TWILIGHT THURSDAY

Please welcome author, Franny Armstrong, into the moonlight this beautiful spring day...if it's not beautiful where you are, have hope that it is beautiful somewhere! Franny's been writing since childhood and she enjoys writing about private investigators, cops and mastermind criminals. And if that wasn't enough, she throws in a little psychic abilities for her characters to utilize. Visit Franny's website to learn more about her, but for now, we're off to the good stuff...the interview where she tells all! Okay, maybe not all...

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GRACEN: March has a few popular dates to celebrate. Which one are you more apt to celebrate, St. Patrick’s Day, or the First Day of Spring, or both and why?

FRANNY: I celebrate St. Patrick’s day for two reasons, a bit of Irish ancestry, and I LOVE THE COLOR GREEN!

The First Day Of Spring is like awakening from a long sleep and I practically hold my breath, waiting to see that first glimpse of green on the tree buds and crocuses. It makes me feel so alive.


GRACEN: Because of it’s Irish heritage, St. Patrick’s Day is a big party day in Wisconsin (and many other areas) in which everyone gets in on the action from free pub crawl busses to breweries making green beer/spirits and some stores selling green colored/decorated food and sweets. Does anything similar occur in your area? Even if you do not participate, please tell us what activities are going on around you. Anything you feel is unique or especially interesting?

FRANNY: In Ontario, Canada, nearly every bar, pub, and Canadian Legion celebrate whether they’re Irish or not. Green beer is uppermost on the list and some people even paint their faces with shamrocks or completely green.


GRACEN: Do you like to decorate for spring/St. Pat’s Day or is this the time of the year where your house has a break from special décor?

FRANNY: I spent way too much time on the computer writing and promoting to do much decorating since my kids left home. However, with a grandchild coming in April, perhaps I’ll be decorating once again. Hmmm…time to go shopping!


GRACEN: Ireland is steeped in myth, legends and lore. Do you have any favorites? Please briefly share them with us (include links to other information for interested readers).

FRANNY: Though I love the devilish little leprechauns, I adore fellow author Angel Martinez’ Pooka, Finn. Legend has it that naughty Irish fairies called Pookas roam about at night in various shape-shifting forms scaring cows so they won’t milk, chickens so they won’t lay eggs, trample crops and so on. Though Angel’s pooka is a hotty so he makes them a whole lot more interesting to me.


GRACEN: Spring is considered a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. Do you do anything “special” to commemorate this idea such as planting flowers or cleaning out your house? Please share with us your way of celebrating this time of rebirth.

FRANNY: I love to walk in the woods and smell the fresh spring air as the snow dissolves and earth’s fragrance fills my senses. I’ll touch the tender buds on branches and commune with the trees telling them to hurry and awaken so I can revel in the magic of life renewed—Okay, so I’m an author. Cleaning house is just way too boring!


GRACEN: Magic is often tied into Celtic myths and legends, or at least we like to think it is. Why do you think that is? Why, in your opinion, does Ireland carry so much mystery and magic for the rest of us?

FRANNY: Magic has been thought to exist since the beginning of time, though many would say this isn’t so. To me, love is magic, holding a newborn in my arms is magic, watching a tiny seed grow into the most glorious flower with petals as soft as silk is definitely magic, and when you look up into the sky at night and see the billions upon billions of stars in the universe, how can you not believe that magic exists?


GRACEN: If you could be any mythical or legendary Celtic creature or character, what/who would it be and why?

FRANNY: I would definitely want to be the PHOENIX BIRD. This mythical creature is born in the embers, hatches the egg, flies up from the flames to begin the cycle of life then crashes back down to begin the cycle over and over again. Immortal, indestructible, and never surrendering to life’s obstacles, this wondrous bird doesn’t know the meaning of the words, ‘GIVE UP!’.

GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Franny…What genre is your writing considered to be? Why this genre? What was the draw for you?

FRANNY: I write paranormal romantic suspense and paranormal romantic comedy as well as simply romance. With a heart that sings with love, I grew up in a supportive family that I adore and had my own, with three children and husband who I can’t imagine living without. My sister, mother, children and I tend to know what each other is thinking, know when the phone is about to ring and who is on the other line (without cheating with call display) and can never throw a surprise party without the other one figuring it out.

I also get prophet dreams and ‘gut’ instincts that tell me when something is about to happen, so psychic phenomena is the norm for my family. Also, I think that cops and private investigators are hot! Not like Columbo or Inspector Clouseau of The Pink Panther, but in a rough, rugged, masculine (or tough female) kind of way. Watching shows on TV like Medium, Ghost Whisperer and so on also open my mind to the possibilities of psychic gifts. Anything is possible.


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please be creative and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

FRANNY: I live by the mottos, “Never Surrender! Never Give Up!” as well as “A Published Author Is An Unpublished Author Who NEVER QUIT!” These I keep taped to the wall in front of my computer to see every day. They’ve helped keep me going, no matter what the obstacles of life throw at me.

In each of my stories is a message I want to convey. Not always visible to the naked eye, the main one is this: “No matter how bumpy life’s roads get, life is worth living every minute!”


GRACEN: Do you prefer magical or human ingenuity for problem solutions? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

FRANNY: Hee hee, if you mean in REAL life, I end up using human ingenuity, however, in my books, I always utilize both. After all, what’s the point in having magical gifts if you can’t use them? Just as Superman!


GRACEN: Who decides what you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one strumming the harp?

FRANNY: Funny you should say ‘harp’ since that’s one of my favorite instruments to meditate to (on tape since I don’t play nor have one) I have two muses, the negative one, ‘DOUBTING MATILDA’ who tries to block me at every turn and ‘ADAMN AMUSING’ who kicks her butt and pushes me forward. I seldom need them to strum for me as my wonky mind takes over, keeping me up at all hours of the night and bursting forth with stories and characters. Before I even get half way through a tale, another one pops into my head and I have to write out the details quick before they disappear. It never ends.


GRACEN: What was the character or creature that you had the most fun creating and why?

FRANNY: Though I haven’t created any ‘creatures’ as yet, I do have a TON of fun making up my heroines. From my Extrasensory Elements Series Book 5, I created Maylin Mitchell, a petite, smart-mouthed, tell–it–like–it–is cop who is running for her life as her psychotic ex–husband stalks her. She meets Misu McCoy, an Ojibwa Canadian native who is a foot taller and fears hurting her in any way. She’s a tough one though and shows him a thing or two about who’s on top! She’s awesome and so much fun.


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your character/creature creations in real life, who would it be and why?

FRANNY: Oh, gosh, I’d love to meet any of the McCoy brothers from the Extrasensory Elements series. They are steeped in tradition yet modern day men who not only use their protective tough exteriors towards their women, including their sisters and mother, but have a gentle, loving side you seldom see in a man. Well, put it this way: I personally don’t get to see this side of a man.


GRACEN: Which of your character/creature creations would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

FRANNY: Personally, the villains I create are nothing like anyone I’d ever want to meet. They are deadly, evil, and have psychotic tendencies for killing without feelings that I find difficult to believe yet it happens in life every day. I suppose I’ve led a sheltered life since there is no violence in mine.


GRACEN: Of all the stories you wrote, which was the storyline that you had the most fun fleshing out? Why?

FRANNY: I’ve written a book called ‘AMAZON KLUTZ’ which made me laugh and guffaw all the way through while at the same time I loved the intrigue and antics of the heroine as she sets out to bring down a Brazillian drug lord right under his nose as a klutzy administrative assistant. She uses her persona as a klutz to keep the men at arms (or rather yards) length so she can work undercover and find the evidence to have him incarcerated. The tale is filled with twists, turns, and surprises that will make your head spin, leaving a good feeling behind when she saves the day with her heroic partner, a burnt out undercover agent. It spans two continents and even has the duo rescuing the Prime Minister of Canada! Don’t worry though, you’ll shed tears too, so you’ll need a couple of boxes of tissue available.


GRACEN: As writers, inspiration comes from everywhere. What, specifically, inspired your latest story, the one we’re promoting here today?

FRANNY: Being an author who writes scenes of death and destruction by a psychotic killer, I imagined one day what it would be like if an author had to pay for their works with their lives when the murders they wrote about became their own demise. Author’s Demise takes you there and makes you think, ‘What if someone read this and decided to kill another person this way?’ A sobering thought, but the hero and heroine always win in my stories! It’s the Happily Ever After we all know and love.

BLURB:

Death stalks telekinetic Lana Anderson, CEO of Brinkman-Bonnet Publishing. Forced to live in terror, Lana soon finds she’s shadowed by more than a killer when her boss and good friend hires a cop to protect her.

Kissing a perfect stranger, Brett Colton soon finds himself head over heels in love with the woman he’s hired to protect, even though he has no interest in having a serious relationship. When she’s captured by the stalker he races against time to save her from her selfless act of bravery.


EXCERPT:

Brett had a tail. He had been trying to shake the guy for a few blocks but the man was persistent. Entering the lobby of Belleview towers, he looked around and saw an attractive woman waiting for the elevators near the back wall. She stood out from the others around her, drawing him toward her like a magnet. He had an idea of how to elude his tail and hoped she would go along with it.

She’s really hot! Looks like a fun–loving girl, I hope she’s game.

Taking another look outside, he saw the man coming up to the revolving doors. Moving quickly over to where the woman stood he gave his plan a shot.

Nodding politely to her, he stripped off his jacket, rolled it into a ball and threw it on the floor beside the potted fern.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but I’m in trouble and I was wondering if you could help me out?” He pulled his baseball hat from his back pocket and put it on backwards.

Curiosity filled her gaze before she nodded. “Well, sure. If I can—”

Before she could finish her reply, he swept her up in his arms and kissed her passionately. The woman was so stunned that she didn’t react to his audacity, melting into his arms instead. Her hands rested on his chest, fingers tangled in his shirt

Distracted by the sexy woman in his arms, Brett found it hard to keep a close eye on his stalker. He was amazed at the passion the woman returned, nearly knocking him off his feet. Boy, she can light my fire anytime! Minutes may have ticked by but he lost count, losing himself in her sensual mouth.

After the tail finally gave up and left, Brett continued the kiss, unable to stop. His pants were uncomfortably tight. Pulling her closer into his embrace, he nearly groaned as her body brushed up against him. She’d turned to liquid in his arms, sending shivers of desire up his spine.

Finally, slowly, he lifted his head and stared into her eyes. Her expression was dazed, her emerald green eyes met his with a bemused expression.

The elevator doors opened with a loud ‘ding’. Regretfully he let her go.

“Thank you, ma’am. You were very helpful.” His voice was low and husky. Bending down, he picked up his jacket.

“Well, goodbye…” He started to say his farewell but looking at her swollen, damp lips, he changed his mind.

“Ah, what the hell,” he said, and kissed her again. It was a short, lip–smacking kiss. Then, nodding, he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed on his grinning face.

Links:
www.paranovelgirls.com
http://tinyurl.com/y9uujxk to purchase
www.redrosepublishing.com
www.paranovelgirl.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/ParaNovelGirl
www.facebook.com/franny.armstrong.author
www.twitter.com/ParaNovelGirl
http://www.paranormalromance.org/reviews/author.php?id=6513
http://coffeetimeromance.com/Reviewers/Franny.html