Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what
inspired to write in this particular genre?
Hi,
my name is June Spears. I am what I call a true Georgia peach. A southerner at
heart, country music, sweat tea and good ole mama’s cookin is what I love. I am
also a full-time mother to my only daughter Isabella-Rose.
I
have been writing since the fifth grade. I discovered my talent when our class
had a poetry contest and mine ended up being the school song to this day.
This
new world of writing and blogging has taken me on a roller coaster ride I’m not
sure I ever want to get off of. It has given me a drive and love for something that
I hadn’t quite felt before.
What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires, that fascinates
you so much?
Vampires
fascinate me, when I write I get lost in their world. Their sensuality is what
fascinates me most.
What inspired you to write this book?
It
was a spur of the moment action for me. One night I couldn’t sleep and I picked
up my laptop, within a month’s time I had the entire series rough draft in
front of me. I put it down for a year and when I got settled in a new place I
began the rough task of fine tuning it. Between professional editing and my own
plot changes it took three years to complete..
Do you have a special formula for creating characters'
names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the
character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or
regions?
Okay,
this is a good question for me because I get a lot of beef over my three main
character’s names starting with a “Z”.
I
know the rule of thumb is never having your character’s name start with the
same letter. But as I played around with
different names I came to the conclusion that this is what I wanted. Not only
do I think the name’s fit them well but I’m happy with how it came out.
Do you have a formula for
developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch or list of
attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as
you write?
In this particular book I based my
character’s on real people.
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you
share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
“Bittersweet”,
Book Two, holds quite a few scenes that are very real to me. Especially the
lake scene.
Can you tell readers a little bit about the world
building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?
Most
are from real life places with just a little name change. But the “Dark Islands”,
Vampiria, Wolftopia and Witchtopia are an underwater world where its night
twenty-four seven. They are off the shores of Athens Greece.
With the book being part of a series, are there any
character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first
book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
“Conceived”
Book One, is from a different time period and place. It is based ten years
earlier than the others.
Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of
yourself in them and what are they?
“Zelenia”,
I think was created in likeness to myself. I put a lot of me in her. Some of the scenes depict a few moments in my
actual life. Like the one from above. I think it is what makes that particular
scene special to me.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal
with it?
Very
often, I usually put it down for a few days and when it’s fresh out of my
memory I come back to it and I am ready with ideas.
Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?
I
can’t write when someone is with me, I have to be alone. I get lost in the
character’s and world’s I’m creating so I don’t like to be disturbed.
Do you write in different genres?
Yes,
I have written a few erotic short stories and I have a Literary Fiction Memoir
out also. I am currently working on my first full length novel. It will be a
mythological erotic romance.
Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?
If
I were to sit down and try and write a full length Non-Fiction novel it just
wouldn’t happen for me. My Memoir “My Hero is My Monster” is one of my best
seller’s but it was based on my childhood, thus for being real to me I was able
to write it.
Erotica
is a fantasy in it’s self so it is pretty easy written for me.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
I
don’t know if I consider myself a writer just yet. I think I have a long career
ahead of me with up’s and downs, on this exciting roller coaster ride im on. I
wouldn’t quit now if wild horses dragged me away..
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
My erotic short stories. They bring out the bad in me,
lol.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests,
hobbies or passions in life?
Bella,
my daughter is my number one passion for life.
My
other hobbies are reality shows. While I hate them because I know they’re not
real, I love the drama in them.
Reading
is another hobby of mine. But it has to be Vampire related for me to really
enjoy it.
I
just started a review blog, so hopes are I’ll have a new hobby soon.
What was the last amazing book you read?
Do
I have to pick just one? I am going with the Twilight Saga for sure.
Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy
corner or special reading spot?
I
write late at night when the rest of the world is sleeping. With a two year
old, I don’t get much chance to be alone in the day.
What can readers expect next from you?
A
fantasy/mythological romance novel that is both erotic and sexy. But not to over
the top.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or
excerpt from the book?
-Sophie-
The streets of Athens were crowded
with parades and parties in celebration of Apokries, a Christian tradition in
preparation of Lent. In my cousin's village, the people spend the day
masquerading around with masks. After the festivities, everyone goes on a
fasting diet.
In many ways, the festival itself is a
lot like Halloween back in the States.
I have my faith, but I never really
got into the whole church scene. Having no real desire to participate in the
religious festival, I jumped on the next bus to Attica.
My destination was a little beach
called Schinias that I loved visiting when I needed my space. I promised Nana I
would hang out with my cousins, but really, I just wasn’t in the mood to party.
I love coming down to the beach and
watching all the surfers. The scenery is incredible. The mixture of palms and
pines is unlike any place I have ever been. Despite being the middle of
February, the pure white sand is still warm. The water is so clear that it’s
easy to see the sea life that swims beneath the surface.
This part of the beach was usually
crowded, but tonight the beach seemed deserted and kind of eerie. The wind
picked up and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. The clouds
darkened; a storm was brewing.
I sat there in the warm, damp sand
peering out into the seemingly endless ocean. The waves seemed to be getting
biggeras they slammed into the shore.
A huge wave crashed down and the water
nearly touched my feet. I knew I should get up to leave, but the force behind
the waves left me mesmerized .
The sudden feeling that someone was
watching me sent a chill down my spine. I jerked around to see who it was, but
there was nobody there.
Closing my eyes to take a deep breath,
the sudden whistle that came from the other end of the shore startled me. I
clamped at my opened shirt to cover the black bikini. I had never been
comfortable with guys whistling at me--I couldn't imagine what they saw. One of
the few surfers that still lingered on the shore waved at me. I gave him a shy
smile and turned my attention back to the crashing waves. I relaxed and began
to realize how very tired I was .
The weird dreams I'd been having ever
since I arrived in Greece had allowed me very little sleep. Someone would be
watching me from my balcony doors, though I could never see his face. I could
hear him calling out to me, but when I awoke, no one was there. The only thing
I could remember of him was his scent—jasmine and lilacs.
I felt attached to him, but I had no
idea who he was or what he looked like. I know it sounds crazy but it’s as if
our lives were connected in some way.
I closed my eyes and took another deep
breath. The familiar scents of jasmine and lilac surprised me. Had I smelt his
scent because of the memory of my dreams or was this stranger closer than I had
imagined?
I peered hard through the trees that
surrounded the small beach area. No one in sight. Even the boy who whistled at
me earlier had left, but I just could not shake the feeling that I was being
watched.
Since it was getting dark anyway, I
decided that I better get back to town so I could join my cousins.
The evening seemed to drag on, and I
was glad to see it end. I waved goodbye to my cousins and headed home to Nana's
house. Nana's house had become my home while I was in Greece. Thinking about
home made me realize just how much I missed my mom. We had become so close ever
since Dad died.
Life was rough when my father was
alive. He was always drinking. He was never home, and when he was, he was
always drunk. A mean drunk. I hated him for what he did to her.
Watching my mother slowly deteriorate
broke my heart. I could not understand why she refused to get a divorce and
leave him. She would always tell me that they had been married under the eyes
of God, and she did not believe in divorce.
"For better or worse, till death
do us part," was all she would say.
About eight years ago, he died of
alcohol poisoning. Mom and I went through a lot of counseling and we got our
lives together.
After my father’s death, life got
complicated. We struggled to get back on our feet, but we were happy. It warmed
my heart to see her smile again.
When I got back to the house, it was
empty. I figured Nana and Pops were out enjoying the festivities. My room was
the same as it had been since I was a little girl. The computer on the small
desk was old, so I had Pops remove it to make room for my laptop. My room had a
balcony that overlooked the ocean.
I decided to check my email and
noticed a new message from my mother. I sat down at the far too small desk and
clicked on the blinking icon.
Sophie, I have great news. Seems I got
me a job. You can come home as soon as you’re ready.
Love Mom.
That was the best news that I had
heard all day. I had been away from home way too long.
After another long day, my vacation
here in Athens was coming to an end. Greece was one of the most beautiful
places I had ever visited, and though I loved visiting my grandparents, I was
ready to get back to the States.
When I was younger, I loved visiting
Greece. I would come here when things got too stressful for me back home.
On the other hand, during this visit,
something just did not feel right. Ever since I arrived, I had a bad feeling in
the pit of my stomach. I just couldn’t figure out what was bothering me.
I would miss the view from my balcony
the most. It never failed to take my breath away. The ocean stretched away for
miles. If I looked hard enough, I could see three dark islands, like shadows,
far out on the horizon. I loved coming out here at night to take in the ocean
breeze.
As I stood on the balcony on my last
evening in Greece, I felt someone watching me again. I glanced over my
shoulders to see if someone was in my room but again, no one was there.
After taking in one last breath of the
fresh sea air, I decided to turn in for the night. Closing the doors behind me,
I went inside, washed up and slipped on my black silk nightgown.
When I crawled under the covers, sleep
didn’t come easily. I stared at the ceiling until sleep crept upon me.
“Sophie,” a familiar voice called out
to me.
I groaned and rolled over.
“Sophie,” his voice came again.
A cool breeze brushed against my face,
and my eyes fluttered open. The familiar scents of jasmine and lilac enveloped
me.
“Sophie.” His voice was barely a faint
whisper.
I sat up and finally saw the source of
the voice that had haunted my dreams.
A dark-haired man stood in my balcony
doorway. His long black hair fell in stark contrast to his pale white skin. His
skin shimmered like the ocean in the moonlight.
I wondered whether this handsome man
was a ghost or perhaps an angel. For what seemed like an eternity, I stared
into his deep, dark eyes.
“Come to me,” the man commanded, and I
obeyed.
“Who are you? What do you want?” I
asked him in a nervous whisper. I shook like a leaf when he reached to lift my
chin with his cool hand.
Looking straight into my eyes he
whispered, “I want you Sophie.”
His was the most beautiful voice I had
ever heard. It was like hearing birds sing on a warm spring morning.
I found it hard not to stare at him.
His eyes were as black as coal, and it felt like he could see through to my
soul.
As my lips slowly approached his, my
hand, seemingly with a mind of its own, raised up to the strap of my nightgown.
I pulled the straps off both of my shoulders and the gown fell to the floor.
I wondered what I was doing--I knew
this was wrong, but something seemed to drive me to him. Desire welled up from
deep within me, and heat radiated from his body too. I let my arms curl up into
his hair and kissed him with as much force and passion as he kissed me.
“Invite me in,” he whispered softly.
“Come in,” I said, shaking franticly.
He gently nibbled my neck, then moved
down until he reached my breast. A growl came from deep down in his throat.
Swooping me into his incredibly strong arms, he carried me over to the bed.
Afterwards, as I laid there exhausted,
gasping for air, I wondered why I had done what I had done. I was usually a
rational person. But that, that was not rational. I had just given up my
virginity to a man I didn’t even know.
What the hell is wrong with me?
His silky voice interrupted my
thoughts.
“Sophie, this is important. You have
to listen very closely. Nine months from now you will give birth to a baby
girl. You must name her ‘Zelenia’. She is the Chosen One of our kind. My people
have waited for her arrival for a long time.”
He started to say more, but his words
had snapped me out of fantasy land and back to reality.
“Whoa, wait a minute!” I gasp. “A
baby?! No! No--way! Are you insane? Who are you? I don’t even know your name,.”
I tried hard not to yell, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“Sophie, listen to me!” His voice had
an edge that made me shudder.
I jumped out of the bed in a nervous
panic. Wrapping the sheet tightly around me, I started to pace franticly ;
anger welled up inside me
“Sophie, please, let me explain.” The
man started towards me.
Feeling cornered, I screamed as loud
as I could, waking myself up. The sun shone brightly, blinding me.
It must have been a dream.
When my vision cleared, I noticed the
doors were standing wide open. Hadn’t I closed them last
The Blood Moon Chronicles
By June Spears
The Blood Moon Chronicles (The Complete Collection)
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
ASIN: B008H4OGBA
Number of pages: 127
Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H4OGBA
Book Description:
Three young warriors, one of them with royal blood, will be born into the human race as natural enemies. They must overcome their differences to unite and bring light back into darkness. For there is no light without darkness, and there is no darkness without light.
However, victory does not come without a price.
Author Bio:
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, June E Spears had spent her early years writing mostly poems and school songs. However, she could not escape the allure of storytelling and quickly began studying to become a novelist. She began by reading every chance she had. Mostly Fantasy and Romance novels, June's love of writing was uncontrollable. Once she began typing, she never stopped.
June is best known for her Fantasy Novelette Series "The Blood Moon Chronicles". She is a single mother to her only daughter Isabella Rose.
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