Today we have
Author Allison Merritt
Welcome Allison, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you for having me today!
I'm from the
Ozark Mountains where I've lived almost my entire life minus a couple of years
in Oklahoma. I live in the same house I grew up in with my husband and our
dogs. I have a major in mass communications emphasis in print journalism, but
I'm a lot better at writing fluff than hard news, so I decided to stick to
writing novels.
~ Do real life events find their way into
your stories?
I would have to
say yes to some parts. My parents were married 31 years before my dad died and
while it wasn't the perfect marriage, they were very dedicated to each other
and to our family. I try to put that kind of bond into my heroes and heroines.
I want readers to feel that at the conclusion of a book, this romance I showed
them is forever.
~ Do you ever
mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Mostly just
myself. I tend to be stubborn and pretty emotional over some things and I
notice my female characters acting that way a lot. But I can definitely say I
got that from my mom. I like my heroes to be strong and seemingly doubtless to
the heroine, which I is how I always thought of my dad. Like he could fix
anything as long as he believed he could. And that's an important part of
mythical elements in a story. My heroes never doubt they'll do what's right as
long as it protects the women they love.
~ Do you find
yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always
something different?
In my current
series, I'm drawing heavily from Native American myth and ancient folk lore.
I've been really interested in ghost stories since high school and a couple of
years ago I got into cryptozoology. Myths and folklore really spice up my
books.
~ When do you
write? Early morning? During the day
sometime or all day? After the kids go
to bed?
I am not a
morning person at all. I don't start functioning really well until about 10 or
11 a.m. If it wasn't for a day job, I have no doubt I'd be up late at night
writing. I mostly work on my writing in the evenings after I get home and have
some dinner.
~ How do you feel
about marketing your book?
I thought
writing was tough until I started seriously editing for publication and then I
thought editing must be the hardest part of writing, but it wasn't until I
started marketing that I realized it's hard to get a reader's attention when
you're self-published. I'm thankful to have a good network of friends and other
writers who are great for helping spread the word.
~ What social
sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I signed up for
HootSuite a month or two after publishing my first book. It's so much nicer to
be able to go in and program little messages for Twitter and Facebook all at
once, rather than having to do it all individually. Definately don't discount
Twitter, because with hashtags you can reach people a variety of ways. I use
Facebook quite a bit, and I have a Google Plus account, but my blog posts go
there more than anything else. Goodreads still baffles me.
~ Is there any
other genre that you would love to try writing?
If so, what is it?
Historical
romance was my very first love in writing. I don't think I've ever written a
story that didn't have at least the thread of a love story in it. I wish I was
clever enough to write a mystery, but I'm too much of a panster.
~ Do you
always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I was just
thinking about this the other day. I always know what the characters look like,
of course, but more often, it's easier to think from the character's point of
view than to "watch" them act out a scene in my head. That way I
don't get all bogged down by what each one looks like and I try to do accents
in my head, but mostly I fail at that. They all sound like they're from
southwestern Missouri or Oklahoma when they talk.
~ Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Robert Downey Jr.
2) Favorite vehicle - Ford Mustang
3) Favorite way to relax - Going for a walk.
4) Favorite ice cream - vanilla
5) Favorite outfit - A t-shirt, a pair of
shorts, and flip flops.
And for a
bonus: If you could pick any place in
the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or
money needed)
I have always
wanted to go to Bora Bora. All those photos you see of bright blue water and
huts suspended above it, it just seems like the perfect place.
~ Where
can our readers find you??
Email:
allisonmwrites@gmail.com
Twitter:
@allison_merritt
Amazon
author page: http://www.amazon.com/Allison-Merritt/e/B006LZV3QS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1342725428&sr=1-2-ent
~ Is there an
upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can
we find it?
My debut novel
is The Treasure Hunter's Lady, a steampunk romance.
For years, Romy
Farrington traveled at her world-famous archeologist father's side, exploring
new lands and uncovering ancient secrets. It was everything she ever wanted,
until a near-fatal encounter with hostile natives forced her and her father
into a life of retirement in Boston and an undesired advance into proper
society.
Everything changes
again when she's saved from an accident by a brash Texan in a back alley. Abel
Courte may act like a care-free cowboy, but he's harboring a secret—he's
searching for the Diamond of Uktena, a legendary jewel that can cure any
disease known to man. He needs information Romy's father has in order to get to
the jewel. When he traces the origin of the Diamond to Dakota Territory, he
sets off to claim the treasure, only to find the archeologist's fiery redheaded
daughter stuck to him like a bug in sap.
In a race
against time, Romy and Abel must learn to trust each other as they undertake a
cross-country journey that will expose them to lands uncharted by white men, a
deadly battle against the fearsome creature in possession of the Diamond and a
fight to return to civilization where they might make the greatest discovery of
all—love.
print - http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Hunters-Lady-Allison-Merritt/dp/1475118929/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
book trailer:
Reviews:
I also have
another book in the series coming out in mid-September called The Sky Pirate's
Wife.
After a tragic
airship wreck, Captain Alwin van Buren makes a drastic decision to obtain a
wealthy bride in order to save his flagging business. He meets his match in
Sophie Barnes, heiress to an airship empire. After he seduces her and ensures
their marriage—igniting a rivalry with her godfather—he learns the green-eyed
beauty is as headstrong as he is.
Sophie knows
Van Buren's reputation based on a series of dime novels written about his
adventures. Determined to be more than an end to a means, she despises him for
luring her into marriage. In fiction, he's a no-nonsense captain on the verge
of piracy, but the flesh-and-blood man wins her heart by proving she's worth
more to him than her money.
Their love is
threatened when Sophie learns Van Buren's airship accident was a result of
mythical creatures. Winged predators that appear to have a grudge against him,
a fact he deliberately hid by accusing her godfather of sabotage. If she can
forgive him for that, they still have to face the danger when they're cornered
and at the mercy of beasts and the evil that controls them. The real test comes
when Van Buren is asked to make a sacrifice that could destroy them both.
One final thing before we let you go today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd
like to share? I like to cook and am
always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I don't cook
very often, it's a talent that eludes me, but one time I tasted some cucumber
dill dip at a fair and I bought the mix. For whatever reason (bcause they can,
I guess), premade dip mix is expensive. I thought, I know I can make a decent
replica of this for a little bit of nothing. So here's how I make dill dip.
8 oz.sour cream
1 tbsp. red
wine vinegar or Worchestershire sauce
2 heaping tbsp.
dill
1 1/2 tbsp.
onion powder
Splash of lemon
juice
Salt to taste
You can eat it
right away, but it's even better after it's been in the fridge overnight. Mind,
this doesn't have any cucumber in it, but you can chop them up really small and
add it if you want. Just be sure to drain them because they have such a high
water content.
***
Yummy! Dill dip is one of my favorites so i'll have to try this recipe, thank you.
It was a great pleasure having you with us today and I hope you come back soon.
Readers, make sure you get The Treasure Hunter's Lady, just click this link.
Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time, happy reading !
Krista
Thank you for having me as your guest today, Krista!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Allison :) You are welcome anytime !!
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