A Character Interview with Rebecca Winters from LONE WOLF RISING plus a conversation with author Jami Brumfield!

Today we're bringing something different to Writing in the Modern Age in the form of a character interview.  These character interviews, now and in the future, should prove to be very enlightening for all of us. 

We have the pleasure of meeting Rebecca Winters, a character from Lone Wolf Rising. We'll get a chance to talk to the author, Jami Brumfield, in a bit, but now we have on the stage...Rebecca!

Interview

 

Marie Lavender:  Hello, Rebecca.  Please have a seat.

Character Rebecca Winters:  Thank you.  It's a pleasure to be here.
 

Marie:  We're going to start out with some simple questions, okay?

Rebecca:  Sure.

Marie:  So, what is your occupation? Are you any good at it?  Do you like it?

Rebecca:    Well, up to a few months ago I was a normal high school student who poured all my pain from losing my parents into my music. Now, I’m a werewolf alpha on the Arizona Authority council.  Am I any good at it? I was terrible at being a student… okay, I’m still terrible at it, but I have a better excuse now. My twin, Savannah, she was the bright star in school. I’m better at being an alpha than a student, but that is because there really is no learning curve. I can’t stand the authority gig but being a leader requires alliances.  Do I like it? Not really. As an alpha, I have to rebuild my non-existent pack while trying to protect my family. I haven’t done a very good job at it, especially where Savvy is concerned but I try. Gabe helps, but he can only do so much. Ultimately, the responsibility of my pack’s success lies on mine and my alpha wolf’s shoulders, at least she has hundreds of years of experience which we reluctantly rely on a lot of the time. 

Marie:  All right. What is your family like?

Rebecca:  My parents died when I was ten. Okay, we thought they died but our supposedly deceased father lurks around in the darkness. He’s comfortable there because he’s a vampire. Vampires are genetic enemies of werewolves so you can imagine I don’t invite him over for family dinners. The fact that he had a hand in turning my twin, Savvy into one of the disgusting blood suckers really does little to help bridge the gap between us. Savvy and I try, but my part in her transformation, the secrets I kept with the intent to keep her safe, actually made her what she is today. I miss her, but I only have myself to blame. My brother Hunter and I work together often, he’s a witch…okay, so am I, but I’m an alpha first. My grandmother, who became our guardian after our parents’ deaths, is pretty disappointed in my choices but we’re working on rebuilding that relationship. My alpha and pack has become family and we look out for each other. If, Siren – she likes to be called that, don’t ask me why - doesn’t keep me safe and I die, she’ll need to take up residence in someone else’s brain so she has a vested interest in keeping me safe. I don’t care much for her know-it-all attitude, but I’m smart enough to realize she is the best ally I can have.

Marie:  What did your childhood home look like?

Rebecca:  Happy. I can remember a time when mother and father were alive and we were happy. I miss those days but you can’t really go back. Time keeps moving forward and forces you to do the same.

Marie:  That's very true.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you enjoy doing? 

Rebecca: I write poetry and sing it while shredding my guitar. Sometimes I do open mic nights, but that is only when Savvy forces me to get out. My psychologist suggested I use that as a way to work through grief. If he only knew my decision to become a werewolf was my answer to the grief. Revenge. What do I enjoy doing? I suppose now I enjoy learning to fight. A war is coming and I must keep my family and pack safe.

Marie: So, what is your greatest dream?

Rebecca: To have one peaceful day without any supernatural drama.

Marie:  What kind of person do you wish you could be? What is stopping you?

Rebecca:  Sometimes I wish I could be a normal 18 year old getting ready to go off to college, but choices I’ve made make that impossible. What is stopping me? My drive for vengeance made me a supernatural leader in a virtual warzone. 

Marie:  I see.

So, who was your first love?

Rebecca: As I grow, I realize love isn’t what I thought it was. Initially, I thought my best friend Jackson was my first love, at least in a best friend capacity. Then I thought I could love and care for the Nephilim, Lucky that saved my life a couple of times but all of that doesn’t compare to the feelings I have for Gabriel Black. Lucky and Jackson will always hold spots in my heart and I hope they find the kind of love I found with Gabe.

Marie:  I know exactly what you mean. 

What's the most terrible thing that ever happened to you, Rebecca?

Rebecca:  I had to watch, helpless, as my enemy broke my sister’s neck and turned her into a vampire.

Marie:  Oh, no! I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't realize you witnessed it.

(Pauses.)

Let's try something else.

What was your dream growing up? Did you achieve that dream? If so, in what ways was it not what you expected? If you never achieved the dream, why not?

Rebecca:  I dreamt of vengeance. Did I achieve that dream? No, but it definitely got me a lot of heartache. I’m not looking for revenge anymore. I don’t want to dig anymore graves. Now I just want to see peace.

Marie:  That's understandable.

Who is your role model?

Rebecca: My sister was always my role model. She was so strong and full of goodness until she was turned.

Marie:  Again, I'm so sorry to hear it. 

Is there someone you pretend to like but really dislike?

Rebecca: Celestia. I don’t care that we have a truce. I will hate her forever for what she did to my family.

Marie:  All right. What is your deepest desire?

Rebecca: To move the pack to a quiet mountain cut off from the outside world.

Marie:  What is your greatest fear?

Rebecca:  That I will fail the people I love.

Marie:  I think we all have that fear at one point or another.

Well, it looks like we're running out of time. Thank you for visiting us today, Rebecca.

Marie:  I wish you luck with Gabe. It was so interesting getting to know you.  (Waves at her guest as she heads off the stage.)

Now, let's shift over and get the author's perspective.  We have Jami Brumfield on the stage today!  Hi, Jami!

 

Author Jami Brumfield:  Hello. 

  

Marie:  We just got to talk to the heroine of your story, Rebecca.  Quite an interesting character. Can you tell us a little about her?

 

Jami:  She’s made some bad choices, but she’s stronger than she thinks. 

 

Marie:  Okay. So, what are your character's greatest strengths? 

 

Jami:  Her ability to love despite the pain she was dealt all her life. She’s strong and inventive. Her ability to adapt to what the ever changing landscape has and will continue to help her get out of tough situations.  

 

Marie:  That is certainly admirable. So, what are her greatest weaknesses? 

 

Jami:   She underestimates herself and doesn’t know how to communicate this to the people she cares about. 

 

Marie:  What are some of her favorite foods?

 

Jami:  Rebecca loves meat, being a werewolf helps that craving but she isn’t opposed to eating sweets either.

 

Marie:  What's a positive quality that your character is unaware that he or she has?

 

Jami:  She has the ability to forgive, but hasn’t really had a chance to use this skill because so much of her life has been focused on vengeance.
 

Marie:  Will readers like or dislike this character, and why?

 

Jami:     People have really responded well to this character. They get to grow with Rebecca, which is a great reading experience. 

Marie:  That's wonderful!  (Smiles.)

Well, now that we have a real taste of Rebecca, we have a few questions for you as well as the author.   

What first gave you the idea for Lone Wolf Rising?

 

Jami:  I have always wanted to create a werewolf character that has dual personalities: the wolf and the human and they battle it out in the human’s mind. Kind of like multiple personalities, only the two personalities spark from different life forces. That was how Rebecca Winters was created and the story just grew around her character.     

 

Marie:  Fascinating!

 

So, what is your writing style like?  Are you a pantster or a plotter?

 

Jami:  I like to create the characters first and then build the world and story around them. The best stories I’ve read always had amazing characters and character growth so I decided that when I became a writer, this would be a major component to all of my stories.  Am I a pantster or a plotter? Both. The characters, supernatural elements, and ancient god elements are usually the main components I plot out when developing a story or series. I decide on a beginning and ending and start writing. The rest develops as the story develops. 

 

Marie: I’m throwing this one in for our aspiring writers.  Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Lone Wolf Rising or getting it published?  What would you do differently the next time?   

 

Jami:  Yes. I think I have the same fears with publishing that many authors do. It is scary producing a work of fiction and putting it out to the world to critique. Your voice and the story will reach some people and others it won’t. Coming to terms with that was my biggest fear and something I had to face before I could press that publish button. What would I do differently the next time? With each book I’ve published since, it has gotten easier. I have built a positive support system around me and have found that taking the chance was worth it. For aspiring writers I would say, go for it. You never know until you try.  

Marie:  I agree.  

Well, it was such a pleasure having you here on Writing in the Modern Age, Jami. We hope you can come back sometime!  :) 

Readers, I hope you all get a chance to pick up a copy of this awesome book!  

 

Here is the blurb for Lone Wolf Rising.

Revenge has deadly consequences. Seventeen year old Rebecca Winters’ main goal for ten years has been to graduate high school and take down the people who killed her parents. When she stumbled upon a werewolf pack in the middle of Phoenix, she knew she’d  found a way to make her dream come true. Instead of getting vengeance, an act of war has put her into a position of power and forces her to put her thirst for family justice on a temporary hold. 

He is duty bound to protect her. 

Lucian (Lucky) Lamont is a member of the Protectors, an elite supernatural police force who works for the Authority. Their main goal is to keep humans in the dark about the creatures who live among them. Lucky is assigned to protect and manage Rebecca, despite her refusal of help. His cover is simple; he poses as the dutiful ‘pretend’ boyfriend in order to keep an eye on the new alpha wolf. 

She is his mate. 

Gabriel Black though taking his pack back from the witch who was chosen as the new alpha would be simple. He thought wrong. His entire world was turned upside down the moment he met Rebecca at the Authority Council meeting…and he was hooked the moment he kissed her to prove she wasn’t dating his best friend, Lucky. 

It’s like being torn between two lovers.  

Rebecca is pulled in hundreds of different directions while she attempts to find a way to survive the supernatural world, protect her family, and discover who massacred her entire pack days before her first transformation. She doesn’t have time for romance.  

But the heart wants what the heart wants. 

And the wolf gets what the wolf wants – or so her alpha believes. While Rebecca manages to keep her head above water as she unlocks political and family secrets which could destroy her, she loses sight of the most important people in her life and one of them pays the ultimate price.

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00J1TBKKA

 

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lone-wolf-rising-jami-brumfield/1119403450 

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/4772680

About Jami Brumfield:

 

Jami M Brumfield has a passion for the paranormal, supernatural, and mythological worlds for most of her life. She believes there is a kernel of truth in every story and loves playing detective to discover what that hidden truth is. She has written most of her life. She started with poems and short stories, then graduated to journalism working for online websites. It was only a natural progression that her love of writing and her passion for the unknown would combine. Her books are a product of that union.

Jami is a multi-genre author in the paranormal arena. She currently has eight series out and two more in the writing process. The Winters Saga series is a Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy Adventure with a touch of romance, Mystery Springs Series is an Adult Paranormal Romance with awesome Action and a Mythological twist, PBI (Paranormal Bureau of Investigation) Case Files series is a Paranormal Mystery series with Romantic Suspense, Ghost Connection series is a New Adult Paranormal Mystery series centered around a reluctant medium and her ghostly companions, Shifter Love Tales series is an adult paranormal romance with mythological twist, Paranormal Hypnotherapy Files series is an adult paranormal romance with a metaphysical twist, Vanished is a paranormal dystopian romance series, Magical Secrets Series centers around antique hunters Josie and Joshua Parker and the mysteries they solve from magical antiques they find, and Demon Love Tales an adult paranormal romance series.

The Winters Saga:
Lone Wolf Rising
Vampire Princess Rising
Fire Master Rising (coming soon)

Mystery Springs:
The Witch's Vampire
The Faerie King's Guardian (coming soon)

PBI Case Files:
The Beginning, Adventure #1
Outbreak, Adventure #2
Lost Plane, Adventure #3
Justice Driven, Adventure #4

Ghost Connection:
Lost, Adventure #1
Death Does Not Become Her, Adventure #2

Shifter Love Tales:
To Love a Dragon (published in box set from Beau Coup Publishing titled Haunting)

Paranormal Hypnotherapy Files:
Cherished Gift (published in Mystical Xmas Box Set)

Vanished:
Death Interrupted
The Mating Challenge (published in Eros box set)

Demon Fairy Tales:
The Dragon's Demon (part of the Mystical Royal Love box set)

Magical Secrets Series:
Genie's Treasure (part of the Windswept Anthology)

By day Jami works with hypnotherapy and coaching clients and in her nights, she focuses on creating new urban fantasy and paranormal romantic thrill rides for your enjoyment.

For monthly giveaways, contests, updates and sneak peeks subscribe to her newsletter here https://www.facebook.com/authorjamibrumfield/app_100265896690345

Author Links:

Blog:  http://jamibrumfield.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamiBrumfieldAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JamiMBrumfield

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7414345.Jami_Brumfield

Amazon Author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Jami-Brumfield/e/B00HUJURIE/

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/108589382456839896449/posts  

https://plus.google.com/u/0/101366862617171636695/posts

Publisher:  http://www.beaucoupllcpublishing.com/jami-brumfield/

Radio Show:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormalaffairs

Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeuNIHkbbeuTjNJjvNefYw

Newsletter:  http://spiritandmindconnection.us7.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=1eaee477a5c8cad422a7f00fc&id=e025fdf09c

 

Jami's Books:

Coming Soon:

 

Available Now:     

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

Once again, I want to thank both of our guests, Rebecca Winters, the female main character of Lone Wolf Rising, and Jami Brumfield, the brilliant author of the novel, for stopping by!  It was a pleasure to have you here.