Interview with Author Samantha Cross

My guest today is Samantha.  Hello!  Welcome back to Writing in the Modern Age!  It’s such a pleasure to have you here.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it? 

 

My book is Lunar Rampage, a horror comedy about a girl who agrees to spend the summer with her kooky grandmother renovating her house. Unbeknownst to her, the small town is festering with werewolves, and it very well could be someone she knows. It was released on May 12th of this year, and you can purchase it through Amazon.

 

Is there anything that prompted your latest book?  Something that inspired you?

 

A dream I had back in early 2008. It was one of those dreams that was so atmospheric and intense that I found myself jotting down every detail in the middle of the night. I knew I'd never forgive myself if I went back to sleep and forgot it all. It was a bit vague but it inspired me greatly. The very first part of the dream I recall was a woman standing in the forest taking pictures, which is what prompted me to make my lead, Cora, a photographer. Years later it suddenly came to me that I could make it a first person narrative, seen through the eyes of a quirky personality, and thus it could be a little more lighthearted than I initially planned.

 

Sounds fascinating! 

 

So, when did you know you wanted to write? Or has it always been a pastime of yours?

 

I don't remember a time where I wasn't writing. It wasn't until I was in high school that I began to take it seriously. Writing helped me through a lot of rough times, but I was convinced I could never make a career out of it. Now, obviously I'm no Stephen King but we all have to start somewhere, right? Fifteen year old me would never believe I'd be able to call myself a published author.

Isn't it funny how that happens?

 

Let's try another question. Do you have any favorite authors?

 

I guess you could say I'm a promiscuous reader, as I can't settle down with one author. Ha ha. I'm one of those people that checks out books based on an interesting blurb on the back of a book or if I hear through word of mouth a book I may enjoy. Clive Barker is someone whose mind fascinates me, though.

All right. 

 

So, do you write in a specific place? Time of day?

 

It's always in my room, at my desk, on my laptop. When I was a teenager I always wrote in the afternoon, but now that I'm older I find the later at night the better. I put on my headphones to drown out the noise and then go to town.

Great plan!

 

Are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?

 

Write for yourself. If you try to write what you think other people expect or what is popular you're going to find it a chore to finish the book. And always try to write whenever you can, even if it's a sentence or one line of dialogue. Eventually it'll build up. It's better than writing nothing at all.

That's awesome advice, Samantha! I totally agree.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit us today here at Writing in the Modern Age.  It was such a pleasure having you here again!  :) 
 

Readers, here is the blurb for Lunar Rampage.

Photographer, animal lover, and unfortunately for the summer, the new girl in town, Cora Nash considers herself a simple girl. Renovating and living at her grandmother's house seemed like a good idea, until events took a turn for the bizarre. Garbage cans viciously torn into, howls from the woods, wild animals behaving erratically, and an ominous warning from the good looking bad boy, "Stay out the forest."

This seemingly normal town hides a mysterious and violent secret. When one of the townsfolk up and disappears in the forest, leaving nothing but a pair of shoes, Cora is the only person willing to investigate. The answer, however, is nothing she could have ever anticipated, when under a full moon she finds herself face to face with a… werewolf.

If werewolves don’t exist, where did it come from? And… more importantly, who could it be? 

Here is an excerpt. 

“I’m not hiding anything, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yes, play dumb. Pretend you don’t notice him undressing you with his eyes. 

Out of nowhere he asked, “Do you care about Owen?” 

“Yes, of course I do.” 

“How much?” he emphasized. I thought I had been perfectly clear where I stood, but Max obviously thought I was holding out secret feelings for Owen. Feelings that for me were completely platonic. 

“I care about him, but not that way. He knows that.” 

I expected to see some kind of relieved or satisfied expression on Max’s face, but he simply turned his eyes to a strand of hair that had fallen from my rose hair clip. He captured the strand between his fingers and unclasped my clip, sliding it beneath it slowly until I had goosebumps covering the back of my neck and arms. “You have this weird way about you,” he said gently while snapping my clip shut. “Something about you makes it hard to shake you from the mind. You’re like an annoying pop song.” 

“Does it have to be annoying?” I asked, swallowing deeply and trying to ignore the thousands of goosebumps popping up all over my skin. 

His hands pulled away from me, but the eye contact remained. “The best kinds are.” 

His hand grazed the apple of my cheek, stroking downwards with the tips of his knuckles—a tender gesture I had no idea was inside Max. I wanted to close my eyes and enjoy the moment, but I was so perplexed at the rate in which this all was happening. We hardly knew each other, but yet I was being sucked in completely. Any doubt I had about his feelings for me were now gone. 

Max breathed slowly into me and I could feel his body gravitating toward mine with only inches dividing our chests. His eyes were steady on mine with such provocative determination that it became clear as the full moon above us that he was going to kiss me. And I was going to let him. I could practically taste his lips already. 

But all that was abruptly and chaotically stopped.

Well, I'm hooked!

 

Thanks again for stopping by, Samantha! :)

 

Purchase Links for Lunar Rampage:

 

Universal Amazon link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00X68H7BS 

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lunar-rampage-samantha-cross/1121910447

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/5479542

 

Author Bio

I was born in a very small town in Connecticut called Putnam, and when I was two years old my parents moved back to their home state of Michigan, where I was raised and still reside. From a very early age I found myself telling stories, either through make believe or the use of dolls. I didn't see it as being childish, but as a way to act out all the dramatic stories I had in my head. I knew quite early in life that I wanted to be a writer, but I was convinced I couldn't have it as a career. I tried to find alternate avenues, but writing always pulled me back in, and I never found more happiness than when I was creating characters and alternate worlds.

There is no genre I will not touch, and I am currently in the process of rewriting my post-apocalyptic thriller, and a sequel to my recently released novel, Lunar Rampage.

 

Author Links: 

Website:  http://truthunwinding.wix.com/samanthacross
Blog: http://ihaverecurringnightmares.tumblr.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/AuthorSamanthaCross

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/Truth_Unwinding
Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-Cross/e/B00XCJY7YG/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13932019.Samantha_Cross
Publisher:  http://solsticepublishing.com/samantha-cross/

 

Samantha's Book: