Hunted Dreams by Elle Hill Tour: Interview & Giveaway

Hunted Dreams

by Elle Hill

BLURB:

Her history, her whereabouts, her name: She knows nothing. Nothing but her current reality: a constant stream of horrific, surrealistic scenarios in which she fights not only monsters and unseen attackers but also her own pain and despair.

Reed Jayvyn is an ex-Army vet, penniless and living in his truck. After saving a young man from attackers, he finds himself embroiled in a superhuman drama between the Broschi and the Clan, two groups engaged in a centuries-long war. Worse, he finds he is one of them—a Broschi, a psychic vampire that feeds off the pain of humans. But Reed’s greatest surprise comes each night, when he finds himself dreaming of a fierce, nameless woman.

She is dreaming. So says the handsome man who uses his heretofore latent psychic ability to flicker in and out of her dreamscape. With Reed’s help, she slowly learns more about who she is, why she is here, what trauma in her past keeps her locked inside her mind. Meanwhile, Reed explores his own heritage, discovering enemies and allies in unexpected places.

But most important to Reed is freeing this woman caught in an endless loop of nightmares, someone he considers in every way to be the woman of his dreams.

Hook:

A woman trapped in an endless cycle of nightmares. A handsome hero committed to rescuing her. It’s just like Sleeping Beauty – except the dreaming damsel is the sword wielder and the hero is a psychic vampire feeding off her pain.

Excerpt:

“Who are you? What do you have to do with”—she jerked her head toward the wall—“this?”

Reed gestured to the sky, the walls, the buildings that crowded around them at unnatural angles. “This is your world,” he said, “not mine. I’m just a bit player. Somehow you pulled me into your subconscious playground.”

She drew her breath in sharply, and her nostrils flared. “Are you saying this is a dream?” she all but whispered.

Surprised, Reed nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t you know?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t know where this was. I considered a dream, but why don’t I ever wake up?”

Forgetting the sword, Reed took a step toward her. She threw him a cautious look but didn’t say anything. “It’s just a dream,” he said. “You do wake up. You just don’t remember it. You’re sleeping right now, just like me. The only mystery is how you dragged me into—”

“You’re wrong,” she said hoarsely. “I don’t wake up, not ever. I just flow from one scene to another.”

“Girl, you’re dreaming,” he soothed. “Dreams make us think weird shit, forget the waking world. In ten minutes you’ll move on to another sleep stage and forget all about this conversation.”

He heard her painful exhale. She tilted her head at him. The movement caught a ray of light, and he could see her eyes sparkled with a haze of tears. “I’m not wrong or crazy. If this is a dream, I can’t wake up.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

An inveterate fan of fairy tales, particularly the darker ones, Elle pens paranormal romance. Her urban fantasies envision an alternate Los Angeles (or is it?) in which Leeches -- scheming psychic vampires -- and Hunters and Psychics -- the beings that exist to thwart them -- fight fierce, primal battles in the land of movie stars, silicone, and sunshine.

Born in Idaho during the height of disco, Elle Hill now chicken-pecks at the keyboard while rocking out to Donna Summer and KC and the Sunshine Band. She worked in Idaho for several years as a secretary and journalist before moving to California and selling her soul to academia. After receiving her PhD in Sociology, Elle Hill became a not-so-mild-mannered college instructor by night and a community activist during the remainder of her waking hours. Always a journalist and writer at heart, one of her favorite pastimes includes publishing commentary on the political and social states of the world; some of her thoughts are posted on her blog at ellehillauthor.blogspot.com.

Elle welcomes visitors to her website at www.ellehill.com. She also urges everyone to become a superhero and adopt their next non-human companion from a local animal shelter.

Links:

Blog: http://ellehillauthor.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.ellehill.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Elle-Hill/155409064486649?ref=hl

Purchasing the book: http://www.amazon.com/Hunted-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00CHUEIIG

Interview:

Please welcome author, Elle Hill, who has stopped by to answer some questions and share some details about her book, Hunted Dreams.

What is your favorite part of the Hunted series?    

Four years ago, when I first started toying with the idea of writing fiction again (I’d given it up to work my way through college), I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun and kind of cool to have a universe where the women are the warriors and the men the magical ones?” The Hunted Series was born.

In the series’ mythology, women are Hunters, the beings with supernatural strength, endurance, and healing powers, while men are the Psychics. As the male protagonist, Reed, says in Hunted Dreams, the Hunters are the weapons and the Psychics the hands that wield them.

If you were stranded on a desert island which character do you want by your side?

From Hunted Dreams? It would have to be Mina, the blue pit bull mix. Like you, Diane, I’m kind of an animal person.

What is your typical day like?       

  

I got into an amazing rhythm this summer, half of which I had off (I’m a college instructor). I’d get up, grab a caffeinated beverage, and stumble to my computer to write at least 1000 words. I was determined to finish my latest novel, The Tithe, before the fall semester started up. One week before classes started, I finished! Woohoo!

Normally, though, I only manage to sneak in one or two days of writing per week. Unfortunately for my writing career, teaching five college classes per semester ain’t a 40-hour-per-week job.

      

How do you overcome writer’s block?

I developed a system that works super well for me. It’s not for the faint of heart, though. :)  I tend to stop writing during a scene’s climax. This, of course, makes me desperate to come back and finish it. That gets me over the “What do I say?” problem of writer’s block the following day.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

An excerpt? Sure!

“The Leeches got their nickname from the way they eat.” Reed’s voice was even.

“They drink blood?” she breathed.

He shook his head. “A little less literal. The Broschi are empathic. They can feel and even evoke other people’s feelings, negative ones like fear, pain, horror.”

“Sun and stars,” she breathed. She got it.

She got it.

“They’re eating me,” she said, and laughed, but not humorously. “These superhuman, psychic Leech people are keeping me trapped in nightmares, eating my feelings.” Her chest felt heavy. She pressed her left hand against it and felt its gentle rise and fall.

None of this is real. All this drama, all this fear, all the pain and anger and malice. None of it exists except in the form of juicy brainwaves that these beings sip like mint juleps. No wonder she couldn’t die, couldn’t escape, couldn’t ever wake up.

Reed’s face was flushed, his nostrils wide. Her handsome hero. For a minute, she hated him, hated that he got to wake up, hated this situation, hated everything boxing her in this narrow world.

Katana glared at him for a moment. “I’m trapped in here,” she grated.

His face relaxed into compassion. Hers hardened.

“I know,” he said.

She stared at him for a moment longer. Finally, with a sigh, she leaned her head against the glass. “Who are you, Reed?”

“I’m a Leech, too, Katana.”

What book are you reading now?

My own, actually. I just finished the first revision of my latest book, The Tithe, and am revising it a second time. I hope to submit it to my editor by the end of the week.

What do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks? 

Absolutely ebooks! I had a hard time transitioning, but now I never want to go back. I always have a book on me; with ebooks, I can lug along hundreds and not worry about dislocating my shoulder! :)  I also really, really like that it saves trees, ink, and transportation costs. And finally, ebooks also give start-up publishing houses an opportunity to break into the market. It’s just win-win-win all over the place.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you. I wish you and your family a beautiful October! :)

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/08/virtual-book-tour-hunted-dreams-by-elle.html