Lori Pescatore Interview and Giveaway!

I would like to welcome Lori Pescatore, author of Human Blend. You can read my review of it here. This was seriously a great read, read for a chance to win a *signed* copy or ebook!

1. Tell us about your book, how did you come up with the story?
Escaping from them had been difficult enough, now Laney needs to keep hidden. All she wanted was to be on her own. Laney is not like other girls... she has very special abilities that set her apart from others. How or why she came about these abilities is a mystery she has yet to unfold. Haunted by memories and flashbacks of the suffering she endured at the hands of her captors, she changes her appearance and hides out in a small town. Ignoring her own warnings, she begins a relationship with a local boy. The relationship turns dangerous when the boy begins developing similar abilities. This development does not fall under the radar of the men who are trying to recapture her. A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney's new life falls apart when she meets a young intern that seems to have all the answers to her questions. The information sends her into a tail spin. Thoughts of going on the run once again are thwarted as those whom she was running from find her. 
I came up with the beginning of the story first then the characters told the rest. I write character driven novels so I feel it is only fair that they tell me the story. 


2. I greatly enjoyed Human Blend and the characters, so I think this is a much wanted answer for all your fans, will there be a sequel?
Yes there will be a sequel, I am working on that as we speak. I'm shooting for a February release give or take. I'm glad you enjoyed the book. 

3. What's a typical working day like for you? How and when do you write?
A typical work day for me is going off to the preschool where I teach 5 days a week. I do have some time after work to squeeze in some reading for writing before dinner. My husband works late so we eat later than most people. This gives me some spare time to just focus on the characters in my current novel.

4. What is the hardest part of writing for you?
The hardest part of writing for me is finding the time to type up what I have written. I write everything out long hand, it flows better that way for me. Then after oodles of pages, I have to go type them up. That is boring and time consuming to me, but sometimes I do tweak a scene or dialog on the transfer so it is all a beneficial process in the end. 

5. What's the best thing about being an author?
The best thing about being an author is hearing from the readers who have enjoyed what I have created. There is nothing more satisfying than talking to someone about the storyline that I created and getting their comments and feedback. Good or bad, I appreciate all the comments.

6. What are you working on now, anything you can share?
Actually, I am currently working on two books at the moment. One is book two of the Blend series. The other is a story about a spirit crosser and a demon hunter that I had to put on hold to work on the sequel to Human Blend but intend to get back to it after the release of book two. 

7. You self published Human Blend, I have no idea how self publishing works, what was the process like?
 It is quite a process you are correct in that. Starting off on this journey, everything was unknown to myself as well. I worked on the e-book first. Formatting the novel is the hardest part. Different venues have different format requirements. I had to create 5 separate versions of the book in various formats to get the maximum amount of coverage. Thankfully I have a techy son who was able to figure things out that I was pulling my hair out about. The print version was also a process. I had to create a cover and then size it to their parameters. I had to laugh when the first proof of the print version came to me with no page numbers. It didn't occur to me that I needed to add the numbers myself. I'm not complaining, I totally loved learning the process and hope that because of the knowledge gained, my second books will get released much more smoothly. 

8. Do you have any favorite authors or books?
Yes, so many. Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyers, Maria Snyder, Karen Fuller, Melanie Nowak, E.J. Stevens, Regan Black, Krisi Keley to name a few. 

9. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
Wow, that is a tough one. I think it would have to be entitled "Believe in your Dream." I've been fortunate in my life to have had opportunities to do just that. obtaining my certification to teach and now publishing my own novel, proves anything is possible if you believe.

10. You are a preschool teacher, was this what you always wanted to be?
Yes and No. It took me until I was in my thirties to realize that this was something that appealed to me.When I had to get my certification one of the papers I had to write was 'why do you want to become a teacher?' After much thought I found many times when my life was guided in that direction. I had just never noticed it before. 

11. How is your holiday shopping going? Almost done or almost started? 
Almost started. Having just had the book signing on the 14th of December, shopping has been pushed back. I know what I am getting my loved ones, so Sunday will be the day to just go out and get it all. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks so much for allowing me the interview, these were fantastic questions! 

Thanks again to Lori for the interview and the chance to read Human Blend. Now for you who have stuck around, Lori has generously offered a *signed* copy for a lucky reader and I will be giving away a Kindle edition of Human Blend! To enter: Check out the extra entries first, then fill out this form:

Human Blend by Lori Pescatore

Comments are welcome, but they will not enter you in the giveaways. 

You can get extra entries for:

• +2 For following Lori on Twitter (@preteach99) 
• +2 For "liking" Lori on Facebook here 
• +1 For following me on Twitter (@nizmart) 
• +1 For following this blog
• +1 Tweeting about this giveaway

This giveaway ends on January 31st and since Lori is so awesome she is opening this giveaway to International readers as well, good luck!