Buried Alive Spirit Walker Series Book Two by Donnette Smith - Paranormal Romance - When your sixth sense speaks, believe it. - Interview
Book Trailer:
Interview with Donnette Smith
Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder. Tell us about your newest book.
Buried Alive is the 2nd book in the Spirit Walker
Series. Jenna Langley, our tenacious little psychic is so close to finally
marrying the man of her dreams. But her happiness is thwarted the night she is
haunted by a terror filled dream of being buried alive.
Everyone seems to think the stress of planning the upcoming
nuptials is to blame for her surprising vision. Soon it will become clear the
threat is not only real, but there is something much more sinister behind it.
And the responsible party is the unlikeliest of imposter’s.
Writing isn’t easy. What was the most difficult thing you dealt with when writing Buried Alive?
There were times during the writing
of Buried Alive that I just couldn’t escape my noisy family. It didn’t matter
where I went to hide from them. They’d find me.
I even tried ducking out onto the back porch when no one was
there. Twenty minutes later, everyone decided to show up and throw a little porch
party. Oh, look, mom’s out here again with her laptop. Mind if we sit down? Why
not. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like loud mouths discussing crap
I’m doing my best to drown out so I can think!
Isn’t there a hole somewhere you guys can slink off into…for
just fifteen minutes? That’s all I’m asking. After all, trying to write a hot
sex scene with half a dozen people carrying on a conversation about dirty socks
is no one’s idea of fun.
Tell us a little bit about your writing career.
Although I published my first novel in 2008, and then my
second by 2012, my writing career really didn’t take off until 2019. I was no
longer working a fulltime job, and I decided to devote practically all my spare
time to writing.
It was then I began working on my first ever series. I call
them the Spirit Walker Series. I finished book 1, Killing Dreams and it was
published on September 8th, 2021. I immediately begin working on
book 2, Buried Alive while I was waiting for the release of book 1.
Buried Alive made its debut on March 14th of this
year. I am presently working on the 3rd book of this series, The
Stolen. I see many more series in my future. I feel as if I have only just
begun to scratch the surface with my writing career.
They say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to the writer you were the first time you sat down to write, what would it be?
Lol. Where do I begin? Here’s a few.
·
stop using that word over and over like a broken
record.
·
No one likes to stop reading your book to look up
the definition of that gigantic word you just discovered.
·
Don’t be as generous with adjectives like you
were with handing out candy on Halloween.
·
Head hopping is a really bad thing.
·
What you thought was a cliffhanger could be
better defined as utter confusion.
·
No, they’re not just being mean when they say
your writing sucks.
·
OMG, whatever you do, do not send that
manuscript to an agent…ever!
For starters. Then I’d tell myself to look at my writing
through the eyes of a reader not a writer, and that I should get comfortable,
because the road to becoming a good writer is by no means a short one.
Indeed. What was your most difficult scene to write?
It’s hard to name just one. Not to say a lot of them were
difficult, but it really depended on my mood at the time. Some days my fingers
flowed over the keyboard with no effort. Other days it was a struggle to push a
single paragraph out.
If I was distracted that day, the scenes became more
difficult to write. Or if I had to stop and do a little research on a subject,
sometimes it would hamper my flow. But I edit as I write, so a scene I wrote
yesterday, I’d have eyes on again the next day. This way of writing helps me to
weed out awkward sentences and improve on dialogue, etc.
Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?
They never have been.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the 3rd book in the Spirit Walker
Series, The Stolen. In this one, our main character, Jenna Langley gets
kidnapped by human traffickers. Because of what happened to her in book 2,
Buried Alive, her psychic abilities have transformed. She can now see people
who have died but have not moved on.
There is a certain spirit that haunts her. She soon
discovers the dead girl she is seeing was once a victim of the people holding
her hostage. She has no choice but to turn to this spirit for help if she has
any hope to survive.
Is there a release date planned?
The Stolen is about three-quarters of the way through. I’m
hopeful for an end of the year release date. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the
publishing company isn’t able to get it to print before the beginning of next
year.
Who is your favorite character from your own stories, and why?
Barbara Cassidy, Jenna’s best friend since childhood. Why? Because she’s
bold, witty, and is never short handed in the department of snappy comebacks. And
because she gives Jenna’s beau, Cole Rainwater such a hard time.
Most writers were readers as children. What was your favorite book in grade school?
Blubber by Judy Blume. This was the first book I
ever picked up from my school library. And it was a very eye-opening account
about childhood teasing and bullying. I was a young teen when I read it, so I
could relate. The story was so impactful that it stuck with me throughout my
life.
What are your plans for future projects? I am honestly torn
between creating a 4th book in the Spirit Walker Series, or saying
goodbye to Jenna Langley and Cole Rainwater, and starting a new series with a
cast of different characters and a whole new mystery to solve.
Since I simply can’t make up my mind, I have decided to turn
to my fans for help. So, if you guys want to hear more from Jenna and Cole, or
if you are ready to move on to a new journey with different characters, hit me
up at romance@donnettesmith.com
and let me know what you think and why you came to that conclusion. I’d like to
hear what my fans have to say before I make that decision.
Is there anything you would like to add before we finish?
I
always love to involve my fans in my writing in unusual ways. From running
contests to pick the name of my next character, to what I’m doing now.
So, for anyone who purchases a copy of book 1, Killing
Dreams, from now until the end of March, if you drop me an email at romance@donnettesmith.com with a picture
of your purchase, whether it be on your digital device, or a print copy, I will
add your name to the dedication section of book 3, The Stolen.
Good luck with Buried Alive, and The Stolen, and thank you for being with us today.
Excerpt:
At the same time a sharp intake of breath filled her lungs, Jenna’s eyes snapped open. Blackness surrounded her; panic set in instantly as soft whimpers set off a series of echoes. It took a moment for it to sink in the sounds were her own.Raising both hands, her palms struck a hard object not a foot above her head. She slid her palms over a rough surface, searching, feeling across the top and down the sides of what felt like a wooden crate.
That embodied her like a tomb.
She let go a shriek, crying out in agony, “No! no! please, no!” There was no doubt she was in the very place that stoked the deepest fear in her heart. Just the way her vision forewarned. She was buried alive.
About the Author:
Thank you so much for having me today.
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