BOOK PROMOTIONS INTERNATIONAL AUTHOR FEATURE
ROSE TITUS
Today on the L.O.V.E. blog we're hosting author Rose Titus in an exclusive interview about her writing career. Read on to learn more about this featured author!
Q: Thank you so much for being here with us Rose! We noticed when reading your bio that you live and write in New England. Can you tell us a little about your experience writing in that area?
A: Living in this area, I can very realistically describe very horrible weather and changing weather, along with the changing of the seasons.
In my novella Night Home (the first book in the Vampire Next Door trilogy) the story goes through summer, fall, then cold winter, with the vampire hunter seen wandering through the deep snow in the character Muriel's backyard before he breaks into her home on a cold winter's night, busting down the door and letting cold air into the house. And then the story goes into spring towards the end.
The second book in the trilogy (After Dark) takes place in California, and I can only imagine what the weather might be like out there. Naturally, I assume it's sunny and pleasant but often hot. The third book in the trilogy (All the Way to the Moon) involves characters from both Book One and Book Two, and the action goes back and forth, from California to the Northeast. We see a character (Laura, from After Dark) forced to drive all the way across country to the Northeast and she knows she is getting close to her destination because the weather turns cold and she sees snow. When she reaches her final destination (Muriel's home) she meets a werewolf who is renting a room in Muriel's house, and who describes for her the changing of the seasons and the eternal cycles of nature. (This is a very environmentally concerned werewolf, by the way.)
The ever changing weather, the seasons, and nature, the animals that live locally - deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, and other wildlife, are things I am very familiar with.
I often go to sleep hearing the howl of the wind blending in with the yap of a pack of coyotes, and sometimes at dawn I wake up and look out my window to see a coy-wolf, or a deer or two. In All the Way to the Moon, Muriel (the main character from Night Home) sees a wolf - which may or may not be the werewolf! - dash across the dark road at night. And I've experienced things like this also - driving home at dusk and having a coyote run out in front of my car, or pulling into my driveway and seeing a coyote in the headlights.
My backyard is where the wild things are!
Also the area has a lot of history. In Night Home, Muriel inherits a very old home which she begins to restore. There are a lot beautiful Victorian era homes locally.
A friend of mine actually owns a home built in the 1600's, which we believe may be inhabited by a ghost. Paranormal investigators came to visit one night and set up all sorts of high-tech equipment. I came along to observe. And yes, "stuff" went on, but it would take too long to describe. Let's just say it was awesome to be there and witness these things. It wasn't like what you see in a movie or on TV, but things did happen. Some electronic voice phenomenon was recorded that night, also.
In All the Way to the Moon, Muriel finds that not only does she have vampires in the neighborhood residing close by, and a werewolf in her house, but also a ghost haunting her home. But don't worry, they all get along quite well. The trouble starts when the hired hit man arrives to kill Laura (our character from After Dark). Fortunately for both Laura and Muriel, the werewolf and several otherworldly entities are there to help do battle.
And thankfully, I personally don't have much experience with hit men. I only have experience with wild animals, extreme weather, and haunted houses.
Q: Howling winds and old homes... sounds intriguing! You've also travelled to some very interesting places. Will you share an experience from your travels with our readers?
A: When I visited England some time ago, I was in Oxford and visited the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to sit and have beers and toss ideas at each other (the name of the pub is the Eagle and Child). It was just so cool to sit in this same pub where these two sat decades ago, having drinks together. Also in the area is the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. At that time the library was having an exhibit on "Magical Books." There was a handwritten manuscript / rough draft by J.R.R. Tolkien, with illustrations he did himself. There was also an old copy of the Malleus Maleficarum, and I looked at that and thought of all the trouble this book caused throughout history. Also among the objects on display was a small crystal ball said to belong to Dr. John Dee, Queen Elizabeth the First's astrologer - and some say he was a sorcerer.
Later there was a tour of some of the buildings at Oxford University, and the group was told that some of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed there.
So during the timeframe of a few days I sat in the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien sat, saw some of their handwritten manuscripts, saw Dr. Dee's own crystal ball, and then ended up in Harry Potter's world... !
It was an interesting trip.
Later there was a tour of some of the buildings at Oxford University, and the group was told that some of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed there.
So during the timeframe of a few days I sat in the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien sat, saw some of their handwritten manuscripts, saw Dr. Dee's own crystal ball, and then ended up in Harry Potter's world... !
It was an interesting trip.
Rose's "Backyard" in New England
Q: Wow... that sounds like an amazing experience, especially for authors. Your bio also states that you've been published in a literary magazine. Congratulations! What was that like for the first time?
A: Many years ago I got my first short story published in a little known magazine called Lost Worlds. I was in my mid-20's and was so happy; I was finally published after trying for so long. One of the editors actually called my house and said how much she liked my story.
Q: Speaking of magazines, you "wait for the Fortean Times in your spare time." What kind of magazine is it? We would love to know any interesting facts you would like to share.
A: "Fortean Times" is a British magazine that describes itself as being about "The World of Strange Phenomena." It was named after Charles Fort, who investigated all sorts of things. It was started in 1973. It's basically a collection of all kinds of fun stuff - UFO's, the paranormal, cryptozoology, conspiracy theories, children raised by wolves, etc. In addition the magazine has a great sense of humor and even a comic strip. I don't necessarily believe in "everything" in that magazine, but it makes me wonder about things, and best of all, it gives me a good laugh each issue.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRoseTitus/
Amazon Author Page Line:
https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Titus/e/B077RLWKN3
THANK YOU READERS for being here with us! Your shares and comments are welcome. Happy reading!
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