Dreams of Mariposa by L.T. Getty

Posted: March 3, 2020/By: achristay@aol.com

Please welcome L.T. Getty author of Dreams of Mariposa

L.T. Getty will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Dreams of Mariposa

by L.T. Getty

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GENRE: Steampunk-Horror

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INTERVIEW:

What or who inspired you to start writing?

I’ve always liked stories and grew up with a wide variety of fiction. I think part of it was an element of escapism, particularly playing video games where you had maybe the choice of one heroine if any, and I didn’t always like being regulated to the healer or the fragile speedster. I started writing in Junior High, and I really didn’t know what I was doing. Call it a creative outlet.

How did you come up with ideas for your books?  

It depends on the book. Typically I’m very interested in the setting or I have an interesting conflict in my head. With Dreams of Mariposa, I was playing around with the notion of a villain protagonist, and the paranormal romance genre was (and still is!) very popular. When I wroteTower of Obsidian,I was dealing with some very ancient, near-immortal creatures and got to explore how they might make decisions that would seem bizarre to us. With Marie, I took the idea of a heroine who got everything she wanted and more, and became one of the most powerful members of the masquerade, and then I looked a few hundred years into her happily ever after and took away the things to which she once had purpose. Dreams of Mariposawas honestly one of the hardest projects I’ve done – not for the plot, but Marie’s voice is interesting to read, but irritating to write. She’s deliciously bitchy wrapped up in a web of narcissism.

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I have a degree in English Literature from the University of Winnipeg. Additionally, I have taken additional writing classes from the Canadian Mennonite University School of Writing, as well as a variety of classes over the years from the two major writing groups in Winnipeg to help me keep learning. I typically write about a book a year, but publishing takes much, much longer.

Additionally, I’m a paramedic so I’ve seen trauma and know how the body works and reacts to stimulus. It’s very practical experience.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

As of right now, I have another upcoming nvoel signed with Champagne Booksthat I’d like to turn into a series. I wrote Witchslayer’s Scionseveral years ago and wanted to turn it into a series, but I figured I should write stand alone novels, as they were less intimidating to publishing houses and I could always pursue it later. I started work on a sequel once I signed the first book, and I’m waiting to hear back and I’ve already started work on Book 3. I talk about it more below.

If they’re not keen for it, I wrote a science fiction novel last year about illegal terraforming and transhuman experimentation, which I think I’d like to turn into a duology but it stands alone. I’m not to nuts about the ending, but I’m hoping that a little distance from the title will help me think through the problem and pitch the novel later this year .I might have to start work on Book 2 to work around the issues with the ending, but I have no qualms about making both parts and pitching them as a whole. I guess I’m slow.

Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I don’t have a critique group so much as a Beta Reader, author R.J. Hore. We got paired up through the Writer’s Collective because we were aspiring science fiction and fantasy authors in a world of ‘literature’. We’re both published through Champagne Books, Ron’s got another publisher as well, so we typically do events together. Larry’s our Third Musketeer, he’s Ron’s friend and he writes detective Noir and has been doing events with us for the last few years. We are open to helping other authors if they need to split the cost of a table, and we’re usually pretty friendly with other authors at events if they need a hand.

J. Hore’s Website: http://www.ronaldhore.com/

Larry Flewin’s Website:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16330361.Larry_Flewin

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I was naïve about the publishing world and since I started writing in Junior High, assumed I was ready to make the plunge at the age of 19. I got my first acceptance from my University’s writing Journal, Juice, and had a few minor anthology publications along the way until I signed my first novel, Tower of Obsidian, with Champagne Booksback in 2011. I was just starting my EMS career at this point, so I pitched a few other books and although I kept writing, I kept my submissions to a minimum. I signed Witchslayer’s Scionin 2016 and Dreams of Mariposain 2017. The publishing process takes a long time.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The worst piece of advice I got was that science fiction and fantasy are trash genres, and don’t have a place at the table. Also, that if I edited a book, it needed an indefinite amounts of editing. Write, do your best, teach yourself to edit for clarity.

It used to be a thing to write shorts and eventually you’d get ‘cred’ for a contract for a novel. Short prose and novels are very different, so being good at one doesn’t necessarily mean you’re good with the other. If you want to write shorts: read shorts. If you want to write big long fantasy bricks, read those. Helps me with pacing, anyway.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

Usually I start out with a concept and just start writing. I write out a few key scenes, then I make myself a loose outline. If I think I want to write a series, then I write out a synopsis of what I think I want to happen. I don’t let these master plans get in the way of a good story though, so like I said, loose plans. I want a character’s actions to feel organic, as opposed to railroaded.

Do you have an all time favorite book?

Til we Have Facesby C.S. Lewis, a retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche. You don’t need to read the source material in which it was based, but I’d recommend to at least familiarize yourself with it. The novel is told from the perspective of Orual, Psyche’s older sister who possessively loves her little half-sister and inadvertently leads her down the path of ruin and kick starts the plot in the novella. She’s an unreliable narrator, a villain protagonist, and is very sympathetic. It’s one of those books where I get something new out of it every time I read it.

Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

Right now, I’m working on book 3 in my proposed Rogue Healerseries. It’s basically a swashbuckling tale of high seas rebellion. The central character, Koth, set out on his journey to avenge his murdered brother in Book One and in Book Two, didn’t forgive one of the men who killed his brother but realized there were bigger forces at play and to focus on the long game: Why the mages sought out his remote village, as well as what the mages are doing in the South influencing a growing empire, as well as addressing the past and his bloodline that allows him man advantage in fighting mages and magic. In Book Three he’s dealing with another who was wronged by the mages, consumed with hatred and very similar to him when he left his village. He tries to talk her out of her quest of bloody vengeance. So far, it backfires horribly, but I’m still in the drafting stage so anything could happen.

Assuming the publisher isn’t keen for me to do a series based on Koth, I’ve got a cyberpunk novel I wrote a few years ago that I should revisit. So between that and the one with the ending I need to fix, sounds like hard science fiction might be on the roster.

BLURB:

Every decade, Marie must leave her home and everything she loves to start anew. She can’t risk the locals learning the truth of her immortality, much less her vampiric need of feeding off fear. Fortunately for Marie, fear comes easily and she spends her endless days mourning the loss of her beloved.

When she is summoned to the leaders of the masquerade, she is persuaded to assist them in uncovering a mystery of powers possibly more ancient then their own order.

As a rare daywalker of exquisite beauty, there is no society Marie cannot infiltrate. Having spent the last few centuries growing into her abilities, she expects to learn of the old powers, and return to her lonely eternity of mourning.

She doesn’t expect to fall in love.

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EXCERPT:

“Where is this fool taking us?” one of Raoul’s men asked.

I realized then that they hadn’t been paying attention.

“Driver!” He reached his arm outside the open window to rap and get his attention, but I could smell the hiss of venom and knew it was intentional.

The horses ran quicker, and I could hear more coming up. They sought to isolate us and do their deed in the woods. Interesting choice, as there was no need to restrain ourselves without potential witnesses.

One of Raoul’s guards kicked open the door. He glided out. His gift included some manipulation of his form, and like a shadow he leapt onto the path, while his fellow went to climb up on the stagecoach.

Raoul glanced at me. “You’ll be safest in here.”

“Do not leave your men, guardian mine.”

His gaze darted from mine as I recognized the smell of flesh turning to ash, and light pierced the chest of the fellow on the roof of the coach. He exploded into dust before he could scream. The stench of sulphur was undeniable, even without our honed senses. The other fellow met a similar end a moment later.

Unfazed by the strange tool on a chain, Raoul unsheathed a rapier from his cane and struck the driver in the leg. The man was young. He met a knife at the rapier for the second strike, but the riders coming up were too late. Raoul knocked aside the gun and slashed the driver’s face before he pierced his heart. I bounced along uncomfortably as the driver was pushed forward and went under the back left wheel.

The horses squealed and ran faster. Raoul reached for the reins, but a rider came up from beside the carriage, then put her pistol in through the open window at me. I grabbed the weapon with such force I nearly knocked her off her horse and into the carriage’s paneling.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

L.T. Getty is a science fiction and fantasy writer who hails from the Canadian Prairies. When she’s not writing, you can likely find her driving an ambulance and dreaming about travel.

Blog:

https://ltgetty.wordpress.com/

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479207.L_T_Getty

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48991028-dreams-of-mariposa

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Mariposa-Beautiful-Immortal-Deadly-ebook/dp/B084G9RV9D/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreams-of-mariposa-l-t-getty/1136133286

http://champagnebooks.com/store/

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dreams-of-mariposa

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