Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Funny, I wasn’t always (at least in my own mind) a writer. I started out acting. When I landed my first acting role as a singing Mary the Virgin Mother in the school play that was it, I was going to be an actor! I threw away my five-year-old ambitions to be a Dorothy Hamill-pediatrician-Jedi (well, not the Jedi part) for a life in the theatre.
Naturally, I moved to Los Angeles to get into “The Biz” (Not five-year-old me. Much older me). During my time — and it can be like doing time — in La La Land, I’ve acted in film, television and on the stage. I’ve even written and produced my own films.
How my writing partner, Camilla Ochlan, convinced me to transition from screenplays to novels is still a mystery to me (Okay, not really. She and her amazing-cook-of-a husband bribed me with a seven-course meal. I was helpless. Putty in their crème brûlée hands…It was all downhill from there).
So off I went with Camilla down the twisty road of urban fantasy writing. Two novels and two novellas later, I’m still writing, still acting (though not as much because writing is hard and takes a lot, I mean a lot, of time) and still dreaming of becoming a Jedi.
Other fun facts: I’m a mixed martial artist with a background in Jeet Kune Do Kung Fu (Bruce Lee’s art), Kenpo Karate MMA and Kali Escrima (stick and knife fighting). I’m an avid runner, student of film, lover of music and self-proclaimed hamburger connoisseur with a passion for all things Star Wars and Buffy.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent work is Beast Out Of Hell — a novella from Camilla Ochlan and my urban fantasy series, The Werewolf Whisperer. It’s kind of a Romeo & Juliet meets Sons of Anarchy story, but with werewolf-like creatures (Fun fact: the title is inspired by Meatloaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell”).
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, as I mentioned before, I’m a runner. So with my sneaks laced up, I pop in the ol’ ear buds, crank up the tunes and hit the road. Outside, pounding the pavement, my mind just clears, and inspiration seeps in. I get a lot of my ideas running. I’ve been known (when the writing muse hits me) to stop mid-run and text my ideas to Camilla.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I gravitate toward writers whose use of language is distinctive. Shakespeare is my all time favorite writer. In my opinion, Hamlet is a perfect story with the perfect anti-hero (I love anti-heroes. Humans are imperfect creatures. It’s what makes us interesting). Another favorite writer of mine is Joss Whedon. Though not an author (yet), he is an amazing storyteller who crafts beautifully flawed characters. As does, Greg Rucka, Chuck Wendig, Maggie Stiefvater, and even Nathaniel Hawthorne. Yeah, flaws are the magic key to creating layered, complex characters.
What are you working on now?
Right now, Camilla and I are in the midst of writing The Carossa: Book Three of The Werewolf Whisperer. And we’re starting to outline a new YA series we’ve been talking about writing for the past couple of years.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found Twitter and FaceBook as the best way to promote my work. Instagram is good, but that platform doesn’t allow for links. So it’s best to put websites and links in your profile. Oh, and I can’t forget Awesomegang! Free promotion is like music to my ears. Thanks, Vinny, for supporting indie authors!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
#1. Write.
#2. Keep writing.
#3. And when the words don’t come (which is an inevitability with writing), write down anything that pops into your head, read books, listen to music, clean house, exercise (As I’ve said, I get some of my best ideas huffing and puffing down the street). You never know where you’re inspiration will come from, so be open. And above all…
#4. Relax. Don’t be so hard on yourself if you’re not spewing out 2,000 words a day.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“If you build it, they will come.”
A slight variation of Costner’s line from Field of Dreams, but the meaning is still true. You have to put your work out there as an artist. Keep working, keep creating, and the audience will “discover” you
What are you reading now?
I’m a pretty voracious reader. I usually flip back and forth between two or three books at a time. It all depends on my mood. Right now, I’m working my way trough Joe Hill’s NOS4A2, a re-read (Yep, I re-read books all the time…especially when I’m researching genres) of Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series and catching up on Kieron Gillen’s The Wicked + Divine and Greg Rucka’s Lazarus (two comic book series I’m in love with right now).
What’s next for you as a writer?
Adding to writing The Carossa and outlining our YA series, Camilla and I are starting the initial process of getting The Werewolf Whisperer printed in hard copy. This December, we’re publishing the first issue of The Werewolf Whisperer newsletter called Beasty Bites.
I’ve also started writing a blog: Bonita’s Geeky Blog-Fu! It’s all about movies, books and martial arts — my absolute favorite things (with the exception of hamburgers and cookies). http://bonitamg.tumblr.com
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare because every read brings something new.
2. Star Wars original trilogy novelizations because I need movies.
3. Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy because they’re awesome (even if they aren’t cannon anymore).
4. And of course, The Werewolf Whisperer series…There’s Wi-Fi on this island, right?
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