This virtual blog tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.
You can see my review by clicking HERE.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature an interview with SM Blooding!
? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It was with this book, actually. I had been telling my girls bedtime stories of my dustman, Ol’Lukoe, who was actually a character in my favorite fairy tale. I’d been writing for years, but I never took it seriously. However, watching them get into the Ol’Lukoe stories got me to thinking.
I should really write this story down.
I can tell you that I sucked at writing…pretty heavily, when I first started out. I might have said this was the first book I was going to seriously write for publication, but it was like, my sixth. And let’s not count the ones I wrote “for fun”. *shiver*
But when I sat down and really wrote this book I said, “Frankie, this is what you want to do with the rest of your life.”
Re-reading this book was lovely. *bites lip through grin* I just remember where I was when I wrote the graveyard scene, or recalled the house where book took place, or--*huge grin*--all the little characters that had cameo appearances in Dreamland, and the looks on the girl’s faces when they met Telfgar the dragon and that farting unicorn and the chitter-chatterbox fairy. *breathing* Lovely is such a small, small word for what that book means to me.
? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
*snort* MANY! I was…*thinking sigh* I worked in a coal mine, in an orchard. I was an Air Traffic Controller in the ARMY, a CAD (computer aided drafter) operator for three companies, an electrician, a sales clerk, a court reporter, a lab technician for a scientist working with NOAA and NASA, a hawker at the Ren Fair…I even busked on a street corner in New York City, and of course, a Mom. I’m sure I’m missing something, but there’s quite a lot of diverse experience here.
? How long does it take you to write a book?
3-6 weeks. @_@ If it takes 6 weeks, I know there’s going to be issues with the edits. If it’s closer to 3, I know the edits are going to be a BREEZE! That’s a 90+K book.
? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
The faces I make while writing. My best friend and ex-roomie said she used to watch me write because it so entertaining. LOL! I was wondering why people would stare at me in Starbucks while I wrote. She just told me that, too! And now, I’m like, “Well, now it all makes sense. People are staring at you because you’re weird!”
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Life. *thinking, nodding, thinking* Yeah. Life. And people watching.
And then I go to my girls and say something like, “I have this Nightmare and he’s really cool and we got to meet him in The Dustman. He’s all super stealth like a ninja. I want to write a story about him, but I don’t know what it would be. How can I beat him up?”
And then…there are a lot of giggles and some outrageous thoughts (the love interest for my YA novel is a pegacorn. @_@ And my villain is an evil duck.) *nods* Yes. You are going to laugh so hard when you discover what scares the crap out of a Nightmare assassin in the next book of the Dreamland Stories. OMW! It’s hysterical.
? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I come up with a plan for the year. I want to write “X” amount of books in “____” series. And then…I stay on task.
? What books have most influenced your life?
The Last Herald Mage by Mercedes Lackey and the Belgariad by David Eddings.
? What are you reading right now?
I’m BETA’ing for several friends right now while writing Book 3 of the Demon Talker Novels, so no reading for me this month. Though, my TBR pile is GROWING like mad!
? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Crochet, build solar systems out of Styrofoam. I’m very crafty. I like to take scraps and just make stuff. I also like to bike and hike. I’m right next to the Rocky Mountains . It’s great to just get in the car and disappear for a day. Gorgeous!
I’m also learning to speak Arabic. Why? *shrug* Because it’s a really NEAT language. I’m currently killing it. *bites lips and shakes head* Well, I’m also still trying to kill the guitar, but to my defense, there hasn’t been a lot of TIME to learn to not kill the guitar. *wincing thought face*
? What is your favorite comfort food?
Potatoes – fried, smashed, baked. Don’t care.
? What do you think makes a good story?
Great characters! Not just the mc’s, but a great supporting cast as well. I think, personally, that my Dreamland Stories is one of the best stories I’ve written even though— I’m going to be honest— it’s not the best writing I’ve ever done. But I think what makes it a great story is the supporting characters. They build the scenes and the settings and the plot and the mc’s, you know, are just there for the ride.
I think too often authors focus on the mc’s and kinda forget the supporting cast.
Fun random questions:
- dogs or cats? Dog!
- Coffee or tea? Whew! *singing* Coffee!
- Dark or milk chocolate? Dark
- Rocks or flowers? Uh…Uhh….oh! Um…Rock—No. Flower. Nah! Rock. *points finger* My rockweiler is a rock. *nods* Rock.
- Night or day? Day…no. Night. *thinking* Shoot! Day.
- Favorite color?
ORANGE - Crayons or markers? Crayons
- Pens or pencils? Pen
SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, their new addition, Mr. Bird, who’s a real bird. She likes to hike the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and is learning to play the piano and guitar. Currently, she’s trying to MURDER them both. Friends call her Frankie.
She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.
She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!
Find out more about her at:
Website/blog
A Dreamland Story
SM Blooding
Available: April 3, 2012
Format: E-book
Blurb:
Dustmen are useless.
Meg has two kids, one of which is hell bent to land himself in jail. She’s about to lose her house, her home, her ability to support her children. Her aunt tells her to publish the story of her childhood friend, her dustman, her Luk.
Dreamland is empty.
He’s watching his world shrink, his friends blinking out of existence. Children no longer call for him. He’s watched his fellow dustmen disappear while their lands are eaten by a ferocious void.
There is no cure.
He’s next.
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Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole.
Happy Reading.
