I am the product of an only child upbringing by a single mom when it just was not done! I was raised in the embrace of her colorful family. A jazz drummer. A trucker. Two WWII vets. A numbers’ runner. An aspiring opera singer. A few gay uncles. All mixed in with staunchly independent women and men who took no stuff from anyone. We had neighbors who people nowadays would label as people of “questionable repute.” I loved every minute of it. My eyes and ears soaked it up. They all forged me in the fire of their many-faceted hearts. Watch the HBO film Lackawanna Blues. It’s the closest you’ll come to my life. I hope I’m doing them proud.
2. Speed Answer Challenge:
Chocolate or Vanilla: Rocky Road
Favorite color: Deep rose
Favorite foreign language: French
Favorite season: Fall
Sports car or All-terrain vehicle: Sports car
Watch TV or Go for a hike: Go for a hike
Favorite animal: Cat
3. Give us the juicy details about your book
Something Else Wicked from Extasy Books, continues Nate and Tina’s love story (begun in The Felig Chronicles) as they still combat the Felig and now have to contend with some nutty humans who’ve made a deal with the aliens to survive at the expense of the rest of mankind. In this volume, a way is discovered to kill the Felig. A character goes insane; another dies. It still has a happy finish.
4. What inspired this story?
I like combining different aspects of a genre to build my own. I combine the love story, the monster story, and the mystery with a sort of reluctantly sleuthing interracial couple. As I’ve mentioned before, I really liked the premises of the films 28 Days Later and Strange Days, and the fact that the director chose a hero and heroine who are not what audiences are used to. I really adored how being of different ethnicities was not the central issue of those films and it is not in Nate and Tina’s story. They have bigger things to worry about.
5. Do you have any fun writing habits or rituals to keep your creativity flowing?
I have to have a beverage (hot chocolate, tea, water or coffee) nearby and gummy bears. As for keeping the creativity flowing, I start chapters from the end sometimes. I will know what I want to reveal in certain chapters but I don’t always know how I’m going to get there. This technique helps me get the chapter going.
6. If you weren’t writing, what could readers find you doing instead?
I’d probably be one of those eternal students or a teacher. I love learning and reading books and sharing information.
7. What can you tell us about the rest of the series?
Book one introduces Nate and Tina, their budding love story and why the aliens are here. Book two takes them on a caper involving some humans who want to conquer the world as much as the aliens. Book three is really character driven. It concerns mostly Nate wanting Tina to commit to him and Tina needing to decide if all they have in common is monster fighting and great sex before she does. Book four involves a rescue mission. Book five will be a prequel.
8. Where can readers purchase your books?
Readers can get my e-books at www.extasybooks.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise, Bookstrand, etc.
9. May we read an excerpt from the book and can you provide it here?
CHAPTER THREE
Nate trod across the bedroom floor, a towel wrapped around his hips. He caught his image in the dresser mirror and thought that he didn’t look too bad for all that he had endured lately. He had never been the hulking, bruiser type. He had always been lanky muscle. He did his guy thing and flexed his pecs and biceps in the glass. So the lovely lady in the kitchen fancied this with all its secrets and problems. He fancied her with all her secrets and problems too. “It’s good.” He bent closer to the mirror. More sleep, less stress would help the dark circles under his eyes. But who could sleep soundly with the madness at his front door? Someone knocked at the bedroom door.
“Yes?”
“It’s Paul, sir. I have some news about Jerry.”
“Good. Good. I was just about to call his kin. Avner let you up here?” Nate opened the door and let Paul in. As he closed the door, in a flash, the newbie attacked him, knocking him around the room. The kid was so forceful and swift that he caught Nate off guard. In the tussle, Paul slammed him into the dresser. Trying to get his balance, Nate dragged the cloth off the dresser and everything with it. Two lamps went crashing to the floor. Nate got a few good punches and kicks to the kid’s face and middle before the attacker pulled a blackjack from a jacket pocket and popped him a few times on the head. Nate felt himself blacking out. With great effort he yelled, “Help! Help!”
“Quiet, fraud!” Paul struck him once more to subdue him. Paul tossed the blackjack to the floor. Grinning like a wet dream had come true, Paul reached into his waistband and pulled out a hunting knife. “Tina!” Nate mouthed before the world went dark and he felt the knife edge pierce his neck.
* * * *
Avner, his wife Iris and baby Akivah dropped by the main house to thank their employer for the terrific outing last night. Tina opened the front door.
“Hey! Come on in.”
“Where’s the main man, T? I got some news he’d want to hear. Pronto.”
Tina buzzed Iris and the baby. “Upstairs dressing. Go on up.” She took Akivah in her arms and he gurgled with glee. “This kid’s gonna ask me for a date soon. He’s so big for a baby his age.” She looked to Iris. “A side effect, you think?” The pert redhead shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Loud thumping and yells emanated from upstairs. “Nate!” Avner cried, pulling out his Jericho, racing for the stairs. Tina handed Akivah back to Iris. “What’s going on?” both women screamed. “Stay here, Iris, out of sight.” Tina followed Avner. They reached the bedroom door at the same time Evie and Moz did. Avner kicked it in. A naked Nate lay motionless on the floor in a pool of blood. “Oh God, no!” Tina screeched, rushing past Avner. She knelt and cradled Nate in her arms. She used a stray towel to apply pressure to a wound in his neck. Avner did a sweep of the room by checking closets and under the bed.
“Towels! Get towels from the bathroom, somebody!” Tina pleaded. Evie headed for the bathroom, but Moz went instead with his trusty baseball bat. He hurried back with a stack while Tina and his wife worked on Nate.
Nate’s eyes flickered open. “Tina.”
“Who did this, baby?” Tina asked through a flood of tears. There was so much blood. Tina didn’t know if she’d puke, pass out or do both. She had no idea how many punctures riddled him only that blood was streaming out of a lot of places.
“It’s got to be the new guy. Paul. I was coming to tell Nate that the kid’s background check didn’t pass muster,”Avner said.
“Excuse me, but this looks sorta serious. Shouldn’t somebody call 911?” Moz asked.
“No, Moz. We can handle this,” Avner said.
“What do you mean?” Tina asked. “Handle it how? We need to get him to a freakin’ ER. Stat! Oh God. Nate? Nate?” He did not answer and closed his eyes. Tina sobbed loudly as she shook him. “I’m so sorry about the stuff I said to you in the kitchen. Don’t you die.”
“Believe me, T. Just let me alert the crew.” Avner took out his walkie-talkie. “All teams! All teams! Be on the lookout for Paul Justus. He is armed and dangerous. Apprehend if you can. If you cannot apprehend, shoot to kill. Repeat. Try to apprehend. If you cannot apprehend, shoot to kill.” He turned to Moz. “Please go downstairs and assure my wife that we’ve got everything under control. Stay with her, please. We’ll yell if we need ya. Thanks so much. Be careful.”
“You’re welcome.” Moz scratched his head. “I guess you know what you’re doin’. Tina, we ain’t leavin’ this house ’til we hear from you. Come on Evie.” Moz collected his wife and bat and went downstairs.
10. Where can your readers connect with you on the web?
Readers can drop a comment at http://www.pjdeanwriter.com
http://www.twitter.com/#!/pjdeanwriter
http://www.facebook.com/PJ-Deans-Fan-Page
Kelli, Jess and Monie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Blogtalk experience and for the the print interview.