An Interview with Dawn White

Dawn White

Why is it some of the nicest, friendliest people write some of the bloodiest, most horrible books? Tomes chockful of gore, evisceration, suppurating fungal pores, weeping sores, bleeding livers, screaming eyeballs, plasma-dripping fangs, cracking bone and mega-violent death?

I don't understand it.  It just doesn't seem right. So, what are these conspicuously angelic people like on the inside?  Sigmund Freud would have his couch full trying to sort this little dilemma out.

Case in point. Author Dawn White.  

Angelic smile and nice as a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Seriously mofo dark and bloody book, by all accounts.

Dawn is one of the many Crushed Hearts and Black Butterfly authors featured on the Wizard's Cauldron in the past quarter and she's as nice as can be, a real lady. Would flip her last dollar in the cloth cap of a stinking travelling minstrel in the Mall. 

Yet she admits she tries to write some of the darkest paranormal stuff on the Indielit market. 

And living in San Diego, in the sunshine and with the ever present whispers of the Pacific in the ether, cannot be a conducive environment for a paranormal book, but somehow, Dawn manages it. 

In an attempt to find out, I battled my way through the paralysing winter snow to get to the Wizphone while Dawn sunned herself on a secluded beach, Cartier fountain pen in her hand and a notepad by her side, jotting down dark and bloody ideas for her next book in "The Damned" series. 

Here's what she told the Wizard about what she's up to (when she's not fanning herself under a palm tree, that is!)

Hi Dawn!

Hi Wiz!

So, tell us a bit about yourself. 

Okay. I live in San Diego with my wonderful husband and three very busy little girls. I am originally from Upstate New York and look forward to seeing the weather changes when we move back in March. 

I’m an avid reader, editor, and dark paranormal author. I love meeting new people and always look forward to getting to know them.

Readers can learn a little more about you here, Dawn.
Yes they can, Wiz.

http://dawnmwhite.blogspot.co.uk/

What's life like in San Diego? 

I am not from San Diego, my family and I are only here because my husband of twelve years is stationed here in the military. I miss the weather changes New York has to offer.

Santa Anita

That's a pity. Santa Anita races is on my bucket list of things to do. We could have talked about that instead of exploding heads.

Sorry Wiz! 

I'm squeamish, you know.
Hahahahahahaha. No you're not! I've seen the rest of your blog!

Okay, you got me. At least you'll have Belmont and Saratoga. So,tell us about your current publication.

The Damned series has kept me very busy as of late. I am on a speedy journey to finish the third book in the series for an April publication.

Tell us about Wingless and the Damned. I understand it sold really well.

It sold quite well. It was my first book I have ever published and I still get nervous every time someone says they are reading it.

Why did you become interested in the Paranormal?

I grew up with a love for literature. One of the first books I have ever read from cover to cover is Homer’s the Illiad. I loved it! 

Early lithograph of best selling
Hellenic scribbler, Homer

But my all time favorite books are Anne Rice’s. So vampires and things that go bump in the night have always been at the forefront of my mind while writing. 

I tried to read an Ann Rice book. I couldn't get into it at all.

Really? Too squeamish?

Not at all. It wasn't very scary. It seemed more like a chamber piece than a horror novel. There is a rich seam of snobbishness running through every paragraph, a sense of pretty unsubtle homoeroticism and, to be frank, some average writing. 

Oh!

Oh well, each to their own. Anyway, annoyed with the success of Wingless, a gaggle of envious Indies dress up as alluring Succubi and kidnap you on the way to the nail bar. You are thrown in a disused nuclear shelter near the New Chargers Stadium.  You find a care package in the corner next to the canned beans and the oxygen tanks. Three books, two CD's and a DVD hide there, underneath prepping manuals. What would you like them to be?

Yikes! I don’t think I would enjoy being kidnapped but the Three books would have to be the Blood and Light series by Rue Volley.

The two cd’s hmmm 

Let's try Apocalyptica and Metallica.

And the DVD I know it’s not very romantic but All Quiet on the Western Front! 

I love war movies, I don’t generally watch chick flicks but I love a great war movie. 

What's your favorite food and which writer/artist/musician would you like to share a meal with?

I would love to share a great cup of coffee with Rue Volley. Yes I know her and talk to her every day but she is the first Indie Author’s book that I have ever read. Now that I have a chance to speak to her every day it still hasn't sunk in that she is actually a friend.

What's next for Independent literature? Can Paranormal writing sustain public interest?

Paranormal Literature can and will always sustain the public. It will change but it should stay around for a while. I think at this moment as an indie author and a tiny blimp on the radar I myself am just trying to bring the paranormal bracket back to the way it’s supposed to be; Dark and bloody.

Dark and Bloody scene from a paranormal book somewhere

Cats or dogs?

Cats, but I also love big dogs…

Creeping ectoplasm scarily envelops Ted Bear, magnificent Newfy, in semi-haunted house in Paradise at Christmas. Mackenzie Knight and her paranormal ghost hunting friends have been informed.

What do fans of Dawn White have to look forward to in the coming year?

Book one Wingless and Damned and book two Wingless and Forsaken will be put into the same book. Which will release on January 30^th. 

Book three of the series Wingless and Shattered will be out in April; putting the finishing touches on it this week. It’s sitting over 104k right now. ;)

The new projects

Thanks for coming round the Cauldron, Dawn and I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks bunches, Wiz.

Contact:

https://www.facebook.com/WinglessAndDamnedByAuthorDmWhite?ref=hl

http://www.amazon.com/Wingless-and-Damned-ebook/dp/B009J7N6Q0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358883069&sr=8-2&keywords=wingless+and+damned

An Interview with Nathan Squiers

Appropriately mean and moody photo of
Nathan Squiers, the Literary Dark Prince.

Nathan Squiers is a resident of New York City and writes and works for CHBB.  

An Interview with Leah Crichton

Earlier last week, I expressed a wish to an old friend of mine, an emigre to Canada, to interview a Canadian writer. 

Like many people, I'm a big fan of the Vast Country and I find Canadian people absorbing, honest and yet, off the wall and fascinating. 

Hey presto, Mary Ann put me in touch with Leah Crichton, from Calgary, who specialises in Young Adult work and is developing a strong reputation. I've never spoken to her before, but I learned plenty about her here. She spoke to Wiz at length on the Wizphone all the way from the West Coast of Canada...

Website: www.leah-crichton.com

Calgary based YA Tyro - Leah Crichton

Hiya Leah, thanks for coming over. Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been writing? Do you have a job?

Hello (bonjour)!

I’m a 32 year old happily married mom of three. I was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. Currently I reside in the bustling city of Calgary.  

Calgary Amidst the Vastness

Home of the world famous Calgary Stampede

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. My parents were teachers and my dad was also (at one point) a best-selling author. I grew up thinking everyone’s dad wrote a book. It seemed like the natural thing to do. When I am not writing, I work in the field of GIS (Geographic Information Systems). I make digital maps from a database that stores geographic information to show the spatial relation to other mapped objects. 

It’s a very technical job so I think it spurs the creative side needed for writing even more. Not sure if I were say, a graphic artist, I would have as many ideas for stories.

What do you write about and who is your target audience. Why did you choose this area? What type of writer are you? 2,500 a day? Or a mad midnight binge merchant?

I write YA both paranormal and contemporary. I didn’t choose the area… it chose me. No joke. Once my kids were no longer infants, I began taking writing more seriously. I was going to be the next Sophie Kinsella and pen a bunch of witty chick lit novels. 

Only problem was, I could never ever finish them. When the idea struck me for Amaranthine, the protagonist needed to be a teen girl. I honestly didn’t really plan it that way but that’s how it worked out.

Sophie Kinsella - Chicklit Heroine/Shoes n' handbags expert

I am the full time working mom type of writer. I write whenever I can find the time. I do try to write something anything at least once a day to keep my mojo going. It really depends on the day! Sometimes that could be 2,500 words, sometimes it’s no more than a paragraph. I often find myself writing on the notepad app on my iPad or iPhone when I am on the train to and from work. Thank God for technology. J

Tell us about your latest project?

I just completed my second novel called     "Celebrity Status". 

It’s a boyband story and the first in what I hope will be a decent series. The first book is about Sebastian, the lead singer. His band, “Bach’s Revenge” wins a contest for a record deal. The book is about his struggle with landing the girl of his dreams while dealing with a sudden onset of fame.

I am about a third of the way done the first draft of book two. But that’s a work in progress.

Amaranthine, your current work, is 91,000 words long. Thank you. It's nice to meet another writer of long books? There is a big debate going on at the moment about length. Have you been advised that this is too long for e-books?

Amaranthine by Leah Crichton

Amaranthine is available on kindle so if someone advised me it was too long, I’d be inclined to advise them that their information is wrong. Maybe I’m not enough of a social media buff but I hadn’t heard there was any debate.

I agree with you. Books can't be long enough, Leah!!  Does living in Canada influence your work in any way?

Amaranthine takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia. So in that way, it most certainly does. My characters are Canadian. There have also been instances where beta readers question my vocabulary or spelling. What is a parkade? Why did you spell it favourite and not favorite, neighbor vs neighbour? Also a big difference since I’m writing YA is the legal age to drink. My characters can consume alcohol at 18 years old. I’ve had some readers question why they are underage drinking, but by my standards, they are not doing anything wrong.

Who are your influences as a writer? How do they influence you?

My dad. I thought he was cooler than batman. But also some amazing YA Authors out there: Sarah Dessen, Cassandra Clare, Simone Elkeles, Suzanne Collins, Becca Fitzpatrick. I suppose they influence me by my efforts in trying to be as good. When I read the Mortal Instruments Series and the Hunger Games, I just couldn’t stop reading. And when the last page of the last book was finished, I immediately wanted to write. To see if I could even touch on these authors abilities to bring words on a page to life. 

One Direction: Cue Insane Screaming from Transatlantic Daughers - and Mums!!

One Direction are massive in the UK and the US. You've met them. Tell us about that.

I haven’t actually met them. 

Oh, sorry about that!

That's okay!! Their schedule was filled with taking the world by storm. But I wrote a short story for them. It’s the “official Fan Fiction of One Direction.” It was slated to coincide with the North American release of their video for What Makes You Beautiful. The project was successful and prompted something like 1200 new Fan Fictions on the site where it was posted by teen authors.

I found your story on Wattpad. I think Wizardwatchers will love it!

Leah Crichton/One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful! (Wattpad) 

 Are One Direction like Westlife?

Not really, no, Wiz.

Okay. Just wondering. In rank order, from 5 to 1, with 1 being the best, list the five greatest Vampires.

5. Jerry from Fright Night – Hello Colin Farrell 

4. Lestat

3. Louis (??????)

2. Dracula

First appearance of Blade - if you have to ask how much this is worth,
you can't afford it.

1. Blade – ‘cause he’s badass. (See above, Leah)

(Ed: Leah, you strangely missed THIS ultimate neck biting badass...Britain's greatest modern day Sanguarian...)

Ted "The Count" Hankey. Britain's scariest vampire overlord

Speaking of vampires, you are to be trapped in a strange Carpathian castle for infinity. You are allowed three books, two CD's and a DVD, Leah. What would they be?

This is a tough question books wise. 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Renegade by my friend J.A. Souders, and any one of the shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella. 

CD’s would have to be Masterpiece Theatre by Marianas Trench and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. 

Breaking Benjamin in Rehearsal

DVD - Good Will Hunting.

 Cronenburg or Lynch: Who's the finest Canadian film director? What is their best film.

Cronenburg. I think Lynch is American born, isn’t he? (Is he? Ed.) We are talking about the David’s, yes? I say Cronenburg because I remember watching “A History of Violence” and then going to bed. That night, dreamed that my husband (who is mild mannered and kind) slaughtered a bunch of people. I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart thudding so hard I thought it was going to make a break for it. Honestly as an adult, no movie has ever caused me to have a terrible nightmare. That takes talent so the award (in my humble opinion) goes to Cronenburg. However Lynch gets honorable mention for Lost Highway.

Wiz Notes: Great film choices, Leah. I bought my friend Clive, a great fan of the blog, AHOV for Christmas one year. He didn't like it much. I'm pretty ambivalent about it, particularly the boring talky bit in the middle. If I was going for Canadian films, which are generally brilliant, I'd have Shivers, by DC - absolutely madness, Videodrome by DC, Mulholland Drive, by DL - and Out of the Blue, Dennis Hopper's (RIP) comeback film in the mid-eighties. Four great gifts to the world by Canadian filmmakers.

Shivers (UK) Orgy of the Blood Parasites (Can/US)
Classic Cronenburg body image sex horror masterpiece - heavily censored.

This has been great fun talking to you, Leah. Tell us: What do fans of Leah Crichton have to look forward to this coming year?

I don’t know. I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. My WIP will likely be completed. I have a few ideas I’ve jotted down recently for more. As for publication, I just don’t know what the future holds, but I can promise you one thing. This is going to be a great year… I can feel it.

Leah, it's been fun! Wizardwatchers wish you all the best in the coming year and all the best with your current work.

Thanks Wiz! Loved it.  

Stalk Me: 

Website: www.leah-crichton.com

Twitter: @LDCrichton   http://twitter.com/ldcrichton

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leah-Crichton/118346848194655

 Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Amaranthine-Leah-Crichton/dp/098782340X

http://www.amazon.ca/Amaranthine-Leah-Crichton/dp/098782340X

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amaranthine-Leah-Crichton/dp/098782340X

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amaranthine-leah-crichton/1037944728

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Amaranthine/Leah-Crichton/9780987823403?id=5451460783979

(Ed: Here's another great vampire, Leah. The now sadly forgotten...

:-)

An Interview with Emma Edwards

The stunning Catherine Deneuve - 
classic ageless Sanguinarian in "The Hunger"

Sanguinary  

adjective

1.     accompanied by much bloodshed

2.     bloodthirsty

3.     consisting of, flowing, or stained with blood (Collins English Dictionary)

Sanguinarian - Blood Drinker 

Bram Stoker's Original Dracula

Last week, Wizardwatchers had the pleasure of visiting Honolulu. This week, we turn our navigational gaze to the cold,windswept and mysterious land of the Ancient Britons, Wales, and the much vaunted work of neo-Gothic crime and horror writer Emma Edwards  whose first book, Sanguinary has been chilling the bones and freezing the blood of those who have read it. 

Wiz stocked up on garlic and silver bullets and - from the safety of the Wizphone Callbox - spoke to Emma about her highly rated first novel and matters criminal, literary, bloody and dark

Emma Edwards - 
hot new neo-gothic wordsmith behind "Sanguinary"

Hi Emma! Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? Do you work? Are you married? Kids? 

Hi Wiz!! Home is Cwmbran, South Wales.  It was my 15th wedding anniversary on Thursday.  15 years?  Oh dear, now that makes me sound old!  I have two gorgeous children.  The rest of the household is made up of two Westies (one called Luci-Fur, she's a bit naughty but as my cousin once said to me, what do you expect when you name your dog Luci-fur?), two hamsters and a leopard gecko.  I work from home, my husband is self-employed and I help out his business when needed and when not needed I write!

Tell Wizardwatchers about "Sanguinary."

  

Sanguinary is, I would hope, a different sort of vampire novel.  Rather than being about traditional vampires my book is about 'real vampires' or otherwise 'normal' people who need to drink blood.  The idea started when I saw a documentary about people who claimed to drink blood and it ran from there really.  

Sanguinary has elements of horror, vampirism and romance all set to a rock n’ roll backdrop. 

Striking cover to Emma Edward's "Sanguinary"

Great cover, Emma. Where does the idea come from? I personally think roses are an absorbing emblem. Did you design it yourself?

Thank you. The roses are very symbolic throughout the Sanguinary series, to me and the characters.  I've even got the tattoo!  There is a part in the book where the character Ash describes what the rose means to him.  It's a symbol of awakening, discovering and the colour is always red, for blood.  Cover design was a joint effort between my husband and I, fortunately for me he is quite handy at these things.  We took the photo ourselves, which involved him having to buy me some roses, believe me flower buying is not a regular occurrence in the Edwards household!  We played about with lighting until we got the perfect picture, I have to say I love the cover!

The book melds crime and horror - which fields the stronger impetus behind your work?

I read both genres but I'm more of a horror girl at heart.  I feel that the vampire element and the relationship between Ash and Angel is the main plot to Sanguinary, the crime is the sub-plot.

The quintessential Count Dracula; and the
quintessential blood drinking scene: From frigid spinster
to blood drenched nymphomanic in one sanguine sip. (Dracula, Prince of Darkness, 1966)

How do you write? Longhand into Word? Straight into the PC? Are you methodical or freeform? Are you a 2k a day woman or a mad binge writer?

I write straight onto the PC.  There is absolutely no method to it, only madness!  Usually I will have a beginning and an end and the rest just comes after.  I'm not strict with myself about writing a certain amount a day, when it flows, it flows!   When the writing is really under my skin I'll be constantly thinking about what comes next, whatever I'm doing and I will form the scene in my head.  Except then the scene will loop around and around in my head until I can get it out, via my fingers onto the screen in front of me, only then will I be able to stop thinking about it.  Like I said, madness.  But I guess the methodical side does kick in when I am editing and I get a bit OCD then.

Three books, two CD's and one DVD for your desert island marooning, please, Emma.

Tricky, so hard to narrow it down, but here goes....

Books:

Killing me softly by Nicci French

Vaunted Nicci French obsession thriller

I would also have to take It by Stephen King with me, and From the corner of his eye by Dean Koontz too.

For music, I'd take Artwork by The Used

Rebels and mischief makers, "The Used"

and the classic The Path of Totality by Korn

Path of Totality Video - spot the Gary Oldman "True Romance" cameo!!

My sole DVD would be close between The Lost Boys and The Crow but I guess it has to be The Lost Boys, after all it was my introduction to the world of vampires in my younger years.

A night out with a writer, a comedian and a musician. Where would you go and what would you eat?

The writer would be Stephen King, I have admired him since I started reading his books when I was a teenager.  

Genius writer of "The Shining"

The comedian would be Eddie Izzard and the musician would be Bert McCraken of The Used.  So much to do, so little time!  

Actually, I'd take them to the little beach by the Gwendraeth river, where we could talk and laugh.  I can see it now, us sitting around a campfire, with Bert playing his acoustic guitar.  As for eating, despite all the blood and gore, I'm actually a vegetarian and as we're on the beach it would probably be a picnic, champagne and strawberries sounds good.

Bridge over the Gwendraeth River

Does Wales play a big role in your books? Does the Welsh environment play a part in your ideas and writing?

I find it's easier to write about what I know.  Sanguinary is set in Cardiff, whose streets are very familiar to me.   I worked for about five years in an office block just on the outskirts of the city centre.  Every lunchtime I would end up in the city centre, usually spending all the money I had spent the day earning, this was in my single days before kids arrived to spend all my money for me. 

Back Street Cardiff: Capital City of blood drinkers

So I have maps planned out in my head of where the characters live and the routes they take throughout the book. I also spend a lot of time in West Wales, it has to be said the view of Gwendraeth river can be very inspiring.  

  

What do fans of the brilliantly titled Sanguinary and Emma Edwards have to look forward to in the coming year?

The second part of Sanguinary is almost there, I can exclusively reveal to you that the working title is 

'The Slayer'.   

I am working on editing at the moment, so hopefully this will be finished within the next few weeks.  

I have also just published a short story, just a bite sized taster of my writing, it's called Upon Reflection and is available now!

Upon Reflection - Free Short Story!!!

Upon Reflection - Free Short Story!!

After that I have several other novels in the works and there will also be a third part to the Sanguinary Trilogy.

Emma, it's been a privilege and an honour to talk to you and I know Wizardwatchers will want me to wish you every success with your novels.

Thanks, Wiz. Loved it!!

Contact Emma at: www.emmaedwards.net

Buy "Sanguinary" at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008JYK7FC

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008JYK7FC 

Chat with Emma on Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/sanguinaryseries

Tweet with Emma at: 

Twitter: @Emledwards