Rogues Angels welcomes today a friend and fellow author. Minnette congratulations on your release of the Belle Stalker.
Prizes
Minnette has lots of prizes for those who comment
Minnette will be giving away a small Kindle ($79) plus a Portland Tote filled with goodies to one randomly drawn commenter, along with daily prizes. She will do the drawing herself for the daily winners.
The Kindle and tote bag are limited to US and Canada only; if an international winner, an Amazon GC will be substituted; ALSO: PLEASE NOTE: Any reader who sends their name and address to Minnette will be sent a stack of signed swag. Just drop her a note at :
mmeador@minnettemeador.com)
Please comment. The more you comment the better your chances of winning.
Short Blurb
THE
BELLE STALKER
An Urban Fantasy Thriller
by Minnette Meador
The police have done all they can, but it isn’t enough. When Belle finds the
mutilated body of her lover strewn across the furniture she knows only her
ex-husband, Homicide Detective Mike Cranston can stop the maniac who has been
dogging her steps for over a year. The only problem is the man who stalks
her...is not a man at all. Belle plays a dangerous game and only hopes that
Cranston can stop the monster before it’s too late.
Somewhere between thirty and dust...red hair, blueeyes...six kids, one slightly used husband, and any number of pets from time to time... wanttabe hippy... wanttheirmoney yuppie...pro musician and actress for 20 years... native Oregonian... lover of music, beauty, and all things green. Willing slave to the venerable muse. Minnette currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, having replaced the children with one dog. The dog, Pierre, pretty much runs the show.
Interview With Minnette Meador
1.
What
or who inspired you to start writing?
I was raised in a family of devout readers. My father
could read a book, watch a football game on TV and listen to the radio all at
the same time and tell you exactly what was happening in each. He went through
3-4 books a week. My mother was a close second with 2-3 books per week. My love
of reading inspired me all the way.
2.
Would
you explain the details that make a story an Urban Fantasy?
An urban fantasy is one where the normal world is
touched by magic to some extent. In other words, fantasy juxtaposed against contemporary
fiction. In the modern city of Portland, Oregon, buried beneath the tall
skyscrapers of downtown, lays a labyrinth of tunnels used at one time to bring
freight from the river to the shops in the middle of town. A culture of misfits
have lived there for generations and are now governed by a very powerful
creature who has gone insane from too much time away from his own people. The
rest, as they say, is history.
3.
How
did you come up with your idea for The Belle Stalker?
This started out as a straight thriller, but I found
out that Textnovel.com (where I had started writing this) was looking for urban
fantasy for one of their contests. The idea of having the stalker be something
beyond human was just too appealing. Tequelin was born. :o)
4.
What
expertise did you bring to your writing?
A background in research, a voracious love of urban
fantasy, fantasy, and sci-fi, having a father who was a full time military
pilot in the National Guard, and interviews with both the Portland Police and
Homicide Division all helped me develop this book. I wanted to bring as much
realism as I could into the story.
5.
What
would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
Gads… what DON’T they know about me? LOL I’m running
out of secrets. Hmmm… I rescued a friend of mine from a Portland car-stealing
ring when the boss found out my friend had slept with his wife. I’ll have to
write about that one day…
6.
As far
as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I have three works contracted for next year: Haunted
Hearts (book II of the Ghost Series), The Egyptian Pirate (fourth book in the
Centurion Series), and Phantom Hearts (book III of the Ghost Series). All working
titles. I am also working on a sci-fi, possibly YA book called Arpeggios in the
Dark about the first ½ alien ½ human highbred who can kill with her voice. If
there’s time, I will do the third book in the Starsight series, The Restless
Seed. You can read about all of these at: http://minnettemeador.blogspot.com/p/books-to-come.html
7.
If
you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
Hands down, Mike Cranston. I love this character. He’s
irreverent, funny, a smart ass, and fiercely devoted to Belle. Flawed and
fabulous!
8. Can
you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Standing, she clutched a small blanket around her shoulders and sank
her head down as far as it would go to stretch the muscles in her neck. A
sudden chill ran through her body from toes to ears in one sickening wave of
nausea followed by a pounding headache behind her right temple. When she
brought her head up, what she saw made the ache behind her eyes reach critical
mass.
Mike Cranston swept into the room like a tornado, telling everyone to get out
and give him the scene. At an indulgent signal from Detective Mallory, the
technicians and cops moved to the door and left the two detectives to their
work. Mallory and Cranston then argued in muted whispers. He didn’t even glance
her way.
In the midst of this ordeal, Belle couldn’t believe her reaction at seeing
Cranston again. Her heart ran the Derby, and her skin burst into blushing heat.
An involuntary hiccup tightened her middle, and she actually squirmed under the
blanket. The nerves on the back of her neck tingled. He was still as handsome
as ever—maybe more so. A hunk, Cary would have called him.
She was furious at herself for the moment of weakness and tried, with little
success, to quell the conflicting sensations vying for her limited attention.
Love, hate, anger, fear, hope and even a kind of relief mingled together in a
volatile cocktail that tightened her chest.
Panic instantly eclipsed everything when he finally turned to her. She couldn’t
breathe.
Cranston did something then that was absolutely Cranston; he escorted Mallory
out the door, closed it and leaned against the frame to confront her.
The impact of his infuriating half smile swept through Belle like a shot of hot
cognac.
“Hey, princess, seen any bad guys lately?”
It was too much. That old familiarity dissolved her defenses. Tears dammed up
behind her eyes until her forehead ached. She’d be damned if she was going to let
Cranston see her like this.
Belle tightened her lips painfully, turned abruptly on the pad of her foot and
stomped into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her and locking him out.
It was just like old times— The Belle Stalker, Chapter Three
9.
Do
you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder your
writing?
Actually, I have critique partners and they are my
lifeline to writing. I don’t think I could do this without them. They come up
with suggestions, kick me in the butt when I need it, and generally keep me on
task. In addition, I have a wonderful group of beta readers who keep me honest,
plus two of the best editors I’ve ever known. I could not write without them!
:o)
10. When did you first decide to submit your
work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
My kids and husband were the ones to bully me into
submitting that first book. It was in August of 2007 while we were camping. We
had a creative challenge. For those of you who don’t know, I have very artistic
kids and my husband is a sculptor. My challenge was to literally blow the dust
off of Starsight, rewrite it, and send it off to the first publisher by the end
of the year. I sent it out on December 7, 2007 (my birthday). I was thinking it
was later but I just looked it up. I think I sent it to Stonegarden on December
31, 2007 and they bought it.
11. How do you maintain your creativity?
That’s a good question. When I’m feeling lackluster
(you know, can’t get an idea or a new direction to save my life) I try to
listen or read things that inspire me: books, movies, music, etc. If it’s
really bad and I need help, I sometimes will call my critique partner or
friends and have them beat some sense into me. The best thing I’ve ever done is
lie down and think. Sounds weird, but I get my best idea flat on my back. LOL
12. Who is your favorite character in the book?
Can you tell us why?
I LOVE Belle. She has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder) and yet she manages to cope and even take charge of situations. She’s
smart (VERY smart), feisty, a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, beautiful, and a
professor of Anthropology at Portland State University. Even in the most
stressful situations, she stands up for herself and fights back. It’s no wonder
both men in the story fall madly in love with her.
13. Anything else you might want to add?
Just to thank Rogue Angels for hosting us today. I LOVE
this site and want to encourage everyone to follow it, especially if you’re a
writer. They have wonderful articles and I learn something new every time I
come over here!
You can find The Belle Stalker at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Resplendence
Publishing, ARe, and other e-book outlets. The book is in any eBook format you
want and should be available in paperback next year. Thanks so much for coming
over! Minnette :o)
Blurb
They walked on in a thick silence until they reached the elevator. Cranston punched the down arrow, and Mal turned to examine his profile. “Do you want to know what I think?” he asked.
“No, but I’m sure that’s not going to stop you.”
“I think you’re crazy.” There it was. Plain. To the point. Irrevocable.
Cranston chuckled. “Absolutely. It’s the only way I can get this job done; I have to be a little more nuts than the perps.” He turned his face toward Mal and gave him a shit-ass grin.
“How’m I doing so far?”
Mal shook his head, hit the down arrow again and smiled. “About as well as can be expected. You need to come back, Mike. You belong here.”
The doors slid open in front of them, and the elevator was empty. “That’ll sort of depend on this case, now won’t it? Ask me when I’ve got this son of a bitch in custody.”
“Deal.” Mallory stared at the silver backed doors as they whispered shut. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Can I stop you?”
“Do you still love her?”
That caught Cranston in the gut. Only Mallory could get away with a question like that. “None of your goddamned business,” he murmured.
“That’s what I thought.” Mallory punched the “B” button, and the two fell through the building in silence.
The Belle Stalker, Chapter Seven
Follow Minnette on her tour and don't forget to leave comments. Enjoy, this was a wonderful interview Minnette. Thank you for letting Rogues Angels be your host today.
Information and buy Links
http://youtu.be/avY8W6i0rw4 Audio Excerpt
http://minnettemeador.blogspot.com/p/books-by-minnette.html Written
Excerpt
http://minnettemeador.blogspot.com/ Blog URL
RESPLENDENCE PUBLISHING (all eFormats except Kindle & Nook):
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/381-200-103-422-5--the-belle-stalker-by-minnette-meador.html
AMAZON BUY LINK: (Kindle)
AMAZON DIRECT LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Belle-Stalker-ebook/dp/B0064PA6LI/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321749531&sr=1-8
BARNES & NOBEL DIRECT (Nook):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-belle-stalker-minnette-meador/1107087599?ean=2940013589698&itm=1&usri=the+belle+stalker
All Romance eBooks:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thebellestalker-625303-140.html
