the details of my ideas. My entire family for supporting me in this endeavor. I also have to thank the authors that encouraged me to write a book in the first place: Mandie Stevens, C.G. Powell, Tawdra Kandle, Melissa Lummis, Liz Schulte, Jessica Gibson, and Lola James. Without them, I may not have taken myself seriously. In that list of authors is also my publisher and editor, whom I am eternally grateful to. Finally thanks to Stephanie Nelson for inspiring me and making the cover. I hope I haven't left anyone out and if I did I am sorry.

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

http://amzn.to/1cKdtCt - Amazon
http://bit.ly/1cKdB4N - Barnes and Noble
http://bit.ly/1cKdEh8 - Smashwords

phaedraseabolt.com - website
http://bit.ly/1cKdQNc - Goodreads
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPhaedraSeabolt - Facebook
http://twitter.com/authorphaedras & http://twitter.com/kainshottie - Twitter

Author Update: Chris Stevenson

Don't you love return guests? So do I! That's why I'm glad to announce that author Chris Stevenson is back to chat with us. He's got a new book coming out, so let's learn more about it.

Welcome back, Chris! Tell us about THE WOLFEN STRAIN. What’s the story about?

Tagline/Hook:

Seth Anson, a lovelorn forest ranger, never thought that he would shoot the first eligible woman he met after his divorce. Nor did he think that he would fall in love with her after nursing her back to health. But he certainly isn’t prepared to find out that she is the result of a DNA cloning experiment gone horribly wrong and, is in fact, a hybrid wolf/human. To complicate matters, she also has no idea of her true identity.

Seth finds out early on that Melina Salinger is a handful. He mistakenly believes that she suffers from hypertrichosis (werewolf syndrome), and that she has escaped from a care facility. She confesses later that she has been confined in an underground missile silo by her geneticist father, Davis Salinger, and the only thing she knows about everyday life has been gleaned from video movies and television. Now she wants to be a normal girl.

It isn’t easy trying to indoctrinate a woman into society who pants, growls and thinks that Emerald City is a real place somewhere over the rainbow. The ritual shavings and skin maintenance are enough to drive him crazy. Moreover, when she goes into a feverish estrus cycle, sex and passion seem like blunt-force trauma.

Just when Seth thinks he has things under control, Melina becomes deathly ill. Her mysterious father shows up to offer aid, and then shockingly confesses that she carries ancient wolf DNA. After recovering, Melina, shamed and traumatized by this knowledge, becomes suicidal and runs away. Only her father left out the part about her other litter mate – a grotesque monster, Romulus, has just broken out of the silo compound. Romulus is bent on finding her for the purpose of mating and will kill anyone who gets in his way.

Seth has to use his skills as a ranger to find Melina in the Wyoming wilderness. He has Romulus out in front of him, the National Guard, the sheriff’s office, a maniac cryptozoologist, and every monster-hunting vigilante in the state hot on his heels. He has to decide if it is guilt that drives him on his quest to find Melina, or that somehow, this wild and beautiful female was destined to be the love of his life.

The Wolfen Strain examines the lurid morality issues that are dealt with in The Island of Doctor Moreau. Yet the predominant theme is that of forbidden love, found in Beauty and the Beast, only with the gender rolls reversed.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

When my second agent went to the BEA a few years back, he did so with the express purpose of asking each editor he met what (exactly) they were looking for as pertains to the next big thing. He made a lot of face to face contact and scribbled voluminous notes. One publisher, the small black and white bird from the Antarctic, replied that they would love to see a new spin on a werewolf tale. My agent queried me and asked if I was up to the task. I said I was, and that I had conditions. The conditions were, that I would not follow the general trope—howlings, full moon, Lycanthropy and silver bullets. If they wanted a unique concept, I would really give it to them. I thought about what Michael Crichton had done with Jurassic Park, and thought about the current Thylacine Project, and how ancient DNA was being processed to resurrect extinct, hybrid animals. So I devised a way to find and reproduce the genome in an ice dire wolf. But this dire wolf was a man-eater. When the scientist performs the experiment, his protocol serum somehow replicates the human gene, which gives birth to a human/wolf hybrid. In addition, two other litter mates are spawned: a true ice age dire wolf and a grotesque monster. Of course, with this three-pack combination, all hell breaks lose.

Without giving too much away, what's your favorite part of the book?

Melina Salinger is just the strangest female creature that Seth Anson has ever seen. He has a lot of trouble teaching her about ladylike behavior and what is expected of a woman in today's society. The funniest part is when she enters an estrus cycle and chases Seth around the tower room, demanding a mating ritual. He more or less gets raped when she overpowers him. It's an awkward, but memorable scene.

Best time of day to write?

I try to get in a major chunk of writing during the morning hours. That's when I have most of my energy. Then I have to do my farm chores, which might take about three to four hours. I'll come back to the house, shower, and attempt to pull another stint at the keyboard. I steal as much time as I can during the day, and have been known to writer into the late, wee hours of the night and early morning.

Who are your top three favorite characters from books by other authors?

Ethan Fortune, in Alan Dean Foster's book, Icerigger, is a favorite character of mine. He's stranded on an ice world with a race of furry giants, and just can't seem to get with the program, without embarrassing himself or breaking some kind of cultural law. Skua September (from the same book), is the opposite of Ethan—he's brash, reckless and a fighter, who doesn't really care who's cultural laws he steps on. Philo Skinner, from the book, Black Marble, is an unforgettable rogue who schemes his way through every hour of the day, taking advantage of anyone who crosses his path. He's disgusting, smokes three packs of cigarettes a day, and gags so frequently that he cannot speak at times. He cries often, and wonders why life has dealt him such a terrible lot.

Where can we find your new book online?

As of this writing, The Wolfen Strain is not up on Amazon yet. But it will be this month, after June 26^th. You have only to Google it in the Kindle section. A trade paperback will be released two months after the ebook release. You can find it also from the publisher's website here:

http://lachesispublishing.com/

Thanks for updating us, Chris. Good luck with your new book!

Interview with Charolette Heil

You’ve stopped in just in time for another exciting interview! Today we’re chatting with aspiring writer Charolette Heil.

Charolette is a 28 year old aspiring writer from Minnesota. When not writing, she is usually working as an RN, attending classes for massage therapy, or spending time with friends and family. She has been reading since the age of 3 and started writing stories while still in elementary school. Her writing has improved somewhat since that time.

What is the name and genre of your manuscript?

The title is Lycanthrope Moon, and I guess it would be considered Urban Fantasy.

Love the title! Let’s hear your pitch.

For Grace Larkin, there is a definite line between reality and delusion. There has to be, when one works with the mentally ill. Her world is painted in bold strips of black and white. Anything logic cannot explain is a delusion; a fictitious creation of a disturbed mind. Then comes the day Connor Marshall is admitted. He believes he is a werewolf, an impossibility in Grace’s view. But as the days pass and the world grows stranger, the question of if he is indeed delusional keeps reappearing to bother her.


The day he escapes from her hospital, she believes she has seen the last of him. Before the day’s end, however, she finds herself at his mercy with no visible escape. As he shows her possibilities she never would have believed could exist, Grace soon discovers that nothing is as her training and education have led her to understand. Like it or not, she is drawn into a new and strange world populated by beings that are never quite what they seem. Friends appear from the most unlikely places, and enemies seem to be lurking in every shadow. She is astounded to learn that a war has been raging within the city - a war that no one even knew of. Her heart calls her to follow this new path, but that way lies madness and death.


The only question in her mind now is not whether werewolves are real, but if she – and those she has come to care so much for - will survive.

Very exciting! I'm all for werewolf stories. I can imagine it as a book to read while huddled in bed into the late hours of the night. How did the idea of the story come to you?

It was inspired by a number of sources. For one thing, I am an RN working with people with severe and persistent mental illness. Some of the people I work with have very entrenched delusional systems that they firmly believe in, and some of their delusions actually sound like something out of a science fiction or fantasy novel. I haven't yet encountered someone who believes they are a werewolf, but the concept I started with was, what if a person believes something that society states could not possibly be true, but happens to actually be true? How could that person prove that they aren't delusional to someone whose job dictates that they believe they are?


My other major source of inspiration was the movie Underworld, although the plot and characters weren't the fascinating part for me. I loved the idea that there wasn't just one werewolf, but a whole community of them, and that some of them were able to control their transformation. With so many werewolf stories, it's just one monster terrorizing a community. If you think about it, that really doesn't make sense, because both wolves and humans are social animals, so why would a cross between them be a solitary beast? I started with the idea of a werewolf community, and then fleshed it out and gave them a culture and a history as well.

You’ve put a lot of thought into the story, that’s great! What point are you at in the writing process?

The story is basically done, though I keep finding things to revise. Right now, I am researching agents and working on query letters.

Do you have a critique group or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I do a lot of self-editing, but I've also had a few people read through and give me feedback on things that don't make sense or need tweaking. I don't really have a formal beta reader, though.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

I write chronologically, from the beginning of the book to the end. I know sometimes writers will jump around and write the scenes they already have in their head that they want to have happen, but I don't like to do that. For one thing, when I write chronologically, often by the time I get to that scene it's changed a bit because of what happened earlier. Sometimes the hardest part of writing for me is getting from one scene I really wanted to write and connecting it to the next one. I'm not always sure how I'm going to get there, even if I already know where I want it to go.


Aside from that, right now the hardest part of writing is finding the time. I'm currently kind of in between projects. I finished Lycanthrope Moon, and I'm researching the next one I want to write, but I'm not yet in the throes of plot and character construction like I get when I'm in the middle of writing something. Also, I am currently going to school full time and working full time, so that doesn't leave a lot of extra time for writing if I also want to do those other bothersome things like eat and sleep. I'll be done with school in December, though, so I'm hoping to have a lot more time for writing after that.

Sleep? What’s that? LOL. Any tips you’ve learned about writing you’d like to share?

I think the best tip for any aspiring writer is just to write. Write, write, write as much as you can. Let the story that's in your head come out. Don't worry about how it's coming out at first. As Maureen Johnson said, give yourself permission to suck. Everyone does at first. That's what revising is for. Just get words onto paper however you can, and learn as you go. It also helps to be a voracious reader, I think.

I totally agree on both counts. So, do you have an idea of your book’s cover art?

I do, actually. I haven't done any mockups of it, but I have a pretty good picture in my head. The basic idea is the face of a wolf with brilliant green eyes superimposed over the image of a full moon. The title would be at the bottom, and my name at the top, in (much) smaller print.

Who are your inspirations?

My main inspiration in life is my mother. She doesn't write, but her passion in life is horses, and she has been living her dream of having her own riding stable for the past couple decades. She's the one who showed me that it is possible to live your dreams, and in fact, there is no other way to live your life.


As far as favorite authors, though, I grew up reading Robert Heinlein, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Anne McCaffrey. Later, I discovered Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series, and I would have to say that they are still my favorite book series. I also really enjoyed the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, and am looking forward to Mockingjay when it comes out in August.

I'm looking forward to that too! Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. Tell us three things about yourself.

1. I'm a night owl. I usually hit my second wind around 10pm, and so if I'm not sleeping by then, I have a hard time falling asleep until 2 or 3am. It's not a problem if I don't have anything to do in the morning, but when I work the early shift at work, I have to be there by 7am!
2. I grew up on a farm and have been riding horses since I was about two years old. It's my mom's passion, not mine, but the knowledge about that kind of thing comes in handy when I'm writing about anything horse-related.
3. I have a blended family, and am the oldest of six children, including a full brother, three half-sisters and a stepsister.

Big family! And I love horses. You’re so lucky! Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

My family has always been wonderfully supportive, especially my mom and my brother, and I would be remiss if I didn't thank the writing friends I have met online who have helped me grow, both as a writer and in many other ways. And, of course, you too, Dorothy.

Aw, you’re sweet. I’m glad we found each other. Let’s let everyone know where to find you online.

I am on Facebook, and also on Twitter @wordweaver81. I recently started a blog as well, at  http://enthusiasticallyme.blogspot.com. I intend to talk about writing, philosophy, massage, movies, books, and a lot of other things that I tend to be quite enthusiastic about. Some samples of my writing should also be up shortly.... or at least as soon as I get around to it.

Fantastic! Thank you so much for chatting with us, Charolette. Good luck with your novel, and please keep us informed of your progress in publishing!