Spook-a-interview with Dianna Hardy!

** Competition has ended. Dianna has contacted the winner. Congratulations Mist! : )**

EM: Welcome to the My World Halloween Bash, Dianna! It's wonderful to have you here! : )

What have you come as today? And why?
Hi Elizabeth :) I'm here as a vampire, not original, but probably the most fitting to those that know me best. I also don't have to dig too deep for a costume as a vampire; my own clothes usually suffice!

EM: Tehehe, well you make a very lovely vampire, dear. : )

Before we begin, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm a UK-based indie author, who writes many genres -- the one thing they probably all have in common is "the paranormal". I've never really seen the paranormal as "para", even in fiction.

EM: *High fives her fellow UK-er*

1. What's your favourite scary movie?

A couple of years back, I watched The Descent and it scared the crap out of me -- lots of jumpy moments!

EM: I watched that with my best friend, and then we had a discussion on what we would do in the first place. Of course neither of us would be so daft to be in such a place in the first place, but I told her I would leave her there and make a break for it... What? Yes, we are still friends. I'm kidding. I wouldn't really leave her... that would be mean. : P

2. Was there a particular horror movie, or character that scared you when you were younger?


No, I wasn't easily scared when little (even now, although I think I was braver at five years old!). I remember being freaked out by the scene in Jaws where you see the sweet little dog's paws swimming away under the water, then there's the music, than all the sudden you hear a little whimper and the dog's gone. Hated that scene. I think they've cut it since then.

EM: I really hate it when animals get killed in horrors, though I don't care if people do.... O_o


3. Which horror would you be afraid to be stuck in?


Back to The Descent again! I would so not want to be stuck in a cave, with limited supplies, in the dark, not knowing my way out, with friends who were dying or getting lost, knowing there was some horrific thing after you that you couldn't see, but could sort of hear (shivers).

4. Who do you feel is the best horror villain? And why?

Freddy Kruger. Dreams and imagination are always the scariest things. The actor pulled it off so well, plus there was an air of the seductive about Freddy (okay, so maybe that's just me).

EM: I have always thought he was hilarious. He is sooo cheesy, I love it.

5. Why do you feel that witches are so popular in both literature & film/tv?

I don't actually think they're as popular as they should be; that's partly why I wanted to write a mythology that featured witches (as well as demons) quite strongly. We had a spate of cool witches on the TV in the '90s (Willow from Buffy and the girls in Charmed), but then witches seemed to die a bit of a death. I'd love to resurrect them!

6. Why did you decide to write a story about witches?

See above answer. I'm also a witch myself -- I'm a solitary witch. I guess you could call me an eclectic (although I don't really like that word) or shamanic witch. And everyone also tells you to write something you know ... so I thought I'd give it a go! Having said that, I don't feature my own beliefs in my fiction books that strongly -- they're more about the characters. They have a life of their own :)

7. Do you believe these beings actually existed once upon a time?

....And still do :)

8. What attracted you to the paranormal genre? Why do you write this particular genre?


I've always loved the paranormal, and anything dark and taboo. As a child, all the things that scared others didn't scare me. I loved vampires, snakes, monsters, pretty much everything that was occult, ever since I can remember. I have no idea what "attracts" me to it. It's more like, I feel that I am it. I practice witchcraft (I don't call it Wicca), so I am the paranormal, according to others anyway. I don't see it as "para". It all sounds weird but that's how it feels, and that's why I write it.

9. Who is your favourite paranormal/horror writer & why?

I've loved a lot of writers in the past: Stephen King, James Herbert and Richard Laymon feature in the top ten. Then there's Bram Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe. Anne Rice write good Gothic fiction. And I love Joss Whedon for his screenwriting.

EM: I like Poe. There is something do deep about his work, then I watched a documentary on his life, and almost cried. Poor man. Brilliant writer.

10. Tell us about one of the most favourable scene you have written.

Oh, gosh, I don't know ... I like to write "transformation" scenes, where a character goes through a life changing, or soul changing event (sometimes even changes physically). I like to write that exact moment when the realisation or transformation takes place, and the thought processes and emotions behind that. There are two big transformation scenes in The Witching Pen.

11. Out of all the characters you have created, who is your favourite and why?

I like Gwain, because he's not the usual stereotype of what he is.

12. If you could meet any fictional character, who would you meet and why?

Dracula -- the Dracula.

EM: Oh, good choice. : )

Are you working on anything at the moment?

I write under three names. I'm working on an erotic horror, writing as Erika Sorin, called Through The Water, which should be released at the end of this month (there may be a one week delay on this). And I'm also working on The Sands Of Time (Book Two Of The Witching Pen Novellas). These novellas are all about 40,000 words each. The Witching Pen is the first and there'll be at least three. They are quirky, paranormal romances with a strong urban fantasy feel.

Do you have any current release?

That would be The Witching Pen. It's doing really well at the moment.

Blurb:

Elena is a witch with a very special gift. She can make stories come to life with a pen. When she discovers that imagination can become reality at the stroke of her nib, she thinks it's the best thing to have ever happened ... until she meets Nathaniel. With an inexplicable hypnotic hold over her, he is a demon with a familiar face that lurks in the shadows of her world, impervious to her Witching Pen, and determined to make her create the world as he would have it - with her at his side.

In order to prevent the creation of a demon dimension on Earth, and to keep her soul intact, Elena must uncover all of Nathaniel's secrets to overcome him. But what she uncovers only seems to draw her further into his world and to the demon himself, and when the final stone is turned, what she discovers could be the very thing that ends up killing her...

Purchase link: Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Witching-Pen-Novellas-ebook/dp/B005EZHVRQ  You can also find it at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and Apple iTunes.

Any upcoming releases?

Through The Water, writing as Erika Sorin

Blurb:

An erotic horror, inspired by dark erotica, B-horror movies and the splatterpunk genre....

Tony and Adrienne's new home is massive, old, beautiful and it's all theirs. Bought for a steal, they're ecstatic about it and when their friends, Carl and Penny, arrive with the last of their boxes, the celebrations begin.

However, within hours of their moving in, an alluring, unseen presence makes itself known and seems determined to have Adrienne all to itself. As Tony, Carl and Penny fight off their own inner-demons, Adrienne is taken prisoner to another point in time by the original Master of the house, who is greedy for a power she possesses. Abducted into this new world, she learns of her home's true history; one of black magic, defiled fairies and vengeful Otherworlds.

Cut off entirely from her reality, she must find a way to contact Tony, or forever become trapped in an evil past that no one knows exists.

Purchase link:

To be released 24th October (possibly with a one week delay). It will be available from Smashwords and Amazon before anywhere else.

Where can readers find you on the internet?

http://www.diannahardy.com/ - this is my "hub" site that links to all others depending on which genre you want.

Any advice you would like to give aspiring writers?

Don't procrastinate; just do it. Get it written and get it out there. Even if you don't think you're good, you can only improve by writing, writing, getting people to see it, then doing more writing.

EM: Thank you so much for joining me! : ) I hope you have an amazing Halloween!

DH: You too -- it was fun, thanks! :)

Dianna Hardy - Multi-genre author of paranormal things, dark things, sexy things, taboo things, and sometimes funny things

EM: Dianna is giving a way a copy of the Witching Pen! To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is leave a comment - including you email address - and on Friday 28th at 6pm eastern time she will use random.org to help her pick a winner.