Fangtastic Friday Welcomes Mel Teshco and Anna Hackett

Posted by Susan Blexrud on April 16, 2010 · 14 Comments 

EtS is pleased to welcome two ladies from down under, Mel Teshco and Anna Hackett.  Both have new releases from Nocturne Bites.  I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed perusing their blog, http://lovecatsdownunder.blogspot.com. 

1.  I’m fascinated that Anna is a mining engineer by day.  What about you, Mel?  Do your day jobs contribute to or hinder your writing?

Mel: I’ve had lots of ah, careers, though I’m almost certain none have been as interesting as a mining engineer! My day job at present is my writing (hooray!) and being mum to a two year old—though admittedly not a lot of writing gets done (g) so I guess having a two year old doesn’t greatly contribute to my writing (and I wouldn’t have it any other way).

Anna:  Yep, I get up far too early, put on my boots and hard hat and head to the mine.  I guess my day job does hinder my writing in that I’m far too tired to write after I get home from work.  I do all my writing on my non-day job days.  Writing is sacred on the weekend.

 2.       Are you avid readers?  What books inspired your interest in the paranormal?

Mel:  I adore reading, though I don’t find the time to pick up a book as much as I’d like. I can read any genre if the writing drags me into the author’s world, but I guess the book that first inspired my paranormal interest was Kelley Armstrong’s, Bitten.

Anna:  Avid doesn’t begin to describe my reading habits…obsessive-compulsive, maybe.  I’ve been a reader all my life and it was that love that inspired me to write.   Hmm, I guess it was Christine Feehan and her Carpathian books that inspired my early love of the paranormal.  Now I love Nalini Singh, Kresley Cole and Joey W. Hill.  Their paranormal worlds continue to amaze me.

 3.       I’ve read excerpts from your latest tomes, Her Dark Lord and Hunter’s Surrender.  Lots of sexual tension, ladies.  BRAVO!  Tell us a bit about these two hot stories.

Mel:  Thanks for saying so! HER DARK LORD is my debut Nocturne Bites story about Kia, a dhampir (hybrid from a human mother and  vampire father), who is looking for the Ancient One, the eldest of the vampires whose blood is her only hope in which to save her dying mother. Of course the stakes are raised high (horrible pun there) with Kia’s very personal mission clashing with the Ancient One’s desire to have her, no matter the cost.

Anna:  Thanks, Susan!  Hunter’s Surrender came out this month from Nocturne Bites.  I wanted to pit a beautiful vampire against a battle-scarred vampire hunter and watch them fall for each other, so Hunter’s Surrender was born.  The other inspiration was the thought of my heroine Dominique needing to lose her virginity to survive…she pursues the hero Rand mercilessly around Las Vegas trying to seduce him.

 4.       Describe your writing environment and your process.  Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Mel:  I have a little corner of the lounge room right near the front door (great Feng Shui apparently)  which I’ll dash over to when I have a few ‘spare’ moments to check emails and blogs etc. A few more minutes ‘spare’ and I’ll attempt some writing (over top of the television, kids and hubby). I do have a bit of a routine, where mornings are mostly checking and answering emails, doing the bibs and bobs that writers seem constantly to have. Night time, anytime from 8.30 onwards is my writing time, so yes, I’m definitely a night owl. 

Anna: I’m not an early bird at all!  On the weekends, I usually get to the desk in my office around 10am and write through until I reach my work count for the day.  Occasionally though I can be found with my laptop in my lap sitting on the back patio or on the couch.

Now for a couple of questions…just for fun.

5.        If you could be the butler or maid to a famous person in history, who would it be…and why?  

Mel:  Though I’m not a huge biblical person, I do have a fascination with some of the biblical stories. I’d love to know more about Queen Esther (oh, what a story!) being her personal maid would have been simply unbelievable. 

Anna:  Gosh, I had to think about this.  I’m obsessed with ancient history and Egyptian history is my fav.  So I’d be happy to be maid to any of the great Egyptian queens:  Hatshepsut, Nefertari, Nefertiti or Cleopatra.  I’d love to wear one of those white, breezy outfits, black kohl on my eyes and cruise down the Nile fanning a palm frond (-:  I’d want to find out all about Egyptian life thousands of years ago.

 6.       Who’s your muse?  Is he or she a constant companion, or do you need to lure him/her into your writing?

Mel:  My muse is very mysterious and lately has to be coaxed into bringing stories to life, although *she*(and sometimes *he*) is definitely with me all the time, unveiling little pieces about my plot and characters at the oddest moments. I must learn to jot down these revelations…

Anna:  As I’ve experimented with different writing processes and what works for me, I’ve decided the muse doesn’t exist.  I used to try all the tricks for coaxing the muse out to play…it just drove me crazy.  Now I just write.  Sometimes the words flow (boy, that feels so good!) and sometimes each word feels ripped from me, but I just write.

Finally, how can readers contact you?

Mel:       melteshco@yahoo.com.au, http://melteshco.blogspot.com/, http://www.melteshco.com/

Anna:    www.annahackettbooks.com, http://annahackett.blogspot.com. 

And find both ladies at:  http://lovecatsdownunder.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much Susan and Embrace the Shadows for having Anna and me on your blog! It’s been lots of fun!

You’re so welcome, ladies!  Now, it’s your lucky day, readers!  Leave a comment for Anna or Mel, and you could receive a FREE download of either Hunter’s Surrender or Her Dark Lord, courtesy of Anna and Mel.  Hurry, just two commenters will win!

Filed under book give away, Fangtastic Friday, Interviews, Susan Blexrud · Tagged with Fangtastic Friday, interview, romance writers