Larissa and Friends' Bookish Life

Author Interview & Giveaway w/ Meagan Hatfield!

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Hey Everyone! Welcome to My Bookish Life! This Tuesday I have the pleasure to welcome here, Author Meagan Hatfield!

I read and reviewed her book, Shadow of The Vampire earlier this year {You can check out my review HERE} and participated on an online chat with her later on, where she was awesome. We kept in touch through Facebook and she has been nice enough to come over for an interview and she is even giving away a book, how awesome is that!?

The Giveaway details are right after the interview… Hope you enjoy it!

- When did you first start writing?

Well, like many writers out there, I’ve been writing something for as long as I can remember. It’s just that all those stories about horses or enchanted lands turned into stories about boys. ;)

- Have you always been interested in Romance?

Definitely! My grandmother read four Harlequin romances a day…she kept one by her bed, one by her chair, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. She finished them all in a day. I still am awed how she did this without ever making me feel ignored or like I was interrupting anything, and managed to put three huge Italian sized meals on the table. Anyway, as you can imagine, she had bookshelves everywhere! They lined the hallway and since she read category Harlequin’s, each shelf was double or triple stacked. I started pulling books off her shelves when I was about thirteen. And not too much later, I started going to the stores and garage sales with her, asking her if I could buy Harlequin Historical’s for me, since I didn’t much care for the cowboy/baby/billionaire books she always read. We’d leave with file boxes full of books.

- What about in the Paranormal?

The paranormal in general has always been a huge interest for me. I love anything spooky and Halloween is my absolutely favorite holiday. The Lost Boys was my favorite movie, so vampires piqued my interest early on in life too. Unfortunately, I don’t remember reading much if any paranormal romance. Christopher Pike had some teen suspense/paranormal with a splash of romance books I loved though.

- Why writing Paranormal Romance? lost_boys

I guess I sort of fell into it. At the time, I had written only fantasy and historical…and even the fantasy was more like a historical fantasy. So naturally, I thought I’d only ever write historical. It was what I grew up reading, I was (okay still am) a huge Renaissance Faire junkie, it just seemed the route to go. However it was still early in my writing toward publication life and I began tampering more and more out of my comfort zone with short stories and novella’s. An opportunity to be apart of an anthology sort of fell into my lap one day…I wrote a vampire/dragon novella in eight days, really loved the world and characters, but left it at that. I went back to work on my historical and historical paranormal series I was working. But a year or so later, that world and those characters still would not stop talking to me and Declan Black was born! The rest I guess is history. =)

- Were there any Books, Movies or Writers that have inspired you?

I think any writer, actor, director, etc. who have “made it” are inspiring. You always remember and tell yourself (or at least I do) that they didn’t start out as Anne Rice or James Cameron…they were once those Matt Damon/Ben Affleck kids following a dream, working their butts off doing something they loved hoping it would one day pay off, but doing it regardless. I think that’s the big thing. You write because you need to, not because you have to and certainly not because you think it will make you rich and famous. It’s all about the love of the game. But then again, that might just be my view.

- What is your favorite subject in the Paranormal Romance Realm?

I love dragons. Sorry, I’m biased! : ) Vampires will always be yummy to me and one of my “go to” reads. But dragons don’t have that overdone feel to them yet.

- The sex scenes in your books are amazingly hot. Where do you get your inspiration?

Hahaha – uh, that’s a loaded gun. Hmm, should I embarrass some people here and fire it? *taps chin thoughtfully* Nah, I’ll put the halo on and be good and leave it with I have a very active…err, imagination.

- Do you find it hard to write them?

Not at all. I know some people moan and groan (no pun intended) about having to write sex scenes. But for me, writing romance is all about the couples – the dynamics, the push/pull, the exploring, first touch, first kiss, that “honeymoon-ish” desire. *sigh* Anyone in any kind of long term relationship knows those butterfly feelings fade. This is my way of getting to experience them over and over again. (and over and over again – hey, it’s fiction! Hehehe) =)

Favorites:

- Favorite Paranormal themed Movie?

This is difficult because my brain instantly goes to ghost movies. Lol! Although, in that vein, The Others was a pretty sweet ghost flick. I think the Underworld movies are awesome. I love Van Helsing, The Covenant, Lost Boys, Queen of the Damned, The Wolfman with Bennecio Del Toro surprised me how much I enjoyed it, Legend, Labyrinth, Blood & Chocolate, Pratical Magic…seriously, I could just keep going. ;)

- Favorite Paranormal themed TV Show?

Ack! These questions are too hard! The Kindred, Hex, Buffy, X-Files, I’m a sucker for anything Ghost Hunters/Ghost Adventures/Paranormal State/Celebrity Paranormal Project/Destination Truth/Scariest Places on Earth – you name it and I’m there, even if they are horrible! Lol!

- Favorite Paranormal themed Book?

I plead the fifth on this one ;)

- Favorite Author?

This is too hard too! There are so many and I know I’ll forget someone…

- Favorite Paranormal Romance Author?

Angela Knight never lets me down. Wub her!

- Favorite Genre that is NOT your own?

Historical Romance – I’d have to say the medieval genre is my favorite, although I truly do love it all.

- Favorite one of your Books?

Shadow of the Vampire – well, so far anyway. ;)

- Who is your favorite of your own characters?

Alexia’s cousin, Yuri

Why?

His heart, his character and his soul. As each level of his back story peeled away, revealing the core of who he was and why he was that way, I just fell in love with him. You’ll get to see more of Yuri in January 2011 when Vampire in her Mysts comes out. =)

- Which was the hardest to write?

Which character was the hardest? Um, I’d have to say Tallon. She took a lot for me to get a handle on. For starters, I’m an only child. So the whole sibling thing is fictional for me to start with. Then I had to make sure she seemed realistic being the only female warrior in the dragon legion…I didn’t want her to be a hardcore bad ass, but not a girlie girl at all either. Problem there is making her sympathetic to the reader and not annoying or un-relatable. So yeah, she gave me some challenges but I love how her character unfolded.

- What would you be if not a writer?

Exactly what I’m doing now, I guess. Lol! I still have a day job and I teach Zumba and Zumba toning classes at night & on weekends. So, I’d probably just be teaching more, building my Zumba business.

- If you could be a Paranormal Being, Who would you be?

Hmm, this is a tough one. I’m instantly leaning toward vampire. But I would love to have some kind of X-Men-y super power! Of course deciding which super power would be impossible. So, I’ll probably stick with vampire. =)

Quickies!

- Coffee or Tea?

Both, but I am a coffee-a-holic =) I got a Keurig one cup coffee maker for my birthday and I have no idea how I ever lived without it. Mmmm.

- Up or Down?

Down, down, down cause I like to drop it low in my Zumba class and shake it. =)

- Virtual or Real?

Real

- Right or Left?

Right

- Day or Night?

Night – I’m a night owl. : )

- Here or There?

There. I’m here and it’s boring

- Sooner or Later?

Later – I like to sleep in, even if I never can

- Light or Dark?

Dark. Again, I’m a total night owl and LOVE candles.

- Fast or Slow?

Slow – everything is better if you take your time and savor, no?

- Vampires or Dragons?

Ack! I should plead the fifth here too…but I’ll go with dragons. They are my babies afterall. =)

- Angels or Demons?

Demons seem more angsty, dark and sexy to me. I could be proven wrong though.

- Reading or Writing?

Reading - simply because I don’t do enough of it lately!!

- What is your favorite part of the writing process?

The actual writing part! Being able to sit down, either with a pen and notebook or a computer, and simply write – no stress, no worries, and no expectations – just you, your characters and their story. I love dissolving into their lives and discovering where they are going to take me next. I mean, as the writer I sort of know. But they always seems to surprise me with their emotions and how they react to the things I throw at them.

- What is your least favorite part?

I know a ton of people say this, but the dreaded synopsis. Ugh! I’m very detail oriented when it comes to plotting…I make storyboards and long outlines of the book, etc. So it can take awhile for me to nail everything down, which makes writing up proposals a longer than necessary process. I hope to streamline that process a bit more, one day.

- Is Shadow of the Vampire going to be the beginning of a new series?

Thankfully, yes! I had a huge scare earlier this summer. But the dragons were pulled from purgatory and will now have their stories told. Yay! Falcon’s book is coming up next and Griffon’s will be last. I’ll also have a few novella’s in there to fill in the blanks with some of the other characters.

- What's the series' name?

Um, not sure we have one exactly nailed down yet. Dragon Lover series maybe?

- Can you describe the series in your own words?

Dark, violent, sexy, bloody, hot paranormal goodness.

- What is coming up next for you? - What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a new vampire series that I’m really excited about. Still in the early stages, but I’m loving it! I’m also working away on Griffon’s book. ;)

meagan 2

Find Meagan Hatfield Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads Fan Group

Buy Meagan’s Books:

Check Out “Dragon Warrior”,

a Novella Prequel to “Shadow of The Vampire”!

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Win a SIGNED Copy of “Shadow of The Vampire” by Meagan Hatfield!

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