Hi Denise! Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us.


Your recent release, The Guardian, has both history and the future incorporated into the story; do you have a preference for historical or futuristic stories?

My imagination is far ahead in the future. I prefer exploring societies of other worlds even if they are only fictional. I also enjoy the challenge of taking a character from our time period, who is a Goddess in another universe, and introducing her to historical leaders. The conflicts caused by gender and her powers are enough to fill several books.

In your new book, The Guardian, your main character, Lea Netera Payton, visits various places and times in history, was there something special about these moments in history that made you pick them over another?

Each had a group of people fighting for a common goal. When Lea Netera joins forces with John Paul Jones she's siding with the future American Navy for freedom. Later, under the cover of darkness, she falls into rank undetected with 1,400 soldiers to capture Stony Point. At the Alamo, the defenders held the fort, for a time, against an overwhelming military force. On the Trail of Tears, thousands are forced out of their homelands, under harsh conditions, so others can claim their land. I didn't want history to be a lesson forgotten in the weave of time.

Do you see a book in the future that will include another character from The Guardian; maybe a spin-off?

I've already written book two. I actually finished it last Halloween. It's currently with a small press publisher in Ohio being read by the owners and second readers. I won't know if it's been rejected or accepted until probably September. Meanwhile, I'm writing book three, with the same characters, but from a 15-year-old soul recovery agent's perspective.

What made you pick the genre of Paranormal for your writing style?

Dark Shadows made me do it! Anything is possible with a paranormal plot. The Holians live for missions employing their powers, fight the good fight kind of thing. All the villains are equally determined to terminate them and grab a hold of everything worth a few million credits.

Where do you derive your inspiration for your writing?

I simply allow my imagination free reign. I listen for the dialogue to come. I know it sounds strange, but if I try to force the scenes to form, it's not the same. I also listen to movie soundtracks when I'm writing battle scenes. 'Van Helsing', is perfect for Holian vs. demon battles. Celtic and Indian flute are soothing, more down to Earth, which helps me write the regular scenes which move the plot along.

How do you like to spend your free time when not writing?

I read a few books at a time to keep up with my website's review requests. I have a great little staff that's just as devoted. I write when the house is quiet. I'm occasionally caught bribing my two dogs with Scooby snacks and separating the two male cats from wrestling matches. Once in awhile, I go to the movies on a Sunday and a couple of times a month I eat dinner with a friend from work. (Mary is in the newspaper's production department. I'm the Lifestyle Editor in news). I enjoy working with oil pastels and Fimo and now and then acrylics. I also create and publish every webpage on http://www.gottawritenetwork.com.

How do you manage to keep your ideas fresh?

By using different perspectives from several characters and coming up with an unbelievably impossible plot and making it work.

Per your website, I see that you also review books by other authors. Do you prefer another genre other than Paranormal when it comes to reviewing books?

I love romance and mysteries. They don't have to be paranormal, just something that has characters I can relate to, an interesting storyline and resolution in the end. I love Scottish historicals, time travels, SF, amateur sleuths, ghost stories and contemporary romance as long as the female protagonist actually knows what she wants to do with her life and doesn't sleep with every man. I prefer if authors email first before snail mailing or emailing the books.

Your second manuscript is currently working its way through the publishers; can you give us a hint about this book? :)

The first book was a way for the Dark Lord to keep Crusader Lea Netera Payton so busy that she couldn't voyage to the Almadonian Universe to claim her rightful throne as Lord Octavian's heir. In other words, it was a way of stalling the inevitable. In book two, Lea Netera has achieved her goal and is not going to let anything stop her from another time travel mission. This one is 1,000 years back in Olympia's time. The planet serves as headquarters for the Realm. She has to stop a Great War from proceeding into near annihilation of the universe's man and man-creature races, create a long-range survival plan and put it into action, get Earth to agree to being a supplier of building supplies for Olympia and stop another Holian from claiming her throne. I told you I like conflict.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?

Book three will be the young adult paranormal and SF novel. If my future publisher wants a series, I'd be more than happy to write it. I would like my fourth book to be a paranormal mystery, though. I work in a 1930-40's post office building in the NW suburbs of Chicago. The building is great for generating story ideas.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I love networking with avid readers and authors. Feel free to email me at Netera@aol.com. I'm also organizing and moderating the Gotta Write AuthorFest at Schaumburg Twp. District Library for as long as there is interest. I have pictures of the fest's participants up on my website. Both local and out-of-state authors attended.

Thank you so much for stopping by Denise. Readers if you have not had a chance to read Denise's work, stop by her website to see what you are missing.


Interviewed by: Jessica