Special Guest, Author Jamieson Wolf!

Today I want to welcome a very special author and a friend dear to my heart, Jamieson Wolf. We may spell our names different, but we are brother & sister at heart!

Tell us a little about Hunted, Book One in The Hunted Series-

Well, in Hunted – The Hunted Series Book One, we meet Susan Halliway…

Susan Halliway is desperate to change her life. But something is desperate to hunt her....

A serial killer begins to leave increasingly frightening notes for Susan after he kills each of his victims. Little girls with blond hair and bright eyes. She receives details of the killings days before the bodies are found. The trouble is, the killings match a storyline on the soap opera "Hope Falls". The storyline where Susan's old character was the final victim.

Turning to Erin Edwards, the script writer who wrote the "Hope Falls" storyline, they both try to solve the puzzle of who is killing little girls and why they've targeted Susan. Meanwhile, Derrick Madison, Susan's old flame comes back into her life.

Will Derrick's flame for Susan get in the way of his police investigation? Or will Susan's lust for Derrick blind her to powerful secrets that Derrick may be withholding from her. They will need all their cunning, all their daring, if they are to reach the end of this hunt alive....

What are some of the other books you write?

Well, I seem to be all over the place!

I write romance novels for Breathless Press (Cupids Delight and Starlight Starbright are out now!) and erotic romance for Cobblestone Press (including The Written Word Series, The Owen Diaries and The Other Trilogy).

I’ve also written a dark young adult book (The Ghost Mirror), a book of short stories (Light in the City of Shadows) and some micro fiction collections (The Sleepless Book of Dreams and The Wakeful Book of Desire).

I’ve also written quite a bit of non-fiction and some how to write books for those that want to try their hand at the craft of writing. I’ve even written poetry and some science fiction.

Like I said, I seem to be all over the place!

I know you have a special manuscript that you hope to have published soon – and thank you for allowing me the chance to read it! Can you tell us a little about it and why you were inspired to write it?

Well the book is called One Step at a Time.

It’s a memoir about my life living with Cerebral Palsy. People often ask me what it's like living with a disability.

I usually don't like talking about it. I've been teased and ridiculed enough growing up to be conditioned to the idea that no one really cares; they just ask out of sympathy. I know this is not the case, but it is a hard habit to break.

So it remains a little talked subject in my life. I exist day to day and try to ignore the pain as much as I can. And I remain quiet about my disability.

Until now.

After finding out that my niece possibly had Cerebral Palsy, I was inspired to write something that might help her, that might aid her in her difficult years that were ahead. I wanted to write a memoir so that she knew she was not the only person suffering with Cerebral Palsy.

I wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone.

Later I found out that my niece didn’t have Cerebral Palsy, but I had already begun. The words were already set free, so I decided to continue.

I knew that writing about my life would be difficult. I also knew that it would not focus solely on Cerebral Palsy. Having grown up as a disabled homosexual and survivor of abuse, I knew that there would be many ghosts clamouring for attention.

I wanted the benefits of this memoir to be threefold: I wanted to let go of past ghosts and move on with life. I wanted to go through a healing process that would help me achieve that. And I wanted to write something that would be an inspiration to others.

I wanted to write something that would let other people with disabilities that they were not alone. I wanted to write something that would be of some help to other survivors of physical and sexual abuse.

I can only hope that I have succeeded.

Despite the difficulties in my life, I am thankful for every single aspect, every single thing that has happened to me. That may seem odd to some, considering what I have been through, but I know that it has taught me to be a better person.

It has taught me how to be a better human being.

The book is incredibly personal to me and it was incredibly difficult to write. It’s also had an incredibly hard journey with publishers at the moment. It was supposed to be published with one publisher in the summer of 2008. Then that publisher went bankrupt. Then it was supposed to be published with another publisher in November 2009. Then that publisher closed its doors due to family problems.

I am beginning to wonder whether or not I will find a publisher for it, but I won’t give up hope. I believe that it’s a book that deserves to be read and possibly the most important thing I’ve written.

(And I hope that it is published, as it's incredibly powerful!)

You not only write a lot of books, but you read a lot, too! When do you find the time? What are some of your favourite genres and books?

You know, books are like air to me. I need books like I need oxygen, food and water. In fact, though my husband insists that books are a luxury, to me they are a necessity.

I read any time I can. I always have a book with me. I read on the bus, the elevator (when you live 21 floors up in a high rise, that elevator ride can be VERY long), in line ups. Anywhere I can read, I do.

I also read pretty fast. I usually read about two or three books a week, sometimes more depending on the size of the book. Obviously something the size of the later Harry Potter books or the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon take me longer, but it’s all about finding a balance right?

As for genre’s, I read anything and everything. Like my writing, I’m all over the board on this too.

As I’m a writer of paranormal, speculative and horror fiction, I tend to read a lot of that. I love Caridad Pineiro’s Calling Series, the Choices Trilogy by Sandy Lender (she writes some incredible high fantasy that’ll knock your socks off) and I love the experimental novels by Caroline Smailes (Black Boxes is one of the most amazing novels I’ve read in years).

I love historical fiction, biographies, anything having to do with Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Maud Montgomery. I love fantasy, sci fi and I really love Anne Rice’s new Christian oriented novels: Christ the Lord Out of Egypt, Christ the Lord The Road To Cana and Angel Time. I have a real hankering for Young Adult books as of late too.

But if I had to pick a favourite? Well, that would have to be Stephen King hands down. He constantly surprises and scares me and I always go back for more!

How long have you participated in The Muse Online Writer’s Conference?

I’ve been teaching workshops for The Muse Online Writers Conference since it began four years ago. Every year I teach a new and different workshop that focuses on a different area of writing.

It’s always amazing to take part in something like that. Not only is it a good chance to market yourself and network, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to help people become better writers.

In fact, if you go to the non fiction page of my web site at Jamieson Wolf you can download all of my workshops for free! They’re available from Night Wolf Press LLC, something I’ve been working on for a little while. But there are five different workshops to choose from, so download them and write to your hearts content!

What advice would you tell a new writer?

Don’t listen to the people who tell you not to bother writing.

If you want to write, you’ll know that it’s a compulsion that shouldn’t be ignored. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks as long as it’s something you want to do. Just ignore them and make sure to write every day.

Also, don’t get discouraged! When I look at some of my early writing, I cringe. But the lovely thing about the craft of writing is that by writing more and reading more, you constantly grow as a writer and become better at the craft of writing.

And I can’t stress this last part enough: read read read! Read as many books as you can get your hands on. Stephen King once said that if you don’t read, you don’t have the will or the tools to write.

I couldn’t agree more!

Would your cat Mave like to add a word? Tell us something about her human owner perhaps?

Hold on a second, I’ll check…what’s that Mave? No, I can’t say that in an interview…no, I can’t say that either and I don’t know where you picked up that kind of language young lady!...What do you mean you heard it from me?...I would never say something like that! You’ve been watching cop drama’s again haven’t you?

What? Oh, okay, I can say that: Mave says that I can be terribly stubborn, anal retentive and just a tad neurotic…oh, Mave, that’s not a very nice thing to say about someone you know. Maybe we have to send you to the vet…

Oh, Mave says that I’m an incredibly wonderful person and she loves me very, very much, oh, what’s that? Oh yes, she says send money. Or books…and cat nip….what? Oh, alright, I added in the money and books part, but she did ask for cat nip.

To where would you like to travel?

As I’ve been all over Canada and to some parts of the United States, I’d love to go further. I’d love to go to Ireland and Egypt, Las Vegas and New York. I’ve love to go to Italy or to Venice. Anywhere really, as long as I get to come home.

Where can we find your books?

Well, you can find links to buy my books and excerpts at my web site which you can find here: Jamieson Wolf

And if you’re out and about on the web, you can find me here:

Blog: Jamieson Wolf
The Book Pedler (my book review web site)
Night Wolf Designs (my book trailer design company)
Twitter
Facebook

And the last word, Jamieson… ?

Well, I’ve got something really special for all your blog readers!

Hope Falls – The Hunted Series Book Two will be coming out in paperback early next year! Hunted is already out in paperback and has been a huge best seller!

To celebrate the release of Hope Falls in paperback, I’m giving away ebook copies of Hunted! How awesome is that?

If your readers click on the following link, they’ll be able to download their very own copy of Hunted – The Hunted Series Book One absolutely free! The Hunted Book One

It was one of my absolute favourite books to write and I hope you all enjoy reading it!

Thanks for having me here today Diane! You’ve been lovely as always and this tea was fantastic!

So happy to have you!

Please also check out his book trailer - You Tube