Author Interviews

Interview with the wonderful Diana Castilleja

RAD: Hey there Diana! Thank you for joining us today and sharing a bit of yourself with us.

Diana: Hi Heather! Thanks for letting me sit down with you and share some of the idiosyncrasies which are me. 😉

RAD: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Diana: I actually fell into writing. I was creative when I was younger, but not with writing. I had an entire binder full of album logo covers that I designed for bands that I grew up with. I really regret not hanging on to it now. As for the writing, I was at home with a toddler, and had lots of time on my hands. I had some attempts from years before of stuff I’d tried to write, and finished one and was officially bit by the bug. I’ve had ups and downs, but as of yet, haven’t been able to stop.

RAD: Why did you choose paranormal?

Diana: Paranormal was the majority of what I was reading back then, so when the first real storyline came to me, it fell in line with the theme of my reading preferences at the time.

RAD: Will you write about other types of paranormal characters besides vamps?

Diana: I have. I write about shapeshifters, parallel worlds, and I even have a centaur story. I do have a dragon story, but it’s a long epic fantasy and may never see publication.

RAD: What character do you wish you could write about?

Diana: It’s more what character have I not written… Usually I write the characters that come to me. I’m not adverse to really anything, so long as I understand them and the arc of the book.

RAD: T.V. show or shows?

Diana: I don’t really watch TV. I might sit with the man to watch something but I don’t do TV. I set it to a music channel if it’s on for background noise. I know, soooo very boring. LOL

RAD: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Diana: Oh, let’s see… Christine Feehan, Andrew Grey, GA Hauser, ZA Maxfield, Damon Suede, Vicki Lewis-Thompson, Amanda Ashley.

RAD: What genres do you read besides paranormal?

Diana: I also read a lot of MM romance. About the only thing I really don’t read is historical or horror. Everything else is fair game.

RAD: What is your favorite color?

Diana: Burgundy red

RAD: Who is your favorite book character whether it’s one of yours or not?

Diana: One of my favorites is Morgan from my Aiza Clan books. He’s the stubbornest of the lot, so he falls the hardest. Ka-Boom! LOL I also really love Charlie from The Charlie Factor. Outside of my books, there’s so many. There’s usually something in any book that I can relate to in a character, which makes them memorable for me.

RAD: What are some of your favorite reads?

Diana: I’ve reread GA Hauser’s books a lot. Man To Man is one of my all time keepers. I usually don’t read a book more than once, just because there’s so many, but when I need something comfy and known, I go to hers or Andrew’s.

RAD: Chocolate or Vanilla?

Diana: Chocolate, hands down.

RAD: What are the names of all your books?

Diana: (Both names)

A FATED LOVE

A TRUST EARNED

AFTER THE FIRE

ALPHA AWAKENING

AN ANGEL’S CHOICE

BELLONA’S WAR RIBBON

BENEATH THE SHIELD

CAGED

CROWNING A WARRIOR KING

DC: MIND GAMES

DELANY’S CATCH

DOING LOVE RIGHT

EMBRACED BY PASSION

ETERNAL KISS

FEEL THE FIRE

FIRST CHRISTMAS

GLITTER

HIS REDEEMER’S KISS

ICE CREAM IN THE SNOW

IRRESISTIBLE PASSIONS

LIBRARIAN’S SECRET

LOVE’S LEARNING CURVES

LOVING HIM

MARK’S CRUSH

PASSIONS

RUN WITH THE MOON

SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE (Pending submission)

SEDUCTION IN MOONLIGHT

SHIFTED PERCEPTIONS

SWEPT AWAY: BEACH BUM

THE CHARLIE FACTOR

THE GOOD LIFE

TO WED A CENTAUR

TOGETHER

TOUCH

TOUGHER TO LOVE

TRUST REVEALED

TRUSTING DELILAH

UNBOUND TRUST

UNDER ONE ROOF

WATCHING HER EVERY MOVE

WBL: RESURRECTION

XAVIER’S WAY

RAD: What is the name of the next book and when is the release date?

Diana: Loving Him is releasing October 12, with MLR Press. Run With The Moon will also be on a release roster in the next month or so, from Purple Sword Publications.

RAD: Gold or Silver

Diana: Gold.

RAD: Who is your idol?

Diana: Don’t really have one. A lot of people I respect, but no one I’d say is on a pedestal.

RAD: Do you believe in ghosts?

Diana: Totally.

RAD: Summer or Winter?

Diana: Winter. You can layer, but you can only strip so far. 😉

RAD: What are your hobbies?

Diana: A lot of reading. I also have cross-stitch that I sometimes remember, or knitting or crochet, but I haven’t picked any of that up in years.

RAD: What is your favorite movie?

Diana: Really anything by Pixar. I love the animation movies. Oh! And the Avengers. Kick-A!

RAD: Well thank you again Diana. It was great to have you here.

Diana: Thank you again Heather for letting me share a bit with you and your readers!

Diana’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diana.castilleja.14

Diana’s Website: http://www.dianacastilleja.com/

Diana’s Blog: http://dianacastilleja.blogspot.com/?zx=5ba9a9e57e8b0610

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Interview with the AMAZINGLY talented CL Parker

First, I would like to thank CL for taking time to talk with me. If you haven’t heard of this amazing author yet you are missing out. Here first books are in the Supernova Saga. Her most recent release Nexus is the third and final book in this saga. The books are full of amazing characters, lots of action, many, many laughs and of course love, lust and sex. CL Parker is known for cussing like a sailor, smoking like a chimney and loving Patron.

RAD- So CL thank you for talking with me today. I am excited to ask you some questions so the readers can get to know you better.

CL Parker- Thanks for having me.

RAD- When did you start writing?

CL Parker- Hold on to your hat here…I was completely addicted to the Twilight Saga…Don’t judge me. When I was done reading the series, I felt incomplete. I know, it sounds so juvenile, but it’s the truth. So, I went in search of more on the net (gotta’ love technology) and stumbled into the world of fanfiction writing. It was great because I found all these great stories with the characters in different plot lines and such, and most of them did not fade to black, if you know what I mean. So anyway, while reading these stories, I always found myself taking the author’s story in a different direction in my head. I kept trying to find stories about the things that I wanted to see, but gave up quickly, deciding to just write it myself. I took a stab at it, and after a lot of encouragement from fans, friends and relatives, I kept at it and posted the very first chapter of my very first story in March 2009. Things just sort of snowballed from there. I gathered a pretty impressive following of readers who loved what I wrote, and I haven’t been able to stop since. I have a serious addiction. Perhaps that’s because my overactive imagination keeps conjuring up story-lines that I can’t help but write so that I can see where the characters end up. So, I guess you can say I used fanfiction as a platform to hone my skills. Really, there are a lot of talented authors in the fandom. They might use someone else’s characters, but the plot is all their own creation. And it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there like that, because believe you me, there can be some wicked nasty people who just want to say hurtful things for the sake of being mean. As for my original published works, I began writing the Supernova Saga in February of 2010. It’s important to note the “original” here because since a certain author pubished her fanfiction, fic authors have been getting a pretty bad rap.

RAD- when you were writing the saga who did you plan on your target audience to be ?

CL Parker- Funny. My mother was in my ear quite a bit because I was writing some incredibly smutty scenes at first. I changed that up because she was like, “You need to appeal to a broader audience, and parents simply won’t let their teens read this stuff. You have to tone it down.” Against my better judgment, I went with her advice. I’m not saying I’m not happy about Supernova, just that when I look back at it now, I wish it had been hotter. The sexual tension was on point and the slow burn was as it should’ve been, but some of those moments might have been a little more intense if I had gone with my gut.

RAD- What made you choose Gaurdians as your characters?

CL Parker- I don’t know that there was ever some grand, life-changing moment that inspired me to write Guardians. They were just in my head. Once I sat down and wrote that first word, their whole world came to life.

RAD-Is Dominic Grayson modeled after anyone in your life?

CL Parker- His looks, no, but his personality reminds me a lot of Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Momma likey Jensen A LOT!

RAD- So I know you are working on a new series can you tell us a little about it?

CL Parker- I could, but then I’d have to kill you. LOL! While the details have to remain a secret for now, I can tell you that it will also be a paranormal romance. Definitely erotica, much more erotic than what my readers saw with the Supernova Saga. I have the strapping, warrior men, but I’m also throwing in some badass chicks with attitudes. Sex . . . there will be LOTS of it in this series, and far dirtier. The world itself is a mash-up of all the things I love best about the paranormal genre with some familiar and unfamiliar takes on certain aspects.

RAD- When can we expect to read this series?

CL Parker- I have no idea. LOL! I’m shooting for mainstream publishing with this series, so I have to write most, if not all, of the first book before I can start shopping it around. My hope is no more than a year, but until it’s snatched up by an agent and publishing house, I won’t know anything about an anticipated release date.

RAD- How do you prep before you start writing?

CL Parker- Lots and lots of research, world-building, etc. I also bounce ideas off my muse, Maureen Morgan.

RAD- Can you read while you are writing?

CL Parker- I can, but I prefer not to because I don’t want something I’m reading to inadvertently seep into what I’m writing. Plus, if the book is really good, it distracts me from actually getting any writing done.

RAD- Do you have a mentor?

CL Parker- My luscious friend, Darynda Jones, has stepped into the role of my mentor. Her brain tastes like strawberries, in case anyone’s wondering.

RAD- We know you smoke and cuss like a sailor and love Patron. So who do you take after in your family?

CL Parker- Honey, I am an original. I kid. That was a wee bit of Gabe coming out of me. Ha! Both of my parents smoke, neither of them cusses like a sailor (they cuss, just not as much as me), and my father is the only drinker. My mom might indulge if placed in the right setting, but only a social drink even then. Both of them are hilarious! I’d like to think I’m funny, so I get that from both of them as well.

RAD- Who are some of your favorite authors?

CL Parker- This is so not a fair question. I have friends in the biz, yeesh! LOL! Some of my faves are Darynda Jones, Karen Marie Moning, Kresley Cole, J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jeaniene Frost, Olivia Cunning, and H.P. Mallory.

RAD- Well to let you off the hook a little, I did say some of them. I am sure like most readers you have a huge list of favorites.

What are some of your favorite books?

CL Parker- Anything written by the fabulous authors listed above.

RAD- What are some of your favorite movies?

CL Parker- The Notebook, Mary Poppins, Lord of the Ring, Harry Potter, P.S. I Love You, and anything with zombies in it. Eclectic, aren’t I? LOL!

RAD- Who are some of your favorite actors?

CL Parker- Everyone knows I’m in lust with Jensen Ackles, but aside from him, I love Sandra Bullock and Julie Andrews.

RAD- What about a favorite band?

CL Parker- Avenged Sevenfold

RAD-What is your favorite food to eat?

CL Parker- Chili. I could eat it every day of the week. My family hates me for it.

RAD- What is your favorite color?

CL Parker- It depends on my mood and/or surroundings. Most of the time it’s Crayola green.

RAD- Chocolate or Vanilla?

CL Parker- Chocolate, baby! There is NOTHING vanilla about me 😉

RAD- Lastly, can you let the readers know where to find your books?

CL Parker- The cheapest place is through me at a signing, plus you get the autograph to go with it. After that, through The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House’s website, Amazon, Lulu.com, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and I hear someone is selling a copy of Cataclysm online for $50. $50??? Really???

RAD- Don’t forget about The Book Spot in Round Rock, Texas. One of many stores that are and will be carrying your amazing books.

Thanks again for being here with me. I am sure all the readers are much better informed about you now 😉