I met Marcia the second time I attended the annual Moonlight & Magnolias conference put on each year by the lovely ladies of GRW. Her writing mirrors her personality...fresh and colorful. She is truly an amazing individual and a talented author. I'm so pleased to introduce her to you all and hope you enjoy getting to know her.
**Please comment for a chance to win a free ebook from Marcia. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog Friday**
Where are you from?
Utica, NY
When and why did you begin writing?
I started in 2000 because I had finished reading everything associated with Laurel K. Hamilton and wanted another fix. Since there wasn't anything else out there I could find, I started writing my own.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
After I started putting in the hours and noticed that I didn't have much of a life because of it.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I'm a panster, mostly, although I will plot from time to time when I struggle with how a scene will play out.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing
Not really. I'm open to all styles or methods, but when it comes down to it, I always seem to go back to "old reliable" pansting.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? I LOVE Kelley Armstrong. She was the first author who made me wonder if werewolves could really exist in our world today.
What was the hardest part of writing UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT? The sex scenes. I'm usually not one for writing sex because I don't know where to put it in a book. Luckily, several opportunities came up during UE and I took advantage of them all. The last thing I want is two characters going at it while the killer is lurking outside the door.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Always make time to write. Even if that means stealing a few minutes to plot out a scene. It'll keep you focus on your work and there might come a time when you push through the "I hate this book" phase to "I love this book!"
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope I'm doing a good job and if I am, I'd love to hear about it. Don't be afraid because I love conversing with readers.
What can we expect to see next from you?
More on my werecheetahs and more urban fantasy. Hopefully, a paranormal YA in my future, too. ;-)
EXCERPT - UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT
Pummeling footfalls pounded around them. Sinclair clutched Nahla and hunkered down behind a tree.
Several cheetahs stampeded through the underbrush, heading straight for the cottage. Sinclair’s heart sank as one led the way, followed by two more on its heels.
When the cheetahs passed within a few feet of them, Sinclair leapt out of her hiding place and shouted, “Rio! Runnnnnnn!”
Growls lit up the area in front of them as they crashed through the forest, paws skidding across the gravel driveway.
She couldn’t stay there knowing Rio was in danger, nor could she leave her niece alone in the woods. Who knew what other horrors lurked out there? Hoisting Nahla onto her hip, she forged ahead, prepared to live with the cost of her decision.
Sinclair burst through the woods on the side of the cottage, a few feet from the Pathfinder’s open door. It waited for her like a free offering. Fleeing to the SUV, she shoved Nahla in the passenger seat and got in behind her. Unlike the women in the movies, she had no problem with slamming the key into the ignition and starting the engine.
“Sinclair!” Rio shouted.
She lifted her head. Rio and Kyle left the heavy-metal man curled into the fetal position on the ground and came to the driver’s side. It dawned on her for the first time that the buzz-cut man and the cheetahs had disappeared. Could they have been the ones in the woods?
Sinclair triggered her window. Before she could say a word, Rio reached inside and pulled her in for a kiss.
“Are you two okay?” he asked, glancing at a frightened Nahla in the other seat.
Breathing hard, she replied, “We’re fine. But they’re out there, Rio. There are real monsters out there. I’m talking men turning into cheetahs!”
“I know,” he said, scanning the area and wrinkling his nose with a whiff. “I want you and Nahla to stay inside until I say it’s safe, understand?”
He knows? Sinclair couldn’t answer him. How did he know about the monsters lurking around the house? Did he know they would be paying him a visit? Funny, how he showed up at just the right time too.
Sinclair watched her niece as she sat on her knees and rocked back and forth in the seat. But it was the smile and the way Nahla looked at Rio that bothered her. “What are you smiling at? Aren’t you scared of the monsters?”
She shook her head. “No. Wee-oh like ‘em. But he’s diff-went. He help us. Not hurt us. Uncle Kyle too.”
“What do you mean like them?” She glanced at Rio who pointed toward two cheetahs who began stalking the front of the cottage. Where did they come from?
“Both kitties too. But they friendly kitties. I smell it, Auntie Sin. Can’t you?”
ABOUT MARCIA:
Paranormal author Marcia Colette was born and raised in a single-parent household in upstate New York. She graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering and a masters degree in information technology from American Intercontinental University. After a couple of moves from north to south to north, she is now living in the south again in the lovely state of North Carolina.
Unlike many authors, Marcia hadn’t discovered her love for reading until her late twenties. As it turned out, her tastes were very selective and different than most of the stuff her English teachers tried to shove down her throat. She has been a lover of the paranormal from her first horror movie and has never looked back.
Marcia is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Paranormal Mystery Writers, and Romance Writers of America.
The best place to find her is on her blog where she loves connecting with readers and other writers.
Conferences/conventions where sci-fi, fantasy, and horror reign supreme are a good bet, too, along with the occasional romance conference. Her website is www.marciacolette.com
**Please comment for a chance to win a free ebook from Marcia. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog Friday**
Where are you from?
Utica, NY
When and why did you begin writing?
I started in 2000 because I had finished reading everything associated with Laurel K. Hamilton and wanted another fix. Since there wasn't anything else out there I could find, I started writing my own.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
After I started putting in the hours and noticed that I didn't have much of a life because of it.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I'm a panster, mostly, although I will plot from time to time when I struggle with how a scene will play out.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing
Not really. I'm open to all styles or methods, but when it comes down to it, I always seem to go back to "old reliable" pansting.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? I LOVE Kelley Armstrong. She was the first author who made me wonder if werewolves could really exist in our world today.
What was the hardest part of writing UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT? The sex scenes. I'm usually not one for writing sex because I don't know where to put it in a book. Luckily, several opportunities came up during UE and I took advantage of them all. The last thing I want is two characters going at it while the killer is lurking outside the door.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Always make time to write. Even if that means stealing a few minutes to plot out a scene. It'll keep you focus on your work and there might come a time when you push through the "I hate this book" phase to "I love this book!"
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope I'm doing a good job and if I am, I'd love to hear about it. Don't be afraid because I love conversing with readers.
What can we expect to see next from you?
More on my werecheetahs and more urban fantasy. Hopefully, a paranormal YA in my future, too. ;-)
EXCERPT - UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT
Pummeling footfalls pounded around them. Sinclair clutched Nahla and hunkered down behind a tree.
Several cheetahs stampeded through the underbrush, heading straight for the cottage. Sinclair’s heart sank as one led the way, followed by two more on its heels.
When the cheetahs passed within a few feet of them, Sinclair leapt out of her hiding place and shouted, “Rio! Runnnnnnn!”
Growls lit up the area in front of them as they crashed through the forest, paws skidding across the gravel driveway.
She couldn’t stay there knowing Rio was in danger, nor could she leave her niece alone in the woods. Who knew what other horrors lurked out there? Hoisting Nahla onto her hip, she forged ahead, prepared to live with the cost of her decision.
Sinclair burst through the woods on the side of the cottage, a few feet from the Pathfinder’s open door. It waited for her like a free offering. Fleeing to the SUV, she shoved Nahla in the passenger seat and got in behind her. Unlike the women in the movies, she had no problem with slamming the key into the ignition and starting the engine.
“Sinclair!” Rio shouted.
She lifted her head. Rio and Kyle left the heavy-metal man curled into the fetal position on the ground and came to the driver’s side. It dawned on her for the first time that the buzz-cut man and the cheetahs had disappeared. Could they have been the ones in the woods?
Sinclair triggered her window. Before she could say a word, Rio reached inside and pulled her in for a kiss.
“Are you two okay?” he asked, glancing at a frightened Nahla in the other seat.
Breathing hard, she replied, “We’re fine. But they’re out there, Rio. There are real monsters out there. I’m talking men turning into cheetahs!”
“I know,” he said, scanning the area and wrinkling his nose with a whiff. “I want you and Nahla to stay inside until I say it’s safe, understand?”
He knows? Sinclair couldn’t answer him. How did he know about the monsters lurking around the house? Did he know they would be paying him a visit? Funny, how he showed up at just the right time too.
Sinclair watched her niece as she sat on her knees and rocked back and forth in the seat. But it was the smile and the way Nahla looked at Rio that bothered her. “What are you smiling at? Aren’t you scared of the monsters?”
She shook her head. “No. Wee-oh like ‘em. But he’s diff-went. He help us. Not hurt us. Uncle Kyle too.”
“What do you mean like them?” She glanced at Rio who pointed toward two cheetahs who began stalking the front of the cottage. Where did they come from?
“Both kitties too. But they friendly kitties. I smell it, Auntie Sin. Can’t you?”
ABOUT MARCIA:Paranormal author Marcia Colette was born and raised in a single-parent household in upstate New York. She graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering and a masters degree in information technology from American Intercontinental University. After a couple of moves from north to south to north, she is now living in the south again in the lovely state of North Carolina.
Unlike many authors, Marcia hadn’t discovered her love for reading until her late twenties. As it turned out, her tastes were very selective and different than most of the stuff her English teachers tried to shove down her throat. She has been a lover of the paranormal from her first horror movie and has never looked back.
Marcia is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Paranormal Mystery Writers, and Romance Writers of America.
The best place to find her is on her blog where she loves connecting with readers and other writers.
Conferences/conventions where sci-fi, fantasy, and horror reign supreme are a good bet, too, along with the occasional romance conference. Her website is www.marciacolette.com
Comments (7)
Thanks for having me, Abi...and for all of those sweet words you said about little ol' me. *blush* I had completely forgotten about my guest spot today. That's what happens when you're coming off vacation. Writing is out of mind and out of sight.
That's another lesson for writers. When you vacation, really VACATION. When you return, the writing goes from a trickle to a waterfall. What better way to get back into the groove. ;-)
It's rather cool getting a sneak peek into that mind of yours, Marcia. I hope you had a wonderful vacation and that you had a chance to refresh your muse.
No problem Marcia! We are so happy to have you here at HoR today! Something tells me you won't have any trouble at all getting back into the swing of things.
So glad you decided to guest blog! I love your stuff and hopefully others will try your books out! :)
Great excerpts, Marcia! I think the same way about writing sex scenes.
I am going to have to look your stuff up that excerpt just whetted my appitite. Do you have a newsletter?
Your story is very inspiring! I refound my love of reading in my mid-30s and it's been wonderful getting to discover so many different types of books. Hope you enjoy your time here in NC after living in several different places.