Hey Everyone!! :-)
Lily Luchesi is joining us today! Lily, please tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Lily: Hi! I'm Lily Luchesi, and I am a new author. My debut novel Stake-Out (Paranormal Detectives Book 1) was released on May 19th via the fabulous indie press Vamptasy Publishing. I have also contributed a short vampire romance to the Crushing Hearts And Black Butterfly anthology Love Sucks, called Undead Ever After. I love words, I love reading and I love writing. When I'm not reading and writing, I'm watching horror films and television, listening to music or watching anime.
Me: I'm guessing your favorite movie monsters are vampires? ;-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lily: My latest book is Stake-Out, and it's about a mortal cop in Chicago whose perp turns out to be a vampire. After he loses his job because his captain thinks he's crazy, he falls into depression...until the beautiful and deadly Angelica Cross comes to his door to recruit him to join a special branch of the FBI to hunt down the rogue vampire before he makes all of Chicago his next meal.
I was inspired to write it because I have two obsessions when it comes to literature: vampire stories and crime thrillers. I was watching a crime drama on TV and thought, "What if a cop's perp turned out to be a vampire?" That night I had the prologue written, and the rest just kept coming. I wrote the whole thing in less than two months, and wound up with enough material to make it a four book series.
Me: Cool! :-) What are you working on now?
Lily: Right now I have two upcoming publications for which I am working on edits: a short erotic horror story The Devil's Dozen for the Hot Ink Press anthology Death, Love And Lust and the sequel to Stake-Out, which is called Miranda's Rights. The Devil's Dozen is an LGBTQA story about a woman falling in lust with the Angel of Death and the anthology will be released on November 14th.
Miranda's Rights continues about half a year after Stake-Out ends, with Danny trying to forget about his time hunting vampires. He just wants to be normal, but when an old enemy resurfaces, sending renegade werewolves to capture him, he needs to go back to the Paranormal Investigative Division...and back to Angelica. But he never expected a dead ex to show up after twenty-six years... That will be released on January 8th, 2016.
Me: Sounds like you have a plan. :-) What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lily: I was inspired early on by classic writers, like Poe, Tolkien, the Bronte sisters, Stoker, Shakespeare and the like. As a young adult, I discovered the joys of vampire teen fiction with Ellen Schreiber, Heather Brewer (now known as Zac Brewer) and Darren Shan. Their works have been quite influential to me and the way I see vampires. Later in my teens, I discovered Terri Garey and Stephen King. Mrs. Garey made me see a way to make horror and paranormal more approachable to a wider audience. King...what can I say? He mixes beautiful language, gruesome imagery and humanity into crazy wild rides. If I could be even one tenth as talented as he, I would be happy!
Me: Poe and Tolkien are on my favs list too. ;-) What are you reading now?
Lily: Now I read everything. I still gravitate towards horror and paranormal, but I have really broadened my horizons in the past few years. I love Carmilla Voiez, she really gave the horror genre a makeover! Also a huge fan of Rue Volley, Cameo Renae, Stephen Kozeniewski, Mary Fan, Traci Borum, Katie Keller-Nieman, John Benedict, Skye Knizley, Elizabeth Montgomery, Suanne Laqueur and SM Reine. I also still read all of the authors I mentioned above, especially loving Darren Shan's adult books he wrote as Darren Dash.
Me: Wonderful! :-) For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Lily: Don't have any expectations. I am a fan of horror. A world where vampires are killers who love to snap necks and kill lycans. While there is a romantic element to Stake-Out, it is not a romance book and I would never try to sell it as paranormal romance. I also want them to expect to get a kick ass female lead. Angelica Cross is everything I always wanted to have in a leading lady, but rarely found. For females reading this, I think they're going to enjoy her attitude.
The book is part mystery and part horror adventure. It's short and I hope it packs a punch and makes you, reader, crave the next book!
Me: Sounds interesting. :-) What is your favorite part of being an author?
Lily: I thought my favorite part was going to be getting my work out into the world, but I was wrong. It's not the work, it's what comes after the work is released: meeting amazing fellow authors and readers. I have made so many wonderful friends since publishing my novel. I am very blessed. While writing is a LOT of work, especially being an indie writer, the results and the people I have gotten to know are so worth it.
Me: Yes, the indie community is awesome! :-) Do you have a day job as well?
Lily: I do not. I am only twenty-one, and have had very bad anxiety and depression issues since I was seventeen. I have PTSD, insomnia and chronic nightmares. Writing helps me focus and has made me get a little better since I have had this job to focus on. There are days getting out of bed is very difficult, but God, my mother and writing have gotten me through the worst of it.
Me: It's good you've found an outlet. :-) What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Lily: Hardest part for me is the self doubt. Is this good enough? Will people like it? Will they keep coming back for the next book? Will people make fun of my hard work? I have, as I mentioned, anxiety issues, so that makes writing hard. The easiest part. Hmm. I think the writing itself. There are days I sit and swear at my laptop because I have writer's block, but when the words flow, it's like I'm not even the one writing. As if my characters are telling me their stories. That's the most fun and easiest part of being an author.
Me: It truly is amazing when the muse is with you. :-) What genre do you place your book in?
Lily: Horror and supernatural thriller. I have it on Amazon as "Vampire mystery" and I think that's as close to accurate as you're going to get!
Me: Great! Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Lily: Don't give up. I don't care if you're fifteen or fifty. If you have a dream, work hard and don't give up. I started sending submissions since I was sixteen, and received some rejection letters so harsh I cried myself to sleep for days. I quit for almost a year, till my mom made me remember why I was working so hard. So I kept going.
The same advice can be given to you, reader, no matter what it is you're going through. It might be something as small as a fight with your significant other, or something as major as a terminal illness or death of a loved one. Don't give up. Keep going till you reach a happy place. Life is always going to give you lemons, but here's the thing: the more lemons you get, the more opportunities you have to make sweet lemonade! My favorite saying is this: "If you're going through Hell, keep going."
And remember what Stephen King said in Rose Madder: "It ain't the blows we're dealt that matter, but the ones we survive."
Me: So true!! Are there any links you'd like me to post?
Lily: Hi! I'm Lily Luchesi, and I am a new author. My debut novel Stake-Out (Paranormal Detectives Book 1) was released on May 19th via the fabulous indie press Vamptasy Publishing. I have also contributed a short vampire romance to the Crushing Hearts And Black Butterfly anthology Love Sucks, called Undead Ever After. I love words, I love reading and I love writing. When I'm not reading and writing, I'm watching horror films and television, listening to music or watching anime.
Me: I'm guessing your favorite movie monsters are vampires? ;-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lily: My latest book is Stake-Out, and it's about a mortal cop in Chicago whose perp turns out to be a vampire. After he loses his job because his captain thinks he's crazy, he falls into depression...until the beautiful and deadly Angelica Cross comes to his door to recruit him to join a special branch of the FBI to hunt down the rogue vampire before he makes all of Chicago his next meal.
I was inspired to write it because I have two obsessions when it comes to literature: vampire stories and crime thrillers. I was watching a crime drama on TV and thought, "What if a cop's perp turned out to be a vampire?" That night I had the prologue written, and the rest just kept coming. I wrote the whole thing in less than two months, and wound up with enough material to make it a four book series.
Me: Cool! :-) What are you working on now?
Lily: Right now I have two upcoming publications for which I am working on edits: a short erotic horror story The Devil's Dozen for the Hot Ink Press anthology Death, Love And Lust and the sequel to Stake-Out, which is called Miranda's Rights. The Devil's Dozen is an LGBTQA story about a woman falling in lust with the Angel of Death and the anthology will be released on November 14th.
Miranda's Rights continues about half a year after Stake-Out ends, with Danny trying to forget about his time hunting vampires. He just wants to be normal, but when an old enemy resurfaces, sending renegade werewolves to capture him, he needs to go back to the Paranormal Investigative Division...and back to Angelica. But he never expected a dead ex to show up after twenty-six years... That will be released on January 8th, 2016.
Me: Sounds like you have a plan. :-) What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lily: I was inspired early on by classic writers, like Poe, Tolkien, the Bronte sisters, Stoker, Shakespeare and the like. As a young adult, I discovered the joys of vampire teen fiction with Ellen Schreiber, Heather Brewer (now known as Zac Brewer) and Darren Shan. Their works have been quite influential to me and the way I see vampires. Later in my teens, I discovered Terri Garey and Stephen King. Mrs. Garey made me see a way to make horror and paranormal more approachable to a wider audience. King...what can I say? He mixes beautiful language, gruesome imagery and humanity into crazy wild rides. If I could be even one tenth as talented as he, I would be happy!
Me: Poe and Tolkien are on my favs list too. ;-) What are you reading now?
Lily: Now I read everything. I still gravitate towards horror and paranormal, but I have really broadened my horizons in the past few years. I love Carmilla Voiez, she really gave the horror genre a makeover! Also a huge fan of Rue Volley, Cameo Renae, Stephen Kozeniewski, Mary Fan, Traci Borum, Katie Keller-Nieman, John Benedict, Skye Knizley, Elizabeth Montgomery, Suanne Laqueur and SM Reine. I also still read all of the authors I mentioned above, especially loving Darren Shan's adult books he wrote as Darren Dash.
Me: Wonderful! :-) For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Lily: Don't have any expectations. I am a fan of horror. A world where vampires are killers who love to snap necks and kill lycans. While there is a romantic element to Stake-Out, it is not a romance book and I would never try to sell it as paranormal romance. I also want them to expect to get a kick ass female lead. Angelica Cross is everything I always wanted to have in a leading lady, but rarely found. For females reading this, I think they're going to enjoy her attitude.
The book is part mystery and part horror adventure. It's short and I hope it packs a punch and makes you, reader, crave the next book!
Me: Sounds interesting. :-) What is your favorite part of being an author?
Lily: I thought my favorite part was going to be getting my work out into the world, but I was wrong. It's not the work, it's what comes after the work is released: meeting amazing fellow authors and readers. I have made so many wonderful friends since publishing my novel. I am very blessed. While writing is a LOT of work, especially being an indie writer, the results and the people I have gotten to know are so worth it.
Me: Yes, the indie community is awesome! :-) Do you have a day job as well?
Lily: I do not. I am only twenty-one, and have had very bad anxiety and depression issues since I was seventeen. I have PTSD, insomnia and chronic nightmares. Writing helps me focus and has made me get a little better since I have had this job to focus on. There are days getting out of bed is very difficult, but God, my mother and writing have gotten me through the worst of it.
Me: It's good you've found an outlet. :-) What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Lily: Hardest part for me is the self doubt. Is this good enough? Will people like it? Will they keep coming back for the next book? Will people make fun of my hard work? I have, as I mentioned, anxiety issues, so that makes writing hard. The easiest part. Hmm. I think the writing itself. There are days I sit and swear at my laptop because I have writer's block, but when the words flow, it's like I'm not even the one writing. As if my characters are telling me their stories. That's the most fun and easiest part of being an author.
Me: It truly is amazing when the muse is with you. :-) What genre do you place your book in?
Lily: Horror and supernatural thriller. I have it on Amazon as "Vampire mystery" and I think that's as close to accurate as you're going to get!
Me: Great! Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Lily: Don't give up. I don't care if you're fifteen or fifty. If you have a dream, work hard and don't give up. I started sending submissions since I was sixteen, and received some rejection letters so harsh I cried myself to sleep for days. I quit for almost a year, till my mom made me remember why I was working so hard. So I kept going.
The same advice can be given to you, reader, no matter what it is you're going through. It might be something as small as a fight with your significant other, or something as major as a terminal illness or death of a loved one. Don't give up. Keep going till you reach a happy place. Life is always going to give you lemons, but here's the thing: the more lemons you get, the more opportunities you have to make sweet lemonade! My favorite saying is this: "If you're going through Hell, keep going."
And remember what Stephen King said in Rose Madder: "It ain't the blows we're dealt that matter, but the ones we survive."
Me: So true!! Are there any links you'd like me to post?
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