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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Never trust a man - Betrayed by Joy Spraycar


"Amazing Job!
The plot held my attention -- it was hard to put down." - Amazon


Description:

If Valcor Sentorum can bring back more girls than his predecessor, General Labaam, he’ll have set himself up to become the next President of Dactilt. That’ll put an end to those meddling Ventician women for good! Of course, only if no one finds out where he’s been or what he’s found. But once he lands on Earth, someone changes all his aspirations.

Loreen Baccarin would give anything to go back and undo the last year and a half. Never trust a man, especially not a Dactiltian!

Now she’s been banished from Venticia until she can redeem herself, spending the last eight months stuck on Earth and waiting for a Dactiltian ship to land.

When one does, all the hatred she’d been holding inside boils to the surface, and she’s determined to unleash it on the poor sap who’s arrived outside of town.

But when she reaches the ship, she comes face to face with the person she thought she’d never see again…
Her husband!

AUTHOR's Q&A

What is something unique/quirky about you? 
A weird thing about me, well there's a few. But I love anything unexplained. I love all the conspiracy theories, and follow all the blogs and watch unending videos. I love the monsters. Guess that's why I love writing paranormal romance. I also have never outgrown playing. I usually hang around kids so people don't think I'm odd, but part of writing is having a great imagination, something I've never lost. Wanna play? 

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you! 
One the reasons I wanted to write this book was because of something that happened to me when I was in college. I went to Utah State University, and worked at the local paper at night. I was out bundle dropping (that's where you drop all the papers that those kids need to do their paper routes) , which took me from one end of Cache Valley into Idaho. So it was about 3 am, and I'm out unloading papers, when I see this search light combing the neighborhood. At first I thought it was a helicopter, but then noticed there was no noise. The light moved back and forth for a few minutes and I just stared. Then the light slowly went up, gathered around a disc shaped object. I couldn't believe my eyes. Then the thing streaked away faster than any plane. I know a lot about planes living next to an airforce base and having a dad that worked extensively with the jets. I couldn't explain it. 

What can we expect from you in the future? 
I'm working with the kids on book two of this series that will be title: Taken. They are excited to do another installment. Betrayed is also out on audiobook, and I love this narrator. I'm also continuing my Keeper series with Keeper of the Cauldron which is slated to be out next spring sometime. I also have another book in the works that will explore some of the history behind the Mormon Pioneers. 

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters? 
I do have some character side stories, but I save those for my died-in-the-wool fans. They get little novellas just for being so cool. They have bought everything I've written and I like to give something that makes them special. 

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day? 
If I were to die tomorrow, I'd spend my last day doing something fun with my family. 

Who is your hero and why? 
My Dad is my hero. He grew up on a farm, and was the only one who understood my love of animals. He was instrumental in me buying my first horse at age 12. 

What book do you think everyone should read? 
One of my favorite books of all time is Salem's Lot. I think that's because I love getting the creeps, and that book did that for me. 

Describe your writing style. 
I definitely gear my books toward the YA audience. I love to get kids to read. As a matter of fact, one of the best compliments I got was from a girl whose mother bought my first book, Quicksilver, for her daughter hoping she would read it. The girl loved it so much that she refused to read the last two chapters because she didn't want to part with the characters. That really speaks to me as a writer, and makes the hard work well worth it. 

What makes a good story? 
Anything that touches a reader on an emotional level is a good story. If you can make them, laugh or cry, or both, you've crafted something that will last. I know that my stories reach readers like that, because they've told me how much they love my books, and are always anxiously awaiting the next one, no matter what it is. 

What are you passionate about these days? 
My mission has always been to try and pay forward what I've learned as a writer. I was actually published at age 12, thanks to a wonderful English teacher. I want to help others who want to become writers learn what putting a story together is all about. That's what prompted me to write "Betrayed" with a group of students. 

What do you do to unwind and relax? 
I love riding my horse, that always helps me think and enjoy just being one with one of my best friends. I also love to play the piano. Something about playing soothes my soul, although I hated it when I was forced to practice, but the years of lessons were well worth it. 

How to find time to write as a parent? 
I actually didn't begin publishing novels until after my kids were grown. But I still work full-time as a personal assistant, yes like in the Devil Wears Prada, but my boss isn't a dragon lady. However, my job is very labor and time intensive. When I come home I fix dinner, watch TV with my husband for awhile, and when he goes to sleep, I head in to write. Writing is a love I've always had, and I can't wait to get back to my characters. 

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision? 
I actually write for myself. I have people in my head telling me stories. Publishing actually came because I entered contests and the agents and editors picked my stories as the winners. That's when everything changed and I decided I was good enough to actually put my stories out there, and I've never looked back. 

Advice you would give new authors? 
Learn as much as you can. Read lots of book, fiction and craft books. Write everyday. Listen to podcast on writing. As a matter of fact, all authors need to keep learning. New things are always coming out. New ways of looking at things. Better ways of writing. Learning should be a lifelong pursuit.

What are you currently reading? 
I'm currently reading three books at once. Crazy, I know. I'm reading, Romancing Persephonie, Area 51 the Sphinx, and Hooked, which is a craft book. 

How long have you been writing? 
I've been writing stories all my life, but didn't start publishing novels until 2010

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? 
I am a total Pantser, which means I just sit down and write. But I've been learning to plot just a bit because my editor thought it would save on the rewrites, and it has. I am also putting together a craft book called, Plotting for Pantsers. Doing too much planning ruins the fun of writing the story for people like me. So, I came up with questions I could answer that give a springboard to outline without ruining the fun of seeing where the characters will take me.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Betrayed? 
Valcor is a hardened Army General. His planet Dactilt has had an ongoing battle with a rival planet, Venticia, where Lorraine is from. Valcor believes that his planet has just finished another war with Venticia, but he was badly injured and doesn't remember it. 

Lorraine met Valcor when she was sent to Dactilt as a spy. They fell in love and secretly married. Valcor went to the Dactilt Council to show proof that Dactiltian men and Ventician women belonged together, but then the army showed up and captured Lorraine. After days of torure, she managed to escape and return to Venticia, where she was banished to one of Earth's backwater towns awaiting a Dactiltian ship to appear. She believe Valcor turned her in, and she hated him and Dactilt, and is looking forward to letting whatever man shows up feel her wrath. 

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? 
I usually have one character who speaks to me to begin with, and it's usually the man. I like the men. The women are a little tougher for me to write. But I do have several books that began with the women. Tawny's Ghost and Changing of the Glad. 

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book? 
I usually dream about my characters and their story. 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? 
This book was more difficult than most because it was a collaboration. But seeing the kids imaginations at work was really cool. Making them stick to a writing schedule was the hard part. But we enjoyed each others company. 

About the author:
Joy Spraycar lives in Utah at the base of the Rocky Mountains. She has always had a vivid imagination and told stories, not always to the amusement of those around her. Since she was young, she enjoyed bringing stories to life and sharing them with others. 

However, her decided career lead her down many paths before finally setting her back where she began, putting pen to paper.

She enjoys writing about life the way she wishes it was, men who aren't afraid to show their feelings (What girl doesn't want that?) and romance in many different settings. She also loves her characters to have adventures, and face peril. 

She hopes that you enjoy her Young Adult and New Adult Romances.

Author's Giveaway
Alien Swag
a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

Stephanie LaPlante said...

This book sounds great. I definitely think aliens exist. How can there not be in a universe so massive?