I’ve been tagged for a blog hop by the beautiful Eva Bielby.
She lives in Thirst, North Yorkshire and is the fantastic author of the “Going Up and Going
Down” and is working on a new erotica novel, “Comings and Goings”
My questions:
1) What am I working on?
My current WIP, “The Midnight Owl” is a paranormal, murder mystery. I got the idea from a post I saw that read: “legend says, when you can’t sleep at night, it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dream.”
I am currently working on “The Midnight Owl”
The opening to “The Midnight Owl”
Heather North has felt as if someone had been following for a while now. Weeks to be exact. The sensation was driving her crazy. She lives in a relatively safe area and has a short walk from her parking spot to her apartment, but that feeling was so much stronger tonight and made the walk seem so much farther.
Behind the large SUV just to her left of her car a figure waited. He watched Heather get her purse and sweater out of her car and lock the door. He watched as he looked around nervously checking her surroundings before heading to her apartment.
The one thing that Heather really didn’t like was that there was no fence between the parking lot and the small wooded area next to it. Her insecurity tonight made it feel so much more ominous. A great horned owl gave off three quick hoots and made her jump. She almost dropped what she was carrying.
Before she had a chance to step away from her car two strong arms grabbed her, one around her waist and the other put a cloth over her mouth. She dropped her purse, keys and sweater and then everything went dark.
When Heather awoke she felt groggy and very cold. She found she was bound to the top of a cold steel table. Her arms and legs stretched apart, and she was naked. She was so very cold and even more terrified. Her heart beat hard against her chest and felt like it was going to explode. The room had a nasty, pungent smell to it and except for the one small table looked filthy. There was door off to her right.
Frantic, she looked around and saw she was in a small dimly-lit room with nothing in it except for that table which was about six feet from where she was bound. On it she saw a small chain saw and some other things she couldn’t make out. Her stomach became a ball of fear, knotting tighter and tighter. There was a brighter light hanging on the ceiling just above her. It was the only light in the entire room.
From under the door she saw a stream of light and some movement behind it.
The room was so quiet. Even the movement behind the door was quiet, except for the zipper sound she just heard.
“Who’s there?” she called out in a trembling voice that didn’t sound like hers.
The light behind the door went out and the squeaking door opened slowly. A man stood there and looked at her. He was wearing a total-body rain suit, surgical cap and mask. Only his eyes were visible.
“Hello, Heather,” he said in a calm voice.
“What do you want? Why are you doing this? Who are you?” she blurted out.
“Now, now. I’m here to take you on an adventure. One that will allow you to pay for all the misery you’ve caused to a lot of people,” he said with his calm voice. “I’m going to make sure you’ll never hurt anyone again.”
He turned and reached for a pile of what looked like fabric straps from the table. They were four tourniquets. He began applying them to each of her limbs a few inches below her torso.
She became more terrified as the tourniquets hurt as he tightened them around her legs and arms. This made her more frantic not knowing what he was going to do. She tried to think of something to say but all that came to mind was, “Please, please don’t hurt me.”
“Now, now. This will be nothing compared to the grief and misery you’ve caused six people. And two were even family,” he said in his calm voice with just a slight inflection when he said family. She looked into his eyes and that frightened her even more. His eyes were so dark she felt as if she was falling into them.
Once he finished with the tourniquets he turned back to the table and picked up a small electrical chain saw.
“This is going to hurt. I won’t lie to you,” he said with a smile showing through the mask. He started the saw and Heather felt as if she was going to vomit.
“Now just lie still. I’ll be done in a second.”
******
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I try to do something that I haven’t read or seen, or try to put a new spin on a story.
3) Why do I write what I do?
I’ve loved the paranormal for many, many years and decided to focus on that genre for my writing. I think ‘out of the box’ for all my novels though my WIP is a bit darker then I have already written.
4) How does my writing process work?
Thinking about the story I want to write then doing the research. A couple of times I interviewed and archaeologist for one novel and, for my WIP, a medical examiner. I know I write fiction but some aspects of it have to make sense.
After I get my notes in order I develop my characters and get to work.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
Links to my work:
o the table and picked up a small electrical chain saw.
“This is going to hurt. I won’t lie to you,” he said with a smile showing through the mask. He started the saw and Heather felt as if she was going to vomit.
“Now just lie still. I’ll be done in a second.”
******
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I try to do something that I haven’t read or seen.
Why do I write what I do?
I’ve loved the paranormal for many, many years and decided to focus on that genre for my writing. I think ‘out of the box’ for all my novels though my WIP is a bit darker then I have already written.
How does my writing process work?
Thinking about the story I want to write then doing the research. A couple of times I interviewed and archaeologist for one novel and, for my WIP, a medical examiner. I know I write fiction but some aspects of it have to make sense.
After I get my notes in order I develop my characters and get to work.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
Links to my work:
eBooks:
The Angler and the Owl
The Owl of the Sipan Lord
From the Pages of Grandfather’s Life
Ashtrays to Jawbreakers: June Edition
Paperback:
The Angler and the Owl
Hop Along Time
I am passing on the blog hop to two wonderful writers: Carol Ann Kauffman and Eunice Owei who
will be posting their Writing Process on August 11th.
Carol Ann Kauffman
Carol Ann Kauffman is an American author from Ohio, in the Midwest. She is a retired teacher in the Niles City School district, where she taught first grade for most of her thirty-five year career, but also second and third grade and was a reading specialist for her last three years. She loves to travel, play Bridge, and to garden. She grows African violets and orchids. She is the author of the Time After Time series, which follows a pair of lovers through their many lifetimes together. Her novels, classified as romantic action adventures with a sci-fi/ fantasy twist, are about life, love, loss, and lunacy. Connect with Carol on Twitter at @Cay47. Visit her website at carolannkauffman.weebly.com or visit her blog, Vision and Verse at visionandverse.blogspot.com.
Eunice Owei
My Name is Eunice Oweifaware,i am an Author, Writing is my passion, I have loved to write from when I was young, but I was born in Lagos Nigeria, came to England to go to University, loved here so much , and I decided to live here.
I read different novels like mills and Boon and James Hardley Chase as a teenager and this gave me the inspiration to write as I loved the love stories and the heartaches this characters had to endure to conquer true love.
I published my first book Manipulative Minds with Author house, and the rest of my books are self-published, by me, I am really humbled by this experience as, I enjoy every experience.
I am still finding my way with my books as I am working very hard to see that they are accepted by the readers.
I will write till I will not be able to write no more, meanwhile enjoy some of my books Business women, One woman Struggle, Facets of a Geek life, The innocent Victim, Light at the end of the tunnel, The Hotel, Making the world a better place, Never love a stranger,
Hop Along Time
I am passing on the blog hop to two wonderful writers: Carol Ann Kauffman and Eunice Owei who
will be posting their Writing Process on August 11th.
Viv Drewa - The Owl Lady 