RH | Helle Gade

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a new author from Australia – my first book Door: Book 1 came out in March. I have two kids that are getting taller than me, two french bulldogs that I just adore, two cats and a husband who is my BF, and has been since forever.
I have been involved as a reader in the indie world for a while now, lurking on numerous FB pages and was a massive reader for a very long time before that. I started as a fan of Urban Fantasy and long drawn out epic paranormal reads and stumbled into the RH community. I have refused to leave ever since and have pretty much inhaled every book I have come across. So many sub genres to get lost in and too many favourites to list.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

I have read and read and read ever since I was young. I can clearly remember many birthdays unwrapping a book or two. The bookcase in my bedroom was jam packed, with piles of books spilling out of the book shelves.
I have a very vivid imagination and I suspect it was just the right time in my life for me to focus on something besides my kids. I finally gave into letting myself focus on something just for me and that was writing and books. My husband and family have been very supportive, which is pretty awesome.
I was/am also an alpha/beta to a few authors in the indie community and honestly it is such a privilege to be involved in the process with them. I love how different they are and how individual peoples writing styles are. There is no right or wrong. Writing a book is an amazing process.

What was your inspiration for your current book series?

I am a huge, massive, enormous fan of urban fantasy / paranormal / romance and have been in love with almost every vampire ever written about, portrayed in a movie or on TV. My husband and I have spent a lot of time talking about vampires and it honestly got to the stage where these vampires were haunting me. I was also pretty keen in maybe doing a RH a bit different, letting my characters make big mistakes, get angry, hurt. And then all of a sudden, someone said, um you just wrote a dark romance. And now the floodgates have opened, so to speak.

What are you working on now?

I have just released book 2 of Door, which is the final in the series. I absolutely love the Vernard Family, we have gone through a lot together!! They demanded a fair bit of my attention and I am all sorts of sad now that their story has come to an end.
Excited though for new opportunities. I currently have three anthology pieces coming out in the next couple of months – mafia / serial killer and teacher / student. I am also getting close to finishing a contemporary friends, or maybe enemies, to lovers hopefully out in July, along with a new series (two books at this stage) which is a play on fated mates and of course vampires. Next year I have a couple of projects that I am thrilled to be involved in. It’s an exciting time in the indie world.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Laughing I wiggle in my seat while I write. My hands flutter as my characters hurtle through the pages and I pull some pretty funny faces as they talk and feel. And then of course I have cried numerous times with them. My family is constantly asking if I am okay. It’s just my characters wanting me to type faster!!

What are your hopes for the future?

That I can continue writing and producing stories that I am happy to put my name to. If I don’t feel something for what I am writing, I am not doing it right. I would love to explore some diversity in what I write but at the moment paranormal romance / RH keeps beckoning me back into the world of vampires and shifters. Although lately Hunter (who is entirely human) has been yelling at me to get back in front of the computer.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Be okay in the knowledge that your books are not for everyone. Be true to your own goals and aspirations despite what is going on around you. Be humble, be confident and don’t be afraid to ask for help. And find your posse – fellow authors, bloggers, pa’s, readers, people that work for you, that encourage you to blossom, and hold on to them tight!

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

Thank you and stay tuned.

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Please give a warm welcome debut author Ann Swan. Her book Covened: A Magical Reverse Harem Romance (Mrs Pig and the Words of Power Book 1) is on pre-order going live Febuary 1.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?

Other than being a full-time sarcastic bitch, I am a writer, a mother to 3 kids, and a pug enthusiast. I wanted to write since I was a little girl but the practical people who raised me pushed me to another career, and then my health failed. I’ve had 68 surgeries in the last decade and am finally getting stronger again. Between that and my oldest turning 18 this year I felt like if I was ever going to go after my dream now was the time!

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BECOME AN AUTHOR?

Oh yes. Since I was little. I taught myself to read listening to books my mom would record onto tapes I’d play in my Care Bear Cassette Player. By the time I was 5 I was reading The Secret Garden and I read Jane Eyre at 8. We lived in the woods and I’d climb trees with books I borrowed and read them. I’d steal Harlequins from my great aunt and hide them in baggies in tree holes. My first book was when I was 9 and I wrote a Jane Eyre rip off called Stuart Hall (which was the name of the pen brand I wrote with).

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE SERIES?

Covened, which is the first book in the Mrs. Pig & the Words of Power series has the best origin story. So like I mentioned, I’m sick. A lot. I spend about 75% of my time stuck in bed. My daughter was given a runt pug by a friend and we named her Luna. She is the biggest character. She fit right in with our rescue dogs and then before we knew it we were making up voices for her and having her narrate our lives. It made all the sucky parts of life better. She is so human, and so caring. One day, my husband and I were making up an alternate life for her while we joked around about reverse harem books…. And then it came to me. I knew it was time to go after my dream, and if I was going to do it I was going to write a story about something I loved.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUIRKS WHILE WRITING?

Some? Maybe? I have to have my legs up. I have short legs so I write in bed, or on the chaise. It has to be a laptop, too. I sit it on my lap direct or lay on my side sideways and type. It also has to be super silent, so that means I do most of my writing after midnight!WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW Right now I am deep into the second book in the series, CURSED. I am also working on a free short story from one of the guys perspectives. After the Mrs. Pig series wraps I’m going to write a series based off the Anastasia Romanov story but in space. It’s called the Hidden Princess series and the first book is Ana of the Stars. The covers are SO CUTE.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW AUTHORS ABOUT THE PUBLISHING WORLD?

I’m pretty new myself, but I do. Protect your reputation like it’s your health. Don’t gossip; it will ALWAYS end up hurting you. Treat your name like a business and keep it clean. Be genuine, work hard, and don’t feel stupid asking questions. Lastly, pay for good editing. It really is worth it.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE?

I want this series to do well so I can use it to pay for the costs of putting out the next one. I want to get better at what I do and write faster. I’m a slow writer. Developing that skill would be so beneficial. I want to get invited to a signing one day. That’s a big goal too… I’m waiting for once Covened hits for that first call out in a fan group. I can’t wait!

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY TO YOUR FANS?

Hello all four of you! Ha! It’s hard to understand the concept of a fan when my book hasn’t released yet. You could hate it and then where would we be? I consider the people that have followed my journey to this point…the ones like you Helle who are in my group every day and have gotten to know me; I consider you guys family. Friends. Fans is for people I don’t know but like my books. Those would be nice one day, too, but for now I have friends who keep me going. Thank you for being one of those!

Blurp
MAGIC IS DYING;
CAN I SAVE IT?
IF THE PRICE IS MY HAPPINESS;
CAN I PAY IT?
In the last few generations, only one in a hundred female witches are born with power. So when I came into mine, my grandmother helped me hide it so I wouldn’t be swept away by the ISC, our magical government.
The price of discovery was steep; becoming an ISC drone and being paired with their choice of mate for my coven. So I hid in plain sight working days at Maggie’s Pet Wash, and nights piecing together the mythical Words of Power.
The only thought that keeps me going is figuring out a way to beat the ISC and hopefully fall in love with a coven of my own… maybe even raise a few little witchlings.
So when my familiar, a pug named Mrs. Pig, screws up my one shot at obtaining the Words of Power, I figure everything is ruined. That is until Pierce, Sam, and their own talking dogs walk into my life. Now that I have them, can I give them up? Even to save magic?
The ISC is coming for me. What they don’t know is:
I’M COMING FOR THEM, TOO.