Do
you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?
My
book title’s usually come to me in the middle of writing the book. For the Dark
Dream Series, I do start out knowing that the title will either have the word
‘dream’ or ‘nightmare’ in the title.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I
want readers to feel that no matter what struggles they might have gone through
in life to never give up on your dreams and to remember we all have strength
inside us we didn’t realize we had.
What
books are in your to read pile?
My TBR pile is getting
almost as big as my read pile. The top three are; Fallen by Julie Morgan, My
Soul to Keep by Marianne Morea, and The Devil’s Angle by Christine Alvarez.
What
is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I
am currently in the middle of writing Dreams in the Dark, which is book two of
the Dark Dreams Series, as well as editing Endless Nightmare: The Origin of a
Demon, which is the origin story of one of the series main characters, Empusa.
Can
you share a little of your current work with us?
Here’s an excerpt from Endless Nightmare: The Origin
of a Demon -
A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, slamming
Empusa back against a rock wall with force. When she tried to move, she found
herself held there by an invisible force.
"Release me, now!"
Empusa salivated in anger. No one held her down.
She might be trapped in this hell hole but she refused to let anyone manipulate
her, not ever again.
"As soon as you release your weakness, I
will. Lesson number one, Empy-pet. You are nothing with emotions. Nothing
if you care for anything more than just yourself. I will not help you escape,
but I will give you the powers to be able to. It's in your hands what you
choose to do with them. I will teach you the power to become anything you want.
Have anything and anyone you want. I will give you no love, no comforting
words, no signs of affection. I will ice your heart, darken your soul and
make you the demon, the woman, you were destined to be."
Even if Empusa could move at that moment, she
didn't think she would have been able to. For decades she'd slowly been losing
the girl she once had been; that innocent eyed, soft child who wanted to please
everyone and never expected anything in return. She'd learned firsthand what
being like that had gotten her. If she’d been stronger, if she’d stood up for
who and what she was, she wouldn't have ended up trapped in hell in the first
place. To stop feeling those pesky emotions like fear, sorrow, or hope; to only
count on and care about herself sounded perfect to her. To no longer wake up
from her heart twisting in her chest from the loss of her family, from the
isolation she felt. To no longer fear death, but to laugh in its face and dare
it to come get her. To not just show the rest of the world she didn't care
about anything other than herself, but to actually feel it inside. That was the
woman she wanted to be. She wanted to be numb enough the distractions of
all those wasteful emotions no longer crippled her. Most of all, she wanted to
one day have the power to escape this prison and feel the steady stream of
Hecate's blood against her skin as she bathed in it.
Do
you have to travel much to do research for your books?
Google
and Youtube were my travel guides for my current release. Dare to Dream takes
place in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and while I have not had the pleasure to visit
there, I have taken every Youtube tour of the city and studied every map I
could get my hands on. I can’t wait to finally get to go, because it’s such a
beautiful city.
Do
you have any advice for other writers?
Never give up. It
doesn’t matter how long it takes for you to write a book, whether it be a
couple months or a couple years, just keep writing. And always remember, the
first draft doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be written.
Do
you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this
book?
While writing
Dare to Dream, I listened to a lot of classic rock, which I blame on Nathaniel.
The panther has a love for that genre of music, while I am not a big fan.
Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing is the song the book centers around, and is even
Nellie’s ringtone when Nathaniel calls her.
Dark Dreams Series
Book One
K. Margaret
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: 11/17/2015
ISBN: 978-1518886485
ASIN: B017OM7GJE
Number of pages: 210
Word Count: 72,835
Cover Artist: Ariel LeAnn
Book Description:
Nellie O’Malley has spent her afterlife hunting and killing demonoids. As a slayer she never faced one she couldn’t destroy, until now.
The hunter has become the hunted.
A nameless, faceless enemy stalks her every move. Nellie must find a way to stop the unstoppable before it kills her, or worse, goes after the one person she can’t live without.
He is her best friend, she is his soul.
Nathaniel Ogapoge has been in love with only one woman. Unfortunately, she sees him only as her best friend. With her life now in peril, he will stop at nothing to protect her. Even if it means putting himself in the direct path of evil and risking everything.
Excerpt:
“It is time for
another,” Renata, the Queen of the Damned, announced as she straightened the
flowing silk material of her silver gown so it draped perfectly around her.
Perched on the edge of a reflecting pool high up in her tower in the middle of
Gehenna, she glided her fingers over the surface of the water. The rippling
effect caused the face of a young blonde female to come into focus. “She will
be my newest creation and she will be perfect.”
Glancing away
from the reflection, she peered up at Berith, Gehenna’s warden, who stood opposite
her, hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. His perpetual scowl
present across his chiseled face, Berith’s eerily-glowing orange eyes narrowed
on her with annoyance. Not that she gave him her full attention, her thoughts
were still lost in the vision appearing in the water. She didn’t particularly
care he was even in the room.
“Have you lost
your bloody mind?” Berith questioned. “I mean look at her. She doesn’t look old
enough to know how to use the rifle she’s holding, let alone be able to kill
demonoids. Is this what you are left with then? Is this where your abilities
have taken you? You now recruit scrawny females to do your bidding?”
Renata raised a
brow, watching Berith jab an accusing finger at the girl’s reflection. Too many
years had passed since she’d last been given a slayer, and at the moment she
didn’t need to hear Berith’s opinion on the matter. While her husband, Buer,
was in charge of capturing and keeping the deadliest of demons within the
confines of Gehenna, it was her duty to keep reign on the demonoids.
Two types of
demons inhabited in the world: the ones born that way and the ones who were
turned into such. The most dangerous, however, were the ones created. Those
creatures were known as demonoids.
Demonoids were
contrived from the darkest of all human souls. Ones so beyond redemption their
evil called to certain gods and demons. These gods and demons would feed on
those souls, transforming what once was a man into the deadliest and most
nefarious of creatures. The job of her slayers was to eradicate them; to make
sure no demonoid remained on the mortal realm or any other.
Renata dismissed
Berith’s comments with a flip of her strawberry blonde hair. “You know as well
as I do I have no choice in who is brought to me. At this point, I would take a
ten-year-old girl with bowed legs if that was my only choice. I haven’t
received a soldier in over a century and my troops on the mortal realm are
dwindling.” She glanced back down at the image in the water. Yes, the female was
young and not the usual soul given to her, but she would make do. All her
slayers were chosen for a reason and Renata would not question the decision.
All she concerned herself with was whether her new slayer would be strong
enough to kill the demonoids when they came at her.
The female about
to become Renata’s newest slayer was not a warrior or a soldier as she was
accustomed to. Those females were easy to convince to take on the duty of a
slayer.
No, this female
never fought a day in her life, but as soon as the breath left her body and her
heart stopped beating, the contract of services would already be signed. She
would belong to Renata until the day the Queen of the Damned decided to release
her of her duties. As of present, not one of Renata’s slayers relinquished her
duties.
However, the job
of her slayers came with its benefits. Renata bestowed one power upon them. A
power already lying dormant inside them. Upon their agreement of service, they
would also gain the abilities of speed and strength. Abilities to help assist
them in their tasks.
Berith’s low
growl snapped Renata’s head up, scattering her thoughts. She didn’t need to ask
what agitated with him. By the way he stood ramrod straight with a far off look
in his eyes, she knew he held a conversation with another in his mind. Only one
female could cause him to look both distressed and fascinated all at the same
time. A demoness, who happened to also be the bane of Renata’s existence.
“Oh just go to
her, will you? We both know if you don’t then you’ll become even more of an ass
than you usually are. I have to concentrate on this, and apparently you need to
find a way to lock the demon-whore up so she isn’t a constant distraction.”
The way Berith’s
eyes narrowed on her, along with the slow curling of his lip and twitch to his
left eye, proved her assumption on whom he conversed with. He hesitated for a
moment, as if trying to decide whether he should stay or go. Just as he turned
to leave, he crossed over and knelt down beside her.
“Don’t mess this
one up, Renata. Make sure she knows what she’s getting herself into. I would
hope you have learned from past mistakes.”
Renata refused
to acknowledge the statement. She always knew what she was doing. Swirling her
finger around in the water, she watched as the images rippled amongst the
waves. This one here would do just fine, and judging by the progress being
made, the time to meet her newest slayer neared. By the bright yellow sun
rising in the horizon, Renata knew the female’s time grew shorter. It wouldn’t
be much longer before her final breath escaped her lips. Renata wasn’t
heartless though, she mourned the loss of such a brave girl, but she knew the
ugliness of death must take place in order for others to be saved. That was the
motto of her slayers - to protect and serve those who could not protect
themselves.
About the Author:
K. Margaret is a paranormal romance author living in Georgia. Her love for words, storytelling, and mythology started as a teenager and continues to grow. When she isn’t sucking down pots of coffee and writing, or hanging out with her teenage daughter, she can usually be found in front of her TV watching football, her other obsession.
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