Patricia Lynne: Author Interview and Spotlight

Being Human by Patricia Lynne

This week's spotlight deals with my favorite genre, urban fantasy with a focus on vampires. 

Blurb:  For Tommy, the only thing he needs to do is survive.

But surviving isn’t that easy. The hunt for blood is tricky when humans fear the night. Vampire Forces, a special branch of police who hunt the undead, are determined to turn every vampire to ash. Desire sits on the edge of his mind, urging him to become the monster humans believe he is.

Tommy can only trust his twin brother. With Danny’s help, Tommy must navigate the human world he’s forgotten. He’ll discover friendship and betrayal, find that the worst monsters are very human, and understand that family means more than blood.

As the number of humans that mean more than a meal growing, Tommy learns there’s more to life than simple survival. Sometimes being human doesn’t mean being a human.

Excerpt:  

My brother held out the brown bottle, his arm wavering. “Take a drink.”

I shook my head, lips pressed together.

“Come on, take a drink.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know if you can,” he sighed.

I leaned away from the bottle. The odor rising from it reminded me of a homeless human. “I don’t care if I can.”

“It's not like it can kill you,” he insisted and started laughing. “Can't have liver failure,” he continued, laughing more. “Or die from alcohol poisoning.” He was roaring with laughter now.

I scowled at him. “You've been drinking this stuff, haven't you? You reek like it.”

He stopped laughing, giving me a serious look. “Yes, before you showed up I was in the next dorm having a few beers with my classmates. Is that so wrong?”

“I don't know, is it?”

“Only because I'm under twenty-one,” he idly replied and took a drink. He held the bottle back out. “Don't make me force you with your name.”

I eyed the bottle, then him. We no longer looked identical. His hair had grown and his body was no longer lanky. Filled out was the term he used, flexing a few muscles as he grinned at the mirror. His voice was richer and deeper. He did something I'd never do.

He aged.

Three years had passed. Three years since I had been turned and murdered our parents. Three years since our aunt and uncle tried to separate us.

As far as they knew, they succeeded.

Now he attended college, living in the dorms and only calling our aunt and uncle once a week to let him know he was okay or going to visit. There was still a song and dance he had to play, but it was less restricted.

I was less restricted too. The dorms were open to me. I could enter any I pleased; no one needed to welcome me. My brother thought it was because the dorms were public buildings, and with so many humans coming and going, whatever kept vampires out was broken.

The human students knew I was there. In the first week, while my brother was asleep and I explored the campus, finding routes to and from my resting place, I stumbled across a human. She snapped a picture, then ran off while I blinked at the spot in my vision. The next day he said a girl approached him, asking why he was dressing like a vampire and scaring people. I don't know if I made things worse for him or not, but I found the human again and told her I wasn't the human she thought I was.

A fist pounded on the door and I was out the window in a heartbeat. “Yo, Danny,” a voice called. “There's a party in Street Hall, tons of beer and girls. You coming?”

“Just a sec,” my brother replied. He leaned out the window with an amused look. “I gotta go, but I'll be back before the sun rises.” He set the bottle on the window ledge. “Have a drink on me. Peace.”

Then he was gone, happily chatting with the human.

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Bio:  Patricia Lynne never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes new adult under the name Patricia Josephine.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Interview:

1. I love vampire books and I see your book features a vampire but it doesn't look like your typical vampire story.  Did you have that in mind when you started writing this book?

Yup. I love vampire stories, but after Twilight, there were a lot of brooding, sexy vampires. While I like those stories, vampires were losing their monster status. I wanted a vampire story where the vampire wasn't afraid of getting flesh stuck in his teeth. Although, Tommy isn't the bad guy. Or is he?

2. Tell me about your experience as an Indie author from writing to editing and publishing.

Usually an idea hits me out of nowhere. Anything can inspire it. I get a bit obsessed––despite not always knowing how the story will go. I am a panster. Once the first draft is done, I set it aside for a while before diving into edits. I'll usually do four or five passes before sending it to beta readers. Then I do more passes before hiring an editor. Commas are my bane. I'm getting better, but I still doubt each one. At some point during this time, I hire a cover artist. Eventually, I randomly pick a date. Then it's all about generating interest until that moment I hit publish. I go hide under the bed then. I think my experience with each book is pretty common for authors.

3. What are you currently working on?  Is there a sequel in the works?

I have a New Adult story with a zombie main character I'm working on. I haven't figured out a title yet, so I've been calling it MmmBrains. There's also vampires, werewolves, and fairies in the story. As of right now, it's a stand alone.

4. What are your favorite books and authors. 

I love Kerrelyne Sparks and Heather Brewer. Both write vampire stories. I actually won a 6 foot signed poster from Kerrelyn.

5. What can you tell readers about your book that might convince them to give it a try?

If you love getting into the head of a vampire or any creature that's not human, then I have the books for you. And if that doesn't convince you, I'm sending Tommy after you. Read or else he will bite.

I hope you guys will give Being Human a try!

You can follow Patricia at the following links:
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