This is L.M. David doing a blog interview and spotlight on Donna Hawks, author of Where Darkness Walks. I would also like to add I have been authorized to giveaway an eBook copy of the book, which is good for today 5/30/2013, only. For those interested, please leave a comment below for a chance to win, include your email address. One lucky blogger will be selected at the end of the day. Best of luck to you.
Let’s start the interview.
Q. Tell me about yourself.
A. I am a retired Middle School teacher. I have always loved reading and writing. Most of my teaching years were teaching Literature. I loved finding books that I thought my students would enjoy. I had the best book collection in the whole school.
I love getting outside and riding my bike or walking. I’m an avid photographer.
Q. Your book, Where Darkness Walks (Mortgatha Trilogy Book 1), tell me about it.
A. Clarie has had her heart broken, and at the age of 16, she thinks her life if over. But she meets Patrick and knows they have a connection. While Clarie is refinishing an old armoire, she discovers it has a secret compartment where she finds a relic from another world—the shadow realm of Mortgatha. She doesn’t know anything about this other world until she is accidentally pushed through the dark, magic doors that lead there. Now she can’t find her way home, even with Patrick’s help.
Q. Describe the character Clarie.
A. Clarie is a very good girl, loves her dad, always tries to do the right thing. She is devastated when she gets caught in Mortgatha. She works very hard to keep her spirits up as she tries to find her way back to her home, but it’s difficult. She discovers she is far braver than she ever thought.
Q. What is the character Patrick like?
A. He wants nothing more than to help Clarie. He is crazy about her, even at the beginning. He’s strong, confident, loving, and protective. More than once in the story, however, he is “rescued” by Clarie due to circumstances beyond his control.
Q. How would you describe the world of Mortgatha?
A. It is a shadow world, overrun by the Darkness. There is a story within the story of how the Darkness got so much power and how the Light was extinguished from Mortgatha. Clarie is caught up in the myth as much as she is in the world itself. Evil characters and spirits are everywhere, and things aren’t always the way they seem.
Q. Would you describe Where Darkness Walks as a YA book or can it be put in the new category of New Adult?
A. Yes and yes. It is an adventure, a love story, a mystery, a thriller. It was written with younger readers in mind, in that the characters are in their teens and there is little language or situations that would be inappropriate for teens. However, the story is exciting and I can’t think anyone under the age of 116 wouldn’t love it. It has a multi-generational appreciation…
Q. What inspired you to write Where Darkness Walks?
A. My sister. I was thinking about what kind of book I like to read and teach. I knew I wanted to write a book like that. When my sister, Diana, suggested the basic idea to this one, I knew immediately I would run with the idea! That’s why I dedicated the book to her.
Q. This is the first in a trilogy. Can you give an insight into the next in this series?
A. Yes, the next book is titled Tattered Heart. It isn’t about Clarie and Patrick, but about another character in Where Darkness Walks. The third book continues with all the characters.
Q. What about Where Darkness Walks will attract readers to it?
A. I think they’ll like Mortgatha, even while they’re afraid of being there. I think Clarie and Patrick are truly good people, just thrown together in a bad situation. There’s never “helplessness” to them, only the ability to try to understand their situation and figure out how to overcome it. It has everything: romance, mystery, supernatural, relics (that I personally would like to own) and closure.
Q. What is your favorite part of the book and why?
A. Oh, tough question. Probably the last part because, if you read carefully, you may have a question or two that will lead you into the next book.
Q. Who is your favorite character in the book?
A. I love Clarie. But Patrick would be any girl’s dream.
Q. What was the hardest character to write in Where Darkness Walks?
A. Bulldog. He is a foul human being. My first draft was so foul-mouthed that I had to completely scrap it and try to write it so the reader would understand how he is, but not have to read a string of four-letter words.
Q. Will Clarie be in all three books or will each focus on new characters?
A. Yes, she is in all three books, but the second book is not about her, nor is it ever told from her point of view. In the second book, you get to know a different character much better.
Q. What genre is your favorite and why?
A. Young Adult fantasy, by far. I think I love it because the stories are usually more about the situation than strictly about the relationship. I love romance in a story, but I really like substance to the story along with the romance. Once the girl has her man, there has to be more to pull them together.
L.M. David: That concludes this interview. Remember, if you want a free copy of Where Darkness Walks, leave a comment and your email address. The winner will be contacted by Aoife Sheridan, Saskia Book Tours.
Book Blurb from Where Darkness Walks:
Clarie’s world is about to change for the darker. Rand broke up with her at the prom, she uncovers a secret in the hidden back of an armoire, and she meets Patrick, who is determined to help her forget her broken heart.
As Clarie evades classmate Bulldog’s stalking, she and Patrick explore the dark halls of an abandoned cement plant. After following Clarie and Patrick deep inside, Bulldog confronts Clarie as he fights with Patrick. When she is accidentally pushed against a set of dark doors into the shadow realm of Mortgatha, everything she fears is set into motion to keep her away from her beloved Earth world.
Even with Patrick’s help, the doorway home moves randomly, evil characters beset them at every turn, and the way home seems farther away than ever.
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Donna.Hawk.Author?ref=hl
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4344451.Donna_Hawk
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/donnahawkregehr
https://twitter.com/byDonnaHawk
http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Hawk/e/B00C0KNYI8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1367953455&sr=1-2-ent
lmdavid54 
Great interview!
I, too, come from a family of teachers so I definitely resonate with the author.
Ghandi told us to be the change we wanted to see in the world. Authors like Donna follow that advice by writing the books they’d most like to read. I think that’s brilliant.
I am looking forward to reading the story. It sounds so interesting.