Today I’d like you to join in and welcome Della Connor to the blog, author of Spirit Warriors, yesterday’s book review. If you missed the post here is the link. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4po
Let’s Find out more about Della.
1) Where is your home town?
My hometown is Lufkin, Texas about 100 miles north of Houston, Texas. It is a small town surrounded by towering pine trees. Hotter than Hades in the summer, wonderful in the winter!
2) How long have you been writing?
I have been writing something all my life. I have stories that run constantly through my mind. I just don’t have the time I need to write them all down. I finally stopped writing on bits of paper and actually wrote them down on the computer. That action started the Spirit Warriors Series.
3) What was the best bit about growing up on a farm in Montana?
Well at the time I thought nothing was good about it. I was a typical teenager, ready to get the hell out of there and live in a big city. Now looking back at it, I miss the summers. I miss the smell of warm alfalfa grass and wildflowers, the cool breezes, the turquoise blue of the Montana skies. I miss riding horseback on my pony Silver and lying on my back watching the clouds in the sky. I learned the value of hard work and the love for land and animals in the beauty of Montana.
4) What was the worst bit?
The winters! They last forever. The sun is gone by 4:00 in the afternoon. It seems to be dark more of the day than it is light. Recently, my parents had a temperature of -30 degrees at the ranch. I don’t miss Montana then.
5) Tell us about the Native Americans who lived in Montana.
The Native Americans in Montana are of varied tribes. In the part of Montana that I was raised, they include the Northern Cheyenne, the Sioux, the Crow, and the Flatheads. Each tribe is distinct with their cultural practices. The tribe in my book is not a particular Native American tribe but rather a fictional tribe based on several tribes practices and beliefs.
6) Can you tell the readers who or what the Machayiwiw was?
He is an evil spirit who has been around for centuries. He was once a powerful medicine man and took the path of power and hatred. He has a huge score to settle with this tribe and he will not stop until it is completed.
7) I’m from the UK can you explain the type of Rodeo racing that Lilly took part in.
She was a barrel racer. It is a competition for women, based on the speed of the horse and rider completing an obstacle course of 3 barrels. The horses are specially trained to take tight corners around the barrels with great speed. It is very exciting to watch. Rodeos here include several events for the ladies, including barrel racing, goat tying, and pole riding. The men ride the bucking horses and bulls, and calf rope.
8) I loved the emotion in the writing, how much work did it take to get right?
Oh my gosh! So much work! I always think it is perfect until my wonderful editor gets a hold of it. She tells me, “We are not mind readers. We don’t live the world in your brain. Spell it out.” I just wish I could let everyone into the world in my mind. It would be easier than trying to write it down. The characters are all there playing over and over like a movie. I just eavesdrop in their world.
9) The Spirit Warriors begs for a second in the series, are you writing one?
It is already written and in editing right now. It will be called Spirit Warriors:The Scarring. It will take off from where we left the kids. This book includes the history of the machayiwiw and more insight into the personalities of the kids, especially Bets. Did you notice the first book had Lilly and Arion on the cover? The second book will have Bets and Electra on the cover.
Here’s a teaser:
Jack walked back to the mangled bodies. He stood there with his head bowed and his hands folded. I knew he was worried for us. We were killers. Charlie, Ollie, Bets, and I had each killed. It didn’t matter that they would have killed us. What mattered was that we were killers. That was the first time I had ever felt a tiny part of my humanity die. It wasn’t a nice feeling.
10) Do you have an expected publication date?
April or May 2014! Sooner if I can get through editing.
Thank you Rosie, for the interview and review of my book Spirit Warriors: The Concealing. You rock my world!
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Thank you Della, it’s been great hearing more about your work.
Rosie Amber 