Hello Tyler and welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. For more information on Tyler and her books, go to her website at http://www.tylerblackwood.com.

What is a typical day in the life of Tyler Blackwood?

My work days are loooong. I spend 9 hours in front of a computer, creating business system software, then spend 3 hours commuting. After that, I wolf something down and go spend about 4 hours in front of the computer working on mail and one of my stories. After that I drop into bed and start over again.

For a first time reader of your books what book would you recommend they start with and why?

The Eskarian Defender series was meant to be stand alone, but I think Prophesy of the Seventh Dragon is a good one to start with, because it’s an easy introduction into the Eskarian world. Plus, many of the characters for upcoming stories are introduced there. There are more to come, but they show up in subsequent book, starting with Riana Unveiled, the third book in the series.

What have projects have you been working on? What books can fans look forward to in the future?

I just turned in a futuristic anthology to my editor. These are three short stories about people (mostly women) who find the courage within themselves on the road to greatness. They also find love and some hot sex on the way. These stories are hotter than my Defender series. I had a great time writing them – as much as my hubby enjoyed researching them with me!

The Eskarian Defenders is a series. Where do you see it going or has the series already taken on a life of it’s own?

It has definitely taken on a life of its own. I have ideas for 10 more books. After that, I’ll probably develop another series. I like the long explorations a series provides.

I read on your website, that some of your art/graphics has won awards. Tell us about that.

I’ve entered contests for logo designs and won. Yippee!!! I really enjoy graphic art and would do more of it if I had time, but if I have to chose, I’d rather write.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have received?

Never give up.

When you’re writing, which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

I have a list of characters waiting for me to tell their story. I come up with a story to match the basic characteristics. What that means is that each character will have a different kind of story told. For example, Griffin had lots of emotional baggage to deal with, so his story was about letting go. Riana made decisions based on fear and abandonment, so she’ll have to deal with those issues in order to finally accept Jason in her life.

As a writer, what type of books do you personally find appealing?

I love fast-paced books with lots of challenges and problems to overcome. I prefer books that are both humorous and a bit dark and surreal. And I love romance. And science fiction. And fantasy. Not necessarily in that order…

If you could do anything, be anyone for 24 hours, what would it be?

I would be on a very large boat in the middle of the Puget Sound with an incredibly handsome, well build guy. Wanna guess what I’d be doing?

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

Usually watch movies.

Can we get a teaser for what you are working on right now?

Sure. This is from book three of my Eskarian Defender series, Riana Unveiled.

In this scene, she’s returned from a very long slumber beneath the ocean’s surface. She and Jason are perfect mates, but because of several thing that happened long ago, she never accepted him as such. For those unfamiliar with the series, a sendagi is an Eskarian term for healer. Jason is a sendagi. A Tarmeiser is a nasty creature Riana battled with and almost lost. Willis is a bobcat, her familiar. She has protected him for a long time.

Riana loosened the braids, shook the glistening black strands free, then stepped back to take a good look.

Her hair, still thick and lustrous, had grown to the middle of her back. In Eskarian hibernation, hair and nail growth was negligible. The body just shut down until it was time to awaken, like she’d done, centuries later.

The scar across her chest and neck was all that remained from her battle with the Tarmeiser, otherwise her body was still in top form, something she prized above all else.

She avoided meeting her own eyes in the mirror, just as she couldn’t meet Sendagi’s dark gaze for long. The nagging voice inside her head called her a betrayer to her own kind. An abomination.

Outlaw, it cried.

“Interdico,” she echoed in her own language.

Misfit, it screamed.

“Insurgo,” she repeated. “I know all that. It was my choice.” A knock on the door made her jump. She scrambled for her robe, donning it quickly before opening the door.

Jason stood before her, a large cup in his hand. His mouth opened but he said nothing. He just looked at her. The stark, raw sensuality emanating from him was overwhelming. She stepped back, astounded and mesmerized by the sheer power that surrounded him. His gaze roamed over her face, her hair, her breasts, down to her toes and back again. She felt naked and more vulnerable than she cared to feel under his intense scrutiny.

He reached out to grasp a lock of her hair. She watched his long fingers sift through it, felt the familiar heat of two immortals perfectly matched to one another. In spite of herself, she felt the call of his lifeforce, the cry of a soul, lost and abandoned by its mate.

It hurt.

He still hungered for her, and had waited all these years while she slept beneath the ocean’s surface, wounded and too terrified to call for help, condemning all of them -- Jason, Willis, and her to a life apart, for centuries. But she’d been so afraid for Willis, and so wounded after her battle with the Tarmeiser. And so uncertain. She took another step back.

Is there anything you would like to add to this interview or is there a question you would love to answer that I didn't ask?

Check out my web site for under profiles to learn more about the Defenders and for excerpts from upcoming and available books. I also have contests monthly for my newsgroup. Subscribe at TylerBlackwood-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Thanks a bunch, Jaymi!

Interviewed By:
Jaymi