Straight Chatting from the Library: Elle Hill

Welcome Elle Hill to The Library--she's stopping by on her virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Elle will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour--a Rafflecopter is provided at the end of the post. You can see the other stops on the tour here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/08/virtual-book-tour-hunted-dreams-by-elle.html.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What inspired you to write this book?

It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but my family members, who are of course my most faithful readers and biggest fans, teased me a while back about my tendency to lock several of my characters inside confined spaces. It got me thinking: What if I trapped someone not in a physical prison but a mental one? What if I locked her up inside her head?

What characters do you connect with most?

Those who are wrestling with the less savory parts of themselves or their pasts. This is why I have such a fondness for Katana, the main character of Hunted Dreams; her literal journey through her mind is of course symbolic of her plight to recapture herself and her past and integrate it into the woman she wants to become.

What's your favorite book-turned movie?

Wow. That’s a tough one. Actually, I guess it’s really not. I’ve been in love with Little Women, the book and all its cinematic incarnations, since I was a kid. It’s still my favorite novel. And, yes, I love the Winona Ryder version.

If you could be best friends with one of your characters, who would it be?

Any of my characters from my books? Probably Serena O’Donnell from Hunted Past. She and I have so much in common: we both have a background in psychology, we both play the healer and the validater in social situations, we’re both in love with bright colors. I love and admire all of my heroes and sheroes, but Serena is probably the best candidate for bestie.

Can you tell us about any other books you're writing?

I just finished writing The Tithe, a post-apocalyptic novel that focuses on a group of people sacrificed to keep their towns running smoothly. That makes it sound somewhat like The Hunger Games, and it’s really not. It’s actually a novel about seventy people (“tithes”) thrown away by their towns because they have various flavors of disabilities.

What do you do in your spare time?

I spend all my spare time snugglin’ on my furkids and my partner.

Who's your inspiration?

It’s way more a what than a who. I’m inspired by a need to imagine worlds whose characteristics I tweak and spin, to make order from conceptual chaos, and to capture my versions of reality using the artistic medium of words.

If you were stranded on a desert island which character do you want by your side?

One of my characters? Probably Picante, the black cat from my novella, Hunted. What? I’m an animal person!

Team Edward or Jacob?

I’m afraid to say, since my mother might well disown me if I answer “incorrectly.” Hmm. I was Team Jacob till the third book, I think. That’s when Edward started chilling out and giving Bella some emotional space. Ultimately, I thought the series ended well.

Team Peeta or Gale?

What? There’s even a question? Team Peeta all the way! Peeta is good and sweet and gentle and supportive. He’s like the marshmallow to Katniss’ chocolate, the Sam to her Frodo.

What are you reading now?

Not a heck of a lot. I’m a college instructor, and classes just began, so I’m running around in a mad daze right now. However, when things calm down, I’ll sit down with the last book in Holly Black’s White Cat Series. Also, my partner and I have been listening to the audio version of Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts. I wish you much happiness and many good books. :)

READ THE BLURB

Her history, her whereabouts, her name: She knows nothing. Nothing but her current reality: a constant stream of horrific, surrealistic scenarios in which she fights not only monsters and unseen attackers but also her own pain and despair.

Reed Jayvyn is an ex-Army vet, penniless and living in his truck. After saving a young man from attackers, he finds himself embroiled in a superhuman drama between the Broschi and the Clan, two groups engaged in a centuries-long war. Worse, he finds he is one of them—a Broschi, a psychic vampire that feeds off the pain of humans. But Reed’s greatest surprise comes each night, when he finds himself dreaming of a fierce, nameless woman.

She is dreaming. So says the handsome man who uses his heretofore latent psychic ability to flicker in and out of her dreamscape. With Reed’s help, she slowly learns more about who she is, why she is here, what trauma in her past keeps her locked inside her mind. Meanwhile, Reed explores his own heritage, discovering enemies and allies in unexpected places.

But most important to Reed is freeing this woman caught in an endless loop of nightmares, someone he considers in every way to be the woman of his dreams.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Elle began writing novel-length romances in junior high. She continued scribbling wild tales on her wide-ruled notepads till those pesky college and career things got in the way. Finally, after earning her Ph.D. in Sociology, Elle gave herself permission to get a life. Now, she spends just about all her waking hours doing one or more of the following: teaching, writing, volunteering, and tending to the whims of her kitty masters.

Visit Elle at http://ellehillauthor.blogspot.com/, http://www.ellehill.com, and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Elle-Hill/155409064486649?ref=hl. Buy the book at Amazon.