Mind of the Beast by Brian and Juliet Freyermuth

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Amazon, book series, Goddess Fish Promotions, independent authors, independent publishing, Kindle, loa, paranormal, vampires, voodoo

(a Sundancer Novel, Book 2)

Brian and Juliet will be awarding a $25 Amazon giftcard to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brian and Juliet kindly agreed to share a little about themselves in an interview:

What is your greatest temptation?

Juliet: Thank you for having us. Hmm. Greatest temptation? That would have to be Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks. There’s just something delicious about a smooth hot beverage with a little bit of spice, especially when the weather cools down.

Brian: For me it’s pumpkin pie, especially when I make it from scratch. A nice flaky crust, pour in the pumpkin, add the sugar and a touch of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves… nothing says the holidays like fresh made pumpkin pie.

What is your greatest weakness (example: buying shoes)?

Juliet: I know this is predictable, but I’d have to say books, especially romance novels. My kindle became so overloaded a few months ago that I had to go online and delete books just to be able to open it!

Brian: I’ve collected quite a few odds and ends over the years. I’m a real Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer nut, from my huge Bumble figure to my little Island of Misfit Toys. When I worked on Epic Mickey 2, I began buying Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. T-Shirts, stuffed animals, you name it. No matter where I’m working, you can pretty much find action figures and Legos on my desk.

If you could have any kind of car, what would it be?

Juliet: Frankly, I love my Mazda 5. It gets into any parking spot, turns tight corners and I can load it up when going on road trips and still have room for my teenage son and dog.

Brian: Do I have to choose one? I’d love to have a fixed up VW Bug, but barring that, I had a 2000 Ford Mustang Convertible that I loved. And lastly, my dad used to own a little Alpine Sunbeam rag top. So we’ll definitely need a bigger garage.

(Brian, you are like me — You’d have a garage-mahal!  Linda)

Your dream home – mountains or ocean?

Juliet: That’s a tough one. A beach house would be nice. I could sit on my patio with my chai tea latte watching the sunset over the Pacific in California. I like walking along the shore at sunset, watching the sun paint its colorful exit as I listen to the waves slide in and out against the coast. I then close my eyes and give my stresses over to God.

Brian: Juliet is more of an ocean person than I am. I love the mountains, probably from when I grew up in the mountains of Colorado. The pine trees, the crisp air, the paths through the trees… they always make me feel like I’ve taken a trip into one of the fantasy novels I love to read.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?

Juliet: Absolutely! I had a writing drought that lasted years until I heard that Hemmingway thought first drafts were always bad. If you think about it, writing is a lot like creating a figure out of clay. The first draft is when you build up the clay until you have a generic shape but no real detail. It’s in the rewrites that you shape it, take away from here, add to there and finally polish it so it becomes something beautiful.

Thinking that way really takes the pressure off and the writer’s block is usually lifted. If that doesn’t work, I take long drives and walks. You’ll find me pacing laps around my downstairs if I’m working on something particularly frustrating. It really confuses my dog.

Brian: Usually I have to walk away from the scene for awhile. Play some video games, watch some television, that sort of thing. Clear my head.

The biggest thing that causes writer’s block for me is if I’m trying to force a character to do something he really doesn’t want to do. The only solution for that is to sit back and listen to what he or she has to say. Even if means rewriting a scene or even redoing the outline, I need to stay true to the character’s motivations. That usually gets the scene moving again.

What are you currently working on?

Brian: Right now I’m working on the first pass of Book 3 of the Sundancer series. Our process is pretty simple. We both brainstorm and come up with the story beats, and then I work on the rough draft. It then gets handed off to Juliet to tweak, cut, and redo scenes. At that point it’s the “official” rough draft, and we can both begin editing.

Juliet: While Brian is working on his part for Book 3, I’ve been going through old stories on our hard drive and deciding what to do with them. I recently added a short story called Sliding Down to our website. As soon as Book 3 is published, we’re going to reverse our process while I work on a new book I’ve been mulling over for a few months. Brian will rewrite stories I’ve found and I’ll be working on a rough draft. It’s been so much fun working with him.

Are you nervous about friends reading your book?

Juliet: Not at all. Brian and I are blessed with amazingly, supportive friends. They encourage us and tell us if something isn’t quite right.

I wasn’t always like this. I used to be terrified of anyone reading what I wrote. Until one day, a boy in my math class grabbed a really bad romance story I was writing and read it in front of the class. None of my fears can true that day so I started letting people read my stuff from then on.

Brian: Not at all. We’re always hungry for feedback, and that includes friends as well. Like Juliet said, we trust them to be constructive with their criticism.

Where are you from?

Juliet: I spent my elementary years in Las Vegas, which is the setting for Book 3, but I consider Southern California my home, no matter when I live.

Brian: I lived on the other side of Pikes Peak, in the mountains of Colorado. It was a tiny town where everyone knew each other. The humorous thing was when I moved to California in eighth grade, my new class was bigger than my entire school back in Colorado!

If you could hop on a plane now, where would you go?

Juliet: Since Narnia is not an option, I’d have to say San Diego so I can visit friends up and down the coast. Maybe visit San Diego Zoo if we had time.

Brian: Hey, Narnia sounds like a great trip to me.

What was your inspiration for Mind of the Beast?

Brian: I was actually having a really hard time with Mind of the Beast. Two drafts in, I realized that the story wasn’t something I wanted to tell. So I spent an hour doing research into old myths, and that’s when I came across the Green Man. There are a series of mysterious ancient carvings scattered across Europe. No one knows what they represent or who carved them. I started thinking about ancient beings forgotten over the centuries, and the story just flowed from there.

Juliet: There was a fight scene in Sal’s apartment that was inspired by a set of gnomes I saw when I visited a gifts shop in Julian, CA. I should have grabbed them. One was See No Evil, another was Hear No Evil and the third was Speak No Evil.

How long did it take to write Mind of the Beast?

Brian: The rough draft took about 2 months to write, and then about 5 more months to edit and get it out the door.

What is Number 1 on your Bucket List?

Juliet: Traveling the world and seeing different cultures. I’m fascinated by stories whether they are in the adventures you find in books, traditions of different cultures and beliefs, or a town’s history. We’ve been trying to hit as many states as possible before going abroad.

Although the U.S. definitely has its own united story, each place has their own story too. There’s a section of Seattle called the Fremont District. It’s got a very artsy feel to it. People there come from all different walks of life. But there is an underlying acceptance of the unusual there. One great example is every year there is a parade of naked people bicycling though the neighborhood. No, I have never participated.

I would like to travel cities in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, discovering both the stories of their cities and their people.

Brian: Don’t forget Narnia. Gotta get us a wardrobe…

*******

BLURB:

When a vampire asks Nick St. James to investigate his friend’s murder, the answer should have been easy, right? NO. Okay, not so easy. How do you say no to a friend like Felix?

Besides, with Thelma by his side, what could go wrong? She’s got that, umm … cute pink backpack of Voodoo magic. Of course it hurts that she manages to look good even when she accidentally conjures and gets possessed by a drunk loa. No, it won’t be at all distracting to have her along.

Since no good deed goes unpunished, a crazy man with starry eyes jumps out of the shadows at the victim’s apartment and pummels them. Their attacker doesn’t just beat them up but also infects them with some bad mojo that’s killing Thelma and making Nick angry … angrier.

If the trail to the suspect—the Green Man—is any indication, they’ll be killed before the poison finishes the job. The old gods are more dangerous than helpful. The Watchers—even the one who seems to have a brain—are always a hazard. And what’s with the all the minions? Who has minions anymore? Not to mention the rapid progression of the infection that quickly upgrades Nick’s condition to ‘blind-rage-filled.’

Why couldn’t Felix have just asked Nick to help him move?

*****

Excerpt:

She shot him again, but he continued toward her. Two bloodstains formed on his ratty shirt. He swung at her, but she quickly shifted to the left.

It was my turn. I punched him from the side and sent him flying into the desk across the room. Sounds of the monitor shattering and wood splintering filled the air as I rushed toward him.

Another sound of gunfire rang out but didn’t stop him from getting to his feet. He barreled toward me like a freight train. The gunshots slowed him considerably, but it didn’t stop him. Pain radiated through my chest as his fist made contact, sending me into the wall between the two rooms. A crack traveled up the wall to the ceiling, and plaster rained down around us.

More shots sounded as I got back to my feet. Two more holes opened in the man’s shirt. He was almost to Thelma when I grabbed him from behind. I used all my enhanced strength to lift him and toss him toward the kitchen. His body flew through the open door, smashing the wood of the frame in the process.

On the counter was the third gnome, his hands covering his speak-no-evil lips. I grabbed it and swung for the man’s head. It contacted with a sick thunk, and blood splashed across the gnome’s face. The bastard wouldn’t go down! I snarled and swung again, but this time he grabbed my wrist in midair and twisted it before tossing me to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

After 18 years of marriage, Brian and Juliet Freyermuth decided to try something crazy; write a book together.

Brian’s writing is not limited to print. For twenty years he wrote and designed games such as Fallout, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Epic Mickey 2 and Lichdom: Battlemage.

Juliet’s love for writing began with a fourth grade assignment. She has been writing ever since. Her writing took a new direction when she enrolled in journalism and met amazing people. Whether it is an article about anthropology or a hero’s journey in a magical world, she hopes to inspire readers to new possibilities.

When Brian and Juliet aren’t writing, they enjoy reading, watching shows like Persons of Interest and going on road trips with their son, Kyle.

Website: http://www.magicalunderworld.com

Twitter:

Brian: @brianfreyermuth

Juliet: @julietfrey

Facebook:

Brian: https://www.facebook.com/bfreyermuthofficial

Juliet: https://www.facebook.com/authorjulietfreyermuth

Buy Link:

Demon Dance (Sundancer, Book 1): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CA9IAOW

Mind of the Beast (Sundancer, Book 2): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQ38D2Q

FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO WIN, FOLLOW BRIAN AND JULIET ON TOUR:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/09/vbt-mind-of-beast-by-brian-juliet.html