 I met Tori Dean in a roundabout way through friends of friends on Twitter, it has to be almost a year ago now and I've come to know her well. She's one of the most chatty, personable people I've ever met, and when you get to know her you'll see her wicked side surface. And boy what a wicked side it is!
Tori is always the life and soul of a party, but no one is faster to get serious when, and if, the time calls for it. She's always willing to help, and very often is sharing a font of information on anything new she's found out, or on the experiments she sets up to find out the workings of the might Amazon. I've found myself in many a conversation with Tori, and, all being well, that conversation is laugh after laugh. I adore her fun side, and very often find my stress levels lowering when she get going, she really is one of those bright shining lights. Tori describes herself as fun, classy, and a heavy on the sexy, writer of steamy stories, and, to be honest, she is so very much more. Here is what Tori Dean has to say... Why did you decide you wanted to become a writer? I was a dreamer growing up and was a hopeless romantic who wanted what every fairytale had..love. I wanted that love. I would write love poems and daydreamed of romance. I loved reading and Danielle Steele was all about romance. It wasn't til about five years ago that I wanted to try writing my stories and dabbled in fanfiction and went from there. What was the thing that drove you the most to do so? Stephanie Meyer of the Twilight Series. She had a dream and wrote it. I had a dream and wrote my stories that ended up under a different pen name. Why did you pick the genre/s that you have? Because it's all about love..I'm a romantic at heart and everyone deserves it and their fairytale. What does your family think of your work? My family does not support my stuff. They are not into reading at all and don't understand it. They think it's porn because I talk about sex. Lol. How do you deal with writers block? I put it on back burner and hopefully come back to it later. Sometimes a picture or a song helps bring it back to hot plate. What would you say is the most difficult part of writing? Making sure the story flows from beginning to end. What do you enjoy the most about writing? I love just getting my stories written down that would make the readers love it. Where do you find your inspiration? Mostly songs and then I go with feeling of how it affects me that a story brews. All of my books are music inspired. Then pictures set the scenes. Are your characters based on anyone you know? Lol…yes..most of them What do you do in your spare time to relax? Read What do you like to read? Anything erotic romance fantasy Who is your favourite author? I have too many to just pick one Where are your books available? Amazon What are you working on right now? Can't say because it could change at the time this interview is live..lol What is your ultimate goal? To be on Best Sellers list. Here is where you can find Tori Dean Twitter: @ToriDean_247 Blog: http: toridean.blogspot.com Instagram: authortoridean Facebook: [email protected] Feature author on Mr. Blackthorne’s website: mrblackthorne.com I'd like to take this last minute to thank Tori Dean for taking part in my interview, and I hope you will take the time to follow her on Twitter and Facebook on the links above. She'll keep you updated on her new releases, and you'll read some really great blog posts. And please, take the time to sign up to her new newsletter feature. Until then you can find Tori's books on Amazon, so why not stop but and grab a copy? Once again, thank you Tori Dean!
8 Comments
 I met Tim Dutton on both social media sites. We chat on Twitter when we are both there, and we always seem to hit Facebook around the same time, so, we get to chat better there using more than Twitters 140 character limit :).
We started off talking about our books, progressed to our love of writing, of course including pet hates, before delving into the lives we each lead that are separated by the big pond. A friendship was struck up pretty fast, and we speak regularly as well as support each other when, and where, we can. Tim has a wonderful nature, and is very much the gentleman, but when you get to know him you see his true depth of character, along with a rather wicked sense of humour. Tim has a lot of personal achievements. He is a licenced private investigator, a bounty hunter, though it's called fugitive recovery now, and a personal bodyguard. He backs all this up with his skills as a personal trainer, is also a self-defence instructor, and owns Tim Dutton Investigations and Tim Dutton's Warrior Combatives. Really not someone you would want to mess with ;). Here is what Tim Dutton has to say... Why did you decide you wanted to become a writer? My nephew kept telling me to write a book, so I tried it and was hooked. Realized it was what I loved to do. What was the thing that drove you the most to do so? Stared with nonfiction loved teaching people new stuff this gave me a new medium to do so. Then, when I started doing fiction I had stories in my head that needed to be released. How long have you been writing? Since 2006. So ten years. There was a couple of years that I was unable to write, due to family matters. That’s when I realized I was defiantly a writer. Just about drove me crazy not being able to write. Why did you pick the genre/s that you have? For novels it was what I was familiar with. For screenplays I don’t have a tried and true genre, just write what I would want to see. Who is your favourite character, and why? I have a personal connection to James Bodey Bodine from Broken and Abused. That book is loosely based on actual events and people. James Bodey Bodine AKA Bo is an amalgam. He’s made up of a little piece of me as well as a few other bounty hunters I have known. I also feel a connection to Axe Wolf, a character from a screenplay I wrote. Can’t really explain the connection. He is an uncivilized barbarian, maybe that’s the connection right there. Do you have any particular quirks when writing? I have to have an actual thesaurus and dictionary near me. I would rather look in them than search online. I also don’t do social media on my writing laptop. What does your family think of your work? My mom is supportive, I read everything I write, to her first. Don’t have much contact with other family members. How do you deal with writers block? I start by trying to determine if something is wrong with the scene I’m trying to write. Over the years I have figured out that my writers block is actually my subconscious mind telling me something is wrong. It could be as small as alternate spelling of a name, or a character has an object that wasn’t explained how they got it. The scene may not be needed at all and doesn’t move the story forward. After correcting the mistake or deleting the scene, I’m generally off and writing again. If that doesn’t work I reread what I have already written, to see if it gets me going. Meditation can help if I need to focus or calm my mind. If those fail, I just put it aside for a while and come back to it later. What would you say is the most difficult part of writing? For me it’s editing. I write as fast as I can. I don’t worry about spelling, grammar, usage or anything else. Just try to get the story out of me as fast as I can. When I’m done I have to go back and try to weed out all the mistakes, some are hard to spot. What do you enjoy the most about writing? Everything. The freedom of being able to do it whenever I want, with no timelines. The fact that I get to create worlds, people and tell stories that no one else has, is just amazing to me. The best part is when the characters just go their own way and I just tag along and see where they take me. Where do you find your inspiration? Life. Everything I write has a little piece of me in it. I write what I am familiar with and have had experience with. As a bounty hunter I used to study people. Get to know human nature and profiles. As a writer I find myself doing it more. Are your characters based on anyone you know? Yes. My latest novel Broken And Abused is loosely based on actual events and people. Almost every character in there is based on people I have known. The other fiction writings are as well, but not as complete. What do you do in your spare time to relax? Take long walks and hikes through the woods. Just let nature in and block everything else out. Recently bought a house on south side of a small mountain. Can’t wait to get house done and moved over there. I plan to hike to the top of the mountain and just sit up there and take everything in. What do you like to read? Mainly mystery, but anything I can get drawn into. Even read some graphic novels if the story is interesting. I am currently reading and enjoying Angel’s Blood that just happens to be written by you, Sallyann. Seems I have found a new genre. Who is your favourite author? If I said you, you would think I was just sweet talking, so I will say Craig Johnson and Judson Roberts are tied at the current moment. Where are your books available? The first one “Streetwise Guide To Conducting Hardball Investigations” is only available from Thomas Investigative Publications, Inc. All the others are available on Amazon. What are you working on right now? A screenplay about a bounty hunter who has to protect a Seven year old little girl, who was the victim of human traffickers. It is one that is close and sometimes hard to write. What is your ultimate goal? Just to make a decent living as a writer. I’m not one for the limelight and don’t need to be rich. Do you have a favourite film? And if so what is it? I guess as a screenwriter I have to make a study of films, so I don’t particularly have a favourite, but will say I am partial to Young Guns and Rambo. Also several Disney little girl shows, but that is less about the content and more about who I saw them with. Here is where you will find Tim Dutton Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/timdutton Twitter: @TheWriteTim Facebook: www.facebook.com/TimDuttonWriter I'd like to take this last moment to thank Tim Dutton for being a pleasure to interview, and of course agreeing to it. I hope you'll take the time to check out his works on Amazon, and see just what he has to offer, be it a screenplay, or one of his full length novels. You won't be disappionted, and I'm sure you will find something you will want to tell your friends about. I'll let you in on a little secret, I have Broken And Abused already on my kindle and can't wait to get stuck in ;). Once again, thank you Tim Dutton!  I met Shelby Kent-Stewart on Twitter, and again on Facebook. We became fast friends and have very similar fiery attitudes, along with a slightly odd sense of humour. We can go weeks without chatting, but when we do get together it's as if no time as passed at all and we carry on where we left off. I adore her quick wit and take no prisoners attitude, the tremendous love of life she has that draws everyone into her circle, and her nurturing ways.
Shelby was born and raised in sunny California, and is a self-professed geeky girl who drinks too much coffee and believes making love (not war) will save us all. She wrote her first story at the tender age of ten and more followed, some finding their way into newspapers and some being bronzed by her mum, but one way or another she has been writing ever since, be they non-fiction papers or fiction with a romantic and erotic twist, which she admits is her favourite. After meeting the love of her life Shelby settled down, though never in any one place for long. They've moved around wherever their minds have taken them, and always taking their rescue dogs with them and living every day as if it's their first. It seems to me there is a lesson there for each and every one of us. Here is what Shelby Kent-Stewart has to say... Why did you decide you wanted to become a writer? I think I’ve always known. My fascination with books goes way back, at least that’s what I’m told. While other little girls were playing with dolls, I was obsessed with pulling books from the shelves and pretending I could read them, much to my parents’ dismay. What was the thing that drove you the most to do so? My love of other authors and their work. How long have you been writing? Forever, but my first published story was in 5th grade, a scholastic magazine. Professionally, I’ve been writing since college. I was fortunate to get freelance work during my senior year and things took off from there. In addition to writing erotic romance, I still do freelance work for various publications and am grateful for the opportunities. Why did you pick the genre/s that you have? Technically, I think it picked me. Back in 2009 I was reading an erotic romance novel that was so badly written it made me wince. On a whim, I knocked out 4 chapters of a story and sent them to the publisher via email, no query letter, no synopsis, nothing but the four chapters. Within an hour, I had a response. “We’ll take everything you write.” I laughed it off and put the email in a drawer for four years, and then one day I thought ‘why the hell not?’. That novel eventually morphed into ‘Blessing’, the 2nd book in the Wicked Tails Series but, I hasten to add, for another publisher. Who is your favourite character, and why? In my books I have two, Sky the sister in ‘Runaway Brat’ and Sophie in ‘Once Upon a Faerie’, both of whom are smart, brave and infinitely sassy. Actually, that description fits all my female characters. I’m not sure I could write a weak female character as I can’t relate to that at all, but never say never! Do you have any particular quirks when writing? What a great question! I’m not sure you’d call it a quirk exactly but I avoid outlines like the plague. I can’t imagine using one. For me, half the joy of writing is seeing where the characters take me. What does your family think of your work? They love it. I know I’m fortunate in that regard since I’ve heard horror stories from other ‘erotica’ authors, how their families are judgmental about their chosen genre. I’ll never understand that. Do you belong to any writing groups? And if so what do you think are the pros and cons? Prior to joining Mr. Blackthorne and the Wicked Pen Writers, my experiences were horrific. My first was with LinkedIn and it was catastrophic. I stuck it out for almost a year but the level of vitriol thrown around was toxic. I tried to be the voice of reason, but in the end I left 6 different groups in one afternoon and never looked back. My second was with an erotica group which shall remain nameless. The concept was great but the organizer was in over his head and eventually had an unfortunate public meltdown. The upside was I met some great writers, one or two of them members of the Wicked Pen Writers. How do you deal with writers block? It’s not uncommon for me to have 2-3 books in the works at the same time, so writer’s block isn’t generally a problem for me. On that rare occasion when I’m simply not in the mood, I’ll do some yoga or take a dance class. That usually gets the blood pumping and I can’t wait to get back to work. What would you say is the most difficult part of writing? I know it’s a cliché but ‘killing my babies’, those gems we write that may look good on paper but don’t advance the story. It happened in ‘Surviving Sydney’, a scene near the end. I loved the way it read, but it didn’t ring true to the character so I edited it out. As luck would have it, it became the premise for another book. What do you enjoy the most about writing? Everything! Perhaps the more apt question is what I don’t enjoy and that’s an easy one. I detest marketing and promotion, so much so that I quite literally feel nauseous when I post a promo for myself. Which probably explains why I do it so infrequently. Where do you find your inspiration? Honestly, I have no idea but I’m grateful for whatever spirit is guiding me. At any given time, I have at least a dozen plots in my head and I’m clueless where they come from. Are your characters based on anyone you know? No, never, although one is borderline autobiographical but I’ll never tell. What do you do in your spare time to relax? I rarely watch TV but I’m a dedicated and manic film buff. What do you like to read? Depending on my mood, I read everything from Shakespeare to thrillers to smutpunk. Who is your favourite author? Ooh toughie, and totally depends on the genre. I adore Thomas Hardy but contemporary authors are too numerous to list. Where are your books available? All my books are currently available on Amazon and Goodreads. What are you working on right now? I’m currently working on two books, ‘For Love of Honor’, the 3rd and final book in the Wicked Tails Series, and ‘Child’s Play’, a rather dark novel about abduction and sex-trafficking. What is your ultimate goal? My goal is rather simplistic as compared to most writers. I have no aspiration or desire for fortune and fame. I simply want to write a good story that readers can relate to. When I get an email or a message from a reader indicating I made a difference in their life or touched them in some way, it’s a high unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Do you have a favourite film? And if so what is it? This changes yearly but I’d have to say ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ tops my current list. What a gorgeous film! Here is where you can find Shelby Kent-Stewart Website: shelbykentstewart.com Twitter: @shelbykentstewa Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Shelby-Kent-Stewart Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/Shelby-Kent-Stewart I'd like to take this last moment to thank Shelby Kent-Stewart for taking the time to answer my questions to share with all of you. I'm sure you'll agree it was an interesting insight into her mind as an author and her life as a person. I hope you'll take the time to pop on over to Amazon and check out her books, as I'm sure you will find something to your liking. As Shelby said earlier in her interview she likes to talk with, and hear from, her readers, so please feel free to contact her on one of the links above, I promise you couldn't meet a nicer person. Once again, thank you Shelby Kent-Stewart! |
Author
I am a wife, mother, and grandmother, and I live in Wales in the U.K. Sallyann Phillips is an IASD member.
Check out their website for a wonderful choice of Indie authors for you to chose from.
Archives
April 2017
|
RSS Feed
