Twilight Thursday

Please welcome multi-published author, Sandra Sookoo! To read prior interviews with Sandra here in the moonlight, visit HERE and HERE.


GRACEN: Do you have a movie that you must watch every Halloween? What's your favorite scary movie? Do you have a favorite scary character or character type?

SANDRA: I do but I’m not real big into the scary stuff. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror LOL I always watch Practical Magic, Sleepy Hollow, Hocus Pocus and The Corpse Bride


GRACEN: Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, what will you be dressed up as this year? What was your all-time most favorite costume that you ever wore? Why?

SANDRA: I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in years…unless you’re asking about sexy costumes for the hubby, but we won’t go there… My favorite costume? Probably a bag lady because I wore these really dorky striped knee socks LOL


GRACEN: Are you superstitious? Do you find yourself knocking on wood or throwing salt over your shoulder? If not one of these two, what is your superstition?

SANDRA: Not a bit. Although I think it’s beyond cool if I get all green lights on my way to somewhere.


GRACEN: Do you believe in ghosts? If so, have you ever had a ghostly encounter and tell us about it?

SANDRA: I do think there are ghosts among us. There have been times when I’ve been woken from a sound sleep by whispered voices and then there was that whole pantry fiasco a couple of weeks ago. Long story…


GRACEN: Tell us 3 funny or strange things that happened to you, or someone you know, on past Halloweens?

SANDRA: Once when I was in my teens, some friends dragged me to a “haunted” wood. When a scary character jumped out at me, I reacted by shoving him. He fell into a creek. That’s about it. I’m more the type to stay home and hand out the candy, since I’m a big scardey cat.


GRACEN: If you could be any paranormal creature, what would it be and why?

SANDRA: Oooh, tough question! I like the idea of werewolves, but getting furry once a month just doesn’t appeal. I have enough trouble keeping the legs shaved regularly LOL A vampire? Not so much. Living forever? Enough already! LOL Maybe a ghost, as long as I didn’t have to go through centuries needing to right a wrong…Oh, wait, that’s the kind of stories I like to write. Hmm. This question needs more thought!


GRACEN: Swashbuckling pirates like Johnny Depp are sexy, but e-pirates are not. How do you handle e-pirates in your writing world? Do you have any advice or wish to share any experience with other writers? Anything you wish to say to e-pirates in general?

SANDRA! Well, I’d say to e-pirates, shame on you! You’re stealing, no bones about it. What would your grandmother say?

When my work is pirated, I sent the take down notices, but in all honesty, this doesn’t help. It goes right back up. And here’s the truth, you can’t stop them until Congress passes laws. It happens and you pretty much just need to consider it free promotion. You can’t make yourself crazy about worrying over it.


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Sandra…Why the paranormal genre? What was the draw for you?

SANDRA: Well, the glory of writing in the paranormal world is the very other-worldly aspect of it! There’s a certain mystery, a collection of secrets that go along with being not quite normal. It brings an added conflict to the storyline.


GRACEN: If you could describe your paranormal writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please be creative and look beyond words like vampire, werewolf, etc., 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.

SANDRA: Acceptance often goes beyond human understanding.


GRACEN: Do you prefer playing tricks on people or bestowing treats? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

SANDRA: LOL Well there’s a fine line, I’d say. Because I’m a huge baker, that oftentimes bleeds into my stories. On the other hand, I’m a very funny person so that transfers as well.


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

SANDRA: I usually decide on the creature then I turn it over to the Muse. Depending on her mood, the story will be sweet or loaded with heat. I’ve decided I’m fine with that because it brings something for everyone.


GRACEN: What was the creature/paranormal character that you had the most fun creating and why? Who—to you—was the sexiest character you wrote and why?

SANDRA: Hmm, the most fun? Hands down Gregg the tax auditor demon in Demons & Stilettos. Oh but then there’s Hannah from The Art of Fang Shui. She was all kinds of fun and kind of a pain! Sexiest character? That’s a hard one, too. Xavier the werewolf from Vegetarian at Midnight or Ethan from Angel’s Master. He’s not a paranormal but he is a pirate…


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

SANDRA: Oh wow, let’s see. I’d love to meet Edwin from Fang Shui. He’s very interesting. Or maybe the Bernhart brothers from my Holiday Magic series. Now there’s a couple of interesting men… Which one would I never want to meet? Hmm… Gregg from Demons and Stilettos. I don’t think I could survive him…


GRACEN: Thanks for joining us today, Sandra! It's always a pleasure to have you with us!

Blurb and excerpt for Changing Tides (a Strange Hollow tale):

Blurb:
Born of water. Neadra is an Undine, yet the thought of being in any body of water besides her bathtub terrifies her. In Strange Hollow, she lives on the side a the mountain, content and out of harm’s way, even as she yearns to be understood for her fears and loved in spite of them.

Drawn to water. Caelan, a water dragon from the wilds of Ireland, has been shunned by his clan for his inability to shift and terrorize. Lonely for too long, he meets Neadra one moonlit night and becomes enchanted by her kindness and her unique beauty, but how could anyone love him if he has no heroic ability whatsoever?

Threatened by water. When late spring rains, coupled with warm temperatures, melt much of the snow pack on Mt. Mitchell, a flood sweeps through the outskirts of Strange Hollow, putting Neadra’s life in danger. Caelan fights his way to get to her, pulling out the hero he never thought he could be while she, in turn, works through her fears to find him. Only through acceptance of the world around them and of each other will they find the life they’ve always wanted.

Excerpt:

Neadra sighed and dipped her feet a bit deeper into the chilly water. She perched at the very edge of Shady Lake, alone with only the moon and the lake for company. The romance of the area wasn’t lost on her.

A thick wood line shrouded the far side of the lake, serving as a barrier between the business end of Strange Hollow and the small network of farms and homes of the flatlands. She’d heard that any resident wishing to buy property in the outlying areas must be prepared to defend said real estate against interlopers who didn’t hold true with the laws of the town. Every homeowner outside the downtown area received two acres of land along with their house with specific instructions not to sub-let the acreage.

It seemed the founder of Strange Hollow didn’t want the beauty of the town marred by endless subdivisions, fast food joints and strip malls. Working alongside nature. As it should be.

Slowly wriggling her toes, she stared at the dark stretch of water. So much potential. So much fear. She pulled her long skirt up her legs and slid forward until the water lapped over her calves.

I can’t do this.

Ignoring the task at hand, Neadra let her mind ponder her state of singleness. Since she’d been a very little girl it had been drilled into her that water sprites only mated within their species. What happened to a woman who, by necessity, had to live away from her community and family? Because of her fear, she’d been forced to make her home in a tool shed near the sea, much to the derision of her family.

It also meant she appeared damaged and broken in the eyes of potential mate material. Not to mention, she lacked the gills inherent to her species, making living on land essential. She was decidedly too odd to fit into the aquatic community.

She blew out a shaky breath. Time marched on while her biological clock ticked down the years, bringing panic with it. In two months, she’d pass her thirty-first birthday, not young anymore and nearing the danger zone on the reproductive scale.

My life is so messed up.

Watching the moon’s reflection on the lake surface, two glowing blue objects caught her attention. Neadra narrowed her eyes, straining forward. It was too early in the season for amphibian life and the orbs were too large to belong to a snake or fish. In the space of a heartbeat, they vanished. Relief swept through her body. She didn’t want to encounter some of the more fierce wildlife rumored to live around the mountain.

As suddenly as they disappeared, the blue objects came back into view, almost staring at her with weird, electric light. She shivered and pulled her feet beneath her, out of the water. Were they eyes? How was it possible? If an Undine didn’t want to be seen, no one except another water sprite could see them--unless she failed at the camouflage aspect of her culture as well. She’d never had an opportunity to test the theory.

The eyes came closer, confirming the fact the objects belonged to something. Her pulse steadily increased until it drummed out a frantic rhythm. Too fascinated to move, she watched as it closed the distance, only ten feet from the shore and her.

Threads of nameless anticipation slid over her skin, invoking goose bumps, but she felt no fear. Five feet of dark water separated her from whatever lurked beneath the surface. Her throat went dry as she wondered what kind of being it was.

With the smooth movements of someone accustomed to spending time in and around water, the placid scene shimmered. The top of a male head appeared, bobbed for an instant, his gaze never breaking eye contact with her, and he swam forward. The closer he got, the more of his body was revealed until he stood, dripping, on the shore near her.

For a few seconds, Neadra forgot how to breathe as she stared at the naked form of the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She gasped and realized beautiful was not nearly an appropriate way to describe this particular male. He was at least six feet tall, and she had to tip her head back in order to properly take him all in. Black, coarse hair sprinkled his winter-pale skin, and as he lifted his hands to slick his thick, black hair from his face, the muscles in his broad chest rippled.

Unable to breathe without sounding like a dog in heat, Neadra licked her lips as her gaze moved from his clean-shaven, square jaw, over wide shoulders, thick from daily gym visits or hard labor, and down along his torso, following the sensual black ribbon of hair past washboard abs to his partially rampant arousal.

“Wow.” She’d barely forced the word out when her sex contracted with a strong aching need and she had to squeeze her thighs together to stave off the sensations. Quickly snapping her gaze to his face, she sought to distract herself from his body--except his brilliant eyes caused havoc with her insides. She felt an insane desire to trace the strong lines of his face, run her fingers over his jaw, and feel his lips against hers. “Wow.”

The man smiled. The ordinary action lit his face into a softer version, twinkling his eyes and causing gentle creases to appear at the sides of his mouth and across his forehead, as if he indulged in grinning often. “It’s not often I get such a reaction from the ladies, especially not one as pretty as you. I’m Caelan Burke.”

Neadra melted a tiny bit further at the slight Irish accent in his baritone voice. “Hi.” At a disadvantage from her position on the ground, not to mention the tempting distraction of his naughty bits at eye level, she struggled to her feet. The small pebbles that made up the shore cut into the soles, but she barely noticed as she held out her hand. “My name is Neadra.”

When she moved forward to shake the hand he offered, her toes tangled into the hem of her long skirt and she stumbled, taking a few unsteady steps backward and teetering into the lake with a resounding splash.

Publisher’s website: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/
Strange Hollow site: http://www.strangehollow.com/
Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D_rDgGd8xA
Author’s website: http://sandrasookoo.com/. From here you’ll find links to me on Twitter, Facebook and my blogs.

DON'T FORGET...Return on Halloween for a special treat the guest bloggers have worked on for YOU!! There will be prizes given away, so be sure to join us here in the moonlight on Halloween!