Tuesday, February 18, 2014

My Interview With an Author and a Dragon. Meet Theresa and Farloft.


  


I met Theresa and her dragon friend, Farloft, on Twitter. Theresa is a writer with a backlog of novellas. Farloft lives with Theresa part-time and steals her Twitter account on the last day of every month in order to tweet to ‘his’ followers.

I thought you all would enjoy meeting Theresa and Farloft. My friend and visiting dragon, Keensight, decided to sit in on this interview with me...
More after the jump!


1)     So Theresa, tell us about your most recent release.
Theresa: My most recent release is a paranormal called “Shifting in The Realms” in The Twin Cities Series. It is my first foray into the paranormal.

Farloft: *clears throat and nudges Theresa in the shoulder with muzzle* In December we released the 5th in The Farloft Chronicles.

Theresa: Oh yes, it is hard to ignore the dragon in the room *pats on the neck* We are here to talk about the Big Lizard, aren’t we?

Farloft: Indeed! *toothy grin*
Theresa: I posted the 5th volume of The Farloft Chronicles on the 28th of December to Kindle, but it has been a wild ten months in which I have posted thirteen books to Kindle, five fantasy in The Farloft Chronicles, six sci-fi in the Star Traveler Series, one memoir and the paranormal. I have been writing books since 1990 and was encouraged by my writing group to share with the public.

Farloft: My Farloft Chronicles have received all 5 Star reviews *puffs out chest with pride*

2)      What else do you have coming out?
Theresa: In 2014 I have plans for yet another in each of the series scifi, fantasy, and paranormal. I have the seventh Star Traveler volume written and am posting it to my blog for feedback from my readers. The next Farloft Chronicle is about a third written.

Farloft: The Spacemen are nice enough fellows and the wolf boy is at least urban fantasy. *ruffles wings and licks tip of nose* But, I am making friends right and left. My public is anxiously awaiting another volume. *looks pointedly at Theresa*

3)      You talk about your public, Farloft. You have really been making friends on twitter. I understand you have a contest going. Can you tell us about it and are you on any other social media?

Farloft: Theresa had the idea to send a little thank you gift of a Follow Farloft pin to my favorite twitter friends. She sent about a hundred out. They started appearing on twitter as posts. People were taking my buttons all over and sending us pictures of them. Kind of like the Traveling Gnome on TV. So this year, each month I am giving away a set of my Farloft Chronicles to someone who has sent Theresa a Follow Farloft button photo. Her father draws one name out of a hat with the month’s entries. I have a blog, Farloft’s Rhetoric. You can get the link for the buttons and the rules on my site.

4)      You have a blog? That’s cool. How about a Facebook account?
Farloft: Theresa won’t let me have a Facebook account. *makes pouty face, smoke curls out of left nostil*

Theresa: Tweeting and blogging are enough for one Old Dragon.

Farloft: Old indeed *pushes playfully with wing edge, almost knocking Theresa out of chair* Do you have trouble with your human calling you names?

Keensight:  *Puffs up with importance*  She knows I would eat her.  We have this conversation every time she forgets this.

5)       *Rolls eyes* Theresa, can you tell us how you two met?    
Theresa: Actually that is what the book that I am currently writing is about.

Farloft: One of my followers asked me that question during my tweet in December and I told them it was a Very Long story *huffs warm air into Theresa’s hair*

Theresa: *pushes on muzzle* I am Not That Old!

6)      So you’re not going to tell us what it’s about?
Theresa: It has been a long journey. Volume 6 will cover it all. Let’s just say, for me it was in another lifetime *smiles cryptically*

Farloft: My lips are sealed *clamps jaws shut and absently paws at carpet. Rips it* Oops, sorry.

Keensight:  I hope you plan on paying for that out of 'your' hoard. She raids mine enough already.

7)     Keensight, they are our guests, be polite.  How do you work out your living arrangements when Farloft comes to visit? I understand your father lives with you.
Theresa: Dad is quite tolerant and he has a good sense of humor. He enjoys Farloft’s visits. They watch football together.

Farloft: He watches football. I can’t see the sense of it. If you chase something that hard you should be able to eat it once you catch it, and it should taste very good. *licks lips*

Keensight: See, I am  not the only one that thinks this way.  You should be able to eat what you catch!

Theresa: We spend a lot of time tripping over his tail.

Farloft: I can’t help it if you have a small house *swishes tail from side to side*

Theresa: Or a big lizard for a friend *giggles*

Farloft:  *sticks tongue out again*

8)      What do the neighbors think when Farloft comes to visit?
Theresa: We’ve been asked that question before.

Farloft: We have indeed *rolls golden eye heavenward*

Theresa: It would be fine except that Farloft gets up at midnight to start tweeting for his UK followers. That wouldn’t be bad, but he hums when he’s happy, which is not quiet. It tends to vibrate the house.

Farloft: And when I break into my happy dance it makes it shake a bit. *starts to demonstrate happy dance, hits potted plant with tail* Oops sorry.

Keensight: Don't worry, she would have killed it in a week anyway.  Cheryl can't seem to keep plants alive much more then two weeks. Once I saw her kill one in three days. 

Farloft: *hangs wedged head* Theresa is an excellent gardener. I’m sure she could grow her another.

9)     *Glares at Keensight* That’s quite alright. Accidents happen. Tell me Farloft, you have family at home, right?
Farloft: I certainly do. My mate, Clearair, a lovely chameleon dragon, though blue is her base color. Then there is James, my adopted youngling and Anna, Clearair and my youngest.

10)  I have heard human’s say that having children around keeps them young. You are quite old, if you don’t mind me saying. Do you think your younglings keep you young?
Farloft: At times yes, but most of the time I think they are going to drive me off the nearest cliff *stretches huge iridescent green wings as far as the walls allow and folds them back at sides* They are both still growing. I have hopes like any father.

Theresa: *reaches up and strokes shoulder in sympathy* They are good younglings. They just have their challenges like all growing things.

Keensight:  Yes, but other growing things you can eat when they are challenging.  Many frown on one devouring one's own fledglings.  I sympathize Farloft, I have found my fledglings are far too fascinated by mortal things and often think a cliff would be a much less painful situation.

11)  What are you planning on writing in the near future?
Theresa: I have plans for a new volume in each of the series this year - perhaps two of The Farloft Chronicles.

Farloft: *nudges Keensight* TWO Farloft Chronicles. The spacemen and the wolf only get one. *grins*

Keensight: *nods* As it should be, dragons are far more interesting.
12)  Theresa, can you tell us what your drive for writing is?
Theresa: I know it sounds clique, but I write, therefore, I am.

Farloft: And she loved my company. *licks Theresa’s cheek in a dragonic show of affection*

13)  What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Theresa: We all say it, but it is true, you need to be an avid, voracious reader. In addition to that you need to write. Don’t say you are going to write one day, write now. Hone your skills by writing and writing and writing.

Farloft: Think up a great dragon adventure. Everyone loves dragons. *puffs a smoke ring for emphasis*

14)  What is your favorite genre to read?
Theresa: Science fiction, fantasy or paranormal, it’s a toss-up. I will read most anything you put in front of me including the back of the cereal box during breakfast.

Farloft: She is not joking. *shakes wedged head in disbelief*

15)  To wrap up, is there anything you would like to tell our readers.
Theresa: Only that I am a people person. I encourage everyone to come and chat with me on Twitter, Facebook or my blog. I love input from my readers too and would delight in their comment on the scifi draft I am posting on my blog or if you do read one of my books, please leave a review. It helps others to find my work.

Farloft: I too am a lover of humans, dragons, wolves…oh well, just about anyone. Come chat with me on twitter the last Friday of every month and join in the contest fun. I love giving away my chronicles. *encircles Cheryl in wing huggle* Thank you for the interview. It has been a pleasure visiting with you and Keensight.

Theresa: Ditto! *leans close and whispers* You can send me the bill for the repairs *grins* Silly old lizard.

Keensight:  *Looks at Farloft* Threaten to eat her, maybe she will stop calling you names.

Bio:
Theresa was born in California, lived in every state this side of the Mississippi. She grew up in a loving family with 3 natural born children and 23 foster and adopted children - never less than 10 of them in the house at one time. She worked at a multitude of jobs, but has been writing since she can remember. She wrote her first novel at 13 during recesses, it was called “The Fifth Beatle.” Currently, she lives in Oregon with my elderly father, the family cat, Jewel and an often visiting dragon. She loves to read, write, garden and daydream.

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