FEATURED AUTHOR: DELSHEREE GLADDEN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Eliza Carlisle has the unwanted talent of attracting trouble, in all its forms. That couldn’t be truer than when she moves into the most bizarre apartment building on the planet. Weekly required dinners with the landlord and assigned chores are bad enough, but the rules don’t end there. Top most on the list of requirements is NO physical violence against the others residents.

There have been issues.

In the past.

The young manager, Sonya, claims that hasn’t been a problem recently, but Eliza comes home from her first day of culinary school to find a dead resident, her next door neighbor looking good for the crime, and a cop that seems more interested in harassing her than solving the case.

All Eliza wanted was to escape her past and start over, completely anonymous in a big city. That’s not going to be so easy when the killer thinks she’s made off with a valuable piece of evidence everyone is trying to get their hands on. The ultimatum that she turn it over to save her own life creates a small problem. Eliza has no idea what the killer wants, or where the mysterious object might be.

If she can’t uncover a decades old mystery in time, surviving culinary school will be the least of her problems.




INTERVIEW WITH DELSHEREE GLADDEN

DelSheree, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Starting a new project and getting to know the characters. Even when I have a plan and concept for the characters, they almost always surprise me in one way or another.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Answering all the questions. Ending a series is particularly hard for me, but as I’ve ventured into writing mysteries, I’ve been learning to keep better track of all the hints and questions I weave into the story, so I don’t leave anything unanswered in the end.

What’s the oldest thing you own and still use?
I have a blue plaid skirt I bought when I was fifteen and still wear! I also have my grandfather’s old steamer trunk in my bedroom filled with some of their treasures that I inherited when my grandparents passed. One of them is a yellow swimming cap from the 30’s my dad couldn’t figure out why I wanted to keep.

I completely understand that. Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Be active consistently and don’t overwhelm yourself. You don’t have to be on every social media outlet. Pick one or two you actually enjoy using, and make them your main method of connecting with fans.

What scares you the most?
Not being good enough, whether in writing, being a mom and wife, or in my job. I struggled with confidence a lot as a child, and have come a long way, but that is still tough for me.

Would you make a good character in a book?
I seriously doubt it! While our house is often busy, we love quiet movie nights at home and spending a day hiking through the mountains or pueblo ruins.

What five things would you never want to live without?
My computer, a camera, good running shoes, Mumford and Sons, and my cell phone.

What do you love about where you live?
The variety. From our deck you can see Choke Cherry canyon on one side and the San Juan Mountains on the other. Go a little south and we have three rivers meeting up to create a little oasis of green in the desert. It’s a beautiful area with lots to do.

What do you wish you could do?
Something musical. My husband sings and plays the guitar, is learning violin, and plays the piano a little. I can read music and, if you give me enough time, I can play the piano slower than the song is meant to be played, but I am lost when it comes to theory, finding “the beat,” or composing anything. I love the effect music can have on people, but I’ll leave that to others.

What is one of your happiest moments?
Reading with my kids, especially sharing my old books with my daughter. Reading Anne of Green Gables together is something I’ll always cherish, especially seeing her connect to Anne and see herself in different aspects of the character.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Cleaning bathrooms, because . . . gross.


True! What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Lousy drivers. Pay attention to the road and look for other cars, please!

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files. He’s rough, a survivor, and unapologetic, but one of the best people ever, one his friends always know they can count on.


What’s your favorite song?
"Believe" by Mumford and Sons.


What’s your favorite smell?
Lilacs. They only last a short time when they bloom, but I love how they smell.

I love them too! 
What’s your biggest pet peeve about writing?
Using “that” constantly. I’ll admit, early in my writing, I did it too. Now that I’ve worked at nixing it from my own writing as much as possible, I see it more easily when I read and it drives me nuts.


What are you working on now?
I’m trying to finish up the last book in my dark paranormal series, Wicked Revenge, and then I’ll be working on the next Ghost Host book, a sweet romance called The Oblivious Girl’s Handbook, and eventually I’ll get to the second full book in the Eliza Carlisle Series. I have a plan for that one, but no title yet.

Good luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn't speak a single word for the first three months of preschool, but she had already taught herself to read. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old but spent ten years rewriting and perfecting it before having it published.

Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her husband spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family again. Their two children love having their cousins close by. When not writing, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing and trying not to get bitten by small children in her work as a dental hygienist. DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series, including Invisible which was part of the USA Today Bestselling box set, Pandora. The Date Shark Series is her first contemporary romance series, now joined by her first romantic comedy, The Crazy Girl’s Handbook, and the comedic Eliza Carlisle Mystery Series.

Connect with DelSheree:
Website  |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  
Goodreads  |  Amazon 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  iTunes  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Smashword  |  Kobo

Tess talks with Wicked Hunger's Vanessa Roth

In August, Delsheree Gladden, author of the YA urban fantasy Wicked Hunger, sent Zander Roth to talk with Tess, and today Tess is happy to talk with Zander's sister, Vanessa Roth.

About the book:

Vanessa and Zander Roth are good at lying. They have to be when they are hiding a deadly secret. Day after day, they struggle to rein in their uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering in order to live normal lives. Things only get worse when Ivy Guerra appears with her pink-striped hair and secrets. The vicious hunger Ivy inspires is frightening, not to mention suspicious.

Vanessa’s instincts are rarely wrong, so when they tell her that Ivy’s appearance is a sign of bad things to come, she listens. She becomes determined to expose Ivy’s secrets. Vanessa tries to warn her brother, but Zander is too enamored with Ivy to pay attention to her conspiracy theories.

One of them is right about Ivy … but if they lose control of their hunger, it won’t matter who is right and who is wrong. One little slip, and they’ll all be dead.

About the character:

Vanessa Roth really tries to follow the rules her grandmother has put in place, because she knows it means keeping her secret safe, but it’s not easy. More often than not, her temper, emotions, or hunger land her in a whole mess of trouble.

Tess talks with Vanessa Roth

Vanessa, how did you first meet DelSheree?

If I remember right, DelSheree was visiting Albuquerque for some kind of dental hygiene test. It seems like that’s all she was doing around that time. Anyway, I probably would have walked right by, but her daughter tripped and skinned her knee. Poor kid had forgotten her glasses again and didn’t see the curb. My hunger responded—-don’t worry, I didn’t attack the poor girl—-but my response caught DelSheree’s attention.

Want to dish about DelSheree?

As much as I enjoyed working with DelSheree, she tends to be a little forgetful. If she doesn’t put it in her phone with an alarm to remind her, shell space it out. Her life has been a little crazy, though, with school, job hunting, and family, so I understood and just sent a lot of reminders.

Did you ever think that your life would end up being in a book?

Oh, I pretty much knew someone would right my story from early on. I just expected it to be in the newspaper, under the crime blotter. Being the heroine of our story never crossed my mind.

Tell us about your favorite scene in Wicked Hunger.

I don’t want to give away too much, but under the bleachers after the football game. That is the first glimmer of hope that I can be honest with Ketchup about what I am and not have him run away.

Sounds intriguing. Did you have a hard time convincing DelSheree to write any particular scenes for you?

There is a scene where I’m working with Noah at his house that we had some arguments about. DelSheree wanted it to go one way, but I knew what direction it was really supposed to go.

I'm telling you, we have to be forceful with our authors sometimes. What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?

Controlling my hunger is always a high priority, so you’ll usually find me doing ballet or practicing Jeet Kune Do.

If you could rewrite anything in Wicked Hunger, what would it be?

If I could rewrite anything, it would be before the book started when my brother Zander nearly killed Ketchup and ruined my chances of being with him.

Ketchup. I love that name. Do you think he knows Pickle? Never mind. Back to the topic. Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?

Zander is one of the most pigheaded, frustrating people I know, but he’s my brother and I still love him. Ivy, that girl rubbed me wrong from the second I saw her stupid pink hair. Noah is so sweet and normal. Being around him makes me believe I can actually have that one day. Oscar, well, he’s certifiably nuts, but sometimes I still think he’s the sanest of anyone I know. And Ketchup…I better not say anything about Ketchup or I’ll jinx myself.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

Disappear with Ketchup, and NO I won’t tell you where we’d go or what we’d be doing. 



Gotcha. What impression do you make on people when they first meet you?

When I first meet people, they generally think I’m weird and moody. I’m generally just trying not to kill them.

How about after they've known you for a while?

Not many people stick around to get to know me, but the few who do realize I’m actually a pretty nice person—minus the hunger issues—and I love music and dancing. 



What's the worst thing that's happened in your life? What did you learn from it?

Both of my parents were murdered, and it taught me that protecting my family comes before anything else, including personal relationships.

Wow. That's horrible. You must have some good friends to get you through something like that. Tell us about your best friend.

My best friend is Laney. She never stops talking, falls off her shoes on a regular basis, and makes me laugh when I really need someone to pull me out of my dark thoughts. 



What are you most afraid of?

Losing the people I love. 



What’s the best trait DelSheree has given you? What’s the worst?

That would probably be the same trait for both. Passion. I am a very passionate person when it comes to protecting my friends and family, but it tends to put me in hot water fairly often as well. 



How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?

Pretty uncertain, actually. I know that there are some big, scary events on the horizon, but I can’t pinpoint what they are or who is going to set them in motion. I’ve had to put my life in the hands of someone I don’t trust at all and that scares me more than I can tell you.

What aspect of DelSheree’s writing style do you like best?

DelSheree always manages to capture the emotion of a scene just the way I remember it happening. She makes people feel what I felt so they really understand my story.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?

I’d have to go with AnnaSophia Robb. She seems tough info to take on my life!

Describe the town where you live.

I live in Albuquerque, NM. It’s big enough for us to hide in, but secluded enough that we won’t draw a ton of attention if something goes wrong.

Describe an average day in your life.

I’ve got school, like most normal kids, but along with classes to suffer through, I have to deal with keeping my hunger in check. There are dozens of kids at school that my hunger wants to make a snack out of, so it can get tricky trying to dodge all of them. After school I try to feed my hunger through the physical pain hours of dance practice gives me. When all else fails, Zander and I can always use each other to keep our hunger in check.

What's next? Will you encourage DelSheree to write a sequel?

I have been hounding her daily to finish the next book! She’s almost halfway through it, but I’ll keep on her until it’s complete and ready to land on the editor’s desk. Readers are already asking for the next book!

That's terrific! Tell DelSheree to let us know when the next book comes out.

About the author:

DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually teaching yoga, coaching gymnastics, reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, and The Destroyer Trilogy. DelSheree's newest series, the SomeOne Wicked This Way Come series, follows Vanessa and Zander Roth, siblings with an uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering that will either gain them limitless power or lead them to their deaths.

Connect with DelSheree:
Website | Blog | Facebook: DelSheree | Facebook: The Destroyer Trilogy | Facebook: Twin Souls Saga | Twitter | Goodreads: author | Goodreads: book | Wattpad

Buy the book:
Amzaon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo