Do you write in different genres?
Later
in life I started writing literary fiction. Then I decided it was time to try
romance. I love romance novels, and have read many. I was first inspired to
become a novelist after reading Gone With the Wind, so this may be the genre
that sticks.
Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a
true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
Rory
senses spirits the way that I sense spirits. She feels the weight in the air,
the focus spirits apply in her direction and their excitement. I combined my
own sensations with those that other mediums feel. I know a medium personally
who sees spirits constantly, and his experiences were used as inspiration and
guidance. I love Long Island Medium,
so I paid attention to the amount of detail and cooperation she was able to get
from spirits.
What books/authors have influenced your life?
Gone
With the Wind, A
Prayer For Owen Meany, Jesusland and
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider
a mentor?
John
Irving. His prose is genius. His characters are rich and fully realized. He can
make you laugh and break your heart in the same sentence.
What books are in your to read pile?
Deeply
Odd
by Dean Koontz and Last Night in Twisted
River by John Irving.
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I’m
working on Chasing Mr. Love, the
sequel to Rory’s Love. There’s more romance, ghosts and thrills to come.
Do you have to travel much to do research for your
books?
I’m
fortunate to be well traveled, but I do use the internet to research places
I’ve never visited.
Who designed the cover of your latest book?
Sander
Cha, a photographer friend whose work appears in a lot of local magazines and
online.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Lots
of aspiring writers have a story to tell, but I believe a good writer should
love language. Words can and should be used artistically as much as possible,
depending on the genre. Use a thesaurus to make sure your prose paints as
accurate a picture as possible.
Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that
you think represents this book?
Devil
in a New Dress
by Kanye West. It inspired two romantic scenes in Rory’s Love.
Rory’s Love
Aurora, Psychic For the Stars
Book One
Donna Butler
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 13-978-1503377257
ASIN: B00PUDMXMA
Number of pages: 197
Word Count: 60,547
Cover Artist: Donna Butler and Sander Cha
Book Description:
As a psychic medium to the stars, Aurora Alexander believes her life is about as full of glamor and excitement as it can get. Until she falls in love with a client, the multi-platinum selling performer and record producer, Curtis Love. Even though Curtis has a girlfriend, he and Rory share an attraction that proves to be irresistible. Once Curtis breaks up with his girlfriend and they give in to their passion, the story takes them from St. Tropez to Manhattan, Maui, Paris, Milan and elsewhere. Rory’s life becomes every woman's dream come true, filled with designer clothes, jewels, glam squads and a personal bodyguard. But in spite of all the glamor and globe-trotting, Rory can’t outrun the suspicion that Bella, one of her clients, is in grave danger.
Rory's devotion to her sometimes dangerous line of work begins to cause friction in her relationship with Curtis. Despite Curtis’s warnings, when the ghostly victims of a serial killer come to Rory for justice, she can't help but chase down their killer. But as she puts her life in jeopardy to expose a killer and rescue Bella, she also jeopardizes the greatest love she's ever known.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
When we got back
to the hotel, he was still amped up and wanted to make love in the Jacuzzi in
our suite. What should have been a romantic interlude turned into a lot of
playful splashing, dunking and laughing. We’d wrestle for a little, then make
love, start wrestling again and suddenly that would turn into more lovemaking.
By the end of it, we were soaked and exhausted.
Later that
afternoon, I spoke to Bella again and we settled on dinner at her boyfriend’s
restaurant at seven. On the drive over, Curtis and I were cuddled in the
backseat of the rental car like childhood sweethearts when suddenly I felt a
familiar tightness in my chest. Breathing deeply didn’t help. Predictably, I
started trembling and began to feel weak.
“Are you
shaking, baby?” Curtis asked. “Dave, throw me one of those bottles of water.”
Unable to speak, I watched, as if from a great distance, as Dave passed a
bottle of water to Curtis. Curtis grabbed my purse and pulled out several
bottles. He selected one containing the fast acting, anti-anxiety pills. “Open your
mouth, baby,” he told me. He slid a pill into my mouth, opened the bottle of
water and held it to my lips until I drank. Then he held me and stroked my
forehead until the pill took effect. “Any idea what caused it?”
I shrugged. “I
feel like it has something to do with this dinner. Or Bella. I don’t know.” I
sighed. “I just got a bunch of warning signals all at once.”
“Do you want to
call her and cancel?” Curtis asked.
“No,” I said,
pausing to cough. “I need to be there.”
When we walked
in, Bella was waiting at the hostess station looking camera ready in a form
fitting, black mini dress. Her bright red locks had been flat ironed to
perfection, and her makeup was flawless. She grabbed a stack of menus and
quickly ushered us through several elegant dining rooms and up a small flight
of stairs. On the way, I noticed the brass railings that edged the upper level
dining rooms. “You okay?” Curtis asked when I stumbled on the stairs.
“I’m fine,” I
said as we continued to a private dining room near the back of the restaurant.
I knew that brass railing. I knew it from that awful dream.
Now that Curtis
had gotten through the place unrecognized, there was time for greetings and
introductions. “I’ve seen you work,” Curtis told Bella as he removed his
sunglasses. “You’re very good.”
“Thank you,”
Bella said with an enchanting smile. “I’ve seen you in concert six or seven
times. Australia, England, Germany, New York. You rock, man. You just get out
there and spit fire. And the things you do with beats are sick. Hey, why don’t
you guys have a seat and I’ll let the chef know you’re here.” She grinned and
headed off to the kitchen.
When she
returned with her boyfriend, I reached over and grabbed Curtis’s hand as we
stood for the introductions. My heartbeat was so violent, I imagined it was
visible through my dress.
“Rory, Curtis,
this is my boyfriend Cliff Wexler.”
I took in the
dark hair on his head and on his knuckles when he reached out to shake my hand.
I nearly drew back my hand when I saw the manicured fingernails. Cliff. Cliff?
How could Bella have ignored that? “Pleased to meet you,” I said as a sea of
blood roared through my ears. He was pleasant looking, in the way a
conservative Republican politician can look pleasant. He had dark brown hair, a
high forehead, close set brown eyes and thin, thin lips.
“Yeah, pleased
to meet you Cliff,” Curtis said as he instinctively took my arm and allowed me
to sag against him. To me, his voice sounded like it was coming from the far
end of a ten mile tunnel.
Cliff’s eyes
widened as he stared at me with speculation.
Suddenly, two
female spirits appeared on either side of Cliff. They were nude and foggy
white. Each wore a gruesome necklace of blood that dripped down, past their
breasts. As my eyes moved lower, I saw that, unlike the white hair on their
heads, their pubic hair appeared in lifelike shades. One woman had been a
brunette and the other had had black hair. Then I noticed huge clots of blood
sliding from between their legs.
“Rory is such an
awesome medium,” I heard Bella say, from what seemed like a thousand miles
away. “Dead people contact her all the time with warnings for the living. She’s
amazing.”
Every ounce of strength left my legs as I
blacked out.
About the Author:
Donna lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and three cats. She wrote her first novel at fourteen and has had a love affair with writing ever since. In addition to writing, she loves gardening, laughing at reality television and playing with her three-year-old granddaughter.
Blog: www.blog.donnabutler.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leftwingeddove
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