Monday, July 22, 2013

Meet Paranormal Author Gerilyn Marin!



 Gerilyn Marin
Paranormal/Fantasy

     
     Enjoy this week's guest author! She's sticking around all week to chat with you so do leave her a question or comment. Her book is on sale this week - a great price to grab your copy of her book.


Deanna:  Gerilyn, welcome to out chat with my readers. Tell us a bit about yourself.


Gerilyn:  Deanna, thank you for having me! I recently became a vegetarian (though I will indulge in seafood on special occasions).

     Even though I am pagan by choice (have been since about the age of 17)), but I was raised Roman Catholic, and was pretty active in my parents' church as a child; I performed on stage to raise money for children's charities 'til I was about 16.

    When I was 16, Brandon Lee died filming the iconic, comic book-based movie The Crow. Unlike a lot of other people my age at that time, I was familiar with him, and a fan of his, before he took on the role of Eric Draven. The moment I learned of his death—I remember it crystal clear—I stood, walked down two flights of stairs to my bedroom, changed into all black . . . and have kept that as a staple of my wardrobe to this day. Occasionally I wear colors, but that's usually a sign that I'm not in the mood to be out of the house.


Deanna:  Wow, that's definitely a change to make for a fan. For an evening out, would it be dinner or a movie? What would the dinner be? What might the movie be?


Gerilyn:  Ideally, it would be both. With four kids, my husband and I don't get out much, so if we have to pick one, it'll usually be dinner, since it allows for 'us time'. I'm very low-key, very no-fuss, so when we do get to go out to eat, it's simple, Applebee's, Red Lobster, or a local dinner. If it was a movie, what I'd want to see would be along the lines of The Conjuring. I love supernatural, non-gory horror movies. But they have to be extremely spooky, they have to make me want to look over my shoulder to be sure there's no dark, looming apparition behind me or they bore me.

      But, I'd have to drag my husband into the theater. My movies are not his cup of tea.


Deanna:  But the right frame of mind for an author! Do you prefer wine, whiskey, scotch, or ice tea?


Gerilyn:  I'm a whiskey girl, but I don't drink very often at all. I was a jack & coke girl when I was younger. So I'd have to say that most of the time, I'd probably opt for the iced tea.


Deanna:  What do you do to relax when you aren’t writing?


Gerilyn: Relaxing for me usually involves things other people wouldn't consider relaxing. I comb through Netflix for spooky Asian supernatural horror films, watch shows like Paranormal Witness (I actually prefer true ghost stories). I am also a gamer, I my favorites are Dragon Age (Origins & II) and Silent Hill 3.


Deanna: Do you have to split your writing time between a day job?


Gerilyn: Technically, yes. I don't have a 'day job', but I'm a stay home mom of 4 (the youngest is 18 months, the oldest 14 years), so there is a lot of time when I get no writing done, no matter how I want to, or try, because I've been covered in children all day. Can't wait for summer break to be over.


Deanna: Enjoy these times, they grow too fast. As authors, we’ve sometimes been accused of being several people. How many personalities live in your mind?


Gerilyn:  Wow, um, probably depends on which stories I'm working on at a given time. Sometimes I have more muses than I know what to do with, other times I may as well have tumbleweeds blowin' around up there.


Deanna:  How many plots do you include in one of your books?


Gerilyn: Several. There are the smaller, character-based issues, relationship issues, and then something larger that's brewing beneath all that which affects, or at least has ties in some fashion, to all of the characters, even if the outcome only ends up affecting a few.


Deanna:  Readers love to know how writers spend their day. Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.


Gerilyn:  During the summer, there's actually not much to my day that as a writer, what with all the kids home from school, but a typical, when-school's-in-session day, I get up at 5:30, get my husband out the door work, have my coffee, about an hour later, I wake up the boys and get them out to school. That leaves Jenessa (the 18 month old) home. She's such a good baby, she'll sit and tap away on her baby laptop while mommy's on the computer. I'll usually spend an hour or two either reading what I've got so far on the piece I'm working on, or watching something that will spark the spooky creativity. I'll write, or work on plot 'til it's time to pick up the boys in the afternoon, and from there, I kind of consider trying to get anything else creative done that day a lost cause. I'm just happy to have any time to myself.


Deanna:  What one thing would you pass on to new writers?


Gerilyn: Keep writing. That's kind of it. Just keep writing, and don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do it.


Deanna: I totally agree with that. If you can envision it, it can happen...so never stop thinking of what you want to accomplish. Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?


Gerilyn: Not intentionally, but if I look at Buried, and my works in progress, and planned future works, I can't help but notice that they all make use of the very simple, but always intriguing, idea that nothing is ever what it seems.


Deanna: What are the physical characteristics that you admire in a man?


Gerilyn:  Height, definitely. But then, according to my husband, most people are 'tall' to me, 'cause I'm kinda little. Tans, I find more exotic skin tones very appealing. And I'm definitely a sucker for long hair, and prefer a man who can rock a mustache-and-goatee.


Deanna:  Tell us about your latest book and the type of reader it may appeal to.


Gerilyn:  Buried is a YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance. It takes place in this town on the Northeast coast that is, for lack of a better term, haunted. Problem is no one knows why it's haunted, because they can't remember what made the town this way. The main characters, Cadence and Grey, dig into the mystery of the town's past to try to 'fix' things, and rid Grey of a rather large skeleton in his family's closet.


Deanna:  Tell us about Grey, the hero of your latest book.


Gerilyn: Grey is, in a word, adorable. He does have a pretty good sense of humor, and he's very protective of those close to him, but he doesn't easily trust other people.


Deanna:  Tell us about Cadence, the heroine of your latest book.


Gerilyn: Snarky is the first thing that comes to mind about Cadence. She's psychic, so by nature, she's a bit more exposed to the occurrences in the town than the other residents, so she's learned to shield herself with humor and sarcasm. She doesn't realize it, but she sort of keeps people, even those she thinks are close to her, at arm's length.


Deanna:  Do you write in more than one genre?


Gerilyn:  Not at the moment, I really only enjoy paranormal and urban fantasy myself, so it's all I find myself writing. I do have some ideas for science fiction stories in the future, but that's going to require a lot of research, I think.


Deanna: As a paranormal romance author, do you feel the paranormal is real? That there is more to our world than we can see and touch?


Gerilyn:  Absolutely. I've had experiences myself, and heard plenty from those I would consider reliable sources about things they've experienced. I think everyone has had that moment when you feel like someone is standing right behind you, but you turn quickly and no one is there. I just don't think I can believe that 'we' are all there is.


Deanna: The paranormal is real and we are NOT alone! LOL Would you ever write a book that did not have any romance in it?


Gerilyn:  I could write a book without romance, but I don't think I would, 'cause I don't think I'd ever want to. Life isn't much fun without romance . . . or the supernatural.

Blurb:


Cadence McKenna knows her town is, well, odd. And yet, residents are accustomed to the near-daily supernatural happenings. When Gray Addison moves to Fane's Cove and stays, she is shocked to find that she's the only one who believes there must be something strange about him. With her life-long - if minor - psychic sensitivity, she knows that what she feels isn't simple paranoia. After all, how many normal guys pay no mind to poltergeist activity occurring right in front of them?  Cadence can't dismiss her feelings until she understands why he's in Fane's Cove. Even if it means sticking her neck out by getting close to him... and learning more about her town's history than anyone would ever want to know.


Excerpt:

"You want us to skulk around the school in the dead of night on Halloween?" Yeah, like schools weren't creepy enough after sundown, already. "Most of the rooms will be locked. How are we going to do that?"

"I might know how to pick locks."

I turn my head very slowly to look at him. "Should I even ask why?"

"Probably better that you don't." He's determinedly keeping his eyes on the road.

I really want to know, but I suppose it's not important right now. "All right, then."

"So," he says after making an obvious effort to let go of some tension I haven't realized he's been holding. "Wanna be my date for the Halloween Dance, then?"

I snort, talking before I can stop my lips from moving. "Why don't you just go with Sarah?"

Cringing, I clamp my lips shut. My tone had been totally spurned-girl. There's no way he missed that, and even if he did, I'm pretty sure my reaction to my own slip-up speaks volumes.

Sure enough, I look over to find him smirking.

"I'm sorry, who's jealous?" He asks.

"I am . . . not jealous." I try to think of something else to say, but nothing comes to mind.

"You so are."

"Pfft, whatev. I don't even like you, remember?"

Suddenly, he hits the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. I watch in complete surprise as he looks around, checking if any cars are coming.

The moment Grey turns to face me, he reaches out quickly, cupping the back of my head, and pulls me close.

I'm so shocked, that before I can register what's happening, he's kissing me.

His lips are soft, and warm . . . and he smells good. I can't stop myself from kissing him back. The tip of his tongue strokes across my bottom lip, and I give in, feeling the sweet, tingling sensation of his breath rushing into my mouth.

But just as his tongue slips between my lips, the angry blare of a car horn sounds behind us.

He pulls back, pressing his forehead to mine for just a second and whispering, "Whoops," before he slips away entirely and puts the Jeep into drive again.

I slump in my seat, reminding myself to breathe, and letting the heat that's just flooded my face cool.

"You always let yourself get kissed by guys you don't like?"

"Never," I say as soon as my voice starts working.

"There ya go," he says with a laugh.

"Fine, you proved your point. I don't not like you."

"Do you always have to be so difficult?"

I shrug and force a syrupy smile. "It's part of my charm."

The eBook is on sale 
from 7/15-7/21 for $0.99

Bio:  

Gerilyn Marin is a self-proclaimed gothic tree-hugger, currently residing in the same small town where she grew up with her husband & 4 children. She is fascinated by paranormal phenomena & ancient cultures, and has received several awards and nominations for her writing. When not tapping away at the keyboard, or being yelled for by small people, Gerilyn spends time shying away from the sun, staring dreamily at pictures of supposedly haunted houses and deciding what color she'll next use to torture her hair.


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