Meet Katie Salidas - Paranormal Romance Author

Congratulations to DonnaS for winning her choice of the Immortalis Series and swag goodies from Katie!

Katie Salidas

Paranormal Romance

Gather 'round! Louise and Deanna here...Thank you for joining us this week on the college campus at Bohemian College. I can't believe how many students are hurrying between classes! We have a special treat for you. We're going to join Katie inside at the crowded, bustling Café Copioh (from book 1 and 2) in the Immortalis series, the Bohemian college café. Let's follow our guide through the throng of students and join our guest author. We're so excited and so is Katie's series!

Ah, there she is over there signing books for a group of fans! Come on, grab your drinks and meet us at the table.

Reader’s Haven:  Tell us a bit about yourself .

Katie:  Well, first of all, thanks so much for having me here this week. Hi!! I’m Katie “pantser” writer extraordinaire. LOL. Yes, you heard it right. I write by the seat of my pants. Half the time I don’t know where a story is heading until I write it. In a way it makes writing just as fun as reading. Of course, on the other hand, it can be very frustrating when you write yourself into a corner, but that’s the only way I can do it.  It’s also the reason I write Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Erotica, and Non-Fiction Self-Help books.

      I am Super Mom!
   Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women,  I can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons.  I can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, I still find time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). I can do all of this and still have time to write my novels.
     Sorry… I can’t even write that with a straight face.
     Lies all lies.
   Here’s the reality. I’m a sleep-deprived, overworked, mom who just doesn’t know the meaning of the word balance. I try so hard to do it all, (be super mom, wife, & author) and at the end of the day I fall face forward into the couch.
     Yes, you read that right, I tend to sleep on the couch. It’s a point of frustration for my hubby and a thing of comedy for my daughter. Imagine waking up to your little child yelling, “Mom slept on the couch again!!!”
     Because being supermom (or trying to) means a lot of time devoted to family, writing is often done when said family is peacefully snoozing away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen asleep with my laptop, on the couch. It just happens. Then, bright and early at 7am either my hubby (on his way to work) or my daughter (getting ready for school) wakes me up.
     Writing is my passion. It’s a part of me. More than just a hobby, it’s a compulsion. I have to do it. If I don’t do at least one writing related thing each day I get cranky.
     Hopefully, my passion can be your entertainment!

Reader’s Haven:  Whew! Okay, we're exhausted already! What made you want to become a writer?

Katie:  It was really not a conscious decision. I’ve always written things. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t jotting something down in a notebook. The publishing, however, was a conscious decision and one that really made me nervous. It’s one thing to write stories for yourself, but letting others read and review really takes courage. Though I have been writing since forever, I only drummed up the courage recently, as in the last 3 years.

Reader’s Haven: We have to give kudos to the cover artist! Wow! We love it! Congrats on such a wonderful cover, Katie. Please share a bit about your new release, Soulstone, without giving away any spoilers.

Katie:  Thank you so much! I love the cover, too. Soulstone is book 4 in my Immortalis Series. When we last left off, Lysander’s spirit was trapped inside of a large blood red crystal. Now it’s up to Alyssa to try and figure out a way to free him and return him to his body before it’s too late.

Reader’s Haven:  That's a tempting pre-cursor to the story for anyone who loves paranormal. Do you write under a pen name?

Katie:  Nope. Not yet at least. I have considered one for my Erotic titles but as of yet, I am just publishing under my real name.

Reader’s Haven:  What types of hero or heroine do you like best?

Katie:  I like a heroine that I can relate to. By that I mean I want someone who is real. They have real flaws and real problems. They are not perfect, nor are they indestructible. I want them to be someone that I could be friends with. No Mary Sue’s and no Superwomen.

Reader’s Haven:  Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.

Katie:  I’m a write at home Mom. Basically that means I am sleep deprived and generally write while my kids are sleeping. A typical day for me starts between 6-7am when the kids get up. I get my first chance to boot up the computer when the baby goes down for his first nap between 10-11. If I’m lucky, there is another nap around 2pm. After that, my next chance to write happens sometime after 9pm when the kids go to bed. From there, I work on writing or writing related activities until midnight or so. It’s really not a lot of time so I have to make it work.

Reader’s Haven: Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

Katie: The Immortalis Series is comprised of 4 books so far, though each stands on its own, they are all connected. They all follow a rookie vampire as she stumbles through the new world she’s been initiated into.   

Reader’s Haven:  How long does it take you to write and then edit a story?

Katie:  That’s a hard question to answer because every story I’ve written has taken a different amount of time. The first book in the Immortalis series took me 5 years to write and then have edited. Book 2 was easier for me to write. That one only took 6 months to write and edit. Book three took around 6 months as well, however book 4 was almost a full year. It all depends on how much time I have, if my critiquing group has time to read, and of course my, editor has time to work on it too. 

Reader’s Haven:  Do you have to be alone to write?

Katie: Yes. Absolutely. People distract me. I need to be alone and I need music on while I write. Anything else is too distracting.

Reader’s Haven:  How do you go about naming characters?

Katie:  I go to behindthename.com and look up the nationality of the character, then I find a name I connect with.   

Reader’s Haven:   Is it easier to write about the characters if you find pictures of them before you write or do you write then find character pictures?

Katie:  I have a general idea of what features I want them to have, then I search for pictures of people who fit the description and use them for inspiration. So, it’s a little of both.

Reader’s Haven:  How do you pick locations for your stories?

Katie:  I like to pick places I know and have been to. I want to capture as much realism as I can. I know readers appreciate it, especially if they have been to the same place. They have told me they could really “see” it while reading and felt they were there with the characters.

      Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires... Oh My! Add a mystical stone and a few disembodied spirits, and you have the latest, and most exciting installment of the Immortalis series, Soulstone!

Book 4 in the Immortalis series:

It's a desperate time for rookie vampire Alyssa, and her sanity is hanging by a slender thread. Her clan is still reeling from the monumental battle with Aniketos; a battle that claimed the body of Lysander, her sire and lover, and trapped his spirit in a mysterious crystal. A Soulstone.

Unfortunately, no amount of magic has been able to release Lysander's spirit, and the stone is starting to fade. Weeks of effort have proved futile. Her clan, the Peregrinus, have all but given up hope. Only Alyssa still believes her lover can be released. In despair, Alyssa begs the help of the local witch coven, and unwittingly exposes the supernaturals of Boston to unwanted attention from the Acta Sanctorum.

The Saints converge on the city and begin their cleansing crusade to rid the world of all things "Unnatural." In the middle of an all-out war, but no closer to a solution to the dying stone, Alyssa is left with an unenviable choice: save her mate, or save her clan.

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Contest:  Random winner from comments - be sure to leave your email addy so Katie can contact the winner. (Readers choice) one e-copy of any of the Immortalis Series books.