My guest today is author Heather Hambel Curley. Heather is sharing an excerpt from her new book WITH ME NOW, but first let's find out a little more about the woman behind the book.
Hi Heather! Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions for the readers.
Are
you a pantser or a plotter?
Thanks for having me. I’m
definitely a pantser. I can probably
count on one hand (with fingers left over) the amount of times I’ve plotted out
my books. I think it reminds me too much
of forced outline writing in college! I
like to just sit down with music and write until I stop. Or fall asleep (FYI: kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
does not count as novel writing, haha).
What
authors have inspired you to write?
I am inspired by the passion and commitment
of JK Rowling and her ability to create entire worlds with their own laws,
rules, games, and forces or good an evil.
Robert A. Heinlein inspires me with the foresight and creativity he
showed science fiction in 1950s and 1960s.
And, of course, George R.R. Martin inspires me with this spunk, sass,
and commitment to writing the way he wants to write.
How
important are names to you in your book?
For me, naming a character is like naming a
child. You’re going to be with this
person for the entirety of your book/series.
Try going outside and yelling the character name over and over
again. If you don’t get sick of it,
that’s the name you should go with. This
is also how my husband and I named our second child.
Is
there a certain type of scene that’s hard for you to write?
I’m bad with sex scenes. For the sex scene in the first historical
novel I wrote, I couldn’t even bring myself to look at the screen while I
typed.
What
is With
Me Now about?
With
Me Now is about Madison Monroe, a college student on her first
archeological dig. She’s working in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and finds something buried on the battlefield she
didn’t expect to find.
How
much research did you do?
I’ve
been Civil War reenacting since 2001 and met my husband at Gettysburg, so I’m
very familiar with every nook and cranny of the battlefield. In 2004, my husband and I were volunteers at
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in the living history department. For approximately two days, I worked on an
archeological dig and, from that, this novel was born. Most of the research I did was archeological
terminology and techniques of speaking/interacting with ghosts.
What
writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Never quit. It’s too easy to get frustrated: with
writing, editing, submitting, rejection.
If this is what you want, work for it!
Believe in your idea and your writing.
What
are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the sequel to With Me Now, toying around with two other paranormal romances, and
one historical. There’s always another
Chapter 1!
And
finally, two just for fun: If you wrote
a book about yourself, what would the title be?
Probably
something along the lines of, “So this happened….”
What
are five adjectives you feel describe you?
Loving, nerdy, awkward, rambunctious, and groovy
Blurb
Madison Monroe is an anthropology prodigy. She’s poised to graduate with a double major, but she has limited field experience. The crowning jewel for her graduate school application is an upcoming dig in Normandy.
And she just got arrested for underage drinking.
Less than a month before she turns twenty-one.
Now, instead of taking part in her dream dig, she’s kicked off the crew and barely escapes academic probation. The only option for her application is a routine archaeological survey in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Once in Gettysburg, though, the “simple” dig isn’t exactly what it seems. Madison can feel a presence watching her and can hear voices of the dead calling from the battlefield. And, when she discovers a long buried secret at the Spangler Farm, she inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will put everything—including her life—on the line.
Available at:
Excerpt
The hot water and steam of the shower
was relaxing, enough to kick the butterflies in her stomach into
submission. Her muscles ached. The tendons and ligaments in her upper shoulders
and back throbbed as if she’d been moving heavy furniture all week instead of
throwing her weight against the screen sifter.
It was just another brutal reminder that, although she was thin, she was
pathetically out of shape.
She stood under the unrelenting water,
craning her neck from side to side in an attempt to work the muscles
loose. Maybe Mike could crack her back
for her. She smirked. Now that was a pickup line she’d have to
remember: say, care to get on top and crack my back?
Once the conditioner was rinsed out of
her hair, she turned the faucet off and reached for a towel.
Her hair was getting long. It seemed like
she’d need to use two or three of the thin, white hotel towels to sop up the
excess water. No matter, she could
resort to using the room’s hair dryer and, in forty-five minutes or so, the
feeble little machine might get her hair dry.
Damn it, of all the things to leave at home. She hadn’t planned on needing to look as
attractive and desirable as humanly possible. If she had, she’d have brought
along a better selection of makeup.
She towel dried her hair enough to keep
water from trickling down her back, and then wrapped another towel around her
body. It was a good thing she’d done a
load of laundry the previous day. Not that she had “date” quality outfits with
her, but she was fully aware which pair of jeans accentuated her curves the
best. She pulled on a red vintage style
t-shirt emblemized with a grayed out Union Jack. It was casual and cute, though
she was reasonably sure her clothes were the last thing on his mind.
The steam from the small bathroom had
filtered out into the sink area, fogging up the mirror and giving everything a
generally damp feeling. She wiped her
hand across the condensation covered mirror. In the unobstructed reflection she
could see a figure, a man, standing directly behind her.
She bit back a shriek and jerked around. There was no one there; the room was empty.
“Shit.” The words felt as if they
bubbled out of her throat, pushed out by her rapid heartbeat. She gripped
the countertop with one hand to steady herself. The reflection in the
mirror was clear and crisp. It wasn’t a shadow or the light playing on
the steam from the shower. It was a man. It was him, the man who’d been
watching her for days. He’d stood and watched her at the Spangler
Farm. He’d breathed on the back of her neck, whispered in her ear as she
worked in the test pit.
Now he was in her room.
Madison swallowed hard, peering
into the main section of the hotel room. It was empty. Nothing was
out of place, no one was watching her from any corner of the room; yet, she
didn’t feel completely alone. He was still there.
Her hand faltered on the countertop and
she sank backward, half sitting, half leaning against the sink. The air
in the room felt soupy and stale. Gooseflesh rippled down her still damp
arms and across her back. What in Christ’s name did he want from her?
She felt him next to her, his breath on
her shoulder. Please.
Could he hear her when she spoke to
him? It was worth a try. “I’m not sure I know how to help you.”
But she knew someone who did.
Author Bio
Heather is a 2004 graduate of Robert Morris University, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Communications. She’s been writing since the fourth grade, but didn’t get serious with writing until she’s reached her thirtieth birthday (metabolism went down, determination to write went up!). With Me Now is her debut novel and her historical fiction novel, Anything You Ask of Me will be released in August 2015.
Heather currently resides in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and two songs. When she’s not writing or working as a disability claims analyst at an insurance company, she enjoys traveling and training to run 5ks. She also enjoys white wine, One Direction, and getting tattoos.
Links
Twitter: @Heather_Curley
