Hi everyone, Today the fab Tricia Schneider is visiting us. She comes from Pennsylvania and is a paranormal and gothic romance author. Her books, 'The Witch and the Vampire' and 'The Witch and the Wolf ' are both published by Wild Rose Press.
Hi Tricia, it's a pleasure to welcome you here.
Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m
a paranormal and gothic romance author. I worked as Assistant Manager and
bookseller at Waldenbooks for several years. Now I write full-time while
raising my three young children. Besides writing, I’m addicted to reading. I
like to participate in reading challenges on Goodreads. I also enjoy photography,
traveling and researching for my next book.
Where are you from and why do you love it?
I
grew up in an area outside of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Although we have a rich
history of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, we’re mostly a coal mining region. I
enjoy watching the season’s change and the mountains that provide wonderful
forests where I love to go hiking. Pennsylvania has beautiful scenery.
I’ve
always been a storyteller. Even when I drew pictures with crayons I had an
elaborate story to go along with my drawings. As I learned to read and write, I
often found myself jotting down short stories in notebooks. It was just for
fun. During my senior year in high school, I took a creative writing class for
one of my elective courses. Since I enjoyed writing, it seemed a simple way to
earn credits. I don’t know why I never thought about becoming an author as a
career choice until then. I loved writing. I finished my first novel when I was
15. It just never occurred to me until that year that people actually got paid
to write stories. It wasn’t until my teacher pulled me aside at the end of one
class to tell me that he thought with a little work my short story assignment
could easily be lengthened into a novel and he believed it had potential for
publication. It was that moment the light-bulb lit in my head!
For
the longest time, I wanted to be a veterinarian. When it became clear that I
couldn’t stand the sight of blood or needles, I had to scratch veterinarian off
my list. Shortly after high school, I took a part-time job at a local
Waldenbooks store. I discovered I had great aptitude for talking to people
about books. Every day, I was paid to learn about the newest books on the
market, to unpack the shipments and shelve them, and to talk about books and
reading to my staff and customers. A booklover’s dream! Unfortunately, due to
the economy, our Waldenbooks closed in 2010. The nearest bookstore is now about
an hour away. If I had the opportunity to pick a job other than writing, I’d
like another bookstore to open in my community so I could become a bookseller
again.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you write?
My
published works are paranormal and gothic romance set during the Regency era. I
have some works-in-progress set during different times of history, but most of
them are also paranormal.
What inspires you?
My
mother is my number one inspiration. She’s the one who taught me to love
reading. There was never a moment that my mother didn’t have a book nearby for
those few minutes when she could read a page or two. She’s also the reason for
inspiring me to love the paranormal. When I was a young child, she got me
hooked on watching re-runs of Dark
Shadows, a 1960’s soap opera. That’s when I fell in love with vampires,
witches, werewolves, ghosts and all the other things that go bump in the night.
In fact, the stories I write are basically my own personal version of Dark Shadows.
How do you overcome writer's block?
Sometimes
when I hit a wall in my writing, I need to step back a bit. I step away from my
computer and take a walk in fresh air. Or I might take a nice long drive. If
either of those are impossible at that moment, I’ll do some house-cleaning and
then I’ll take a nice long shower. That’s usually a great way to get images of
my characters to pop into my head and get me back to writing. Simply thinking
of my story, daydreaming of the different possibilities for plots and
characters, meditating on the solutions I need for the issues I have with the
manuscript are ways I keep myself burning to get back onto my laptop to finish
that story. Of course, each case of writer’s block is different. I’m still a
work-in-progress coming up with solutions to overcome it.
Thanks so much Tricia for dropping in for a chat. Don't forget to check out Tricia's books, The Witch And The Wolf and The Witch And The Vampire.
Nicole x
The Witch and the Vampire
Melora Merriweather is searching for a fellow witch to protect her
from a scheming uncle with plans of marriage. When her carriage overturns on
her journey, she is rescued by a mysterious man whom she learns is the very
person she seeks. But, he’s not the witch she thought he was…
Sebastian Collins should have left for London days ago. Now a
snowstorm has trapped him with a woman who has come seeking protection, a woman
who intrigues him like no other. And with each passing hour, his hunger for her
grows…hunger for her kiss, her caress, and her blood.
Snippet from The Witch and the Vampire.
“You are Sebastian Collins? Of Caldwell House?” she asked. Had she
made some horrible mistake? Who knew how old this letter might be? There had
been no date written on any of them. Could this have come from a previous owner
of the single address she had managed to discover leading her here? But, no, it
could not be possible. Her dreams never misled her.
“Indeed, I am,” he answered, relieving her fears. He paused briefly,
and then continued, “But there is no Mrs. Collins.”
Comprehension dawned. The blush of embarrassment and dread crept up
her neck. To her surprise, Mr. Collins stiffened in agitation.
“I-I am truly sorry,” she stated, suddenly understanding his
reaction. At least, now it made sense why Mrs. Collins never entered her
dreams. “I had not realized she had passed. I apologize for the grief I have
surely inflicted on you.”
“No, no,” he said, with a shake of his head. He appeared to have
difficulty speaking for a moment until at last, with a deep breath, he
reclaimed his composure. Still, he kept his eyes cast down, toward the fire.
“You fail to understand. I have never married.”
Melora stared at him. Confused, she looked again at the letter in
her hand. “But the letters…?”
This time, his head snapped up, and he looked in her direction. She
inhaled sharply at the sight of his light blue eyes staring at her. Into her.
Through her. Sharp. Piercing. As if he searched her soul for the answers to his
questions.
To
find more information about Tricia and her books:
Thanks for the interview, Nicole! It was fun! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure :)
ReplyDelete