Please help me welcome J.A. Belfield, author of the Holloway Pack series, among many other great reads!
It all started with a daydream.
One of those daydreams where a character or scene pops into your head, and you start controlling the little people inside your imagination as though you are the puppet master and they your toys. Questions arise: What would happen if ...? How would they react if ....? Who would they meet if ...? And before you know it, a singular scene has become an entire movie. Those characters you control will begin to hold conversations. Their actions will reflect the personality you have bestowed upon them. Within no time, they have a life, an entire world in which they live, a lover, a foe, family ... they have Become.
One day, I wrote my thoughts down. I've yet to stop.
The newest of her published works is out and ready to be devoured by all of her faithful fans!
An unmarried woman living in a house of men breeds hearsay and lore. If only the villagers knew the truth.
It’s not Jem Stonehouse’s marital status that brings unwanted strangers to town. Rather, it’s that she is the only female werewolf in existence — a prize to any pack.
Sean Holloway, the love of Jem’s life, has gone to great lengths to protect her. As a new attack becomes imminent, Sean realizes he must take greater measures with Jem’s safety or risk losing her forever.
His first task must be to marry her, but a force greater than the largest werewolf stands in his way.
Expected publication: July 2nd 2012 by J. Taylor Publishing
The Interview:
1) I love the “about” section on your site. Tell us about your decision to finally write it all down.
Thank you. :) Well, I’d pretty much daydreamed since birth, but I’d never actually done anything with those daydreams—never even thought to do anything with them.
Until May 2009.
I have no idea why I had a sudden yen to write that particular dream down. I almost didn’t, because even though I wanted to, the idea of doing so felt kind of ridiculous to me. But then I told my sister and my best friend, and within days was scribbling away to the soundtrack of ‘Dooooo eeeeeeeeeeeet’. ;)
1) I love the “about” section on your site. Tell us about your decision to finally write it all down.
Thank you. :) Well, I’d pretty much daydreamed since birth, but I’d never actually done anything with those daydreams—never even thought to do anything with them.
Until May 2009.
I have no idea why I had a sudden yen to write that particular dream down. I almost didn’t, because even though I wanted to, the idea of doing so felt kind of ridiculous to me. But then I told my sister and my best friend, and within days was scribbling away to the soundtrack of ‘Dooooo eeeeeeeeeeeet’. ;)
2) How long was the story tumbling around in your head before writing it down?
Which one? First story ever (which I shall not name because it was meh!): a couple of weeks. Darkness & Light: couple of weeks. Instinct: around six months—same for Eternal. Blue Moon, I pondered over for around one week before I started on it. I think the longest I’ve waited to write an idea from concept to construction is a year.
3) Do you have a favorite Holloway Pack member?
Gargh! Tough question! My favourite Holloway Pack member is often whoever I happen to be writing at the time, LOL. Which I guess makes me pretty fickle. Sean’s been in my head the longest, though, and he’ll always hold a special place in my heart.
4) Did you write yourself into any of your characters?
Ha! Now that’d be telling. ;)
5) Tell us about “Into The Unknown”
Into the Unknown is an anthology of three stories by three different authors. One of those stories—Marked—is a Holloway Pack mini, which falls time-wise between Darkness & Light and Blue Moon. It’s not essential reading for the series—more a bit of fun for any who’ve come to enjoy the characters. It’s also told from Sean’s POV—so a little like Instinct, except two centuries later. :)
6) Do you have any non-wolf-related stories currently bouncing around in there?
Funny you should ask. ;) My short story, Escort to Insanity, is due to release this December in the Make Believe anthology—and for the first time ever in one of my stories, there is not a werewolf in sight. I’m also hoping to find time to write a couple of non-werewolf YA novels I’ve had pinging in my head this year—though I don’t want to disclose what those will be about just yet. :)
7) Have you always loved reading/writing?
I’ve always loved reading, yes. My earliest favourite read I can remember was a book called: Teeny Tiny & the Witch. And I remember loving everything Enid Blyton, from Amelia Jane to Famous Five, before moving on to Judy Blume then my mum’s Mills & Boon. As for writing? For as long as I’ve been doing it, I’ve loved it yes. It’s as frustrating as heck sometimes, sure it is, but I have to love it, otherwise what would be the point? :)
8) Who/what are some of your favorite authors/books?
Now? I’ve recently stepped into dystopia for my reading material and I’ve been loving what I’ve found there so far with Hunger Games and Divergent. I’m also pretty much in love with Jennifer L. Armentrout’s work—she creates great characters for readers to connect with. Rachel Vincent always seems to create males I can fall in love with. And Black Dagger Brotherhood, Karen Marie Moning’s Fever, and Georgina Kincaid are some of my favourite series’ to date.
9) Can you give us aspiring authors any advice on writing and/or getting published?
Besides keep writing—as much as you can, whenever you can, to hone your craft—and never give up? Yeah, I’d say research. And I don’t mean research for whatever story you happen to be writing. I mean research of the industry. Get to know how the process of getting a book out there works. Take note of the publishers and what titles they produce, and the agents and who they represent. Follow blogs who post about book news and keep an eye on what’s going on. Without this knowledge, you’ll be going in blind. I often get asked ‘How do I get my book published?’ by folks who’ve decided to write a novel of their own. The information is out there in abundance. Read it, learn it, then use it to your advantage. Knowledge is power, after all—or so they say. :)
Funny you should ask. ;) My short story, Escort to Insanity, is due to release this December in the Make Believe anthology—and for the first time ever in one of my stories, there is not a werewolf in sight. I’m also hoping to find time to write a couple of non-werewolf YA novels I’ve had pinging in my head this year—though I don’t want to disclose what those will be about just yet. :)
7) Have you always loved reading/writing?
I’ve always loved reading, yes. My earliest favourite read I can remember was a book called: Teeny Tiny & the Witch. And I remember loving everything Enid Blyton, from Amelia Jane to Famous Five, before moving on to Judy Blume then my mum’s Mills & Boon. As for writing? For as long as I’ve been doing it, I’ve loved it yes. It’s as frustrating as heck sometimes, sure it is, but I have to love it, otherwise what would be the point? :)
8) Who/what are some of your favorite authors/books?
Now? I’ve recently stepped into dystopia for my reading material and I’ve been loving what I’ve found there so far with Hunger Games and Divergent. I’m also pretty much in love with Jennifer L. Armentrout’s work—she creates great characters for readers to connect with. Rachel Vincent always seems to create males I can fall in love with. And Black Dagger Brotherhood, Karen Marie Moning’s Fever, and Georgina Kincaid are some of my favourite series’ to date.
9) Can you give us aspiring authors any advice on writing and/or getting published?
Besides keep writing—as much as you can, whenever you can, to hone your craft—and never give up? Yeah, I’d say research. And I don’t mean research for whatever story you happen to be writing. I mean research of the industry. Get to know how the process of getting a book out there works. Take note of the publishers and what titles they produce, and the agents and who they represent. Follow blogs who post about book news and keep an eye on what’s going on. Without this knowledge, you’ll be going in blind. I often get asked ‘How do I get my book published?’ by folks who’ve decided to write a novel of their own. The information is out there in abundance. Read it, learn it, then use it to your advantage. Knowledge is power, after all—or so they say. :)
Buy the new book here
Or, any of her other titles, here
Thanks, again, to J.A. Belfield for taking the time to answer some questions (and for the awesome advise)! I really enjoyed it, I hope all of you do as well!
Robert B. Lowe is a Pulitzer-prize winning author whose fiction is based in San Francisco, his adopted home. His past experiences – a 12-year career in investigative journalism and a Harvard Law School degree – enable him to write gripping mystery thrillers in both the legal and journalistic fields. Lowe draws his inspiration from John Grisham, Dick Francis and Lee Childs and adds his own San Francisco twist. Readers will enjoy his references to the city’s landmarks such as Chinatown, North Beach and Pacific Heights and the Bay area’s foodie culture. When Lowe isn’t writing he enjoys a day at the golf course and spending time with his wife and daughters.
