Thursday, September 29, 2011

New interview with novelist Minnette Meador


I'm pleased to welcome Minnette Meador back to Reviews and Interviews. This time she's talking about her novel The Gladiator Prince. Her first visit was in July talking about A Ghost of a Chance.

At the end of this virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions, Minnette will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Details are below.

Bio:
Somewhere between thirty and dust...red hair, blue eyes...six kids, one slightly used husband, and any number of pets from time to time... wanttabe hippy... wanttheirmoney yuppie...pro musician and actress for 20 years... native Oregonian... lover of music, beauty, and all things green. Willing slave to the venerable muse. Minnette currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, having replaced the children with one dog. The dog, Pierre, pretty much runs the show.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Minnette. Please tell us a bit about The Gladiator Prince. What inspired you to write this book?
Prince Thane was a minor character in The Edge of Honor who helps Delia escape slavers. He was such an interesting character, I had to write his story. After the Boudicca Revolt Thane’s tribe was completely wiped out, except him and his two young daughter, whom the Roman did not know about. To save them, he surrenders to the Romans and becomes a Gladiator, to fight in the arena until he dies.

What’s the next writing project?
Right now I’m finishing up the galleys and edits for The Bell Stalker coming out October 27th. It is an urban fantasy thriller.

Here’s a blurb: For a year, Belle Stark has struggled to conquer fears plaguing her since being attacked by a maniac who continues to roam free and the murder of her father. And she nearly succeeds, until she discovers her lover's murdered body spread over the furniture, making Belle a prime suspect. Certain her attacker is to blame, she seeks help from her ex-husband, homicide detective Mike Cranston, the one person she swore she would never let back into her life, or heart. In their hunt for answers, the two uncover more than a lunatic: a supernatural underworld hidden beneath the tall skyscrapers of the city and a secret that could kill them both. Faced with a terrible choice, Belle surrenders herself to the hands of a monster and Mike must solve an ancient mystery before it's too late to save her---

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
Finding the time. I work full time, promote full time, and write full time. There are simply not enough hours in the day. I’d like to be able to write 5-6 books a year, but three seems to be all the time I have. I wish I were rich… or had a rich sugar daddy. But I fell madly in love with the starving artist. I may not be rich, but I’m happy. Now, if I could only get him to become rich! :o)

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
I research as I’m writing the book and work hard at trying to research to the book. In other words, I try not to get lost in the research, which is tricky. My problem is I’m an avid voracious closet historian… I love history and I’ve never met an era I didn’t like. So I have to keep the dampers on and bookmark those things I’ll look at later… if I ever have time later.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I have a lovely little office at the top of the stairs in the 1930’s bungalow.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
I read a lot of different genres; mystery (Rex Stout, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Peter Whimsy, etc), Sci-Fi: Heinlein, Spider Robinson, Piers Anthony, and many more. Fantasy: JRR Tolkien, Ann McCaffrey. Romance: Lisa Hendrix, Delilah Marvelle, and many others.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
Just to tell them I really love these blog hops and have made more friends than I could have ever imagined. Thanks so much for being here to help me celebrate! :o)

I can be reached through my website and my blog.

Gladiator Prince just came out on Kindle and Nook, too.

Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!

Readers, Minnette is giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to a lucky commentor at the end of her virtual tour. So leave a comment on this post, and at the other blog stops she is making. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning.

13 comments:

Mary Preston said...

I love these blog hops too & I finally remembered to put THE EDGE OF HONOR on my reading list. Thanks for the reminder.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Minnette Meador said...

You're welcome, Marybelle... thanks for coming over! :o)

Good morning everyone! :o)

booklover0226 said...

I love the blog tours, too. I discover so many new blogs and learn something new about the author at each one.

I can't wait to read Gladiator Prince and continue this series.

Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I just got home but had to be sure to say Hello and read your post. The new book sounds great! HUGS!

Leanne

Na said...

If I had to choose between being rich and happy, I choose happy. Although in a perfect world I would go for both. I'm glad that you are happy with what you do, it shows. Writing 2-3 books is quite an accomplishment but I'll root you on as you challenge yourself for 5-6. I'm lookingforward to see what this time next year brings. Thank you for another great interview.

tammy ramey said...

i always have so much fun following the blog hops with you, and i am learning tons about ancient Rome.

trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com

Rae M. said...

Considering all the history you manage to convey in your books, I have no idea how you manage to finish any book!

I definitely understand how easy it is to get lost in a particualr historical subject. You read one. Then you get distracted with some new piece of info. Then it's all downhill from there. Eventually you end up reading about Romanian Culture when you started out in Egyptian mythology!

And also I love what I'm hearing about The Bell Stalker.

Thanks for sharing.
rae.gwendy@gmail.com

Minnette Meador said...

Thanks, Tracey... I learn a lot of the blog hops too. I've joined many of them and am fascinated by the variety of people they have!

Oh, Leanne... We thought about you last night and I'm so glad they let you go home. Kidney infections can be awful, I know! Take care of yourself, baby.

What kind words, Na! You are such an angel. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what next year brings as well! :o)

I'm so glad, Tammy! I love this era, but I'm looking forward to branching out into different time periods too.

LOL Rae! It's taken discipline, I can tell you! But it's worth it... I especially like times that don't have a lot written about them. It's fun to compare, say, ancient Rome, and the old west of America. Lots of similarities. I'm looking forward to The Bell Stalker release too... it should be fun and right before Halloween! :o)

Bama said...

here at last:) hehe

Shadow said...

Hi Minnette! Wonderful post! Im with ya on not being enough time. Wouldnt it be nice to be rich? lol Maybe oneday! ;) I cant wait for Bell Stalker. That sounds soooo good! Cant wait! :) Your books are awesome! With you being a closet historian, i have to say i love the facts you share. :) Have a wonderful night!
shadowluvs2read(at)aol(dot)com

Minnette Meador said...

Hi, Bama!

Oh, Shadow... You are so sweet. I love sharing facts with everyone. :o)

Minnette Meador said...

Thanks to everyone for coming over yesterday and a special thanks to Lisa for sharing her fabulous blog!

And the winner of an eBook copy of Centurion (or another book if you have it already) is...

SHADOW!

Send me your email address, which book you would like and what format and I'll get it over to you! Congrats, girl! :o)

Chelsea B. said...

Very nice interview!

justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com