I am a native Californian, currently residing with my husband in San Francisco; I am the grandniece of Irish author Benedict Kiely and the second cousin of Irish author Sharon Owens. Current published works are: Doppelganger Experiment (World Castle Publishing, September 2011) and The Four Series – Book I, II and III (World Castle Publishing 2012/13).
Please tell me about your novel. Who or what was your inspiration behind it?
This is a series, so far there are 3 books, and I’m hoping to write a 4th in the near future. The series revolves around 5 friends, 4 of which discover that they come from a long line of vampires and werewolves and that the typical myths and stories revolving around V/WW are false, it’s genetic and soon they too will become vampires and werewolves. They also discover that they come from a long line of warriors, and they must fulfill their destiny as warriors too. A dark and powerful war is on the horizon and they must fight to save not just their kind, but mankind as well. The inspiration for this story comes from something simple: I and several friends were enjoying an afternoon on the patio in my Sierra Foothills home; we were joking and having fun. For reasons unknown to me this sparked an idea, which grew into The Four Series.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What was the biggest compliment? Did those change how or what you did in your next novel?
The toughest criticism came with my first novel, Doppelganger Experiment. The book was riddled with editing errors, those were of course my fault, but in my naiveté as a new author, I assumed the editor had caught all the mistakes and we were good to go, not true. We pulled the book and re-edited, it’s much better now. The biggest compliment came with my Four Series, one reviewer said “5 stars because I can’t give it 10”, needless to say that made my day, week and month! I am now overly cautious with all my writing, I think I edit to a fault, I also ask certain friends and family to read my work before submitting it (these people are either great with grammar and spelling or just great at snuffing out inaccuracies – but all of them are brutal and honest). It’s important to me that I produce the best work possible, I take every compliment and criticism seriously and try to learn from it.
When you sit down to write, do you do it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper or do you use a computer? Do you prefer one way or the other?
I use a computer mostly; I’m a much better typist than I am at writing free hand. However if an idea comes to me and my computer isn’t nearby, I’ll either make several notes by hand, or if paper and pen are not available I’ll compose an email (via my smartphone) to myself with all those notes and ideas.
What do you do when you are not writing? Do you pick up some from your to be read pile?
I am an avid reader and that is my primary ‘free time’ activity. I have a humongous ‘to be read’ pile, it’s never ending. Since I started writing I’ve discovered a whole new world of fantastic Indie authors, that has just added to reading list, but that’s okay, I love to read.
What do you look for in a book when you sit down to read for fun?
I want to be entertained, that’s why I read, to disappear into another world and step away from life for a while.
What has been your favorite part of being an author? What has been your least favorite?
My favorite part is developing the story and watching it grow. My least favorite is the promotional aspects of being a new author, it’s not something I was prepared for or have training in and it’s quite overwhelming.
Did you get to quit your day job and become an author or do you still have a day job and writing is something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?
My writing career emerged by accident so to speak. I’d had a long career in the commercial real estate field, when the market crashed, so did the current position I held. My husband suggested I just take time off for a while (we did and still do a lot of traveling), but I soon became bored and just started playing around with story ideas, it went from there and I’m very fortunate that this is currently my full time job.
What is your favorite junk food vice?
Milk and Milano cookies.
We all have our little things when it comes to reading, is there anything that bugs you when you read a novel? What is it?
The Beginning: The Four by Margaret Millmore
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
Softcover (190 pages)
Purchase the book here: Amazon
Book Blurb:
Clare had an ideal life. She lived in the perfect little town, had a great family and four of the best friends in the world. She also had nightmares, nightmares that plagued her for almost a decade. But these are not ordinary nightmares; they are premonitions, warnings of what is to come and what she will become.
She discovers that she isn't alone in these vile dreams; her friends are having them too. They are dreaming of their ancestors and their own future... The discovery of their destiny and the future they must embrace is shocking and terrifying.
The Four Series - They do exist and they always have. They live, love, and work amongst us and they are part of us. But they are different too, they are stronger and they live longer. They are the topic of many books, movies and myths, but their existence remains a secret, not everyone would accept them. And like us, they have those that are simply evil. Keeping these evil ones under control is the price they must pay to continue the lives they love. They must protect their human brethren from the Dark Ones, those that would rather kill than preserve.
Century after century the good battled the Dark Ones, always prevailing and preserving the lives of their beloved humans. In the 17th century, two powerful Dark leaders emerged, they organized their forces and a bitter war ensued. It was a fight to the death and the good thought they'd won. Four warriors led the battle, four warriors whose strength was beyond anything they knew, four warriors whose legacy had to be protected...
The good formed a consortium and with the help of a powerful sorcerer, a spell was cast; a spell that would follow the warriors' lineage in case their power was needed again. The warriors are long dead, but their heirs are not, and now they must fight. The Dark Ones have re-emerged, they are more powerful, more resourceful and they want to control mankind and the world.
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More books by Margaret Millmore
Nice post, Pam! :) I found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect! Come say hello at www.janmoranwrites.com
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