PART TWO of my interview with Buzz Guest Yvonne Rediger author of the VIC SHAPESHIFTERS SERIES.

Yvonne's first book in the series is called THE SHAPE OF US.  Someone knows about the Pack and that someone is after the kids.  It's available right now on Amazon! 

Yvonne's second book in the series is called HELL CAT!  Helly has her former human boss between the cross hairs.  You can support Yvonne by previewing and/or nominating HELL CAT by clicking the button below. 

Yvonne took some time from writing her third book that has the tentative title of LOTTIE'S TAIL to answer some questions for us. 

This is PART TWO of my interview with Buzz Guest Yvonne Rediger: 

1. If you could invite any 7 people (living or dead) for a day out, or a meal together, who would it be? My father, my father's mother, my daughter, son, my sister, my brother, my mother.
2. Do you have other work experience? What in? Front line sales, Post office assistant, Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, Solution Architect 
3. What is your favorite past time? Reading 
4. What do you see as your greatest strength as a person? I pick up on subtle things.  
5. What is your weakest link? Patience.  
6. Are you a positive person, negative, or realistic? Positive with a pragmatic bent.  
7. What is your favorite hot beverage? Coffee  
8. What is your favorite meal? Chicken parmesan.   
9. Favorite Color? Red  
10. Favorite Time of day? Why? 8:30am. I have the house to myself.  
11. What was your last vacation like? Scuba diving in Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras  
12. Do you travel often? Yes, work and pleasure.  
13. Do you work well under stress? I thrive on it.  
14. How do you de-stress? Bubble bath, good book.  
15. Are you active? Yes, I kayak too.  
16. Do you enjoy Chocolate? Are you kidding, of course.  
17. Do you follow sports? If so, what teams do you enjoy? CFL, I bleed green! Go Riders!  
18. Can you share a little about your family? My husband and I have been married 37 years next month. We have a son, Sergeant RCAF, married with two boys. A daughter married, and a Major in the RCAF.  
19. What season most inspires you? Summer.  
20. What hobbies do you enjoy? Kayaking, hiking, walking, scuba diving, sailing, travel. Reading cooking, gardening, to much on my list.  
21. Deadlines – solid dates to meet or unattainable goals to reach for? Solid dates to meet.  
22. What are 3 things that you’ve not often shared about yourself? I hate raisins, nuts in my chocolate. I believe pipelines are safer to move energy than trucks or rail. I worked in the oil patch for many years. I wish I could take singing lessons.
23. If you could pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why? Cake. I just love it.
24. If you were a chair, what kind of chair would you be? Leather tub chair. 
25. What inspires you? People and experiences. 
26. How would your favorite professor describe you? Tenacious 
27. What motivates you in life? Challenges 
28. Say you’re in a log cabin and are preparing to go hunting. You grab your rifle and walk outside. You see a bear and immediately follow in pursuit of it. You travel one-mile north, one mile east, and one-mile south. You’re back at the log cabin with the bear in your rifle's cross hairs. What color is the bear? Black.  
29. What’s your favorite book? Night Watch, by Sir Terry Pratchett  
30. What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone? I am trained in 3 styles of Karate and Aikido. My husband made me an oak practice katana. 
31. In a crowded room discussing a problem, would you fit in? Why or why not? Yes, I can talk to anyone and this is part of my regular job as a Solution Architect. 
32. What three traits define you? Adaptable, flexible, curious. 
33. What’s most important in your life? My family. 
34. What did you have for breakfast? Coffee, bagel with blue berry jam.
35. If you were asked to unload a 747 full of jelly beans, what would you do? Call my engineer daughter for advice.  I suspect she might have experience with this.
36. What's your favorite Disney Princess? Mulan
37. Describe the color purple to somebody who's blind. Same as the fragrance of. Lavender.
38. What do you think of garden gnomes? I love them. I have a Saskatchewan Rider gnome. I used gnomes in Hell Cat.
39. What’s your favorite 80’s song? Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
40. If you were a tree, which would you be and why? Cedar, always green.
41. Where do you like to write? My office or one of two arm chairs. Depends if I am alone I the house.
42. If you would alone on an island and hand 3 wishes, what would they be? Enough food always, enough wine always, enough books always.
43. If you could bring to life anyone who has died, who would it be and why? My Dad. I miss him.
44. If you could visit any city in the world, where would you go? Rome.
45. What’s your favorite number? 5
46. When you were a child, what did you always want to be when you grew up? Independent 
47. Paper or plastic? Cloth, more reusable.
48. Who would win: Superman or Batman? Batman he can be sneaky.
49. Who is your favorite Muppet? Rolf

Wow!  Karate and Aikido!  I know who to call if I'm up against a wall.  Thanks Yvonne for taking the time to answer my questions and being a BUZZ GUEST on FAE AND WITCHES AND GHOSTS--OH MY! 

LET'S CREATE A BUZZ!! Urban Fantasy/Paranormal/Sci-Fi Authors, artists and poets if you would like to become a BUZZ GUEST on this blog "FAE AND WITCHES AND GHOSTS--OH MY!" contact me via twitter@kay_latour or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kaylatour/

My BUZZ GUEST for today is author Yvonne Rediger.  Yvonne has an awesome fantasy series out titled the VIC SHAPESHIFTERS. 

Book One is called THE SHAPE OF US.  Someone knows about the Pack and that someone is after the kids.  THE SHAPE OF US is available right now on Amazon! 

 
Book Two is called HELL CAT!

At the moment Yvonne is writing Book Three of the series.  It's tentative title is LOTTIE'S TAIL.

Yvonne was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for us:

1.  What drew you to writing? I like to create stories, tell things my way.
   
   
2. Do you have a degree in writing? Do you believe that matters? Why/Why not? No and no. I took courses I writing. I write volumes for my job, technical writing, business proposals, etc. Some training is important. But you cannot teach attitude or make someone a good story teller. There has to be a spark that lives in their soul that allows them to draw readers in with their words.
   
   
3. How long did it take you to create your first book? Ten months, working full time, traveling every other week to the clients site.
   
   
4. How long did it take you to create the last? Six months, I have scaled back the contracts I take on.
   
   
5. What have you learned in between? Write like no one will read your work. Don't be inhibited. 
   
   
6. What are you currently learning to further develop your craft? Marketing.
   
   
7. Do you prefer creating short stories, or novels? Novels.
   
   
8. What Genre do you write and why? Paranormal, fantasy, romance, mystery.
   
   
9. Can you pick a favorite line from your latest work (or the work being highlighted) and tell us why this is your favorite?  From Book 3, VIC Shapeshifters series. Working Title - Lottie's Tail.
    
   "Yes, but everyone calls me Lottie."
    
   "Must I remind you, I am not everyone?" Zavier said as he ran one finger tip over my skin.
    
   Now I did jump back. "Keep your hands to yourself unless invited otherwise."
    
   "Will you Charlotte? Will you invite me?"
    
   "Depends." I tipped my head to the side, then swept his feet out from under him. He landed hard on his butt. "On whether you respect me or not."
    
   
   
10. What about your life influenced your drive to create? Problem solving and ensuring the projects I work "do the right thing" for the client.
    
    
11. Tell us something personal you've enjoyed due to being an author. Connecting with other writers and readers. People I would have otherwise never met.
    
    
12. What is next on your current writing agenda? Finish a mystery/romance based on my last vacation. Then on to book 3 of the VIC Shapeshifters series, outlined and some chapter work done.
    
    
13. What kind of books to you enjoy reading? Anything with well defined characters and a good plot with smart writing. I hate stupid. Like tracing phone calls and DNA testing done in a week.
    
    
14. What are you reading now? Just finished "Infinity Bell" by Devon Monk. When I knuckle down to finish a MS, I don't read much.
    
    
15. In the Indie vs Traditional debate - does it matter to you? If so why? Thoughts? I have done both, however I see indie as the evolving business model. Quicker responses from editors would stem that. Three months to get a rejection is driving indie. Authors think, heck I should just go for it myself. Amazon, Smashswords and others are supplying an alternative to traditional.
    
    
16. What makes a story interesting to you? Strong character driven plots and great dialogue. 
    
    
17. What might make you pick up a book outside your own comfort choices? Recommendations from people I trust.
    
    
18. Do you have a favorite author(s)? Too many to list so I will give you some. Tanya Huff, Dave Duncan, Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Terry Pratchett 
    
    
19. Where is your favorite place to read? Outside in a lawn chair in summer.
    
    
20. What’s next on your To Be Read list? Alpha & Omega by Ilona Andrews
    
    
21. Describe the ideal situation for your reading time? (in detail - include location, time of day, drinks/food, etc.) Any summer morning, early, with toast and coffee, outside.
    
    
22. Pick 5 books and tell us why you loved them.
     
    Love: Lois McMaster Bujold's VorKosigan series 20 + books, excellent writing, SciFi adventure 
    Loved: Disk World series, Terry Pratchett
    Loved: Harry Dresden series, Jim Butcher
    Loved:  Blood series, Gale Girls series, Valour Series, Tanya Huff
    All these writers create special worlds, great characters, and solid plots.

Thank you Yvonne I so enjoyed reading your answers! 

You can find Yvonne on twitter at @Blackyvy

BUZZ NOTICE:  Part Two of my interview with Yvonne Rediger author of the VIC SHAPESHIFTERS SERIES will be posted on Friday April 29th, 2016. 

LET’S CREATE A BUZZ!!  Authors, artists, poets if you would like to be interviewed for a guest spot on this blog FAE AND WITCHES AND GHOSTS—OH MY! Contact me via twitter @kay_latour or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kaylatour/

The Zoe Jabril journey continues.  Yay!  Having read the first book, The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos, I'm kind of all ready invested in this character.  So I'm really excited to see what she's up to.  The synopsis gives us just enough information to tantalize our minds.  Zoe will have to tangle with:  a strange attraction to her new neighbor; a daring covert operation against demons; travel to the fae summer court to negotiate alliance support; all the while making sure her high school attendance record stays on point so her parents won't find out what she's really up to.  But luckily we are not her parents and can enjoy finding out about this next stage in Zoe's journey as she battles to stop the Devil from escaping Hell on her eighteenth birthday. 

Below is an excerpt from Chapter One for you to enjoy:
ZOE

Last night, a friend of mine rose from the dead—and I was the one who brought her back. So I guess . . . I’m an angel. Or, at least most of my friends think I am.
     Even wrapped tightly in the arms of my favorite oversized PINK hoodie, I shivered. It was chilly for mid-April while sitting on my front porch with the sun just coming over the horizon, but that wasn’t where the tremor had come from.
     I glanced up, startled by the high-pitched squealing of truck brakes that rang above the music playing from my iPod. The truck turned into the cul-de-sac and careened straight into the next door neighbors’ driveway. What made it really strange was the house had been empty since last October. I could still see the top of the “For Sale” sign on the manicured front lawn. I pulled out my cell phone to text my boyfriend, Shay.
 
     Me: Good morning!
 
     As I waited for a response, a gray uniformed driver open his door and climbed down. He walked to the back of the truck; then multiple doors slammed.
     “This furniture goes into the living room on the main level,” a man said.
     I didn’t particularly want to be a nosy neighbor, but I couldn’t help myself. I eased higher on the top step, hoping to get a look at the man who seemed to be in charge. His back was to me, so all I could tell was he had short blond hair. He glanced down at something then looked back up, turned, and pointed toward a number of other, smaller trucks in the cul-de-sac parking. More uniformed men jumped out of the smaller trucks and gathered around their boss, waiting for instructions. I had no interest in watching a bunch of people move boxes, so I just stayed on the step and waited for my best friend, Kieran, and Shay
     ***

You can purchase this book through:  Amazon; Nook; Smashwords; or on Kristin's website at www.kristinvanrisseghem.com. 

Below is a picture of the divine Ms. Van Risseghem so you can put a face to the creator of this awesome series.  Happy reading y'all! 

Yeah, it's true.  I have an empty patch in my garden.  For some people--and I'm talking about gardeners with miraculous green thumbs--an empty patch of garden area is an opportunity.  For them deciding what to plant in that patch of brown earth is a snap.  I've even heard that gardeners regularly create empty garden patches so they can go through the decision planting stage--on purpose!  But for me, not a green thumb person, it's a BIG decision. 

I'm a novel writer and so my first instinct is to do some research.  The problem here is that there is so much information on gardening that I just can't decide.  And my past experience with house plants has unfortunately left me with nothing but bad experiences.  Like last year, I tried to grow Black Eyed Susan's from seedlings.  I followed the directions on the package.  I planted.  I watered.  I set them in sunlight.  But a couple of months later there were no lovely green shoots, just dirt.  I should have known.  Any house plant I ever had usually died.  They'd either crisp up into a dried husk or they'd mold into a weirdly gelatinous mush.  And I felt bad for everyone of them. 

The only time in my life when I could grow plants was just after the birth of my first child.  I don't know whether my vibration changed when I became a mother or if it was just dumb luck.  But for awhile there, I could grow plants.  But it didn't last.  A few years later my plant growing skills vanished once again. 

Oh, I've never had a problem with trees or bushes.  They seem to like me.  I trim them in the spring and let mother nature take care of the rest.  They grow and I don't try to mess with that.  I have some luck with petunias but again I classify them as a plant that mother nature takes care of.  I put them in a pot and stick them outside.  I only water them if we haven't had rain for awhile.  And miraculously--they bloom! 

A couple of years ago we downsized into a smaller home.  Our children are grown and we didn't need all the space of a large house.  The new house itself was great.  But the garden!  The lady that lived here before me was an awesome gardener.  I inherited many wonderful plants, trees and bushes from her labors outside.  A plum tree.  Three blueberry bushes.  A raspberry patch.  A small herb garden with chives that pop up faithfully every year.  And two patches to grow random vegetables.  She had grown rhubarb, kale and tomatoes.  And the thought of taking care of those vegetable patches scared me. 

But I boldly put on a brave face and tackled my problems.  I planted tomatoes in one patch.  They grew.  A little.  I managed to snag a few nicely shaped balls of the red fruit.  I even added them into a few salads for dinner.  I also planted mint in the other patch.  Now that grew!  But too much.  I started seeing mint growing a couple of feet away from where I planted it.  And it seemed to be choking out the hostas that were planted on either side of it.  Again research tells you that mint is an invasive plant but I had no idea how much. 

So I called my friend from back home.  I actually call her every Friday night just to chat.  She is bolder than I am about gardening.  Under her direction I learned about herbs.  They are easy to grow and handy for cooking.  I learned that mulch combats weed growth and helps to prevent a dried out garden bed.  And her attitude as a gardener is one I plan on adopting.  She says that it's hit and miss.  And if she accidentally kills something it's okay because then she learns.  When I asked her if she felt bad about accidentally killing a plant she said, "I don't think I have.  If I did I don't remember.  It couldn't have been too traumatic if I don't remember." 

And she's right.  I'm totally overthinking this. 

But that is how my brain works and it's part of how I'm able to write novels.  But I am going to give it a go.  I am.  And I'll try not to obsess over it too much.  I'll try. 

But just in case anyone has any ideas for me, the area gets sunlight almost all day and is covered in cedar mulch.  It's pictured below.  If you want to throw some planting suggestions at me, then I can assure you that me and my obsessive brain thank you very much in advance. 

Other than that, keep on keeping on and have a nice day.