Rogue's Angels Present ~ Sarah by Teri Polen

Please welcome Teri Polen author of Sarah.

Sarah

by Teri Polen

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GENRE: YA horror/thriller

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INTERVIEW:

 What or who inspired you to start writing?

I got my love of reading from my Dad and have always been surrounded by books, but my middle school English teacher was a significant influence in my life and steered me in the direction of classics.  She encouraged me to keep journals, write short stories, poetry – anything to get the words flowing.

How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

Strangely enough, the idea was sparked by my cat, Shadow.  We’d just moved into a new house, no previous owners, but Shadow would stare at the steps leading to the bonus room, his fur bristling, ears back, and hiss or growl.  We couldn’t see anything, but that made me start thinking about how a brand new house could be haunted and Sarah is what developed.  In the book, Cain’s black cat, Eby (short for Ebony) is based on Shadow.  

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I can’t say I had any real expertise – I have two degrees in business and never had any formal training in writing.  What I’ve picked up along the way has been from numerous writing workshops, online seminars, and reading other books in the same genre.  On Writing by Stephen King has been a tremendous help, but I consider writing to be a constant learning process.  There’s always room for improvement.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

That’s a great question!  I’d love to skydive, but just haven’t gotten around to it and I need to make it a priority.  I bungee-jumped several years ago and that was a fantastic thrill.

 As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I began working on a YA sci-fi/fantasy book last spring and was about 25K words into it when I was offered the contract for Sarah.  After signing with Black Rose Writing, I was swept up in the maelstrom of activity involved in getting a book ready for publication and promoting it and I haven’t been able to get back to it yet.  I’m looking forward to being reacquainted with those characters in the next month or so.

Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

I’d love to!  Just to set it up, after a disturbing occurrence, Cain has gotten up his courage to check out the attic.  He sees nothing out of the ordinary, but notices a box full of some of his old soccer equipment and begins sorting through it.

Squatting down to sort through the box, my elbow nudged one of the balls and it bounced across the floor a couple of times before I stopped it. When I picked it up to toss it back in the box, I noticed a splotch of red on one side. It was glistening, like the spot was wet, and after running my finger across the ball, I brought it closer for a sniff.

I knew that smell. With the multitude of soccer injuries I’d received over the years, the copperish tangy aroma of blood was all too familiar. Wait - blood? Was Eby injured somewhere up here? But I’d looked around and knew for certain he wasn’t here. Had I stepped on something and cut myself? When I looked down to check my feet, that’s when I saw it. A circular pool of blood on the floor about a foot in diameter. How had I missed this? It hadn’t been here when Finn and I were looking around last night. One of us would have noticed it.

So how did blood get here in the past twenty-four hours?

Then I felt it. Frigid air wrapped itself around me, like it was a living, breathing entity, causing me to gasp. When I let out a shaky exhale, I could see my breath. In a 90 plus degree attic. My gaze shot down to the floor where the blood had been.

It was gone.

I lifted a trembling hand to check my finger. Clean.

Staggering backwards, I knocked over a stack of boxes, but didn’t stop to pick them up. Nothing could have kept me from getting back downstairs.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The absolute best advice I received was just to get the first draft written – don’t worry about making it pretty or editing, because everyone’s first draft sucks.  Clean it up and develop the story more in the next couple of drafts.  That’s made a huge difference in my production.  The worst advice was probably to write what I know.  That limits my imagination, so why not create a world, characters, and situations and tell a story about it?  I’ve always been more interested in otherworldly topics – which is probably why my favorite TV shows include Lost, American Horror Story, and X-Files.  Far more fascinating than everyday life.

     
Do you outline your books or just start writing?

The first book I wrote (which will never see the light of day) was a vague idea that went directly from my brain onto the paper.  I began writing it while waiting for my son at soccer practice and at that point, was completely unaware writers even outlined their stories.  That’s how clueless I was.  Since then, I’ve learned that a rough outline is a necessity for me, something that includes the inciting incident, turning points, and character arcs.  But that doesn’t mean the characters always agree to stick to that outline.

How do you maintain your creativity?

I’m curious by nature and can hear or read about things, then take it a step further and ask “What if this or that happened?”  “What are the possible outcomes?”  “What if you combine situations A and B?”  I also tend to have very bizarre dreams that generate ideas.

Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

I’d have to say Finn.  He was such a fun, no nonsense, snarky character to write.  You always know where you stand with him, he says exactly what’s on his mind, and is just charming enough not to get slapped for it – most of the time. 

16. Anything else you might want to add?

Thanks so much for having me on Rogue’s Angels and helping to promote my first book!  Although Sarah is a horror/thriller, there’s a good bit of humor tossed in the mix, so if horror isn’t really your thing, don’t let that stop you from giving it a try.  Maybe Sarah will convert you.

BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old horror fan Cain Shannon thought helping a ghost find her killers would be the supernatural adventure of a lifetime.  Now, he just hopes to survive long enough to protect his family and friends from her.

A bet between friends goes horribly wrong, resulting in Sarah’s death.  When she returns to seek justice against those responsible, Cain agrees to help her.  But when he discovers Sarah has been hijacking his body, he realizes she wants retribution instead of justice.

Terrified of what could have happened when he wasn’t in control, Cain commands Sarah to leave his house - but exorcising her isn’t that easy.  She retaliates against her murderers in bloody, horrific ways, each death making her stronger, then sets her sights on Cain.  With the help of friends, Cain fights to save himself and his loved ones and searches for a way to stop Sarah before she kills again.

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EXCERPT:

Squatting down to sort through the box, my elbow nudged one of the balls and it bounced across the floor a couple of times before I stopped it. When I picked it up to toss it back in the box, I noticed a splotch of red on one side. It was glistening, like the spot was wet, and after running my finger across the ball, I brought it closer for a sniff.

I knew that smell. With the multitude of soccer injuries I’d received over the years, the copperish tangy aroma of blood was all too familiar. Wait - blood? Was Eby injured somewhere up here? But I’d looked around and knew for certain he wasn’t here. Had I stepped on something and cut myself? When I looked down to check my feet, that’s when I saw it. A circular pool of blood on the floor about a foot in diameter. How had I missed this? It hadn’t been here when Finn and I were looking around last night. One of us would have noticed this.

So how did blood get here in the past twenty-four hours?

Then I felt it. Frigid air wrapped itself around me, like it was a living, breathing entity, causing me to gasp. When I let out a shaky exhale, I could see my breath. In a 90 plus degree attic. My gaze shot down to the floor where the blood had been.

It was gone.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Teri Polen loves horror, sci-fi, and fantasy books and movies.  She fangirls over The Walking Dead, Harry Potter, and anything Marvel-related.  She lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband, sons, and black cat.  Visit her online at www.teripolen.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPolen6

Website: https://www.teripolen.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TeriPolenAuthor/

https://www.amazon.com/Teri-Polen/e/B01MYOUA6V/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16114393.Teri_Polen

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Teri Polen will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2071