Thank you for joining me today, Tina. It is a pleasure hosting you as part of the ASMSG Electorate Blog Hop. Please introduce yourself to our readers in 100 words or less.
Thank you for having me, it's an honor. Hello everyone in Hunter's universe, I'm Tina Traverse and I guess you can say like all of you, I wear many hats but one of my favorites underneath the mother hat is writer. I was born and raised in the picturesque seaside town of Dunville, Newfoundland, Canada. I'm an only child. I've been together with my first and only love, Gerard for 20 years and we have two handsome and loveable boys, Christian age 13 and Brandon age 4 who keep us on our toes. I'm not an adventure seeker, nor do I have a career that allows me the money or opportunity to travel the world and see the historic sites I've been dreaming to see since I was young, but I was given the gift of an excellent imagination that allows me to form my own worlds on paper and share them with others.
What motivated you to become a writer?
At the age of eight, my third grade class was given an assignment to rewrite in our own words a bible story. I chose the Good Samaritan and when I read it in front of my class and got such good reviews, I was hooked on story telling.
Do you use beta readers and an outside editor? How have they shaped your journey into publishing?
Yes, I use both, but I never used to. Before becoming a part of a very supportive and knowledgeable writer's group, ASMSG(Author Social Media Support Group) I was naïve and believed all I had to do was write without any editing. I had no clue what a polished manuscript looked like or what beta readers were or the importance of a good cover. I met some of my beta readers and landed myself an excellent editor through this group. All who aren't afraid to be honest and constructive with me. They are able to look at my story with unbiased eyes and see what's wrong and what's right with the story so I can make the story I'm telling the best it can be for my readers. I've learned so much so far and I can finally say that I'm a good writer with lots of growing potential. Which makes me happy because my worlds are worthy of exploring.
What is your latest work? How did you develop the concept and characters?
My latest published work, Let There Be Blood was born from a two year friendship with an New York actress that I met through social media. She hosts a fan page of one of my favorite actors(who also is a friend of hers) and we quickly became friends. We spoke about our passions, mine for writing, hers for acting and the ups and downs of our chosen paths. She began to tell me the other side of acting what it was really like for her and this other actor and that got me thinking. Fame isn't all glamor. There is a dark side behind the parties, fashionable clothes and screaming fans. The sacrifice of one's soul to do what they love. A story begin to form in my mind inspired by these conversations. It would dive into the life of a celebrity who seemingly has it all. The fame. The fortune. The good looks, charm and devoted screaming fans who all want a piece of him. Behind all of this he struggles with the nightmare of the true price of fame
Would you introduce us to your characters?
Sure.
Aaron Brooks: As an only child, Aaron Brooks spent the majority of his youth being severely bullied because of his low self-esteem and obesity. His only light was his best friend, Martina who shared his inflictions and because he felt she was the only one that could understand him, he quickly fell in love with her. After the senseless deaths of his parents, Aaron fled his hometown and Martina, in search of a new start. Settling in New York, his roommate befriends him and teaches Aaron that the key to a healthy mind is a healthy body. Heading his friend's advice, Aaron soon is transformed. With his new looks and self-confidence he finds success as an actor. Aaron finally has the life he wants. Glamor, prestige, and after reuniting with his estranged best friend, he has the love he always craved. However, Aaron soon finds out that there is a price to be paid for this good fortune and he can't outrun the nightmares that haunt him.
Avery Evers: Aaron's best friend and co-star. Avery has known the glory of fame for longer than Aaron and revels in it. At the beginning of his fame, Avery fell into the all too familiar trap that young celebrities fall into by indulging in endless parties, alcohol and easy women. This lifestyle comes to an end when he meets and falls in love with his co-star Shawna Jones who tames his wild ways but not his carefree spirit and extroverted personality. When Avery is introduced to Aaron Brooks the two of them become fast friends and develop a strong brotherly bond. Avery and Aaron are inseparable and share a secret. The two of them work hard to keep this secret under wraps but an incident will threaten to expose that secret and the friendship they built.
Martina Murphy-Brooks: Aaron's childhood best friend and secret object of his affection. Martina became friends with Aaron when she transferred to his junior high. They formed a quick bond when they both were bullied because of their size and learned to look after each other. Martina grew up in a variety of foster homes, never knowing who her parents were, though she heard rumors they were a part of a drug cartel. Martina doted on Aaron, giving him little gifts like a different bag of candy every Friday, which led to Aaron calling her his Candy Angel. When Aaron abandoned her she was devastated but moved on with her life, marrying young and giving birth to a daughter, Katrina.
Katrina Murphy: The only daughter of Martina Murphy, Katrina lost her father at a young age. She is shy and sweet but at the age of 13 she began experiencing wild mood swings, going from manic highs to crippling lows. She was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. With the help of medications and therapy Katrina lives a normal, teenage life which includes an infatuation with Aaron and Avery's vampire characters, Lance and Toby on the popular Let there be blood series. To her delight, after winning a contest, she discovers that her mother was best friends with Aaron Brooks. Aaron and her mother get married and she becomes Aaron's adoptive daughter to the envy of her friends.
What would the readers find most intriguing about each of your book’s main characters?
Aaron Brooks: The most intriguing thing about Aaron is his fierce love and devotion to Martina and Katrina. Here is a guy with the world at his feet, stardom affording him anything and everything he could wish, including any woman, but he still is in love with the girl from junior high and has taken her daughter has his own.
Avery Evers: Avery has many sides. He is carefree and is known as a daredevil who loves adventure and fun but he has a deeper side. He holds a secret that has shaped his life and which he would do anything to keep.
Martina Murphy-Brooks: Martina has many passions. She has followed her dream and become a very successful author who is adored by young adult readers around the world. She has a fierce devotion to her daughter but it's her passion for Aaron that has shaped her life.
Katrina Murphy: Fierce and passionate are traits she inherited from her mother. Katrina is a sweet and shy girl but don't get in her way when she is after something she wants.
What item would we find in your refrigerator that would surprise us?
A bloody blade! I wouldn't ask any further questions.
How can we find you on social media?
Facebook: Let there be blood page:
Writers on the Wharf(my blog or the place where I can talk to myself without it looking weird)
Twitter:
My extra question:
I would be remiss if I ended this interview without answering this: What was my most passionate work that I did as a writer?
Easy. It's a labor of love called Forever, Christian. My son Christian was diagnosed with high functioning autism in 2010. It had took nine years filled with frustration, tears, and concerns falling on deaf ears before my concerns were heard and something was done. Once I had the diagnosis a ball of mixed emotions overwhelmed me and I needed to find an outlet. The way that I work through my feelings is through writing, so I sat down and wrote down my feelings about this condition I never heard of until...
Thank you so much for joining me today, Tina. You have been delightful to work with!
Please join the rest of the ASMSG Blog Hop. Have a beautiful day, beautiful friends! Remember to enter the following Rafflecopter to win some super>uber indie ebooks, too!
March 25
March 26
March 27
March 28
March 29
.jpeg)
