Please welcome an awesome Wizard with Words! I’m thrilled to have Emma Meade as my guest today. Emma makes her home in Ireland and writes fantastic tales of the paranormal. We “met” through a mutual friend when Emma did a guest stint on the blog of L.J. Kentowksi and I immediately snatched up her book UNDER THE DESERT MOON after reading the blurb and excerpt. I’ve been hooked on everything she’s written since.

Today, she’s sharing her latest release, DARK WHISKEY, so grab your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy!

~ooOOoo~

Thanks for having me on your blog today, Mae. I love your Mythical Monday posts!

Thank you! I’m delighted to have you here today, and it’s wonderful to hear you enjoy my Mythical Mondays. I love gathering information for them. For starters, please share a bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing.

I was born and raised in Cork City, Ireland, where I still live. I adore rainy weather – thunder and lightning are even better. I do my best writing on stormy days. I’ve been writing since primary school, often handing up short stories about aliens and ghosts and witches to my teachers. Twenty years later, my heart is still firmly rooted in the supernatural genre.

I love to write on rainy days too. For some reason the words seem to flow easier when I’m snug and cozy inside. Do you have a favorite place and/or time of day to write?

I tend to write curled up on the couch with a hot cup of tea within reaching distance. I can write day or night. If I’m feeling inspired and the words are flowing, I’ll keep going until the early hours of the morning.

I’ve been known to do that a time or two as well. What attracts you most to your chosen genre?  

I’ve always leaned towards paranormal fiction. Worlds filled with superheroes, vampires, werewolves and immortals fascinate me. When I was a kid, I hurried to the library in my mom’s primary school to see what new Point Horror books were available. From there, I moved on to L.J. Smith’s paranormal romance young adult tales, Anne Rice and Stephen King. I adore the supernatural genre across books, TV shows and films. My favourite TV show of all time is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Are you a draft writer or someone who invests a lot of time in editing and polishing as you write? Why does your method work best for you?

I used to write a chapter, then go back and polish, but I no longer do that – I simply found it took too long and I tended to lose my train of thought. These days I write a first draft all the way through, and then I start the editing process. I find I can get a draft of a novella done in a month now. It’s polishing it afterwards that takes more time.

I definitely want to give draft writing a try. Writers seem to make a lot of progress that way. Please tell us about your new release.

I’d like to talk about my short story, Dark Whiskey. It’s my most recent release, and I had a lot of fun writing it. It was my first time publishing a story written in the first person. Ever since I saw the film Blade when I was a teenager, I had an idea in my mind about a vampire club. What if a girl walked into a club full of vampires and wasn’t allowed to leave? How would she cope? In Dark Whiskey, Jesse finds out just how wrong a night out on the town can go.

I loved Dark Whiskey! Your descriptions of the club were so vivid and haunting. How did you choose your title?

I’m a Jack Daniel’s girl, and Jesse in the story is a whiskey drinker. The title came pretty easily.

It’s a  great title. Which character did you enjoy writing the most and why?

Jesse is a strong woman. She keeps her head in a crisis and doesn’t give up. Something terrible happens to her, but she deals.

I liked Jesse immediately. She was strong and earthy and you gave her great dialogue. How did you choose your setting?

I pictured an ice bar. In my mind I saw an interior similar to the ice hotel located in Sweden – a hotel made entirely of ice. In the end I kept the setting of the club icy white and frosty blue.

It was hypnotic! Most people who follow my blog know I love vivid descriptive passages, and what you did with Dark Whiskey was simply mesmerizing. How about sharing the first three sentences of the book?

“I think we should leave—like right now, Tasha,” I said, grabbing my best friend’s arm.

Tasha yanked away. “You promised me a night to remember, and that’s what I’m getting.”

I took a deep breath.

And from there we get an inkling that things are not going to go well for these girls. Now share one sentence – – yes, only one! – – of dialogue or description you love.

Familiar chords from teenage memories thrummed, the sweet music making its way under the bathroom door.

Fantastic! And now, a quick peek into your list of favorites:

Favorite season: Winter
Favorite time of day: Evening/Night
Favorite TV show: When it aired – Buffy. Today, I’d probably have to go for The Walking Dead
Food you never grow tired of: Chicken curry and rice
Casual or dressy: Casual

I think you must be my first guest who listed winter as their favorite season, Emma. Thanks again for visiting with me today. I wish you much success with DARK WHISKEY.

Connect with Emma at the following haunts:
Website 
Blog
Twitter @EmmaMeadeIrl
Facebook
Goodreads

About the Author
Emma Meade lives in rainy Ireland. She loves reading and writing supernatural fiction. Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home, and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.

Grab a copy of Dark Whiskey for just 99 cents from:
Amazon.com
Amazon.UK
Smashwords
Kobo
Barnes & Noble
iTunes

Blurb:
Jesse senses something off about the nightclub. She wants to leave, but her best friend, Tasha, is determined to have a night to remember. There’s no way she’s turning down an invite to the VIP section.

Against Jesse’s better judgement, she follows Tasha up the ivory staircase to the mysterious room above. The whiskey and champagne are flowing, and pretty soon the blood will be too.

(A Short Story, approx 7,100 words)