Author Interview - Wendy Knight

Please welcome Wendy Knight to the Far Edge of Normal!
Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.
You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.

Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyKnight
Blog: www.writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7009940.Wendy_Knight
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wjk8099

Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?
 I write young adult urban fantasy. I've dabbled in other genres but none are as fun! I've written three books in the Fate on Fire series- Feudlings (book 1), Feudlings in Sight (a short story), and Feudlings in Flames (book 2). I also have a series about battle unicorns coming out in October. I don't have a favorite. I love them all!

What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?
Let's see...I love Disney movies. I love football-to watch and to play. Scooby Doo is like my all-time favorite. I think maybe I forgot to grow up at some point. I love my cartoons!


What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?
I don't know about specific organizations. I'm not a member of any. BUT I do strongly suggest having a critique group, or a support group of other writers. I would be lost without my writer friends! We chat, brainstorm, cry, encourage. It's sooo invaluable.

What writers inspired you to become an author?
Walter Farley, the author of the Black Stallion books, is the reason I started writing. I loved those books so much! When I finished the series, I was devastated, so I started writing my own. I was only, like, ten. But still.

More modern, my writing idol is Cassandra Clare. I love her books. And, of course, J.K. Rowling. She's my very favorite ever.

I loved the Black Stallion, too. I wanted a horse so bad, until I found out how much work they really are. And the smell! If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?
I would go back to ancient Greece. I wonder if I could write that trip off as research…

If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?
Africa. I’ve been obsessed with it since I was tiny.

What color would you wear if you had only one choice?
Red. No, black. No…Red. Yes, red.

Red is a great choice. Describe your dream writing spot.
On a balcony overlooking the ocean, so I can hear the waves while I write. And that’s all-just the waves. No sirens, no screaming children (lets pretend they’re sleeping peacefully in the background), no barking dogs. Just the waves. Also, there would be pillows. Lots of pillows.



I think you just described my dream writing spot. Thanks for stopping by, Wendy, and best of luck with your writing!

Check out her book, Feudlings in Flames - 
Astraea Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble  

Ari thought being in love with her prophesied nemesis sucked. But being responsible for her best friend's kidnapping? It sucks worse.

Ari and Shane thought they’d beaten Fate and ended the three-hundred year war plaguing their people. They thought love had won. But they were so, so wrong.

Instead of graduating high school like the normals, they’re in a battle to save Charity – Shane’s cousin, Ari's best friend, and the seer who might hold the key to ending the war for good. To do that, they’re forced to accept help from a boy they aren’t even sure they can trust. He’s powerful and knows spells even Ari’s never heard of, but he’s also secretive and has a past he’s determined to keep hidden . Add to that the fact that he has his sights set on Ari, and Shane would rather do without his help.

Ari has bigger problems than mysterious boys and their strange powers. The powerful Edren Family is hunting her brother, and she can't very well save him or Charity while they’re constantly being attacked by her own people. To stop the raids, she has to take the fight to them. But if she starts hunting the family that raised her, what kind of monster will she be?

Fate still waits for the death of one by the hand of the other.

"No no, Hunter, it curves this way." Ari stood back, watching with a frown, and then jumped back in. "Imagine in your mind what you want the spell to do. Tie your emotions to your spells."

Shane watched her guide Hunter and tried again on his own. "Close, Shane, but like this," Ari reached out, holding his hand as she led him through the motion. He felt the flames racing through his blood react to her touch and sparks flew from his fingers, igniting the spell. It hung, burning, in the air, a bright blue curlicue thing. "Perfect," she whispered, still holding on to his hand.

  "Maybe, but does it work?" Tristan's voice was flat and uninterested, but Shane could hear the animosity running under the words.

"We don't have any targets set out. He can't test it." Ari shook her head, and still holding Shane's hand, made a quick swiping motion through the spell, dissipating it. "Try again." She let go of his hand and stepped back, watching expectantly.

Shane tried, once, twice, and three times. He couldn't get it quite right, but neither could Hunter, which made him feel better, and Tristan wasn't even trying.

"It's okay if you can't do it, Shane. There are a lot of other powerful spells she uses that will be much easier for you to master," Will said.

Ari vehemently shook her head. "No. He can do it. Just give him a minute!"

Shane kept his attention focused on the spell in front of him, but he couldn't stop his grin.

Ari believed in him.

He burned the spell into the air again, trying to replicate the one Ari had drawn, but it fizzled into a mass of smoke. The spell had to ignite to actually do anything. He groaned in frustration, tipping his head sideways to look at Ari. "What am I doing wrong?"

She bit her lip, studying him for several seconds. "When you did it the first time, what were you thinking?"

Shane paused, dropping his hand that was still poised in the air. "Umm… I was thinking we were gonna die and I had seen you throw that spell so I knew it was possible. It just happened."

Author Interview - Marva Dasef

Today I welcome author Marva Dasef to the Far Edge of Normal.

Bio: Marva Dasef is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a fat white cat.  Retired from thirty-five years in the software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds it a much more satisfying occupation.  Marva has published more than forty stories in a number of on-line and print magazines, with her stories included in several Best of anthologies. She has eight published books.

She can be found at the following sites:

Website: http://marvadasef.com/
Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef?ref=profile
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Gurina

You can find all of my published work on Amazon and Smashwords.

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BM4DM6
Smashwords Author Page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mgdasef

Current Titles:
The Tales of Abu Nuwas: Featured Book
Tales of a Texas Boy
Quest for the Simurgh
Eagle Quest
Ultimate Duty
First Duty (the short YA version of Ultimate Duty)
Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag II

Coming from MuseItUp Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/MIU-MarvaDasef
Missing, Assumed Dead, July 2011 – Mystery/suspense set in Eastern Oregon
    Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDa0LT7EhZg
The Witches of Galdorheim Series
    Bad Spelling, October 2011
    Midnight Oil, January 2012
    Scotch Broom, April 2012

Interview

Q: What genres do you write?

A: As you can see from my titles list, I write just about everything. In my short story anthologies, “Mixed Bag” and “Mixed Bag II,” I have fantasy, science fiction, horror, humor, romance, alternate history, children, and literary fiction.

The only thing I do not write is erotica, although I have some pretty adult stories, especially in the horror genre. My science fiction romance/space opera, “Ultimate Duty,” has some hot sex scenes, but doesn’t classify as erotica. I originally wrote the book as a YA science fiction under the title “First Duty.” It was published by a very small publisher in 2008. When I got back my rights, I published it independently. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring along my very cool cover. The publisher, Sam’s Dot Publishing, still has copies of “First Duty” and one other of my books, “The Seven Adventures of Cadida.”

Q: What inspires your stories?

A: News articles, internet research, dreams, or titles just coming into my head wanting to have a book written for them. For example, the first book in my upcoming YA fantasy series developed from the title “Bad Spelling.” Something brought that to my mind, and I had to write a book to go with it. It was too good a title to pass up.

Q: What is your current WIP?

A: Alas, I’ve been too busy publicizing my recent releases, I haven’t done much writing. I have an outline for another book in the Witches of Galdorheim series, and I hope to get back to work on that after the release of my mystery/suspense book, “Missing, Assumed Dead.”

Q: Did you always want to be an author? Who inspired you?

A: It depends on what you mean by author. I spent many years writing technical documentation with only a few fiction stories which I never submitted for publication at the time.

When I retired from my job with the State of Oregon, I hauled out those stories and worked them over. I was fortunate to get some quick sales and I became an author in the sense of a writer of fictional works.

I only wrote short stories for a long time. I swore I just didn’t have any long works in me. However, in 2007, I decided to try Nanowrimo, the November month-long novel writing event. I wrote the required 50K words to ‛win’. That showed me I could write longer works. That book was heavily edited down to the 25K “Eagle Quest.” Everything else followed from that.

Q: What characters are your favorites from your books?

A: Rune from the Witches of Galdorheim series is my favorite. He’s also the favorite of many of my beta readers. He’s the half-brother of the main character, Kat, the girl witch who can’t cast a spell. Rune happens to be a very talented spell caster, despite the fact he’s two years younger. He goes along with Kat on her search for her mundane family. He’s a great protector for his spell-less sister, but has a somewhat cocky but charming attitude. Did I mention he’s half vampire? That’s his inner demon he has to tame.

Q: If you could meet one historical person for dinner, who would it be and why?

A: Leonardo DaVinci. I suspect he was an alien. What else explains all those impossible (at the time) inventions and his general brilliance.

Q: If you could travel anywhere on Earth, where would you want to go? If you could travel anywhere, fictional or real, where would you go?

A: While my hubs and I plan on a Grand European Tour in the next couple of years, we won’t get to everywhere. If I had the money and time, I’d go to Australia and New Zealand. Both as real and fictional destinations.

Q: If you could time travel, what is one event you would want to see in person, either future or past?

A: Not only would I want to see this event, I would kill to participate in the first spaceship to leave the Solar System for another star. I know it will be a heckuva long trip, but it’d be worth it. In the shorter term, I’d love to take at least an orbital flight.

Q: What's your favorite color? Food? Reading spot?

A: Color: Green, and I’m not even Irish.
Food: Pizza, but I shouldn’t ever eat it. Way too much fat. Still, crispy pepperoni, melty cheese...yum!
Reading spot: In bed, all propped up with pillows with my Kindle in hand.

My Giveaway of the Day is “The Tales of Abu Nuwas,” a MG/YA fantasy in the tradition of 1001 Arabian Nights. Find it at Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35634) and use coupon code VY32L at checkout (good until 6/30/2011).

Blurb:
Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar telling stories to the passersby he can tempt to pay. When Najda, a poor girl, offers him a packet of spice for a story, Abu Nuwas launches into a tale about a girl named Setara and her genie. As did Scheherazade, he leaves the girl hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back for more. While relating the fantastical accounts, Abu Nuwas learns more of the spice girl's life, then finds a way to save her from a forced marriage and find a better life.

The teller of tales relates the adventures of a girl and her genie as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who bottled him; and a merboy cast out of his undersea kingdom.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vhzWTXsqtU

Excerpt:

Setara slumped to the cave floor. What, she wondered, could these superstitious tribesmen think was a mountain demon? Cloistered she may be, but she was well educated and did not believe in demons. These were old men’s tales to frighten children. It made no difference, really. Dead was dead, whether by a demon’s talons or a mountain cat’s fangs.

She smacked her head against the rock wall and realized she had dozed off. How stupid of me. I’m waiting here for something to eat me and I take a nap! She edged toward the entrance, kicking herself mentally. Why hadn’t she simply tried to push the bushes aside and get out?

She found the answer in the inch-long thorns on the shrubs, tied down so she couldn’t move them. When she had pushed on them with her tied hands, she got a gash for her effort. Now, the mountain cats would smell blood, and it would be all over.

Backing away from the thorns, she pushed her body into the wall. At least she could face the lions when they came.

A loud crash, followed by a slither of loose gravel sounded no more than twenty feet from where she crouched. Setara pressed herself harder into the cave wall, closed her eyes tight and clenched her teeth.

Her eyes and mouth popped open simultaneously at what she heard next.

“Why can’t they clean up these blasted caves?” a deep voice rumbled.

Suddenly, a torch flared, and Setara could see the source of the voice. An eight-foot tall figure loomed in the light. A turbaned head nearly touched the now visible cave roof. Setara gaped at the man. Or was it a man? While his features were man-like, the three-inch fangs, sharp talons, and beastly snout belied his humanity. Dressed in the old style, with ballooning trousers tied at the ankles, a brocaded vest opened to reveal a broad, hairless chest.

The creature held up the torch, which Setara could now see was a flame jetting from his upraised index finger. The monster glanced around until his gaze rested on Setara.

“Ah, a bargain made, goods delivered.” A deep voice chuckled sounding like the beat of a drum. Huh huh huh. “Good evening, my dear. Please, come out into the light. Nothing to be afraid of, I assure you.”

Despite his words, she did not feel reassured. She could only whimper as she continued to try to melt into the stone wall. This was the demon! How could such a thing be? Demons and ogres were only legends and fairy tales, yet here one stood before her. In the flesh, so to speak.

The demon grinned, a most disconcerting grin, exposing his fangs to their full length. “Come, come, my little lady, don’t be afraid. I’m not an ogre, you know.” The beast’s fangs and nose shrank back to a more normal size.

“You . . . you’re a demon,” Setara barely whispered.

“A what? Oh, good heavens, what kind of nonsense have they been filling your head with? I most certainly am not a demon. Why, the very idea! Any fool can see that I’m a genie. You know, a djinn.”

“If you’re a djinn, where is your lamp?” Setara managed to ask.

“Lamp? Oh, that was just Aladdin’s genie, Shairan. Most of us don’t hang around in lamps. Old Shairan was tricked into that one. Evil as the devil, but not too bright, I’m afraid.”

Thanks for joining me, Marva. It's been fun getting to know you.