Erin Hayes @erinhayes5399 #HowtheGhostwasWon, #TheGoodTheBadTheGhostly

RW:       Tell us about yourself, your family, where you live…

EH:       I am a sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannbe manga artist. I just moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband, my cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia. I work as an advertising copywriter during the day and spend my nights writing.

RW:        How many hours a day do you spend writing?

EH:         Hopefully, at least two hours. More on weekends.

RW:        What is the best thing about being a writer?

EH:         I get these stories out of my head.

RW:        Who are your favorite authors?

EH:       Frank Herbert, Stephen King, Robin McKinley, JK Rowling, Colleen Hoover.

RW:       Who are your favorite characters among the books you’ve written?

EH:         Edie Harker is one of my favorites. And Hattie Hart, who is the main character in How the Ghost Was Won.

RW:        What makes a good book?

EH:         Compelling, flawed characters.

RW:        How does reader feedback matter to you?

EH:       I’m always striving to be better, so feedback from outside of my head really helps!

RW:        Where do you hope to be five years from now?

EH:         I hope to be able to write full time in Tokyo, Japan.

RW:       How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

EH:        I think you always put a bit of yourself in your books. Sometimes, there is more than others.

RW:      Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story? Where did the idea come from?

EH:        My latest book is How the Ghost Was Won, which is my contribution to The Good, The Bad, and The Ghostly anthology. If I said where the idea came from, that would be spoiling it, so my lips are sealed!

RW:        Do you feel humor is important in fiction and why?

EH:        I think life is humorous and therefore that needs to be reflected in fiction.

RW:        What about your family? Do they know not to bother you when you are writing, or are there constant interruptions?

EH:       They’re mostly good about not interrupting. I don’t have an office, so knowing when I’m working is key.

RW:      What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

EH:         Read.

RW:    Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?

EH:         Steamy showers. Ocean. Kittens. Vanilla.

RW:        A biography has been written about you. What do you think the title would be in six words or less?

EH:         Try, Try Again.

RW:        What song would best describe your life?

EH:         These Dreams by Heart

RW:    Picture yourself as a store. Considering your personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold there?

EH:      Books and knick knacks. Basically Barnes and Noble.

RW:        What is your secret guilty pleasure?

EH:         Watching the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

RW:        Tell us about the scariest thing that ever happened to you.

EH:         I got caught in a riptide out to the open ocean. I got stranded on some rocks, but I was luckily rescued before the tide came in.

RW:        If you were on a reality show, what one would it be?

EH:         Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

RW:       What is the one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?

EH:         Any question that starts with: “Erin, your books are just as popular as Harry Potter…” Maybe someday?

RW:      Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?

EH:        A month. I’ve written them in a weekend, although I don’t recommend it.

RW:        How do you come up with story ideas?

EH:        They find me. I have no idea where they come from.

RW:        What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels?

EH:         You need to know your audience for your book, but I’ve written on both ends of the scale.

RW:        What does your husband think of your writing?

EH:         He’s not a reader, but he likes it. I think.

RW:        What can we expect from you in the future?

EH:      I have a shifter erotica coming out, some YA paranormal books, the finale to The Harker Trilogy, and the sequel to Death is but a Dream. Busy, busy!

RW:       Cherries or Bananas? Leather or lace? Black or red? Mud Bath or Oily Massage?

EH:         Bananas. Leather. Black. Oily massage.

RW:        If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

EH:         WARNING: PRONE TO GIGGLE FITS.

RW:        How many books have you written, how many have been published?

EH:         I’ve written fourteen that are now published.

RW:     After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

EH:       I do if there is a sequel. Otherwise, it’s hard to re-read my own stuff.

RW:        If I were a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

EH:        Start with How to be a Mermaid to see if you like my writing!

RW:        Which comes first, the story, the characters, or the setting?

EH:         The characters.

RW:        What are the elements of a great romance for you?

EH:         Great chemistry from real characters that I want to cheer for.

RW:        Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

EH:         They control me!

RW:        What is the single most important part of writing for you?

EH:         Telling the story that my characters need. Not what they deserve.

RW:        Hunky heroes or average Joe?

EH:         Average Joe.

RW:        What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?

EH:         That they were able to escape reality for a while.

RW:        I'm always ready for (fill in the blank).

EH:         A Star Wars marathon.

RW:        If I could (fill in the blank) I'd (fill in the blank).

EH:         If I could travel all the time, I’d take my laptop and see as much of the world as possible.

And now, meet Hattie Hart of How the Ghost Was Won, part of The Good, the Bad, the Ghostly anthology.

RW:        What's your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about YOU?

HH:        I’m a saloon girl turned psychic investigator. My time as a saloon girl is pretty dark, so I wouldn’t want to chat about that. When my older sister died while we were children, I realized that I could talk to ghosts. And not only that, the ghosts could talk to me. That makes me a great psychic investigator, and I’m determined to make it up to my boss for getting me out of that horrible life.

RW:        Can you tell us about your hero?

HH:        You mean Grant Madsen? He’s a US marshal in Carolina City, Nevada. And he’s tall, dark, handsome and mysterious. Mysterious because I was sent to Carolina City to find a missing US marshal. And the very first person I meet here is one! But he is good looking. And he treats me well. Who knows what will happen between us?

RW:        What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

HH:        My biggest problem is coming terms to with my past. Oh, and being able to tell ghosts from the living.

RW:        Do you expect your hero to help or is he the problem?

HH:        As a US marshal, I know he is going to help me out in any way he can. Yet my assignment is to look for a US Marshal, so he is a part of the problem.

RW:        Where do you live?

HH:        I’m originally from St. Louis, but I’ve been traveling around as part of my new job with the Tremayne PSI Agency.

RW:        During what time period does your story take place?

HH:        My story takes place in 1887, out in Carolina City.

RW:        How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

HH:         According to some, not very well. You see, I have this addiction to laudanum to keep my bad headaches at bay, but I keep taking more of it.

RW:        Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

HH:        Thank you! And if you see any ghosts or need any help with psychic activity, an agent at the Tremayne PSI Agency will be able to help you!

Title: How the Ghost Was Won

The Plot:

There are ghost stories. And there are ghost legends.

From orphan to saloon girl to ghost whisperer, Hattie Hart has been and seen a lot of things in her time. Her new job as a detective with the Tremayne Psychic Specters Investigations Agency takes her out to the remote town of Carolina City, Nevada, on a vague assignment to investigate the disappearance of a US Marshal.

Except, when she arrives, she meets the devilishly handsome Grant Madsen, a US Marshal who is alive and well. Certainly not missing, but definitely the man of her dreams. So why did her boss send her out to this small boomtown when there’s nothing for her to investigate?

She soon discovers that in Carolina City, there are strange happenings from the afterlife that threaten to kill her or worse. She’ll have to race against time to save her life, the town, and the US Marshal she was sent to find—and maybe, if she's lucky, her heart.

Excerpt:

In my dream, there’s a man.

I can’t see his face or any other distinguishing features on him other than the fact that he is tall and dark, and I can sense that he is handsome. My dreams don’t allow for me to get close enough to see who he is.

But I know him. He has captivated my heart and welded my soul to his. Something inside me intrinsically calls out to him, aching that he’s not close to me, skin to skin, pulse against pulse.

We’re meant to be together, in this life and in others.

I know this, and he knows this.

In my dream, we’re standing about ten yards apart on a desert landscape, me in my corset and him in his dust jacket and hat that shades his face. I don’t recognize the place, but it feels alien, like nothing could ever survive in these harsh elements.

We’re both dead.

I see the glint of his smile as he looks at me. My heart breaks and I want to help him, but something keeps me rooted to my spot.

“Find me, Hattie,” he says, his voice in my head. “Save me.”

“How?” I ask. “From what?”

But he keeps repeating those two words, echoing on and on in my mind.

“Save me. Save me.”

About Erin Hayes:

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books. She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, Alabama, and now San Francisco with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at mailto:erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://www.erinhayesbooks.com/

Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/erinhayesbooks/

Facebook Street Team:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/erinsnerdcrew/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/erinhayes5399

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Erin-Hayes/e/B009W8D29W

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5335865.Erin_Hayes

Buy Link:  http://mybook.to/GoodBadGhostly