Interview with Author Dena Garson ~ NEW RELEASE ~ #Giveaway

Please help me welcome Dena Garson, who is sharing her new release and a great interview!

 

Thank you for joining me, Dena. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?

I’m Dena Garson. I am a Process Improvement Consultant by day and a writer by night (or whenever I can fit it in!). I have two teenage boys at home as well as an extremely loyal Labrador and two fuzzy jerks (they’re actually kittens, brothers, but they get into so much stuff that I’ve relabeled them). We live in Northeastern Oklahoma.

What was the most difficult thing about writing WHEN ASH REMAINS?

The most difficult thing about writing this book was blending historical facts, with paranormal elements, with Native American lore, and NOT drag in a bunch of stereotypes. It helps that I am part Choctaw and live in the Cherokee Nation, so I’ve seen and studied much of the local culture. I just hope I didn’t step on any toes with anything I put in my book.

Do you collect anything?

I have a sizable collection of rubber ducks. My entire bathtub rim and the window sill above it are covered.

What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time? 

LOL – cleaning the house. I just need a Jetsons style house with little robots that come out periodically and do all the cleaning for me.

What is your most prized material possession? Why?

My grandmother’s dinner ring. Because of all the memories I have of her – some of which include me sitting next to her in church and being allowed to wear it.

What do you want your tombstone to say?

She lived and she loved with everything she had.

If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please 🙂 )

I’d love to spend time with Ahyoka, the heroine in When Ash Remains. She has the ability to hear voices of the spirits of the land, the elements, and the ancestors. I just think that we could learn so much if we knew what they were saying.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Actually, the toughest criticism I’ve received came from my mother. She thought I used too many “trashy words” in my early books. Of course those books were written for Ellora’s Cave, therefore a bit more steamy than she cares for but my more recent books she approves of.

The best compliment (NOTE: every good review is great and I treasure them all!) that I hang on to even now came from my writing mentor, Ms. Peggy – she told me multiple times that I was a “good little writer.” I can still hear her telling me that.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

My characters mostly come from my imagination – they just show up. But I do introduce side characters from time to time that are based on people I know. For example, my writing mentor, Ms. Peggy, made a cameo appearance in Ghostly Persuasion. I figure she’ll show up again in future books – or her personality will anyway.

What do your friends and family think of your writing?

My mother is tickled pink. I think my boys are proud that their mom is a writer but know I write books they won’t care about. Most of my friends think it’s cool – but a few are shocked I write mushy, sexy stuff. Of course my bestie is thrilled she gets free books in advance. LOL

What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?

Ahyoka’s chief. I thought he was a pompous ass.

Who is the most famous person you have ever met?

If I exclude all the authors I’ve met it would probably be Lee Majors. I was about 5 years old at the time but I still remember it!!

How did you come up with the title?

There’s a scene in the book where Kajika, the hero, is speaking to the elder shaman. I took the title from something he says to Kajika. It speaks to a person’s life’s purpose. 

Tell us your favorite…

Movie – I can’t pick just one!! Harry Potter (all of them), Thor, Suicide Squad, Sherlock Holmes (RDJ’s), anything with Keanu Reeves

Music – hard rock; probably Halestorm right now

Place you’ve visited – Florida Keys

Place you’d like to visit – UK

TV show from childhood – Scooby Doo

TV show from adulthood – Dr. Who

Food – homemade mashed potatoes

Sports team – Dallas Cowboys

Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? Card games

Thank you so much…I enjoyed getting to know you. Now, tell us a little about your book…

Short Blurb:

Destiny drives us all.

Kajika went in search of his cousin’s killer. What he found was so much more.

Ahyoka had always been treated as an outsider. When she met Kajika, she yearned to belong to him, body and soul.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Dena is offering a cool giveaway of a jewelry roll with feather earrings and leather bracelet – Enter via Rafflecopter here:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cbc5e7ff7/

Author Bio & Links:

Dena Garson is an award winning author of contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi romance. She holds a BBA and a MBA in Business and works in the wacky world of quality and process improvement. Making up her own reality on paper is what keeps her sane.

She is the mother of two rowdy boys, two rambunctious cats (AKA the fuzzy jerks), and a loving Labrador. When she isn’t writing you can find her at her at the sewing machine or stringing beads. She is also a devoted Whovian and Dallas Cowboys fan.

Website – http://www.denagarson.com/

Blog – http://denagarson.net/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dena.garson.7

FB Author page – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDenaGarson

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DenaGarson

Newsletter signup – http://eepurl.com/b2TWxv