ℚ♫ Between the Bleeding Willows: Demon Hunters [1] - D.A. Roach

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author D.A. Roach to talk about Between the Bleeding Willows (8 March 2016, Limitless Publishing LLC, 284 pages), a Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy , book one of the Demon Hunters series.

For 5 days only, from 29 July to 2 August 2016, pick up your FREE copy of the latest release from D.A. Roach, Between the Bleeding Willows.   

Reviewers say it's a fast paced, action packed, adventure with great characters and that it renewed their love for the YA Paranormal genre.

Synopsis | Trailer | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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A very warm welcome to D.A. Roach; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

To start, do you have a music playlist that you used in Between the Bleeding Willows, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"Any songs by Wolf Alice and any songs by Silversun Pickups.  I literally had either one of their entire song collection on shuffle while writing."

What was the inspiration for Between the Bleeding Willows?

"My 12 yo daughter dared me to write a book about demons since they scared her.

I also took lore from an abandoned cemetery that was just 20 minutes away from my childhood home and worked it into a demon/demon hunter story."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"For this book, it’s mostly stories I heard from childhood and the setting is based on where I grew up. But the characters are all unique and the plot as well. It was a book of challenges….challenge to write a demon story, my first paranormal tale, create a world that doesn’t exist outside of the pages, and characters that are 100% made up. I’m surprised I made it to the end with all those firsts!"

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover.  Can you tell us about your cover for Between the Bleeding Willows - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"Oh, and do I have an amazing cover!  Deranged Doctor Designs did the cover for Between the Bleeding Willows.

With Limitless Publishing, you fill out a form that tells them more about your book, overall mood, what stock photos represent the main characters, plot, and then you wait to see what they come up with.  Unless they are way off base, you don’t have much say in the cover so you really sit there and hope they nail it.

I didn’t have an idea of what I wanted, I probably had more of an idea of what I did NOT want.  But when the cover opened up in my browser, I almost cried.  It was perfect.  I’m anxious to see what they come up with for book 2!"

Why should we read Between the Bleeding Willows and what sets it apart from the rest? 

"This book is not a scary book, it is YA Paranormal and is action packed.  Readers have remarked that is has renewed their love for YA Paranormal because it is a fresh story.

I honestly don’t have much time to read so I don’t have a huge library of Paranormal reads.  I suppose my lack of exposure to the paranormal books out there is what has allowed me to write a unique and fresh story.  It’s funny because my mom gifts copies of the book to her friends and they remark, “I don’t like to read about demons and stuff.”  But she encourages them to read it anyway and within a day or two they are messaging me about how much they loved the story and can’t wait for the next book."

Can you tell us something quirky about Between the Bleeding Willows, its story and characters?

"There’s a demon hunter names Casper.  He’s gifted with intuition and he’s amazingly fast, so he’s here one second, gone the next.  In my mind, he’s ghost like because of this speed.  I had a Casper the Friendly Ghost jokes in the book but I think it got cut."

Who would you recommend Between the Bleeding Willows to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"There are about 7 cuss words (no f-bomb) and some kissing.  There was also a gory scene but I’d say anyone ages 12+ would enjoy the book.

It is not a romance book, mostly paranormal and action."

If you could / wished to turn Between the Bleeding Willows and the Demon Hunters series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Chris Weitz for director (he directed New Moon and Golden Compass), Grace Phipps for Cassidy, Richard Madden for Killian, Colton Haynes for Tyler, Nicholas Hoult for Casper.

For locations...Homer Glen, IL and the Bachelor’s Grove cemetery."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I love to write YA.  It’s a time in life when so much changes.  You grow from teen to adult, fall in love, fall out of love, become independent, get a job, finish school, make friends and enemies...there is so much growth that happens and so much material to write about.  And yes, I do enjoy reading this genre as well."

What is your writing process?

"I frame my stories out with pen and paper in a diner with no wifi and plenty of diet coke.  Then I come home and do my best to write 1,000 words or a full chapter each day.

I usually write in the living room with our Amazon Echo playing music for me.  After I write a draft of the story, I reread it and edit it.  Then it is sent to the publisher.

A month after being accepted, edits begin and it’s a ping pong process...the edits for Bleeding Willows went back and forth about 4 times before we finalized it."

What is in store next?

"Book 2, Within the Darkest Hollows will come out mid-December.  It’s a darker book and 2 characters undergo major transformations.

I’m currently penning book 3 so I can’t tell you much about it yet.  I also have a short story in the Limitless Publishing Thriller Anthology entitled 13 that is due out this October.  13 thrilling and chilling tales!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"We have 2 pet cockatiels.  One is 20 years old.  He’s a grumpy old man but still lovable and his name is Gimli.  The other cockatiel is a chubby little guy named Poppy.  He is not even a year old yet and still struggles with flying.  He is incredibly cuddly and sweet."

Gorgeous!  Lots of head scratches to both Gimli and Poppy :-)

Between the Bleeding Willows
FREE between 29 July to 2 August 2016!

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