Q&A Interview and Giveaway with Susan Goggins/Raven Hart

Hello everyone!  LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews are very happy to welcome Raven Hart to our sites today.   
 

Susan Goggins, the real name of Raven Hart, has been a newspaper reporter, a speechwriter for a K Street PR firm in Washington, D.C., and for most of her career, a technical writer. Believe it or not, though, writing about how to keep your crane hoist in good working order didn't satisfy her creative urges. So she decided to become a novelist, at least part-time. Since the romance genre makes up half of all paperback fiction, she figured her chances of getting published there were somewhat greater than those of being hit by a meteor. So she joined Georgia Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America.

During the years that followed she wrote romances for Harlequin and Zebra and along the way won awards like West Houston RWA's Emily award, Virginia Romance Writers' Fool for Love contest, and Northwest Houston RWA's Lonestar contest. Later she sold stories for literary anthologies published by Belle Books. However, while she liked to read good romance novels, horror stories had become her favorite. She was hooked on the sinful, sensual, soul-challenged vampires of Anne Rice.

So Raven and fellow writer Virginia Ellis created a vampire series of their own, starring southern aristocrat blood drinker William Cuyler Thorne and Jack McShane, a sexy, blue-collar, NASCAR-loving vampire who didn't know what he was getting into when he volunteered for everlasting undeath. Both “The Vampire’s Seduction” and “The Vampire’s Secret” were co-written by Susan and Virginia “Gin” Ellis.  Sadly, Gin passed away suddenly in January of 2006, but Susan continued the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series herself with “The Vampire’s Kiss”. 

The series currently has 5 installments – “The Vampire’s Seduction”, “The Vampire’s Secret”, “The Vampire’s Kiss”, “The Vampire’s Betrayal”, and “The Vampire’s Revenge”.

To her reader’s extreme delight, we’ve found out that Susan is in the middle of self publishing the 6^th book of the series and we hope to hear all about it in today’s Event. 

For those of you not yet familiar with Susan’s SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series as Raven Hart, we thought we’d give you the synopses of the books to whet your appetite.

“The Vampire’s Seduction” Book #1 of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series:

When it comes to a wild and seductive nightlife, Savannah has bite.

Older than the United States and wealthy beyond his years, playboy William Cuyler Thorne is a vampire with a nice long undead life—one that includes a steady stream of admirers, a consistent supply of rejuvenating blood, and, best of all, a cover as one of Savannah’s most prominent pillars of society.

But all good things must end.

Now an ancient enemy has come for William from across the seas. It is his sire, Reedrek, the vampire who created him. And Reedrek will stop at nothing until all that is precious to William—his beautiful mistress, his stable of willing female victims, his glorious estates, and his good-ol’-boy vampire sidekick, Jack—is within his voracious grasp. But William has an arsenal of his own—one that is enhanced by the power of voodoo. And when these two bloodsuckers meet, there will be hell to pay.

“The Vampire’s Secret”, Book #2 of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series:

Once a mortal with a beloved family, William Cuyler Thorne is now a vampire on the prowl for blood and beautiful women. He has the perfect cover as an admired citizen of Savannah society. Though Reedrek, the ruthless old-world vampire who tried to destroy William has been defeated, he still has his followers–and they will settle for nothing less than all-out war.

To counter this vicious band of European bloodsuckers, organizes a vampire empire, which includes the handsomely slick Jack; William’s newly made eternity mate, the luscious seductress Eleanor; and a wannabe-badass named Werm. But as William and his team prepare for the ultimate showdown, the only hope for victory may lie with one woman, a vampire with unusual powers who holds the vampires’ fates in her hot little hands.

“The Vampire’s Kiss”, Book #3 of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series:

The most powerful member of Savannah's vampire community, William Cuyler Thorne, launches a personal quest for vengeance when he discovers that his wife and son, whom he had believed dead, have been transformed into the undead and are members of a malicious clan of European bloodsuckers that have abducted the young daughter of his voodoo priestess friend.

“The Vampire’s Betrayal”, Book #4 of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series:

In the fourth novel featuring suave, southern aristocrat and vampire William Cuyler Thorne, the centuries-old blood drinker finds his job of protecting the human population of Savannah from real evil challenged by an apocalyptic prophecy destined to resurrect a powerful Mayan goddess fated to destroy all vampires.

“The Vampire’s Revenge”, Book #5 of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series:

Jack McShane: lover, killer, seducer, family man, and vampire. In the shadows of Savannah, with its hip nightspots and moss-draped oak trees, Jack is trying to save humankind from a threat it doesn’t know it faces: an explosion of the otherworldly, the weird, the wanton, and the wicked.

Tourists are heading to Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day–and Jack is racing through tunnels below the city to the edge of Hell itself to hold off a plot posed by the double-dead and demented. But Jack must also hold off his own desire for Connie Jones, the beautiful cop he turned into a vampire slayer. Connie, her blood running hotter than she can handle, can’t imagine the games that Jack is playing with her body and her mind, or that the other monster she’s falling in love with is all part of his devious plan.

Welcome to the world of Jack McShane, a blue-eyed vampire who knows how crazy things can get–once you get a little taste for blood.

They sound great right!!?  We can tell you from experience that they really are…  How about we get to the Interview to learn some more about Susan and the next installment of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series? 

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Hi Susan.  We’re so happy you could join us today!  We’re very happy to introduce some new readers to your fabulous series, and we’re honored that you’re here to allow us die-hard fans to talk with you a bit.  We’re also incredibly excited to get some more information straight from the source about the next installment of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRES. J

Susan: I’m delighted to be here! Thanks so much for inviting me to chat with LA/BMR fans. Thanks also for your kind words about my books.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  We like to start out by finding out a bit more about our guest author, and then we’ll dig into the books… 

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourself that we couldn’t find out easily on the Internet?

Susan: My favorite food is Thai; I have a dog named Buster; and I read almost as much nonfiction as fiction, including economics, which I don’t understand but am fascinated by.

Q2):  How and when did you start writing?

Susan: I started writing stories in grade school. Then high school and college came along and all I wrote was assignments during those years. After I got out of grad school and got a job, I started going to writing workshops in lieu of actual writing. I found out about Georgia Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America and joined up. I was very inspired by the published writers I met at GRW, so I finally began writing in earnest. I was further encouraged when I entered their contest and placed second with my first effort. It took a few years going back and forth with editors before I finally reached the right editor with the right project and sold my first book.

Q3):  What are some of your hobbies or things that you enjoy doing when you’re not writing or taking care of other author business?

Susan: I like riding my bike on a nearby bike trail that goes from right outside Atlanta all the way to the Alabama state line—not that I’ve ridden it all the way. I love beadwork and take classes to build up my skills every chance I get.

Q4):  What are 3 things that never fail to make you smile?

Susan: Pictures of cute animals, a kind word from a stranger, people being extra nice to each other for no reason.

Q5):  If you were to write an auto-biography, what would you call it?

Susan: “I Did It (more or less) My Way”

Q6):  What’s a typical writing day like for you?

Susan: Nowadays I have a day job, so I have to get there extra early to squeeze in writing time before everyone else comes in and I’m “on the clock.” Then I also try to write some before bed.

Q7):  Do you have any interesting writing quirks or things that you have to have with you to get the creative juices flowing?

Susan: I find it helps to go back over what I wrote the previous day before I get started. That way, you can proof/edit what you did while gearing yourself up to plow forward. Quitting the day’s writing in the middle of a thought can also help you pick up the following day. Also, there’s coffee.

Q8):  We know that this is a tough question, but who are some of your favorite authors and what are a few titles in your TBR pile right now?

Susan: For horror I love Phil Rickman, Laurell K. Hamilton, Dan Simmons, Robert McCammon, and Stephen King. For suspense, which is most of the fiction I read, I love Tana French, Carol O’Connell, Dennis Lehane, Greg Iles, and James Lee Burke. For literary fiction, my favorite voice is T.R. Pearson. My TBR pile is staggering. I just downloaded King’s 11.22.63 onto my Kindle and can’t wait to read it!

Q9):  What are some of your favorite movies and TV shows?

Susan: I’m loving “American Horror Story” and “The Walking Dead,” but fair warning—they’re not for the faint of heart. I also like “Homeland,” “The Vampire Diaries” (of course), and “30 Rock.” My all-time favorite drama is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and my all-time favorite sitcom is “Arrested Development.” My favorite movies are “Casablanca,” and “The Right Stuff.” I also like cheesy World War II movies, the kind with Jeff Chandler and Van Johnson. Old horror movies are great too. I love the original “Wolfman,” and anything with Bela Lugosi.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  O.K, now let’s find out some more about your awesome series and that elusive new release…

Q10):  Was there any specific inspiration behind the creation of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series?

Susan: Only a mutual love of the genre on the part of Gin (my late writing partner) and me. Once we brainstormed the main characters and their motivations and conflicts, they just took off.

Q11):  Do you have a personal favorite book of the series so far?  Why?

Susan: I think the series gets better as it goes along, so the last book is always my favorite. The world of the Savannah vampires gets richer with the love and hate that the characters build up with each other based on the events in earlier books. To me as the writer, the stories just get more and more packed with possibilities; the emotions become deeper, the stakes higher.

Q12):  What is the 6^th installment of the series going to be titled and when do you think we might expect it?

Susan:  It’s going to be titled “The Vampire’s Return.” (A little hint there.) I have to confess to my fans that it’s running behind schedule due to the demands of my “day” job. I did promise a writer friend that I’d have it done by Valentine’s day, and I’m going to try really hard to stick to that.

Q13):  What can we expect out of the new book?

Susan: Jack is in a jam. All his plans are going awry. Connie and Seth are stuck on an island that has disappeared for 100 years ala “Brigadoon.” In order to get them back, Jack has to appeal to the faery court in Ireland. Goodness knows what he’ll have to promise in order to get Connie and Seth back. Diana and Will have teamed up to try and kill Jack and the slayer. Rene turns ten years old and comes into some awesome powers with some huge implications where a certain departed character is concerned. And two new vampires are sired to fight on the side of the “good” guys.

Q14):  Do you plan to write any more for the series after this new release?

Susan: I hope to. That depends on readers. If this book is well-received, I have LOTS of ideas for future books.

Q15):  Fantasy is such a popular genre these days, what fascinates you most about it?

Susan: It’s fascinating because it’s liberating. You can have your characters do ANYTHING. You can do anything you can think of as long as you can make readers suspend their disbelief. That’s your challenge as a writer.

Q16):  The SAVANNAH VAMPIRE series has so many unique twists on a very popular sub-genre.  How did you come up with all of the little unique twists, and did you always know that your characters would be who and what they are?

Susan: Sometimes I think of twists in advance and put them in my meticulous outline, and sometimes I don’t know the twists until I am in the middle of writing them. It’s fun either way, but it’s the best when a good idea comes to you in the middle of writing. For example, bringing Huey (one of my favorite characters) back as a zombie didn’t occur to me until the scene where he clawed his way out of his grave. I was writing a scene where Jack was trying to perform a voodoo ritual that Melaphia had ordered him to do, only he wasn’t taking it seriously and got drunker and drunker as the proceedings went along. Instead of accomplishing what he was supposed to, he only succeeded in raising Huey, who had been buried in his beloved Chevy Corsica on that exact spot.

I know basically who and what my characters are, except when you throw challenges in their way, sometimes they surprise you. They can step up and rise to a challenge, or as in real life, some characters can disappoint you. It’s all part of making characters real people with flaws.

Q17):  Is there anything else that you have in the works outside of the SAVANNAH VAMPIRES that you can tell us about?

Susan: I have a lot of ideas that I hope to get around to writing one day. I’d really like to write something for the YA market, which I like a lot. Then I’ve got an idea for a big women’s fiction book, and a couple of small-town comic mystery books. None are to the stage I can really talk about yet though.

Q18):  Is there a question that you have always wanted to be asked in an interview but have never been asked?  How would you answer that question?

Susan: There really isn’t. You’re doing a great job!

Q19):  How are you liking self publishing?

Susan: I think I’m going to like it a lot. I loved calling all the shots on my cover design and being my own editor. No revisions!

Q20):  Is there anything specific you would like to say to your readers while we have you here today?

Susan: I just want to express my deep gratitude. Not only for reading my books and giving me good reviews, but on their infinite patience with me for being late on this book. I’m going to do my very best to produce a really good book for my readers!

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Susan, thank you so much again for being with us today!  We’re excited to talk with you some more Live in tonight’s chat and we would love to have you back again in the future for your next release if you’d be interested.

Susan:  Thank you so much for asking me! I love to talk to readers!

CONTEST:    Susan is graciously offering up 2 copies of the first book in her series, “The Vampire’s Seduction,” and 2 pairs of earrings she designed and made herself to 2 winners  from Book Monster Reviews. 

To Enter: Make sure you are a member of the Book Monster Blog (by clicking on the “JOIN THIS SITE” button at the top left hand corner of blog page), and then post a comment on the interview and make sure you leave a valid email address. Any comments without an email address will NOT be entered into drawing.

Don't forget to drop by the LITERAL ADDICTION website (http://www.literaladdiction.com/) and follow the directions and links to enter their contest for an extra chance to win!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

DON'T FORGET:  Susan will be available to chat Live with members, followers, fans and guests starting at 8:00pm EST (7pm Central/5pm Pacific & Mountain) in our Author Chatroom.

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