AUTHOR INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY - Jill Cooper Author of The Dream Slayer

I think with a grin like that, we are in for a treat!

Let's welcome Jill Cooper to Paranormal Addicts!
She is heer to tell us about herself, her new book The Dream Slayer and host a giveaway!!

Sit back - Relax - Enjoy

Welcome, can you tell us a little about yourself how long you've been writing? 

Sure, I’m 35 and live in New England. I’m mother to an adorable 2 year old girl named Evangeline. I love to cook, swim in the pool and read paranormal novels or anything with a mystery element.

I started writing as a kid, probably around 10 years old and tried my hand at writing romance mysteries by the time I was 12. I became serious about it when I was 16 and submitted my novels all over the place. I spent a lot of time not writing after that and not writing, just living, but I always would go back to it.

How do you balance between your personal life and your writing?

It’s not always easy and I do struggle with this from time to time. It’s easy to just want to write all the time. I know when my daughter comes over and starts slapping my hands if they’re on the keyboard, it’s time to take a break.

Usually I use her nap time and I try to take her out somewhere once a day either to our pool or the park. And she loves going to stores, so that’s always fun. I try to write for at least 3 hours a day, which isn’t a lot, but being I’m a Mom first and writer second, it’s what I have to do right now.

What is your favorite genre to read?  

Anything paranormal and horror, thrillers are definitely my favorites. I like to be scared, shocked, and awed.

Where does your inspiration for a new book come from?

It can come from anywhere to be honest. A picture, a title, something I see happen in front of me. Someone can tell me about a book and I think of a total opposite idea and then sometimes I feel the draw to write it. Sometimes I just think, oh that’s interesting, but other times I think I MUST write that!

Do you have a favorite book that you have written?

This changes all the time for me. Dream Slayer has an extreme special place in my heart, but the current one I am most proud of is Glistening Haven, which is a paranormal adult novel out this winter. It has a lot of different threads and they intertwine in a way I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull off. I’ll be excited to share it once it’s time for it to be released.

How do you develop your plots and characters?  Do you use any set formula? 

I’m a pantser, which means I don’t really plan anything. I come up with characters and a basic plot and then just start writing. I’ve tried outlining, but if I know what is going to happen ahead of time, I get bored and stop writing.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing? 

Interesting plot, loads of conflict, and multi-dimensional characters.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? 

No, I don’t believe in writer’s block. *laughs* I think writer’s block happens when you try to force a story or a character a certain why that it (or they) don’t want to go. Like if you wrote someone out of character, suddenly the store loses steam and you’re not sure what to do. You paint yourself in a corner.

I think writer’s block is mostly uncertainty. Once you get past that and build confidence, you know what to do, even if it’s to back track and fix a mistake you made.

Who do you ask to read your work and give their opinion? From those opinions that helps you the most and how do you keep from picking it apart?

My husband picks apart my stuff the most. He is a very logical, linear, thinker and I am not. So he can always tell me if I have described a scene wrong or if someone would be standing over by the door and suddenly I have them at the desk and they never moved.

I do take most of his advice and then I give it to other writers that I admire, like Eisley Jacobs. I value her opinion and she always pushes me to be a better writer, even when I wish she wouldn’t. I don’t take every suggestion she makes as she makes it, but I do always strive to listen and then make a judgment.

Other than that, one or two random readers who can tell me what worked for them and what didn’t. I use judgment calls, but if two readers say the same thing, then you know you might have something that isn’t working.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

I am currently writing a new YA book called 15 Minutes. It features Lara Crane who has 15 minutes in the past to save her mother’s life. It deals with the ramifications to changing the past as nothing goes as she expects!

In Twitter fashion use 140 characters or less, sum up The Dream Slayer for us.

Mousy girl uses dreams to escape her life, and discovers she was the one with the power all along.

Will we be seeing a following book to this story? 

Yes, Demon Royale will be out this Fall! It’s the second in the series and there are 7 books total.

How did you come up with the character of Natalie:

I wanted to write a story about a girl who was like me growing up; overweight, not many friends, who spent a lot of time in her room. As a kid, I’d read books and I’d imagine myself in the drama or as the lead and that’s how Natalie and her hidden talent were born.

I thought, when I was a teen and overweight, how did I imagine myself? It certainly wasn’t how I really looked so that’s how the Slayer in the dream sequences was born. She is important but I wanted the real Natalie to be the heroine, bad glasses and all.

Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book? 

The only real challenge was finding balance between the real world and the dream world. I wanted the real world to be more important, but I didn’t want the dream world to read like filler, so I had to keep excitement going in both parts. I want people to enjoy reading both set of characters and hopefully I pulled that off.

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book? 

Absolute Joy! I squealed and jumped for joy. Well, no real jumping, but I shared it with all of my writer friends and my family.

   

Jill will also be hosting a twitter chat on Wed the 18th at 8PM EST.

Mark your calendars and join the fun!

#DreamSlayer

Other important information:

The Dream Slayer is currently 99 cents!

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BOOK GIVEAWAY!!

Up for grabs - The Dream Slayer
TWO eCopies
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