Interview with Dylan Newton and Giveaway!

Alexis: Today we have paranormal romance author Dylan Newton! Welcome Dylan.

Dylan: Thank you so much for having me today on HEAT! I’m so excited to be here…plus it’s my favorite month of the year, so I have a GIVEAWAY: a signed, print copy of my steamy, paranormal romance, ANY WITCH WAY for one lucky reader in honor of the upcoming Wiccan holiday, Samhain (Halloween)! See the bottom of this post for the easy-peasy Rafflecopter entry!

Alexis: Tell us Dylan, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Dylan:  I started writing my first book in middle school, when I’d finally ‘aged out’ of my school’s library and was going through a really tough time in my home life. I discovered I enjoyed writing books as much as I did reading them, and that it was a form of escapism and therapy for me. There’s nothing like creating and immersing yourself in a fictional world to take your mind off your troubles!

Alexis: Speaking of immersing, everyone has their own writing process…how they come up with ideas, how they name their characters, how they choose the setting. Can you describe your writing process?

Dylan: I’d love to say that my writing process is full of detailed outlines and carefully plotted first drafts…but that would be a big, fat lie! I would say I’m more of a ‘pantser’ with my novels, although I’m striving to become a ‘plotter’ when I grow up! I’m inspired by people I meet, settings I’ve visited and situations I’ve lived through—and of course, by my vivid (and often dirty!) imagination. The first drafts of my books are a little like Frankenstein’s monster—all cobbled together and somewhat terrifying. Revisions are where my novels are really created, and that’s where I spend a great deal of time smoothing out those rough edges to ensure my scenes sing to my reader.

Alexis: And they do sing. I read DESPITE THE GHOSTS and loved it! Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite character?

Dylan: LOL, I’m always nervous to answer this question. It’s like admitting you have a favorite child. I love all my heroines and heroes, but I do have a favorite heroine. She’s from my last book, DESPITE THE FANGS. I adore Aribella Lupari—she’s an Alpha werewolf (because the world needs more female Alphas, IMHO) with a bad attitude, no tolerance for B.S. and a love of carbohydrates that rivals even my own! I think she’s my favorite because she is so driven and passionate about life—I love the way she does her own thing, never mind the consequences. Don’t we all want that sort of freedom?

Alexis: Oh, she sounds fantastic! Looks like I’m adding another book to my To-be-read pile :-) What has been the most memorable fan comment you ever had?

Dylan: I treasure every review and comment my fans take the time to provide—even the bad ones! The only way we grow as writers is via feedback, after all. My most memorable comment, though, is a fan who wrote that she couldn’t put my book down. As a writer, that’s the best compliment, EVER! But…then she went on to say that it almost got her in trouble at work! She’d brought my book to work because she hadn’t finished it yet, and stashed it on her pull out keyboard tray so she could read while it looked like she was typing away. Luckily, she wasn’t discovered before she’d finally finished, so there was a happy ending for her. I was so humbled and thrilled by her comment! 

Alexis: I can see why. That is a wonderful testimony to your book. Okay, time for your GIVEAWAY! Tell me a little about ANYWITCH WAY. Where did you get the idea for this story?

Dylan: ANY WITCH WAY was a writing challenge I had with a group I used to critique with in Tampa. We all decided to write a story that culminated on Halloween. I’d read a Wiccan ritual once called the “Five Fold Kiss” and thought it was beautiful…and very different from any other religious service I’d ever attended, LOL! I decided to write a paranormal romance about a cursed graduate student and a male Wiccan who was sent to save her…and this book was the result! (And yes—the “Five Fold Kiss” does make an appearance in the book!)

GIVEAWAY TIME!! I do love giveaways, and this one is easy! Just complete the Rafflecopter form below, and the winner will be randomly chosen for a signed, print copy of my steamy paranormal romance, ANY WITCH WAY by Saturday, October 24 at midnight, EST. Good luck, and thank you to Alexis Walker and the gals at HEAT for having me today!

About Dylan:

Dylan Newton was born and raised in a small town in Upstate New York where the local library was her favorite hang-out. Despite earning a degree in English Literature, Dylan spent more than a decade sidetracked by an executive position in corporate America where she swears she contracted testosterone poisoning. After leaving, she dedicated herself to more estrogen-rich passions, like motherhood, writing romance novels and her never-ending quest for the perfect date night.

Dylan married her high-school sweetheart and they are busy living out their own happily ever after in sunny Florida with their two incredible daughters. 

Visit Dylan at www.DylanNewton.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DylanNewtonAuthor

Check out her books at your favorite e-tailer or follow these links below:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Dylan-Newton/e/B00B4FE2CC

The Wild Rose Press:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=762

a Rafflecopter giveaway