Featured Author: Connie Smith

Connie Smith was here last year with book one of her young adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy series, The Division Chronicles: Essenced, and she was here in February with book two, Emblazed. I'm happy to have Connie back today to talk about Enscrolled (The Division Chronicles: Book Three).

About the book:

In the aftermath of the latest battle, the stakes are higher than ever before, time hardly an ally to Nicholai’s army of paranormal soldiers. The Tomes remain hidden, and the clock is ticking for the Essenced tainted with the demon’s incurable toxin. And beyond those worries, reason exists to suspect that magic might be vanishing, a twist that could insurmountably cripple the army’s capabilities prior to the war’s conclusion.



Never has the conflict felt quite as desperate, danger escalating and hope lessening with the slow drain of each issue’s hourglass.

Will the answers to these dilemmas surface in time, or will the efforts of the band of warriors fail to prevent the ruin of the world?

Interview with Connie Smith:

How long have you been writing, and how did you start?
I started writing song lyrics when I was a kid, but they were pretty plagiarized. Hey, I was a kid :) Other than that, I’ve been writing short stories and such through the years, even if it was for academic purposes, all the while keeping my distance from writing a full fiction book because the idea of it seemed so daunting. A couple of years ago, I decided to try my hand at it...and failed. That particular book is still unfinished, but less than a year later, I’d jumped into this Division Chronicles business. It’s been a big part of my life since.

What’s the story behind the title of your book?
I wanted it to follow the same pattern as the other two books of the series – one word that begins with “e” and ends with “ed.” That narrowed down my options, but it worked out, even if “enscrolled” is kind of a non-word. Part of the plot for this book is the search for angelic records to end a demonic war, so the notion of a “scroll” was fitting. In the end, it seemed the best option.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I’m a graduate student, slowly preparing myself to be able to teach courses somewhere.

How do you get to know your characters?
These characters, for the most part, were shaped around their essences. What I mean by that is that the teenagers recruited to fight the demonic war have within them the essences of specific mythical creatures. AJ, for instance, is Werewolf-Essenced. Those essences bring to life powers – and quirky side effects. In a lot of ways, those aspects were the beginnings of these characters, and I kind of went from there.

Which character did you most enjoy writing?
Soo many of them were fun, mostly because of those side effects. There’s a thieving Dragon-Essenced, a balding Thunderbird-Essenced, a girl-crazy Incubus-Essenced… There was a lot of room for humor in these books!

What would your main character say about you?
That I’m a cruel, cruel person for making her fall for Julius :)

Are any of your characters inspired by real people? 
Not really, no, but certain things do sometimes find ways into my stories. As an example, I have a friend (former college roommate) who was a fan of Wheel of Fortune, and there’s a character in the story who has that same interest.

Is your book based on real events?
I really, really hope not :)

Are you like any of your characters?
I can relate to Bree quite a bit because she suffers from a substantial case of small man syndrome. I’m teeny, too, so yeah...

One of your characters has just found out you’re about to kill him off. He/she decides to beat you to the punch. How would he kill you?
Most of these characters have super powers and magically enhanced weapons. I’d be dead, quick, if I had to go against them one-on-one.

If you could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?
Lexia! She’s Fairy-Essenced! She has wings!

With which of your characters would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?

Jack, the Anateus-Essenced alpha, is a pretty big fan of books, so he’s the one who comes to mind. Although it would be interesting, having to keep Isaac from stealing everything...

With what five real people would you most like to be stuck in a bookstore?

Probably just some friends. Or Sebastian Stan. He’s hot.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
My favorite scene in the entire trilogy happens in this book! I won’t give too many details, but it may or may not involve a Rembrandt painting :)

What song would you pick to go with your book?
I’m using a soundtrack for a different blog post! For the whole trilogy, I’d probably pick “Countdown to Extinction” by Megadeth, but for this particular book, I’d most likely go with “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Can you tell that I like 80s rock?

Who are your favorite authors?

Recca Fitzpatrick has become a pretty big favorite of mine. I love her Hush, Hush books, and Patch is my number one book boyfriend.

You get to decide who would read your audiobook. Who would you choose?
Christopher Walken? Kermit the Frog?

What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?
Nothing! How sad is that??? I’ve been working to get all of this Enscrolled business ready! But one of my more recent reads was How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae in ebook form. I was impressed enough to buy How to Seduce a Band Geek by her, which I’ll *eventually* *hopefully* get around to reading at some point.

What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
I hate it when dialogue doesn’t sound like dialogue. I get that some characters sound really refined, but not all of them. Don’t make your fifteen-year-old sound like a sophisticated narrator. It’s annoying to me.


Do you have a routine for writing?
I usually just sit on my bed, fan running to drown out noise, and type. Boring, right? I might have a vague outline for the story, but I do go off the schedule at points.

Where’s home for you?
Harlan, Kentucky. My parents moved around a lot when I was a kid, but that’s the place I consider home – without question :)

Do you know Raylan Givens? Just kidding. You’re leaving your country for a year. What’s the last meal (or food) you would want to have before leaving?My mama’s chili. It’s amaaaaaaaaaazing.

Would you rather work in a library or a bookstore?

Bookstore.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?

Can I count Belle’s? Sooo many books!

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be? 

Rogue! The cartoon one. Not the movie one. Because that was Jubilee...

What’s your favorite candy bar?
Butterfinger :)

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Read, bake, watch TV shows I’m obsessed with...

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I’ll stick with Kentucky!

What are you working on now?
Besides all of these Enscrolled details, I plan to publish a NA Romance called Tail Lights in November of this year. So yeah. That’s on my soon-to-come agenda :)

Excerpt from Enscrolled

McKenna watched him leave before refocusing on Johnny, confused at the expression her boyfriend wore. “What are you smirking at?”

    He shrugged. “I’m just not sure how this could be such a bad memory. My girl glued to my side.” Wiggling his eyebrows, he continued. “Playing nurse…”

    “Well, you are poisoned,” she deadpanned. “That puts a damper on these types of situations for most people.”

    “Oh, you’re serious again.” His smirk broadened. “Are you gonna yell at me like you did when my leg was broken? That was attractive…”

    Though she fought against it, her smile emerged, spreading over her lips as she shook her head. “You’re impossible. You know that?”

    “Nah. I just learned along the way how to make my girl smile.”

    Her grin lingered until her attention descended to his leg, the spot of the poison’s initial contact. Then she frowned, her eyes filling with tears and her hands beginning to tremble. Just ten days, she thought.

    “Hey.” Johnny cupped her face, gentling bringing her gaze to lock with his. “We’re not gonna think about that because that’s gonna get taken care of.” Tobias again entered the medical room, moving directly to the corner reserved for the cure’s research to recommence his work. “See?” Johnny nodded his head toward the angel. “Look how dedicated he is to finding this. Think of all the soldiers around us who are perfectly capable of getting whatever weird ingredients he comes up with. If you do, ten days will seem like a lifetime, because it’s plenty of time.”

    And then she was the one smirking. “That’s quite optimistic.”

    He laughed, shrugging. “I told you that you’re rubbing off on me.”

    “And you’re trusting others. Like you finally flipped a switch.”

    “It isn’t like flipping a switch.” He smiled, revisiting the lecture she’d given him while stranded on a cliff. “It’s like deciding not to be in the darkness anymore. You take steps, and the light comes a little at a time until the darkness is gone.”

    She quirked an eyebrow, chuckling. “That seems vaguely familiar.”

    “Someone really smart once told me that.” Pulling her closer, he tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “She was really hot, too.”

About the author:

Connie L. Smith spends far too much time with her mind wandering in fictional places. She reads too much, likes to bake, and might forever be sad that she doesn’t have fairy wings. And that she can’t swing dance. Her music of choice is severely outdated, and as an adult she’s kind of obsessed with Power Rangers. She has her BA from Northern Kentucky University in Speech Communication and History (she doesn’t totally get the connection either), and is currently working on her MA.


Connect with Connie:
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Readwave

Buy the book:
Amazon | Amazon author page


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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

Featured Book: Wicked Hunger

I'm happy to spotlight DelSheree Gladden's YA urban fantasy, Wicked Hunger, with an interview with one of her main characters, Alexander Roth. (But you can call him Zander.) Tess is here once again to sit down with Zander for a one-on-one talk. And check back on September 17, when Tess will talk to Wicked Hunger's 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:

On the outside, Zander Roth is the model of self-control and polite existence. No one else can see the daily struggle to control his hunger, the devastating secrets he hides, or the desires he fights to deny.

Praise for Wicked Hunger

Delsheree Gladden's first book in her new YA series SomeOne Wicked This Way Comes is a riveting story of uncontrollable bloodlust that turns dealing with family, friendships, trust, devotion and love into a Wicked Hunger -- Susan Stec, author of Dead Girls Never Shut Up and The Grateful Undead series

Love, love, love Wicked Hunger. It is deliciously consuming from beginning to end. My mouth is already watering for the next installment! --Elizabeth Hathenbruck, author of When the Apple Falls

Tess Talks with Zander Roth

Zander, how did you first meet DelSheree?

After all the news coverage my family received last year, it wasn’t surprising when DelSheree showed up at one of my football practices wanting to talk. The story of my parents deaths was what drew her to my family, but she ended up with a different story entirely. 

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

I never wanted it to be, but no, it’s not surprising. It seems like no matter how hard I try to pretend everything is fine and normal, it’s impossible to hide all the cracks in that fantasy.

Tell us about your favorite scene in Wicked Hunger.

My sister, Van, would kill me for admitting this, but my favorite scene is the first night I sneak into Ivy’s room. Being near her without wanting to kill her every second was intoxicating. It was a moment that changed me. Whether for good or bad depends on who you talk to.

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

There were times DelSheree wanted me to make different choices, smarter choices. It wasn’t that I wanted to argue with her. I knew what I should do. Ivy was too strong of a pull, though. Denying her anything was simply beyond me.

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?

Get away from the world. There are fewer chances for me to hurt people if I just stay away from everyone and keep to myself. That’s not always possible, but I’ve learned to keep my distance…from everyone.

If you could rewrite anything in this book, what would it be?

That’s a hard question. The right answer would be to have walked away from Ivy that first day and never looked back. The real answer, though, would be to have seen through the lies earlier and seen the truth before people got hurt.

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?

My sister Van is the most important person in my life. I underestimate her all too often, but she is one of the strongest and smartest people I know. I have a lot of respect for my grandma, but she doesn’t understand as much as she thinks she does. Explaining what I think and feel about Ivy is impossible. There is so much conflict inside of me when I think of her that I don’t even know where to begin.

Do have any secret aspirations that DelSheree doesn’t know about?

For all the times I have criticized Van for trying to live a normal life, that is what I really want more than anything. I know being happy, really happy, isn’t something I will ever truly experience, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still want it.

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

I really don’t know. I’ve been living this life of careful restraint for so long, I’m not sure I would even know what to do if I was actually free. 



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

Everyone who meets me thinks I am polite, calm, restrained, boring even. It’s a mask I’ve tried very hard to create.

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

No one really gets to know me. I won’t let them. Ivy was the only one who got close enough to see through my mask, and I never should have let that happen. 



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

Losing my parents left scars that will never heal. They weren’t the only people I lost, and each new loss only makes the wounds go deeper, harder to recover from. I’ve learned to stop opening myself to the possibility of being hurt. 



Tell us about your best friend.

I’ll have to apply that term a bit loosely. Friends aren’t really my thing, but the closest I have to a real friend is Sam, one of my teammates on the football team. It wasn’t really my choice to become friends with Sam, he just always seemed to be at my side. He keeps my mind off darker thoughts, though, so I don’t mind him hanging around. Maybe one day he’ll actually become a real friend, but he’d probably be better off walking away. 



What are you most afraid of?

Hurting someone. Van thinks I have so much control, but keeping my hunger in check is more of a struggle than she will ever understand.

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

DelSheree and I would probably disagree on whether this would be the best or worst trait, but I see my determination as a good thing. It has kept me out of trouble, kept me focused. She would argue it kept me from backing off from Ivy and call it my biggest fault. 



Oh, my. This is a coincidence. In my book, we have a "Pickle." I see you have a "Ketchup." Maybe they should meet. What do you like best about Ketchup?

Ketchup is persistent. I’m not sure if that’s what I like most or least about him, but I can appreciate his refusal to never give up. I know he loves my sister, and despite the fact that I find him rather annoying 90% of the time, I’m glad he hasn’t walked away from Van yet.

How do you feel about your life right now?

My life has never been more uncertain. I thought I had the basics figured out. I can’t even begin to explain how wrong I was.

What would you like to change?

If I could, I would have tried harder to find out what I suspected my grandma was hiding.

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

It’s honest. She doesn’t let me skate by when I make mistakes. She forces me to face them and deal with the consequences, no matter how unpleasant.

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

I’d have to go with either Channing Tatum or Kellan Lutz, although I’m not sure how either of them would look as a blonde.

Describe an average day in your life.

An average day in my life is hardly average. Controlling my hunger all day in place that is teeming with physical and emotional pain that teases my hunger relentlessly is not an easy thing. Football and other sports help me get through the days, but sometimes I have to turn to something less…socially acceptable.

Will you encourage DelSheree to write a sequel?

Encourage might not be the right word. Do I want to have any more of my failures displayed for everyone to see? Not particularly. But do I want people to know the truth? Absolutely. 

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:
Amazon Kindle US | Amazon paperback US | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon paperback UK |
Barnes & Noble Nook | Kobo