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Welcome Elle Hill with her latest release Hunted Dreams. Before we take a look at Hunted Dreams … I love to get inside an author’s mind so sit back and read how Elle answers my ten. Elle will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour so be sure to leave a comment with your email address.

 

Author Interview

Woohoo! You are a published author. Describe a strong character trait you possess, good or bad, and how it helped you become a published author. Greed. Simple, amoral greed, fresh-squeezed and pure. Years ago, I developed a list of giant, pie-in-the-sky goals I wanted to achieve, – publish poetry, get a PhD, land the job of my dreams, find the best partner in the world, and publish novels – and up until a few years ago, I had achieved all but two of them: publish books and find my soul mate. You’d think that would be enough, right? Alas, my greed said “no, no, and no.” I wanted it all. In 2010 or 2011, I wrote a novella for a paranormal romance contest. I didn’t win that one, but I was determined to find a home for it. That was Hunted, the first of three novels/novellas in The Hunted Series.

I also found the love of my life two years ago. I’m in the process of making a new bucket list. 🙂

Sometimes an author begins writing a story before they are aware of its genre. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you? I went into paranormal romance with eyes happily open. It’s the genre I read, and my ideas for new books plop quite naturally into its waiting arms.

The plot thickens, or does it? Which one are you, a pantser or a plotter? Like a lot of writers, I’m both. I start off with a spark, maybe a fully developed, climactic scene. Then, I take myself out to lunch (I find I’m awesome company) and sit with paper and pen, jotting notes as the overall plot unravels before me. My initial outline is usually two-to-three pages long, so I obviously do a lot of um, pantsing, too. I usually add to and revise the outline as I go on.

Fear 101: As writers it is our duty to make our characters face their fears. Have you ever included one of your own fears in a storyline? Oh, yes. As a confirmed arachnophobe, I can gleefully say I have never forced my characters to deal with any eight-legged beasties. However, I have them constantly wrestle with horrifying scenarios: the pain of losing loved ones, fear of failure, and terror of not overcoming those internal demons. And of falling in love, of course. As awesome as that is, it’s also life-changing and a little scary. It’s not a coincidence that the French call orgasms la petite mort (“the little death”), amiright?

Fear 102: Yes, deadlines are terrifying. Have you conquered the juggling act between writing and the rest of your life? What do you do when it feels like the balls are dropping all around you? Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I work full-time as a college instructor, and I cram way more than 40 hours of loving labor into each work week. This makes writing a huge challenge. Consequently, it took me a year to write my last novel, the not-yet-published The Tithe.

The balls are often dropping all around me. I guess the only thing to do once they drop is dribble them, basketball-like, till I can once again hoist them high.

Switch positions with one of your main characters in a scene. What is the outcome, disaster or divine intervention? So I’m now Katana, the shero in Hunted Dreams. I’m driving along the 10 West Highway near downtown L.A. The sun shines, the bird fly in cheerful patterns. I’m dreaming and waiting for the monsters to come. Next to me, my driving test proctor takes notes on my driving technique; I tell him I can handle whatever nightmare awaits.

Suddenly, a young, blonde child darts out in front of the car. I scream and swerve, just barely missing her. I know something like this will happen again… will keep happening till disaster finally leads me to yet another nightmarish scenario. No one will help me; I’m alone in this dream world — at least till Reed visits, as he does every few dozen dreams. I can’t control how my captors choose to torture me, but I can control my actions.

A mile or so down the road, the same little girl leaps into my lane once again.

Where is your favorite place to write? Add that one comfort food that you can’t do without. I always write the same way: sitting in my computer chair at my desk in the kitchen. Oh, and preferably wearing pajamas. I almost always have something to drink at hand: coffee, soda, tea, or water.

Writing inspirations? Anything, really. For example, and I’m the teeniest bit embarrassed to admit it, but I got the idea for my latest novel, The Tithe, from Katy Perry’s song E.T. Don’t judge me. 🙂

You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them? I wish I could sound super edgimicated and choose some obscure, Brazilian, feminist author. My real answer, though, is Dean Koontz. My question would be: “I’ve been told to keep my (rather strong) politic beliefs on the DL when writing. How can you get away with so obviously shoving your politics down our throats?” I’d ask it respectfully, though, and preface it with much sincere praise.

I’ve gone mad – why don’t you come with me? Some people just don’t understand us writers. Name a quirky, writer-thing you do that friends wish you didn’t. Don’t hate me when I want to proofread your emails, letters, and Facebook and Twitter posts! I. Can’t. Help. It!

Hunted Dreams

by Elle Hill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Her history, her whereabouts, her name: She knows nothing. Nothing but her current reality: a constant stream of horrific, surrealistic scenarios in which she fights not only monsters and unseen attackers but also her own pain and despair.

Reed Jayvyn is an ex-Army vet, penniless and living in his truck. After saving a young man from attackers, he finds himself embroiled in a superhuman drama between the Broschi and the Clan, two groups engaged in a centuries-long war. Worse, he finds he is one of them—a Broschi, a psychic vampire that feeds off the pain of humans. But Reed’s greatest surprise comes each night, when he finds himself dreaming of a fierce, nameless woman.

She is dreaming. So says the handsome man who uses his heretofore latent psychic ability to flicker in and out of her dreamscape. With Reed’s help, she slowly learns more about who she is, why she is here, what trauma in her past keeps her locked inside her mind. Meanwhile, Reed explores his own heritage, discovering enemies and allies in unexpected places.

But most important to Reed is freeing this woman caught in an endless loop of nightmares, someone he considers in every way to be the woman of his dreams.

 

Hook:

A woman trapped in an endless cycle of nightmares. A handsome hero committed to rescuing her. It’s just like Sleeping Beauty – except the dreaming damsel is the sword wielder and the hero is a psychic vampire feeding off her pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

“Who are you? What do you have to do with”—she jerked her head toward the wall—“this?”

Reed gestured to the sky, the walls, the buildings that crowded around them at unnatural angles. “This is your world,” he said, “not mine. I’m just a bit player. Somehow you pulled me into your subconscious playground.”

She drew her breath in sharply, and her nostrils flared. “Are you saying this is a dream?” she all but whispered.

Surprised, Reed nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t you know?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t know where this was. I considered a dream, but why don’t I ever wake up?”

Forgetting the sword, Reed took a step toward her. She threw him a cautious look but didn’t say anything. “It’s just a dream,” he said. “You do wake up. You just don’t remember it. You’re sleeping right now, just like me. The only mystery is how you dragged me into—”

“You’re wrong,” she said hoarsely. “I don’t wake up, not ever. I just flow from one scene to another.”

“Girl, you’re dreaming,” he soothed. “Dreams make us think weird shit, forget the waking world. In ten minutes you’ll move on to another sleep stage and forget all about this conversation.”

He heard her painful exhale. She tilted her head at him. The movement caught a ray of light, and he could see her eyes sparkled with a haze of tears. “I’m not wrong or crazy. If this is a dream, I can’t wake up.”

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Elle began writing novel-length romances in junior high. She continued scribbling wild tales on her wide-ruled notepads till those pesky college and career things got in the way. Finally, after earning her Ph.D. in Sociology, Elle gave herself permission to get a life. Now, she spends just about all her waking hours doing one or more of the following: teaching, writing, volunteering, and tending to the whims of her kitty masters.

 

Links:

Blog: http://ellehillauthor.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.ellehill.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Elle-Hill/155409064486649?ref=hl

Purchasing the book: http://www.amazon.com/Hunted-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00CHUEIIG

 

 

 

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