PRESENTING
"Carnival of Darkness" Cover
by Author Becca Moree!
Isn't it hot and beautifully done?
I can honestly say, I really am looking forward to reading this book by a wonderful debut author.
Please take the time to comment on this lovely cover.
Becca would appreciate hearing what you think. Thank you!
Links:
Amazon - soon
Book Blurb:
Brett sold his soul to the devil. Only
hell isn't a fiery pit in the bowels of the earth. Hell is the Carnival of
Darkness where the freak shows are real, the screams never end, and the girl of
his dreams has become a part of his nightmare.
Charlee has been kidnapped by the freaks that run The Carnival of Darkness. If
that weren’t bad enough, she’s harboring a secret that will put her life in
even more danger should her captors find out. Now, she has a decision to make –
keep her head down and wait on someone to save her, or fight to escape and get
back to the ones she left behind.
Brett wants to trust Charlee with the reason he is working at the carnival, but
she still has reservations about his intentions. Charlee doesn’t trust anyone,
but Brett may be her only hope.
INTERVIEW:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a
writer?
Oh gosh! That’s a toughie. I started writing short stories and poetry
when I was in late middle school. But at that point I still wanted to be an
early childhood teacher. I love the little ones! I started writing FaeTAL, oh
wow, going on 8 years ago! I kept starting and stopping for a variety of
reasons. Last year I went to a writer’s conference called Pay It Forward and
made some amazing author friends. Through them, I have finally completed the
book and really feel like this is what I am supposed to be doing.
How
long does it take you to write a book?
I honestly couldn’t say at this point. FaeTAL took me YEARS
and YEARS to write. But that was because I kept putting it to the side instead
of actually working on it. Carnival of Darkness (which I should put the
finishing touches on this week) was written in less than a month.
What
is your work schedule like when you're writing?
Schedule? What’s that? I’m a stay at home mom to two lovely
young ladies, ages 3 and 7. During the summer things get a bit crazy! I also
work from home doing custom sewing and embroidery. A typical day for me
involves spending the morning doing random things with my girls, mid-morning
sewing, afternoons at the pool with my laptop (attempting to write dark adult
paranormal things while listening to two kids giggle and Disney music playing
loudly), nights spent with the hubs and girls doing family things. Finally,
once the girls are in bed I typically sit down with my computer, some good
music, a glass of wine and write…before I pass out!
What
would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have very little control over my stories. I sit down and
plan them out. I story board. I fill out extensive character development
sheets. And then I sit down to write and the character goes… Ya know, I’m just
not feeling this. How about we do this instead?
Who am I to force them into a story that doesn’t fit them
anymore?
How
do your books get published?
I’m 100% indie and have yet to hit that publish button...so
I suppose we shall see how my books get published soon. Hehe
Where
do you get your information or ideas for your books?
The general idea behind the FaeTAL series came from a dream.
Well, I call it a dream. It was more like someone stepped into my head and
refused to stop yelling their story at me until I wrote it down.
Once I have the basic idea/story down on paper I do research
on the inter-webs to get my details straight. God forbid anyone ever checks my
search history...I swear I’m not trying to do anything illegal!
I also have been taking hand-to-hand and knife fighting with
a one-on-one trainer in order to keep my fight scenes as accurate and action
packed as possible. It’s been fun, but painful. I have walked way with quite a
few bruises for these books.
When
did you write your first book and how old were you?
I started writing FaeTAL in 2008. I had just graduated college, married the
love of my life. I was 22 years old and raring to go!
What
do you like to do when you're not writing?
I’m a total dork. I’m a gamer chick. I don’t care if it’s a
board game or a computer/console game. I’ll play it! I also tend to the animals
in our little mini-farm (we have goats, chickens, guinea pigs, gerbils, dogs,
cats...the list is constantly growing) and spend time with my two beautiful
little girls. When I’m not doing any of that and I’m not working on my
sewing/embroidery orders you can almost always find me with a book. I’m an avid
reader. I read anything and everything.
What
does your family think of your writing?
Most are supportive. My hubs is my rock. He tells me every day how proud he is
of me. Even when he is picking on me about when I will finally click publish on
my first book (it has been 8 years in the making so I suppose he has a right to
pick on me) I know that he is doing it with love.
I’ve had a few family members be quite mean about it.
Questioning what makes me think that I can be an author. For a while I let it
get to me. Their negative thoughts and comments pulling me down and causing me
to stop writing. To question if I should continue at all.
With the help of a few close friends (that I met online and
sadly all live WAY to far away from me) and the support of my husband I have
gotten myself into the mindset of: What makes you think that I can’t be an
author?
Hehe, this is happening whether the nay-Sayers like it or
not!
What
was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Hmmm...I’m not really sure. I have learned so very much through this process
and have met so many wonderful people. I suppose the biggest thing I’ve
learned, the most surprising, is that nothing is set in stone. There are a
GAZILLION ways to create a book and every single one of them is the ‘right’
way. As long as the book you end up with is what you wanted, what makes you
happy, then you did it the right way.
Never let anyone tell you other wise. It is YOUR book and
only YOU can decide when and how it is done.
How
many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve written 2 books. One novella and one full length. I
could no easier pick my favorite of the two books than I could pick a favorite
between my daughters. I love them both equally. They both have qualities that I
adore and qualities that need work. I will always have a soft spot in my heart
for FaeTAL because it was the first book I wrote. (It will be the second
published though.) However, having the chance to dig deeper into the C.O.D in
the novella was a blast and opened up a whole new world for me in this series.
This little prequel to FaeTAL may have been an after thought, but it is one I
can’t imagine not having published.
Writing is a never ending process. No matter how many times
I go through each of these books I’m always going to find something that makes
me think ‘huh, maybe I should...’
Do
you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are
they?
I suppose the only suggestions I have at the moment are the
ones I have needed to hear as I’ve gone through this process: No one is
perfect. Never let someone else’s opinion over rule your own, especially when
it comes to your book. People can be mean. They don’t always think before they
speak/type and because no one is perfect there are going to be things that
people find wrong with your baby (yes my book babies are practically teenagers
at this point...yelling for me to get out of their room already).
The hardest part of being an author (at least in my opinion)
is putting your book – that you have worked so hard on, poured your heart and
soul into, not to mention the ungodly amount of money spent – and having
someone bash it. It’s going to hurt.
You’re probably going to think about quitting.
Don’t. You can do this!
Do
you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I don’t have readers yet...but I sure do hope that they
contact me once my book is out there! I adore feedback and would love to hear
from readers :)
Do
you like to create books for adults?
I do. I find it fun to create a new world for someone to delve into. I know
that I use books as an escape from reality (not that my reality isn’t great...but
who doesn’t want to live vicariously every now and then) and I hope that the
worlds that I create can help someone else do the same.
What
do you think makes a good story?
For me it’s all about consistency and a sense of realness
that pulls me in. My favorite books are those that make me forget that these
things aren’t actually happening. That I’m not going to run into the character
in town. That I can’t actually call up ‘Brie and tell him to calm his butt down
so that the storm will go away (haha I still find myself messaging
Author C. Tuttle every time a massive southern
summer storm hits telling her to have her characters calm down so that I can
sleep.)
I think that so long as a book has a strong story, well
developed characters and an active plot line...a few grammatical errors can be
over looked. It drives me bonkers when I see reviewers bashing an author for
the little things. If only they knew how much those little things can cost an
author to have someone help with.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew
up?
I always wanted to be a teacher and I was for a few years. I enjoyed it while
it lasted and at times I miss it now. However, I wouldn’t change being able to
go on field trips or spend this time with my girls.
The Owl Branch Book Promotions
Proudly Promotes, Author Becca Moree!
www.theowlbranch2015.net
