Welcome PJ Schnyder!
1. Tell us your latest news. There’s plenty of exciting news to kick off the new year!
At Decadent Publishing, the first of the Terra’s Guardians series is going to print! Heart’s Sentinel will be released to print in the Spring.
I’ve also got a brand new sci-fi romance story coming out with Carina Press. Hunting Kat is scheduled for release in July.
2. What initially inspired you to become an author? I’ve been writing stories for a long time, since childhood. I’d never considered publishing my stories until the last year or two.
Friends online wanted me to share my stories. I wanted to improve my writing craft, challenge myself and learn more. The idea of sharing my stories, becoming a published author, took a surprisingly strong hold.
I had a big life change in January of 2010 and threw myself into my writing and into the idea of becoming a published author. Writing happily ever afters for readers to enjoy is incredibly therapeutic.
3. What is your favorite book? And Why? So many to choose from! If you look at my book shelves, you can tell which books I’ve read again and again. For some well-loved favorites, I’ve picked up the hard cover for a lasting collectible.
Why? Because they are stories of worlds so complete, of plots so compelling and of characters so vivid that I return over and over again to immerse myself.
There’s Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels trilogy and Patricia Briggs’ urban fantasy and older fantasy stories. Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, Crystal Singer and brainship books have all been long time escapes for me. Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers have swept me off to England and Lora Leigh’s Nauti Boys and Breed series wrap me up in heat. I love them all!
4. 4. Do you have a particular time of day to write? We love to hear about a writer’s process.
While I don’t have a set time of day to write, I do most often find the time at night after the day job is wrapped up. I tend to head off to mixed martial arts training for a few hours to work off the stress of the day and then come home and take a long, hot shower, mulling over the next scene I’m going to work on. (Love my showers)
I sit down to my laptop, relaxed and refreshed, with a clear idea of the scene I’m going to write.
5. What do you find to be the most difficult part of writing? Knowing when to step away.
The scenes never come out as well when you force them. In the day job, I’m ruled by deadlines and I tend to want to apply that discipline to my writing. But I’ve found the stories flow much better at their own pace rather than forced. If the scene I planned to write doesn’t want to come to me, I switch to something else or take a break.
6. Do you have a favorite author? Wow, it’s impossible to pick just one. I have several favorites, each for a different aspect of their writing.
While I love Anne Bishop, I also can’t get enough of Lisa Kleypas, Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs, Nalini Singh and Lora Leigh.
7. Tell us about your first published work. Heart’s Sentinel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans rebuild cities of advanced technology and shape-shifters restore the wilds of nature. I love shapeshifters and the possibilities of a futuristic world. Beyond that, I also tapped into the strength it takes to survive.
Mackenzie of Heart’s Sentinel never wanted to be a shapeshifter. After a shifter stalks and brutally Changes her, she runs to the jaguars of River Gap pride for protection from the stalker still searching for her, to come to terms with the attack and learn to control her new, powerful cougar body.
Learning self-defense and awareness are very important. In January 2011, I participated in a women’s self-defense workshop held by TriState Martial Arts Academy and gave away a free ecopy of Heart’s Sentinel with a signed cover flat to one of the attendees.
8. Do you have a favorite of your own works? Honestly, no. I love every one of my stories for their own characteristics.
9. Where can our readers find you on the web?
I’m all over the social media. LOL!
Terra’s Guardians page
10. Where can they buy your books? All of my current releases can be found at:
www.allromanceebooks.com
amazon.com
11. Anything you would like to add? Thank you to Got Romance Reviews for having me!
