Blog Feature: The Hunt and Vampire Vacation by CJ Ellisson - - Everyone can win!

Welcome to The Wormhole!

Please help me welcome: C.J. Ellisson!
She was gracious enough to allow this interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

 I discovered writing at the age of 38 and am still surprised I’m an actual author. I think I realized this writing gig might really be for me when I gained 600 fans on Facebook within four months of launching a business page back in April 2009. From the outside looking in, it looks like things happened very fast for me, but I poured forty to sixty hours a week into this endeavor once I decided I wanted to be a writer.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

 Paid jobs or the thankless unpaid ones we all do for our families? LOL!

 Like many of you, I’ve worn many hats in my day. Highlights include: waitress, dog walker, house cleaner, receptionist, customer service rep, appraisal coordinator, loan officer, loan processor, underwriter, sales manager, regional manager, and lastly a Realtor and property manager (those two were right before I started writing).

? How long does it take you to write a book?

 Actual time to write and polish a book is about six months, I’d say. Lately I haven’t been writing like I should be, but more focused on publishing and marketing aspects of the job.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

 Umm… the tense I write in? (which is present tense) Honestly, I don’t know if I have any real quirks.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

 Read the previous day’s work and possibly further back, to re-immerse myself in the story and the point I need to pick up at. That usually means I edit along the way, too, so it’s win/win for me.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

 Everywhere – the people around me, personalities I meet on Facebook, movies, other good books. It’s not that you see or read something and copy it, so much as what you are exposed to triggers a chain reaction of thoughts that can inspire a turning point in your story or another concept you’d like to expand on in a new work.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

 I write what I like, be it vampires, werewolves, sex, sci-fi, an adventure book for my kids… whatever it is, it will more than likely carry aspects of things I like personally in my life.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?

 Great question! When I was growing up it wasn’t like today with the plethora of kids and young adult books. The first book that really made an impression that I recall was when I was 12. Jack London’s Call of the Wild. I loved animals and the story sprang to life in my mind, it was like watching a movie in my head.

? What are you reading right now?

 Boone Brux’s debut novel, Shield of Fire. If I had to use one sentence to describe her rich fantasy world with a romance I’d say it was like reading a combination of JRR Tolkien and Nora Roberts. Highly recommend it to fantasy fans.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

 I like to avoid cooking (I like to do lazy cooking, meaning easy dishes), cleaning, and most especially, the laundry. I swear, if I ever get rich the first thing I’m doing is hiring a laundress. For fun, I like to read, soak in tub, walk the dogs, play games with my kids (assuming they aren’t driving me crazy on that afternoon), volunteer with my daughter’s girl scout troop. Oh, and have sex with my husband. Am I allowed to say that? :-O

 Hey, if he cooks and cleans up and manages to throw a load of laundry in, I get hot for him. Surely I can’t be the only one who feels that way?

? What is your favorite comfort food?

 Mashed potatoes

? What do you think makes a good story?

 Action, twists, characters you can relate to, and sex. Just like life!

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

 It is too hard to pick just one. For different reasons, I really enjoy the following authors: Jim Butcher, Keri Arthur, Jenna Black, Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Christopher Moore, P.N. Elrod, Tanya Huff, and Patricia Briggs.

Fun random questions: 

• dogs or cats? Both! But I have a new allergy to cats, so it’s got to be dogs for the rest of my life.
• Coffee or tea? Coffee, but I like tea, too. And I’m a pariah in the writing world for this—I only do de-caf.
• Dark or milk chocolate? Dark! If I want milk in my chocolate and I’ll drink it whilre having my dark dessert ;-)
• Rocks or flowers? Ummm… if the rock is a diamond then sign me up for rocks. If it’s a plain old rock I’ll take some flowers, please. Preferably sunflowers.
• Night or day? In my youth I’d have said night. My children’s butt-crack of dawn wake up calls combined with my inability to convince my husband only one of us needs to get up and it should be him, means I am now a day person.
• Favorite color? Red
• Crayons or markers? Depends on my mood, most days I’d say “Hand me the Sharpie!”
• Pens or pencils? Interesting questions, again depends on the job, but I’d say primarily pens.

Keep reading...blurbs for books one and two:

Blurb of book two, The Hunt:

Vivian thinks she can control every aspect of a deadly game with her usual manipulations... but what if she can't?

Seven vampires and seven werewolves pay to hunt a supernatural criminal across the cold, vast grounds of an Alaskan resort. The one to catch her, and live through the encounter, will increase their power by feasting on hers.

The tiny vampire they track is more than she appears, however. To escape a fate of twelve years in silver chains, she'll do anything to survive the weeklong excursion. This time, the darkness holds more than just the stinging bite of the Arctic--it holds death.

Journey along, in this next installment of The V V Inn series, for a wild ride as the tale is told through the eyes of all the new seethe members.

Warning: This book contains some explicit sex scenes and is not intended for readers under 18.

Blurb for book one, Vampire Vacation:

Meet Vivian. She’s a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot—a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true.

Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.

Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn’t easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets Vivian would kill to protect?

Warning: This book contains some explicit sex scenes, intended for mature readers only.

Author Bio:
C.J. Ellisson writes erotica and urban fantasy. Her vampire series, The V V Inn, mixes a heavy dose of erotic elements with suspense, action, a little bit of mystery and some light humor. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a fluffy black cat who makes her sneeze.

To learn more about C.J.'s books (where you can read half of the novels for free), please visit her website at www.cjellisson.com

Want to win? Check out C.J.'s facebook 1,000 ebook giveaway! Just click HERE.