Joanne Brothwell-Interview with the Author

TRC: Hi Joanne and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to get to know a little bit about the author. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Joanne:  I’m a goofball with an addiction to coffee and a strange obsession with The Vampire Diaries. I find myself daydreaming at the most inopportune times, and I love to torture my characters for fun!

 

Photo: Photo by Karly Woolsey Photography, Photo manipulation by Glass Slipper Designs

TRC: What inspired you to write your first book?

Joanne:  I think the idea had been brewing in my mind for quite some time, and I just reached this point in my life where I thought, Hey- it’s now or never. On March 8th of that year I started writing, and three years later to the day, it was released.

TRC: Do you find anything particularly challenging about writing?

Joanne:  Trying to fit it into my busy life. I’m a wife, soccer mom of two, and have a full time job. There are snippets of time I fit it in, but it’s not easy.

TRC: STEALING BREATH is your latest novel. Would you please tell us about the premise?

Joanne:   Here’s the blurb:

Deep in the backwoods of North Dakota, twenty-one year old Sarah Ross is searching for a missing child when she is attacked by a glowing-eyed, transparent… creature. Sarah survives, destroying the monster by using mysterious abilities she didn’t even know she had.

Bloody and bruised, Sarah flees the scene and runs directly into Evan Valente, a handsome, charismatic stranger who helps her back to safety. But what is Evan doing out in the forest at five in the morning?

Turning to a healer, Sarah is shocked to learn her eyes bear the mark of the Indigo Child—an evolved human with the ability to feel the emotions of others. But her indigo aura also makes her an easy target for those who wish to consume her powerful essence.

Soon, Sarah is falling deeply in love with Evan and wants nothing more than to follow her heart and trust that he is the man he says he is. But she can’t ignore the lingering feeling that Evan is hiding a terrible secret. The deeper she digs, the more danger she faces, leading her on a course that will force her to face the darkest, innermost parts of her soul.

TRC: What were some of the challenges you faced researching the background information with regards to the Native North American heritage?

Joanne:  I didn’t find it too difficult, really. But the interesting thing about Skinwalker folklore is that it is not to be talked about, or one will face the possibility of inviting an attack. So finding some first-hand accounts is difficult. They are limited to a small handful of people who are willing to speak about it publicly.

TRC: Are any of the Native myths and lore directly associated with STEALING BREATH ?

Joanne:  Skinwalker lore is directly associated, but the lore in my book has a unique twist. True Skinwalkers are also able to shapeshift into animals, but I wasn’t interested in having a shapeshifter, so I completely eliminated that aspect of the lore. However, other aspects remained true to the lore: that they are evil shaman who can perform soul-travel, they have glowing yellow eyes and perform malicious rituals.

 

TRC: VICARIOUS is a prequel novella to STEALING BREATH. Would you please tell us about the premise? Why did you find it necessary to release a prequel so close to the release of the main novel?

Joanne:  Vicarious is the story of how Sarah came to discover her empathe abilities. It was an idea the publisher came up with, to have an imprint called “Little Moons”; novellas using characters from our novels, and at the time, I felt like writing Sarah’s backstory and submit it to the imprint.

 

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Joanne:  Three. Silencing Breath is slated for release in March, 2013, with the third and final novel to follow in 2014.

TRC: Did you learn anything from writing STEALING BREATH?

Joanne:  I learned to just keep pushing forward despite all of the odds seeming completely insurmountable. I’d write, get critiqued, and then rewrite. I’d query, get rejected and then cut 50,000 words in one day. This happened so many times I lost count. Persistence and tenacity are the only ways to make it in this industry.

TRC: Did you face any difficulties getting your book(s) to publication?

Joanne:  Oh, did I! I was rejected many, many times before I had an offer. After that, I had to rewrite most of the manuscript once again! It was quite a process.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family, friends and other authors. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Joanne:  I have a super smart husband who I bounce my ideas off of. That is so useful to me because he is a sort of MacGyver in his day job and he always has plausible ways to solve seemingly unresolvable situations.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Joanne:  I just finished writing a Science Fiction/Fantasy novel called The Eve Genome. I’m in the process of sending it to some Beta readers for feedback. While they’re going through it, I’m in the very early phases of plotting out a whole new book.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Popcorn

Favorite Dessert
Apple Crisp

Favorite TV Show
The Vampire Diaries

Favorite Movie
The Hunger Games

Favorite Song
Maroon 5: One More Night

Last Movie you saw
Snow White and the Huntsman

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Milk – the sweeter, the better!

Do you have any pets?
I have a retired police dog with titanium fangs and a feral barn cat missing two toes.

TRC:  Amazing….titanium fangs.  You could write a novel around a retired police dog 😉

TRC: We would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Stealing Breath is an intriguing look at paranormal storyline that detours from the usual. We wish you the best of luck with your writing career.

Joanne:  Thank you for having me, Sandy!

 

 

 

 

Joanne is offering an ebook copy of STEALING BREATH to one lucky member at The Reading Cafe.

1. You must be a registered member at The Reading Cafe to qualify for the giveaway. If you are not a member, please register using the log-in at the top of the page of by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please leave your email address along with your comment, as Twitter etc does not allow for your email address, should we need to contact you.

3. Giveaway is open internationally.

4. Giveaway runs October 24-27, 2012