Tara Fox Hall is an
OSHA-certified safety and health inspector at a metal fabrication shop in
upstate New York. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a
double minor in chemistry and biology from Binghamton University. Her writing
credits include nonfiction short stories, flash, short and novella-length
horror stories, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance.
Her horror
stories have appeared in Deadman’s Tome,
Flashes in the Dark, Ghastly Door, The Halloween Alliance, Black Petals, SNM Horror Magazine, Microhorror, Dark
Eclipse, Cemetery Moon, and various anthologies, including the recently
published charity works Fear (Vol. 1) and Shifters.
She also coauthored the essay
“The Allure of the Serial Killer,” published in Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). She is the author of the paranormal fantasy Lash series and the paranormal romantic
drama Promise Me series. Tara divides
her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing
firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to
animal shelters, and target practice.
WHY: "I've loved vampires since I saw Frank Langella in the first “hot vampire” version of Dracula years ago. That love intensified in my later teens with The Lost Boys, and reading Interview with the Vampire, along with anything vampire I could get my hands on. But I wanted more than the evil monster chasing young virgins; more than the sweet, misunderstood handsome fanged stranger that becomes the perfect mate for the woman who captures his heart after so many lone centuries. I wanted a vampire so well-crafted in detail that I could believe he was real. I wanted something different to happen in the story, other than girl becomes vampire, or vampire becomes dust. I wanted passion, tragedy, romance, suspense, action, and the haunting sweetness of poetry and song floating on a soft night breeze. So I penned my own vampires."
Interview with a vampire writer:
(Interview conducted by Jodie Pierce)
What
type of genre do you write?
Mostly
I write supernatural-related fiction stories, such as the paranormal fiction
series Promise Me and Lash. I also have
written erotica, suspense, horror, contemporary fiction, and non-fiction.
What
genre to you personally read?
Thrillers
as a rule are my favorite books, the more graphic the better. But I
occasionally branch out to YA, historical, romance, graphic novels,
action/adventure, westerns and other genres.
What
sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story?
I've always enjoyed reading…a very passionate teacher taught me to read my first
words in kindergarten, and I began devouring short books by first grade…and
novels for YA by third grade.
Is
there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way?
The Hobbit. I like the message; that it’s not who you were or what you
can do that influences what you will do, it’s how willing you are to step
outside your own boundaries and push for what you think is right.
What
challenges have you faced in your writing career?
Getting published. I spent 4
years getting rejection after rejection from every agent under the sun and also
some publishers. But the near misses were the worst, to think that I finally
had an agent or a publisher and then to have it fall through at the last
moment. Those were the crushing blows. The newest thing I worry about are bad
reviews J
What
has been your best moment as a writer?
Getting
that first acceptance…though every 5 star review is another perfect moment for
me. I love getting validation for the world I created. J
Do
you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do?
There
is MUCH more to do….I won’t be able to rest easy until all of the Promise Me
series is out and sitting on my bookshelf in a lovely row J
and after that, I’ll probably say the same until the Lash series is done!
Have
you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit?
Of
course. Getting my first 2 star review on Amazon made me want to quit. Poor
sales in a given quarter makes me want to quit. Having no free time makes me
want to quit. But I didn’t survive years of fighting to get my stories out to
give up now.
What
do you do when you’re not writing?
Lately….I
sew cat beds for animal shelters, review books, clean, exercise, bake, work my
day job, sleep, eat, and do chores like making firewood, spring cleaning, and
pet maintenance.
What
are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
Keeping
your perspective that your every little creation is not going to be perfect…or
get critical or popular acclaim. Some stories will be better than others. The
key is to always try to make the next one better than the last one was.
Did
you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer?
Yes.
I realized I was good at imagining both sides of a conversation between two
characters or more. It’s something that comes naturally and I don’t feel
affinity with either character especially, so I can imagine to be both with
equal believability. That makes really good dialogue, which is an essential
part of any story. The other key part of story is a good plot. When I’m reading
what I wrote, I ask myself if I’m interested at every paragraph. If I can’t
keep my own interest, how can I expect to keep a reader’s interest? And what a
writer wants to produce and what a reader wants to read are not always the same
things. To gain—and keep—series readers, you have to give them what they want
while keeping enough back to entice them to keep reading subsequent books. I
try to do that.
What
advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Don’t give up until you do what you
set out to do.
Find this author at:
Promise Me (Promise Me Series #1) – Vampire romance
Format: print and e-book
Pages: 233
Date Released: June 2012
Blurb: When young widow Sarelle McGarran finds the vampire Danial Racklan unconscious and hurt in her woods, intuitive concern quickly becomes passionate love. Together Danial and Sar work to overcome their own past heartbreaks, their vastly different lifestyles, and Danial's relentless enemies. Yet Danial needs more; an Oath of forever. But can Sar give Danial his greatest desire?
Broken Promise (Promise Me Series #2) – Vampire romance
Format: print and e-book
Pages: 240
Date Released: September 2012
Blurb: Shocked at Danial’s betrayal, Sarelle returns to her old home to consider her options. Yet even as Sar plans a reconciliation with Danial, Terian arrives, confessing his desire. When Theo witnesses Terian and Sar kiss, he angrily confronts Sar, leading to startling consequences. Will Sar’s heart choose Danial, Terian,…or Theo?
Buy Links:
Taken in the Night (Promise Me
Series #3) – Vampire romanceFormat: print and e-book
Pages: 194
Date Released: Late January 2012
Blurb: When Theo disappears, Sar is left bereft,
the uncertain guardian of Theo’s newly born werecougar daughter, Elle. As
months pass, clues emerge about Theo’s disappearance, yet the twisting trail
ends repeatedly without answer. In her grief, Sar turns to Danial and
hesitantly begins to build a life with him and Elle.
Buy links:
Taken for His Own (Promise Me
Series #4) – Vampire romanceFormat: print and e-book
Pages: 247
Date Released: late April 2013
Blurb: After learning Theo is alive, Sar immediately embarks on a mission to find him. Reunited, the lovers return to New York; Danial, Terian and Theo uneasily combining forces to protect Sar from Al’s assassins still seeking her. But when Sar is taken prisoner in an all-out attack, only one man can save her: her old adversary, Devlin.
Buy Links:
Thank you for having me at your blog, Ann! :) Best of luck with your series! You're one busy lady!
ReplyDeleteBITE YOUR TONGUE! Lash will NEVER be over! lol...
ReplyDeleteawesome interview!
Great interview, Tara!
ReplyDeleteYour series looks awesome. :)