Check out this spotlight for author Colleen Tews!
You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
I am author Colleen Tews. I love all things paranormal. So much so I write paranormal thrillers, paranormal romances, and urban fantasy. When I’m not writing or reading, I am hanging with my family, dogs and cat. I love going to conventions to meet new people, watching movies, and practicing witchcraft.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn? I love autumn the most. It is still warm. There is a crispness in the air.
Cat or dog? I love both. I have two dogs, River and Bettis, and a cat named Smokey.
Library or museums? I’ll pick a library every time. To be enveloped by hundreds of books beats a hundred paintings for me. There are so many stories that I haven’t read that I can’t wait to dive into soon.
Standalone or series? I’m all about a good series, to delve head over heels into a world that I don’t want to leave too early.
Hero or anti-hero? Give me a good anti-hero. There is a depth there that you don’t get from a simple hero.
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
I love to read what I write. Deep paranormal thrillers and urban fantasies that questions what it means to be human and out nature through the eyes of the monsters. Mind you, I read pretty much anything and everything happily.
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
I write dark paranormal thrillers and romances; the darker the better. My current project is Onyx. It is a paranormal thriller about the witch Raven Sinclair. Her sister, Onyx, is murdered and her heart stolen. Raven returns to Briar Ridge, Ohio, from New York City for the funeral, but chooses to stay to catch the killer. It is available for pre-order on Kindle.
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
My most recent publication is the first book in the Dream Prophet Trilogy, Awakening. The second book is due later in 2023.
Two millennia of civil war between witches and werewolves has taken a serious turn. The Alpha, leader to the world’s strongest lycanthropy pack, died, leaving a hole in the chain of command. A battle royale narrows down the list of those fit to take on the role. What the shifters don’t know is one of the wolves in the fight is also a witch.Rhianne Leto is that a witch. She’s also a werewolf and a werewolf hunter. Since the Alpha’s death Rhianne has been having odd dreams. She headed into the arena to gather information and came out with more questions. As the mystical puzzle pieces from her dreams come together so, too, does a forbidden romance between Rhianne and the new Alpha. Could these new feelings and insights lead to peace in her time or a hidden doom exacerbating the current state of affairs?
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
I stop and think about all the things in life I have survived. My health has been atrocious over the past decade: sepsis, breast cancer, PTSD, and depression, etc. Learning to embrace every moment gives me hope and inspires me to write great protagonists.
I love reading work by Laurell K. Hamilton, especially the Anita Blake Series. I grew up on L.J. Smith and Christopher Pike’s works. Then there is watching Marvel movies and action-packed films with usually a humorous/dark edge like The Fifth Element and The Crow. I love musicals like Hamilton and Wicked (the book was just as good).
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
I outline everything. Though I rarely stick to the original outline. Characters throw in monkey wrenches all the time.
My day goes like this: I wake up at 8:30am and exercise or meditate depending on the day. Then I write until lunch time. I survive on cherry coke. Hate to admit this, but I am not a big coffee drinker. In the afternoon, I either write more or edit what I have done. Usually adding a bit more to a scene to flesh it out. I do this until about five o’clock when I make dinner. I go to bed around eleven and start all over again the next morning.
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
Be gentle with yourself. There will be days where you write a thousand-plus words and other days where all you can do is move from the bed to the couch. Both are okay.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
I can be found at www.facebook.com/authorcolleentews,
www.instagram.com/colleentews,
www.colleentewsblog.blogspot.com,
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Colleen-Tews/author/B01GIEMFP4
