Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Rock & Roll and Romance! Meet Gracen Miller, Author of Rockin' the Heart



I’m Author Gracen Miller and I’ve written the Road to Hell series, Fairy Casanova, Taboo Kisses, and my most recent book Rockin’ the Heart, which is the first book in the Hot Wired series. I am both self-published and with an indie publisher.
Karen was hoping I’d tell all y’all my wicked secrets and I might. I’m not shy. So grab your favorite drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and get to know me…

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KAREN: If you could pick one thing about our world to change, what would it be and why?

GRACEN: Picking one thing is tough when there are so many things that need changing. I might start with bullying. Or maybe teach everyone how to love one another. No…maybe I’d eradicate all the violence in the world. I write violence in my paranormal books, but in real life it perplexes me how people can be so evil to one another. But then maybe I should eliminate racism. Gah! See…there are so many things that need altering and these that I mentioned don’t even scratch the surface. I worry about the future my children are inheriting.
  
K: Kind of morbid, but if you knew the exact moment of your death, down to the last second, what changes would you make in your life?

GRACEN: I’d diet less, but I wouldn’t change much else. I try to live each day with the “no regrets” mentality. Living is about experiencing life and learning. We can’t do that if we’re holding back. That said, it doesn’t mean I want to go bungee jumping or base diving or anything adrenaline seeking like that. Yikes! I’ll leave that to my daredevil son. LOL

 K: If you picked a television show or sitcom that fit your family, what would it be and why?  


GRACEN: The Addams Family because we’re all a bit odd and zany. Seriously…we all have our freaky quirks.
  
K: Pretend you’re writing a book about your life. What would the title be and why?

GRACEN: Lost in Translation. LOL I say that because I spend so much time in my head with my characters that the average person cannot relate to the way my brain works.

 K: What song title best describes your style of writing? (Use any song in existence or create your own).

GRACEN: Desperado…okay, maybe that’s more like the way I write rather than style. I write without an outline, so I’m always in the hot seat and desperate for ideas on the next chapter.

 K: Do you have a guilty pleasure? If so, will you share it with us?

GRACEN: Nope…I don’t feel guilty about pleasure in any form. Well, okay, maybe I do feel a little guilty when I eat Reese Cups while dieting, but I never regret those tongue-gasms! ;-)

 K: You’re stranded on an island, who would you want to be stranded with and why?

GRACEN: Dean Winchester! *fans self* For those unfamiliar with him, he’s one of the stars of the television show Supernatural. He’s a smart alec and a hottie, so yeah, I definitely want to be stranded on an island with
him! Preferrably him wearing the least amount of clothes as possible…I’ll keep mine to cover the rolls thank you very much! lol

K: Now, let’s get to know you as an author. When did you become aware that you wanted to be a published author?

GRACEN: Sometime in high school I decided I wanted to be an author. My best friend and I used to write stories back and forth to one another, like a daytime drama or soap opera. Those are some good memories. I didn’t realize at the time they were prepping me for the future.

K: Are there any particular authors that made an impact on you growing up or as an adult? Did any particular teacher or someone else in your life make an impact on your writing?

GRACEN: The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss was the first romance book I read. I was hooked from that moment on! But I also loved Stephen King, so I guess it’s no wonder I mixed horror and romance—what I call horromance—in my Road to Hell series.

As for a particular teacher…my 6th grade English teacher, Mrs. Syler, was the one that got me started writing with a simple homework assignment. Without her influence, I might’ve never been introduced to writing.
  
K: Do you have any “must haves” while you’re writing—besides your computer, of course?

GRACEN: My muse and nectar of the gods—coffee. Without them, I’d be a basketcase!

K: Do you write in a particular genre? If so, what’s the appeal of that genre for you?

GRACEN: Before my newest release, I’d say paranormal romance and erotic romance, but Rockin’ the Heart is a new adult contemporary romance. In the beginning, I wasn’t comfortable leaving my paranormal or erotic romances, but I’m so glad I did. I hope my love for writing Rockin’ the Heart shows through when folks start reading it.
  

K: Any love/hates as it relates to the writing industry?

GRACEN: The petty backstabbing that goes on among authors. And the superiority complex some authors have toward other authors. Some forget that they started small too. I hope when other authors hear my name, they think of someone who is supportive and nice, not someone to stay away from or can’t be trusted.

K: You mentioned you have a Muse? What’s his/her name(s). Why do you think some authors have a muse and other authors don’t?

GRACEN: His name is Dom and I couldn’t do anything without him. I can’t say why some authors have them and others don’t. Maybe it makes those of us who write some scary stuff feel better if we give our muse credit for those thoughts.
  
K: If you could live the life of any one of your characters, who would it be and why? Would you do things differently in real life than he/she did in the book?

GRACEN: I’d be Sam from Rockin’ the Heart because this story quickly became my favorite of all the stories I’ve written. Sam’s a hellion and reckless and while those aren’t characteristics of my personality, I think if she didn’t have those attributes then Heath/Fang wouldn’t have been drawn to her. So…no I wouldn’t do anything differently.

 K: What are you working on now?

GRACEN: Book two in the Hot Wired series. I’m just getting started on it, so it’s hard to give too many details. But the story is set around Hot Wired’s drummer, Jase, who is also in Rockin’ the Heart and is the brother of Sam. His love interest also makes a cameo in Rockin’ the Heart.

Thanks for hosting me, Karen! It was a pleasure being here.

BIO:  

Gracen is a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a “normal” person in southern society.  When not writing, she’s a full-time basketball/football/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband. She’s addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels, movies, Alabama football and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She’s convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and blending coffee and writing together generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her creative worlds are spawned from coffee highs.
Where you can stalk me—not really!—but I do love to meet and interact with readers:
Twitter: @GracenMiller


If music nourishes the soul…
Loved by millions, but shunned by blood, Heath “Fang” Fangor has led his band, Hot Wired, to the top while others have fallen by the wayside. He devoted his life to music, and from that devotion harvested a new family—his band mates and fans.
A man can desire nothing else…or can he?
Living in the shadow of her brother’s fame sucks! Sam Collins is desperate to have what she wants—a simple and uncomplicated life. She’s no stranger to scandals and how they work. Now that she’s inadvertently dragged Fang into the center of her latest gossip, could the scandal she created in her quest for freedom have gone too far?
Amid stardom the heart stages a new melody…
Fang has more fame and fortune than he will ever need, but none of that matters if he can’t have the woman of his dreams. Years have been wasted waiting for the right moment to approach the woman his heart desires above all others. There’s just one major problem...she’s his best friend’s sister. To have her, he will have to risk it all.
One that might be responsible for Rockin the Heart!

Buy Links (Note: Rockin’ the Heart released January 23rd):