1) Can you please introduce yourself to everyone?
I'm Deanndra Hall and I live in far western Kentucky. My son's a high school science teacher, my daughter has a social work degree and works at the school in a facility for kids who have emotional or mental challenges. My Sir is a river captain on the Ohio River. I don't typically brag about myself much except to say that I work very, very hard to bring quality entertainment to my readers, and I hope they enjoy what I do. Hmmmm, last thing I did was particularly cool was to participate in an author panel at the IRC with Diane Kelly, Victoria Vane, Mina Khan, and A.L. Kessler. We talked about constructing villains - something I have a lot of fun with and do quite well.
2) Would you like to share any work you have done or doing?
Since July 2013, I've published ten books (if you count the Love Under Construction prequel, which has been combined into Book 1). I've now finished the Love Under Construction series with my release onNovember 1, Planning an Addition; from it will be two spin-off series, the Citadel series (three books) and the Legacy series (four books). Adventurous Me has become a series, the Me, You, and Us series; Unforgettable You is about six thousand words away from being finished, and I've already started Incredible Us. The fourth book in the Harper's Cove series is finished and awaiting reading. I've already published one independent novel, The Celtic Fan, and I'm working on another, The Call Girl's Guide to Great Sex. And I'm starting a new series, the Witch of Endor, which will blend sci-fi and paranormal together to be a romance unlike anything I've seen so far. So I'm a busy girl!
3) Do you have a favorite genre?
Uh, erotic romance and erotica. Surprise!
4) Did you always want to write or what inspired you to do it?
I've always written - can't remember a time when I didn't. I was memorizing extremely complex poetry when I was four and started writing when I was eight. I worked in the periodicals industry as a typesetter, advertising designer, assistant editor, photographer, columnist, and reporter. At one point, I owned a graphic design business, and I still design all of my own printed promo material. I also wrote for non-profits, academia, and industry. But stepping back into this has been extremely satisfying in a way the other types of writing weren't.
5) Do you need a nice quiet space to write or are you blasting your music and writing?
I write in total silence. I come from a family of musicians, so any kind of music distracts me. I focus too much on the words, and with instrumental, I'm busy trying to divide up the harmonies and figure out the scores for the different instruments. And I don't watch TV at all, except during tornado season when I'm keeping track of the weather. But I do like a good stiff drink sometimes while I'm writing.
6) If you could give one tip to someone who wants to write what would it be?
Ask yourself this question: Why? It's not all fun. It's hard work. Except for the few overnight sensations you hear about, it takes a long time to make a name for yourself. You'll spend a lot of money and see little back. You'll lose a lot of sleep, do a lot of traveling, and miss out on a lot of things. There's nothing romantic or exciting about it, and your chances of becoming famous are slim. But if you've got a story in you that just has to come out and you'll die if it doesn't, get to it. And get a good editor. Nobody likes to read bad writing.
7) What is the big dream? In other words where would you like your writing to take you to in the future?
I simply want to hear from readers every once in awhile who tell me how much they enjoy reading my work. Would I like to be a bestseller? I'd be a liar if I said no. But that's not my big dream. My big dream is to be able to make an actual profit from this. And I think eventually I will.
8) If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be?
Hmmmm . . . I think I'd like to meet J.K. Rowling if I could sit and talk to her. I think her world-building abilities are amazing, and the way she progressed the reading level of the books in the Harry Potter series as they went along is probably one of the cleverest things I've ever seen. But if she wouldn't talk to me, I'd rather meet Eudora Welty and/or Flannery O'Connor.
Now the fun questions
1) Do you like pizza or salad?
Salad. Three years ago I wore a size 22. Now I wear a size 6. So it's a salad for me.
2) What do you like more cake or fruit?
I like cake; I eat fruit. Well, okay, sometimes I eat cake, but not very often.
3) What is your favorite kind of music?
It used to be heavy metal - still is in the gym. But about two years ago I switched to country and that's about all I listen to. It's so much more romantic than rock.
4) Who is your favorite Author?
Wow. There are so many. I have so many author friends and I read so much but, oddly, I'd say maybe Clyde Edgerton. He makes me laugh.
5) Do you like Vampire, Werewolf, Fairy or shifter men when you read for pleasure?
I don't usually read paranormal, just because I spend so much time reading for research purposes. But I love the vampire and fairy subgenres. I'm not that into the werewolf and shifter subgenres, and I'm not sure why.
6) Do you have pet's?
Oh, yes! Three miniature dachshunds. They're crazy, yippy little ankle-biters.
7) Do you have favorite animal not your pet's but like wild animals?
I love to bird watch. We have feeders in our back yard, and I love those, especially the hummingbirds. They're so cool!
8) Do you like city or suburbs better?
I live in the suburbs, and I've lived in the city. I'd love to own a farm like the Walters' farm in the Love Under Construction series, with a big house that had been in my family for years and plenty of acreage to get lost on. Unfortunately, that's not in the cards for me, I'm afraid.
9) If you could live anywhere where would it be?
Scotland would be my absolute first pick, but that's not going to happen. Our plan is to move to northern Kentucky in a few years, preferrably Newport or Covington. We like both areas. We love the Nashville area too. And St. Louis is one of my favorite cities.
10) Do you have tattoos? Do you want one?
Yup. In my book The Celtic Fan, both the character in Nick Roberts' book and the woman Steve meets in North Carolina have a Celtic fan tattoo on the inside of their left wrist. I had an artist draw the tattoo for me for the book, and I recently had it tattooed on the inside of my left wrist. And I had temporary tattoos made of it and included them in my swag packs!
11) Do you like guys with tattoos?
Yeah, but I want them to mean something. I know people who just put random tattoos all over themselves because they like getting tattoos. If a guy has them, I want him to be able to tell me why.
12) Do you have a favorite place you like to be?
In bed with my Sir. Awake or asleep. Just cuddled up in his arms. That's my absolute favorite place, and he tells me it's also his. I especially like it on rainy afternoons.
Gizmo's Corner:
Gizmo question's will be in the blue:
1. Hi, I am Gizmo and you are?
Hi, Gizmo! My name is Mickey Joe, a miniature dachshund, but my mom and dad call me Mister Pisser. I like to pee on stuff all the time. That picture is me with my mom. I'm very pretty.
2. Do you go to any stores? If so which is your favorite store?
No. Mom took me to the store last week and it scared me to death. I don't like people I don't know. I'm kinda nervous that way.
3. What is your favorite toy that you play with?
Cow-cow. I like to rip him to shreds. My sister, Tillie Fay, she tears up all my toys. She's a picker - those little front teeth just pick them to pieces, and she chews their squeakers out too. I don't like her very much. I bite her sometimes. Mom says to stop.
4. Do you have a favorite animal show?
I don't watch TV, but Tillie does. We call her Barkie von Barkster. She thinks everything on TV is another dog - camels, cows, people, cars, everything. But we ALL bark when a doorbell rings on TV.
5. Do you chase cats?
Nope. I used to have a cat. He was my friend, but he left to walk the bridge. I don't really know what that means. Mom has a little jar and she says he's in there, but it looks kinda small.
6. Do you like off the leash parks better than walks?
Nope. We don't go to parks. We have a BIG back yard with our own fence and our own potty and our own grass and stuff. We like it there. I have a problem with not being able to keep my teeth to myself, so other dogs are a no-no, except for my sisters. Before my old sister Fergie Sue walked the bridge, I used to fight with her a lot. She's in a jar too. But not the same jar as the cat. Her own jar.
7. Do you like having belly rubs?
Wow - yes! Yes! Yes! What was the question? Oh! Yes! Right now, please? My sister Sarah Mae likes them a lot too. Mom calls her Princess Fatty Pants.
8. Do you like it when it's warm or cold out? Day or night?
I like cold. I have long hair. My sisters have short hair and they're cold all the time, but I get hot. And I like daytime because I have some things on my eyes, something about cats, that make it hard for me to see at night.
9.What is your favorite treat?
Pill Pockets. I don't care if they have pills in them - I still love them.
10. Do you sleep on a human bed, a dog bed, the top of the couch, the floor or the crate?
I used to get to sleep on the bed sometimes, but I would bite the sisters if they tried to get up there, so Mom said no more bed. We sleep in our crates at night; we eat in them too or we fight and try to steal each other's food. Mom says we're very bad children but she loves us anyway. We're all rescues, so things were bad for us before we came here. We love it here. It's perfect!
Deanndra Hall's dog's this is what she said:
The four dogs in the pic are Sarah Mae, Fergie Sue (R.I.P.), Mickey Joe, and Tillie Fay. And the other one is my boy. Trust me, he's prissier than the girls ever dreamed of being!
Did that make your Monday any better? I sure hope so! I hope you have a great day/night I am E.J. Babcock
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