I'm thrilled to have with me today a great friend and writer, Flossie Benton Rogers. Talk about an Wytchfae Runes! Now, Flossie's on book #4 in the series, Time Singer, due in April.
Flossie's story is an incredible rise to success: this lovely woman retired from her day job, attended her first writer's conference, pitched for the first time, and subsequently got a contract for her first paranormal fantasy romance--all in the matter of a couple of years! Whew!
Check out my interview with her below, and comment today for a chance to win her latest release, Mind Your Goddess.
What an incredible journey you've had, Flossie! I'm so glad to have you as a guest on my blog.
Dylan,
a thousand thanks for having me here today!
What is THE most important thing writers can do for themselves to get an
agent/publisher in today's market?
The
most important thing a writer can do is write, write, and write some more. Instead of obsessing over getting your first
book published, write a second book, and a third, as you continue to submit.
That's such excellent advice. So many times I see authors that stop writing after one book. Ok, next question: If you could have done anything differently with your writing career so far,
what would it be?
A
mild regret is not starting a serious drive toward publication earlier in life.
However, I’m also a big believer in things happening when the time is right.
Because of that, I focus on enjoying every moment!
Well, considering how prolific you are, I'd say you've made up for lost time! Who are your writing role models, and how have they influenced you?
My
writing mentor is author Loretta C. Rogers, who convinced me that I could write
a novel and get it published. Before that, I saw authors as remote “rock stars”
to whose rarefied status I could never aspire. Loretta began writing after
retirement and in six years has 13 novels under her belt. She is published in
multiple genres, and I especially like The
Witching Moon. A vintage romance author I admire is Dorothy Cork. She wrote
love stories set in Australia, and each one elicits visceral excitement in the
reader, a fine goal for a writer. Red
Diamond is my favorite of hers. As for literary works, I love the novels of
Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Franz Kafka, and Thomas Hardy; the plays of
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Shakespeare; and the poetry of Yeats and
Keats, just to name a few.
Can you tell us about your upcoming release?
I’m
excited that Time Singer – Wytchfae 4 is scheduled for an April release. This
is the story of a modern wytchfae, Seraphina Rosebeth Clery, and Aedar, her
fierce warrior from ancient Ireland.
What's one fact about you that most people don't know.
As
a teenager I played drums in a garage rock band, The Persian Blue.
No way! A drummer in a rock band. You are truly amazing, Flossie! Check out her awesome book video trailer for MIND YOUR GODDESS – WYTCHFAE 3 here:
and dont' forget to comment at the bottom of this post for your chance to win a copy of this super fun, super hot paranormal fantasy romance!
Cool jazz & hot kisses…
The Goddess Epona awakens in the
Roaring 20’s. Can this flapper summon the razzle dazzle to reclaim her powers
and the heart of her dark Guardian?
Mind Your Goddess Excerpt:
“Lady?”
A hand tapped her shoulder and she forced herself to open her eyes. A man with
slick black hair who was dressed to the nines in a dapper lightweight suit of a
long ago style, knelt beside her.
Relieved
that the innate fae power of understanding languages had not deserted her, she
whispered, “Who are you?”
“I’m
Benny.”
“Where
am I?”
“This
is sunshiny Florida.
“What
year is it, Benny?”
“1925.
Say, are you in trouble? Do you need a sawbones, or did you jump overboard?”
His tone held a note of jocularity that made her wince. Still, if he could get
her out of this blaring sun until she had the strength to heal her weakened
condition, she could withstand his cheerfulness.
She
bit down hard on her lip. Not only had her abductors catapulted her down to the
human dimension, they had pitched her back in time. “Please, help me up.” The
wispy quality of her voice shocked her.
Instead
of assisting her to rise as she expected, the man snapped his fingers twice,
and a younger, brawny man trotted over. “Yes sir?”
“Be
a gentleman and help the lady. Put her in one of the cabins—Margie’s.”
Epona
didn’t like the sound of that but figured once inside and away from the
blinding sunlight her head would stop hammering with such violence and she
could check on her Goddess crystal. Using considerable effort, she assisted the
beefy young man as he got an arm under her and raised her to a standing
position.
Although
her legs seemed to be made of jelly, with his support she was able to untwist
the sodden gown from her legs. Patting her salt stiffened hair, she murmured,
“I must look a fright.”
“Not
at all, cupcake.”
The
hell with it. Her appearance was the least of her
worries. When her wobbly legs buckled, and before she could utter a protest,
her rescuer scooped her up into muscled arms and plodded through the white sand
toward a bright yellow building set back from the beach. He continued around to
the back where a row of neat cottages stood.
The
black haired man followed and when they came to a door, he knocked in a
rhythmic rat a tat tat. Some kind of secret code, she thought. The door
swung open to reveal two other stocky men. “Oh, it’s you, Benny.”
“Of
course it’s me. Didn’t I give the knock, moron? Break’s over. Quit your
yammering and open the bedroom door.”
A
few moments later, after more chattering and remonstrations from Benny, Epona
reclined on a narrow cot with no headboard. Propped up atop scrawny pillows and
covered with a thin blanket, she took stock of her rescuers, while Benny eyed
her from just inside the doorway. The other men peered over his shoulder.
“What’s your name?”
She
didn’t answer him.
“Muddled
melon, huh? Well, never mind, we’ll call you Angel for now. You kinda look like
one in that getup, or a bride. There’s not a hot-headed groom on the warpath
behind you, is there?”
Her
fae ability with languages apparently wasn’t working at full throttle after
all. Although she didn’t fully comprehend what he meant, she responded to his
questioning look with a fervent shake of her head.
“Good.
You either need to dry off or dry out. Which is it?”
Find
Flossie’s Books:
WYTCHFAE SERIES
Now
Available:
Wytchfae
– Runes
Guardian
of the Deep – Wytchfae 2
Mind
Your Goddess – Wytchfae 3
Coming
Soon:
Time
Singer – Wytchfae 4
Lord
of Fire – Wytchfae 5
Demoness
Dreams – Wytchfae 6
Soul
Weaver – Wytchfae 7
Bio:
Flossie
Benton Rogers is the author of the paranormal fantasy romance Wytchfae series.
A fifth generation Floridian, she is a former teacher and library director who
enjoys spending time with family and seeing new places. She is always on the
lookout for romantic, adventurous story ideas to share with readers. She began writing
fairy tales as a child and is grateful for the opportunity to again pursue her
passion by writing about faeries, demons, angels, goddesses, witches, dark
guardians, ghosts and other magical beings.
Connect with Flossie:
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/FrostFyre
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/flossiebentonrogers
Dylan,
thanks again for being a super hostess!
Flossie--I so enjoyed our interview together! Thanks for being a guest today, and for those of you visiting, please comment below for a chance to win a copy of her latest book!
Happily My Ever After,
Dylan