A warm welcome to Viola Estrella author of Angel Vindicated (Cerridwen Press, May 14, 2009).
Viola is a writer of both fantasy and romance. She lives with her husband and children in Colorado. Close enough to the Rocky Mountains to see them from her backyard - with the aid of binoculars.
Read this interview with Viola. Then read the contest rules for winning a pdf copy of her novel Angel Vindicated.
Note: The contest portion of this post has closed.
PVN: What draws you to the paranormal?
Viola: Good question! There’s something very intriguing about the unknown or the idea of what could be. When writing a paranormal story, I love that there are no set rules. My imagination is the limit, whether I'm creating a single character or an entire world. In the case of my novel, Angel Vindicated , I created a world within our world. Angels and demons live among humans, manipulating and/or protecting us. Just knowing I brought this story to life from scratch makes me giddy. And I look forward to doing it again.
PVN: What is Angels, Inc.?Viola: Angels, Inc. is an organization in my novel Angel Vindicated. It’s made up of three divisions: Demon Control, Guardian Angels, and Angels of Death. My protagonist, Abby, works as a law enforcement Angel for the Demon Control department of Angels, Inc.
PVN: Describe the relationship of Abby Angel and Simeon.
Viola: Very complicated. LOL! Simeon (half demon/half human) is everything Abby fantasizes about and everything she can’t have. Or at least she doesn’t think she can. She’s extremely attracted to him but isn’t sure she could ever fully trust a demon. Plus, her feelings for her best friend, Judd, make the situation even more confusing. An Angel’s love life is never easy.
PVN: Is this a stand alone novel or will there be others in this universe?
Viola: I sure hope there will be others. That’s my goal anyway. :-)
PVN: What other projects are you working on?
Viola: I’m also working to promote my upcoming release, Bewitching You . This book will be available at the end of October in both print and eBook from the Wild Rose Press. It’s a different animal than Angel Vindicated in the sense that it’s more of a light paranormal romance rather than an urban fantasy. It’s also written in third person with multiple points of view where AV is written in first person with only Abby’s point of view. But I hope both will be received well, of course.
PVN: Do you have any favorite paranormal TV programs or movies?
Viola: Ooh, I love Medium, Heroes, and my new favorite is HBO’s True Blood. Love, love, love that show, mainly because it’s based on one of my favorite paranormal series by Charlaine Harris.
PVN: Tell us about home and family.
Viola: I’ve been blessed with a really supportive, funny, dependable, loyal, handsome husband, and four cute, clever, intelligent sons. And I always try to remind myself of this when I’m running around the house cleaning up after them. LOL!
PVN: Tell us about the MamaWriters.
Viola: Of course! MamaWriters is the brain child of fellow author and friend, Renee Knowles. It’s both a blog and a Yahoo community where mothers who are also writers can support and cheer each other on, and I’m honored to be a part of it. To find out more, visit www.mamawriters.com.
PVN: Viola, thank you so much for this interview and for giving readers a chance to win a copy of your novel.
Read a blurb or excerpt of Angel Vindicated.
Bewitching You - Coming 10/30/2009 from the Wild Rose Press
Contest Rules:
Note: The contest portion of this post has closed
Ask a question or comment on any subject in the interview.
Link to this website and give me the url.
Each of the above will give you one chance toward winning a pdf copy of Angel Vindicated.
Contest ends May 21, 2009 at 11:49 PM PT.
Good luck to everyone and thanks for stopping by!
38 comments:
Hello Viola..
Lovely to have met you and thank you for being so frank about why you write paranormal...
I love also the fact that you have left the doors open to expand on this book - with the dynamics of Angel, Inc.
I love the cover and I am dying to read the book - the cover reflects so much about the fantasy of a urban lifestyle with the unknown and mostly unwelcomed running around.
One question - Is there any thing of yourself reflected in Abby. I always felt that if i wrote a book - it would have something of the real me in there or how i percieve myself (The kick ass chick in black leather)
Patricia... please enter me and thanks again for introducing me to this book...
E.H>
Hi Viola,
Your books sound amazing! I feel the same way about being attracted to the paranormal. I'll definitely have to check out your books.
Bridget
Patricia, thank you so much for having me on your blog! I'm happy to be here!!
Hi E.H.! I love your question because I asked myself this quite a bit. And the answer is yes and no. I wish I had her feist and her ability to kick some evil demon ass, but, alas, I'm only human.:-) We do share some of the same quirks and fears though. It was much easier to relate to her that way.
Great question! Thanks for stopping by!!
Thank you, Bridget! The paranormal really is fascinating. It's a blast to write, and I find it creates instant conflict, which is always a plus. :-)
Great interview! Loved the binoculars part :)
For those who haven't read, ANGEL VINDICATED - it's a wonderfully creative story! I loved it!
Patrice
great interview.I can't wait to read this book its sounds very interesting.
please include me in the giveaway
eg672(at)hotmail(dot)com
http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/patricias-vampire-notes-interviews.html
Hello Viola. I can see the Rockies from my back lawn. Love living in Colorado. DH and I work in Boulder and the mornings can bring on the balloonists. I never tire of that sight.
Where does the book take place? This is a very cool premise for your story. I look forward to reading it.
Please enter me for the contest!
Viola,
Hi! I can't wait to get caught up on editing so I can start Angel Vindicated! You know how I adore your writing.
You do such a fabulous job of world building. Really making the reader believe that the paranormal elements to your work are a natural, normal part of life.
How do you plot your world building? Do you sketch it all out?
Thanks for the plug on Mama Writers too!
Hugs,
Renee
Oh, and btw, Vi, don't add me to the contest as I already have the book downloaded!
:)
Renee
It was nice getting to know you, Viola. I love urban fantasy stories and the touch of humor in the excerpt had me hooked. Would love to read your book.
Great interview! The group Angels, Inc in the book sounds intriguing! Can't wait to read it!
Hi Viola so nice to meet you and read about your books! I love fantasy romance that I discovered in ebooks and now love to read even more and into fantasy reads as well! I sometimes link fantasy and paranormal together. I love this world of 'Angels, Inc. I do love to get hooked into series! How apart do you plan the books in this series to come out?
What authors/series have you enjoyed reading lately? Any genre you haven't read that you'd like to?
Wow this sounds good. I love urban fantasy as well as erotica and paranormal romance.
thanks for sharing the info about your book Viola. I am always looking for new authors to try and this definitely sounds like one I would like.
blogged about the book on my blog today.
http://habrewer.blogspot.com/
Patrice - Aw, thanks! Patrice is my critique partner/friend. She helped me SO much while I was writing AV. She was a huge part of the process.
EG - Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! After you read it, please tell me who your favorite character is by voting on the poll on my website or my Myspace page. www.violaestrella.com
Hi Vickie! A fellow Coloradoan, eh? Boulder is beautiful! I just drove through it the other day. I have to admit, I was exaggerating just a tiny bit about having to look through binoculars. LOL! Me exaggerate? Nah. Actually, on a clear day, I can see them just fine. Of course, I’m not as close to the mountains are you are, darn it.
Hi Renee! Thank you for your kind words. :-) You know I love your writing as well. Thanks for stoppin by!
Cathy - Thank you! There's a lot more humor where that came from. Lots of different emotions in AV. Glad you liked the excerpt!
Chey - Thank you! I hope you like it!! It was so much fun to write.
Caffey - Great questions! I enjoy pretty much every genre of romance, from paranormal to contemporary to historical. I've particularly enjoyed Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Series with Sookie Stackhouse and the gang. I don't know why but I like love triangles. They intrigue me and keep me guessing. I tried to add a little bit of that to AV and will in the future as well, I think. Depends on where the characters lead me. I hope to start writing the second in the series very soon. Abby has been banging at the gate. LOL! Thanks for the questions!!
Heather - Thanks for the shout out! I'm heading over there right now.
Viola,
Your book sounds wonderful. Thanks for providing an excerpt...I really liked the flow of the dialogue.
Kate Sanner
Hi Viola - love the concept of the different agencies - sounds like a really fun read. Maybe a print edition some day?
Kate - Thank you very much! Glad you liked the excerpt.
Thanks, SciFiGuy! I'm hoping for a print edition some day. It's likely to happen. Until then, I'm thrilled to have the convenience of an e-book, ready to be downloaded onto your computer or eReader. :-)
Love the interview, Viola. What is that can distract you from sitting down to write? Your books sound terrific!
The paranormal really does open up the imagination. It certainly makes for a more interesting world than the one we have!
Blogged: http://www.morbid-romantic.net/2009/05/18/book-giveaways-0518-0524/
Valorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com
Lighthouse Sandy - Good question! And the answer is not so good. I can get distracted pretty easily. The Email Temptress is always calling my name. :-) That and being Taxi Mom for four kids takes a lot of my time. But I'm not a happy person if I don't write at least a couple pages or more a day, so I always try to find the time. Writing is what gives me peace. And makes the voices in my head quiet down. LOL! Thanks for the question!!
Valorie - Good point!! Thanks for stopping by!
What is your favorite part about this new book?
Your favorite thing about being a writer?
Hi BreiaB - Hmmm... Let's see. That's a good question. I think my favorite part of Angel Vindicated was Abby's interactions with Simeon and Judd. There was a lot of chemistry and snappy conversation between the three. I also really enjoyed writing the last scene just because it had been in my head before I'd even started writing. So it was very satisfying to get to that point.
My favorite thing about being a writer is creating the characters and weaving them into their world. It's an exciting process from start to finish.
Thanks for your questions!! I enjoyed answering them. :-)
I love paranormal, I love Angels, I have a feeling I am going to love this book! Looks awesome!
Val
lastnerve2000@gmail.com
Nice interview. I especially like the part about writing with no set rules. That's probably harder to do than it sounds since many of the rules we live (and write) by may be so deeply ingrained that we're not even aware of them. Breaking free of these, then, may require looking deeply into oneself.
Thanks!
Thank you, Val! I hope you enjoy it!
Astroboy - You make an intriguing point. I hadn't thought of it that way but you're right. World building does require the author to rattle loose what's been ingrained in our minds and twist it in a whole new way that, hopefully, hasn't been done before. It does take time and effort. Thanks for your comment!!
Sounds like a great book! You mentioned that Abby has some of your personal characteristics. Do any of the other characters have your traits or are they based on someone you know? Other characters such as Simeon and Judd?
lynda98662 at yahoo dot com
Hi Kytaira,
Thanks for your question! Honestly, I don't think an author can write a story without instilling something of themselves into each character. I'm not saying I AM my characters or that I agree with all their actions because that would make a very boring story and make me sound just a little psychotic. LOL! But since I'm using my ideas and my way of thinking to create them, then my voice inevitably shines through.
Simeon and Judd weren't inspired by anyone in particular. I think I just needed a particular personality type for each character and then went from there. I hope that doesn’t sound too boring. :-) I had a lot fun with them.
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