Mary Ramsey ~ an interview and her novel ~ Dakota Son

I AM PLEASED TO WELCOME AUTHOR

Mary Ramsey

BANTER – STUFF ABOUT YOU

Q: Are you a morning person, or a midnight candle burner?
A: I try to be a midnight candle burner but If I had a retail shift I’m out like a light before 10 pm. But then I become a morning person, because for whatever reason my brain will not allow me to get any more then 7 hours of sleep.

Q: Bedtime, relaxing so you can sleep sounds. Is your preference, white noise, TV, soft music, ocean waves, forest or meadow sounds, babbling brook, or something else?
A: TV sounds. Food Network is perfect for this, they love to run a marathon of one show for the last few hours of the day then switch to infomercials (usually for calming items). That way there’s not waking up in the middle of the night to a horror movie from the 70’s or whatever mishmash that gets aired.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to? Do you have an all time favorite song?
A: I listen to anything that inspires me but currently I’m addicted to Mad Season by Matchbox Twenty. But I have a secret love for Despacito by Louis Fonsi (there’s a reason for the ‘Alexa play Despacito’ meme- it’s the ultimate pick me up.)

Q: Snack of choice – chips, pretzels, popcorn, or cookies, cake, candy? Or maybe you’re a healthy snacker - fruit, yogurt, nuts, raisins?
A: I’m an energy drink addict (before 6 pm, after 6 pm I made sure to switch to sparkling water.) There’s something about the carbonation that is so satisfying. But if I had to make my favorite snack food of all time: Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Coffee Caramel Fudge in a coffee cup, surrounded by Oreo Cookies.

BOOKS – ABOUT THE CRAFT

Q: How did you come to write your genre of choice?
A: I wanted to answer this question because I have no idea what I wrote. A few years ago Dakota Son was a 200,000 word fairy tale told in third person. Then from research I found that 200k is insane for a single novel and that any novel that stars a teen should fall in to the Young Adult category. (And that Dakota Son has soo much curgin and sex wot be considered by a Christian publisher. lol)

Over all I just started writing and wrote Sean’s life from beginning to end.

Q: Which element of book writing is the most difficult for you?
A: The process of getting feedback. I know people say “take a writing class” (and yes, I have) but there are so many unwritten rules that only feedback can address.

I have more professional contacts then I did at the start of my journey but much of my feedback had to come from paid sources. My friends and family would just say “This looks fine.”- not helpful!

Q: Who's your favorite author?
A: Chuck Palahniuk is my favorite author of all time. His stories are like modern-day fairytales incorporating realism with a hint of the fantastical. When I started Dakota Son my dream was to be a female Chuck Palahniuk (the earlier drafts were a bit more adult themed.)

Q: Do you always know how a story will end when you begin writing it?
A: Absolutely not. I come from a fanfiction background and I can write an entire story, beginning, middle and end- then someone will post “Are you going to continue this?” So pretty much everything I write I have to force myself to make an ending spot. But everything could also continue indefinatly.

BOOKS - NOW LETS PROMOTE – STRUT YOUR STUFF

Q: What are you working on now? Would you like to share anything about it?
A: On my blog you can find my current projects, such as my creepypasta series Caterpillar, about a demon-fairy princess.

Q: Do you have a new book coming out soon? Tell us about it.
A: Dakota Son is currently avalible. It is part 1 of 2 (since the original manuscript was 200,000 words), but I want to get some feedback on the characters before revealing their final fates.

Q: How can we find you? Do you have a web page, FaceBook page or any buy links?
A: My blog: https://dourdan.wordpress.com
     My twitter: https://twitter.com/pisforpearl
     Instagram does not work with my decade old laptop so my photos and art can be found here: https://www.deviantart.com/dourdan
 

Dakota Son Buy links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Son-Mary-Ramsey-ebook/dp/B07DR9YNBH/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dakota-Son-Mary-Ramsey-ebook/dp/B07DR9YNBH/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dakota-son-mary-ramsey/1128896239?ean=9781546233077
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Mary_Ramsey_Dakota_Son?id=BFtgDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dakota-son

Q: Are you currently participating in a blog tour? If you are let’s tell everyone where you’re going to be so they can catch up with you again.
A: Yes, I am. Here is the link:   http://writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/mary-ramsey/

17th September: https://hereiswhatireadblog.blogspot.com/
18th September: http://mommasaystoreadornottoread.blogspot.com/
19th September: http://locglin.blogspot.com/
20th September: https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/
21st September: http://adrianakraft.com/blog/
24th September: https://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/
25th September: http://www.dorisoconnor.com/my-blog
26th September: http://galestanley.blogspot.com/
27th September: https://creestorm67.wixsite.com/website
28th September: http://www.jennykane.co.uk

Blurb-
Sean Foster has lived with cystic fibrosis his entire life. He falls in love with Jen, a girl with a dark, emotionally painful past. Living with chronic illness, Sean knows a little something about overcoming pain. But when he meets her family, his courage will be put to the test.

Jen's father, Diego, is a disabled military veteran. He is being mentally and physically abused by his wife, due to his role in the death of Jen's brother.

Sean must find a way to save Diego, to help him see that there are people who truly care. From Sean's sister Sara, who views Diego as a heroic father figure. To Remy, Sean's holistic nurse with a talent for healing wounded souls.

Accompanied by a mysterious, supernatural, presence, it will fall to Sean to play the hero. All while navigating a life with chronic illness, and chasing his dreams in California.

GIVEAWAY!
Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here: http://writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/mary-ramsey/

Use the Rafflecopter to enter for your chance to win one of two Amazon or iTunes gift cards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A reminder to the reader ~ before you leave be sure to take a look at the
Funny/Stupid and Interesting Tabs
Come back and visit again.