The Beldam's Eye Interview

 

Today we welcome, Jennifer Rainey. She's here to discuss her release, THE BELDAM'S EYE.

Welcome, Jennifer!

Can you tell us something quirky about yourself that readers might not know already?

I am extremely double-jointed in my thumbs, I am told I do fantastic Paul McCartney, Louis Armstrong and Woody Allen impressions and I occasionally eat chocolate and cheese together!

How do you develop your plots and your characters? Do you use any set outline?

The characters really just present themselves to me. I wish I could say where my characters came from! A personality quirk or aspect of  a character’s appearance might come to me one day and from there, the entire portrait comes into view. The plot, on the other hand, is a little more difficult. I do a loose outline, but I find if I plan too much, I lose my motiviation.

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

I love historical fiction. I would love, love, LOVE to write one some day. It takes a lot of research, but I’d be up for it. I’m especially interested in the 1920s. Blame Fitzgerald.

What books/authors have most influenced your life?

I always have to give a nod to Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley had a similar effect on me.

What book are you reading now?

Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard. So far, I’m really loving it! I love evil circuses (thank you, Ray Bradbury!)

What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was very young, I wanted to be a librarian. Then I wanted to be a teacher, then an actress, then a teacher again… and now I’m preparing to get my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, so I suppose it all comes full circle!

What do you like to do for fun and relax?

I love reading, of course! I also enjoy antiquing and playing music (I’m in a folk band) and drawing. I’m also a huge movie nerd.

Now, about your story, The Beldam’s Eye. What can you tell us about it?

It follows two paranormal investigators, Erasmus Bramble and Antony Yeats, as they take a case that is a little more intense than they’re used to. It’s a story with terror, intrigue, humor and even a dash of romance thrown in for good measure.

It’s been in-progress in one way or another for the last four years or so! It’s gone through so many stages. Originally, the story was set in Victorian England, but it ended up working so much better in modern day rural Ohio.

What influenced the idea for this story?

I’m an amateur paranormal investigator myself, and I’ve always loved ghosts and ghost stories. It was really only a matter of time before I wrote one myself. In The Beldam’s Eye, however, the existence of spirits is acknowledged scientific fact, so it was fun to be able to write from that angle.

What was the most difficult to thing/scene to write in this story?

The climax! It is so involved and action-packed, and I’m not the biggest fan of writing scenes like that. I’m more of a dialogue person. I’m glad I challenged myself with that scene, but it still wasn’t always fun.

Which character was the most difficult to work with – the heroes or heroine?

The most difficult to work with was actually the “villain,” Isabelle Montrose. I hesitate to call her that because I do sympathize with her at times, but she is the antagonist. She’s a little disturbed and she has some serious Mommy issues. I didn’t want her to come across as evil, like some moustache-twirling bankrobber. She’s very vulnerable, even if she comes off as a complete (homicidal) snob in most situations.

Did the story turn out the way you planned from the beginning? If not, what change happened that you didn’t expect?

It has changed so much! In the original outline, there was no paranormal aspect whatsoever! Also, Erasmus gained a love interest of sorts in the spirit Aletheia Jones who haunts the building where he works. Their romance has ended up being one of my favorite parts of this series, so I’m glad I added it.

What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read this story?

I hope the characters stick with them, and I hope even more that the ghosts stick with them. I have one spirit in particular that’s a wee bit horrifying. My editor said she thought of that ghost randomly in the middle of the night one time and was severely creeped out, so that’s a good thing, I think.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

It is the first in The Bedbury Series. The second book is called The Good Fortune Room, and it’s about a rather wicked fortune teller our heroes come up against. The book was my NaNo project for 2011, and I’m getting ready to start editing it soon.

Fast & Fun:

Boxers or briefs?

Boxers.

Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Trek.

Captain Kirk or Spock crush?

Spock!

Silk or satin?

Silk.

Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

Oh, please! George Clooney!

Harry Potter or Twilight?

Harry Potter.

Big Bang Theory or 30 Rock?

30 Rock.

Wine or beer?

Wine.

HBO’s Game of Thrones or True Blood?

Game of Thrones.

What place to travel is on your Bucket List?

London, England.

When traveling, do you prefer hotels or Bed & Breakfasts?

Hotels, for sure.

Where can readers contact you?

My blog is http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com and my website is http://www.jenniferrainey.com. You can also find me at http://twitter.com/JenniferKRainey, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferRainey and jennifer.rainey@rocketmail.com.

Thank you very much for being here. We all wish you the best of luck!!

The Bedlam’s Eye

by Jennifer Rainey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Erasmus Bramble finds the recently-deceased Angus Heyer rummaging through his kitchen cabinets, he knows he has a unique case on his hands. 

As paranormal investigators in rural Ohio, Ras and his business partner Antony Yeats tackle ghostly problems on a daily basis, from poltergeist exterminations to troubled spirits just looking for a shoulder to cry on. Angus isn’t looking for ghost therapy. He needs Ras and Yeats to help him retrieve a pocket watch stolen from him after death, a pocket watch that is said to be cursed: The Beldam’s Eye.

The skeptical Ras and Yeats agree to take Angus’s case, but they soon find themselves in over their heads, facing murder, theft and perilous dark magic. Is it all just backwoods superstition or is the curse of The Beldam’s Eye grisly reality?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

A pillow with the words God Bless This Mess stitched across the middle immediately flew at his head. He ducked and charged into the wind tunnel that was supposed to be a guest bedroom. The windows were shut, but curtains billowed into the middle of the room and cutesy Americana-flavored decorations rolled across the floor like tumbleweed.

“Where is she?” Ras yelled over the roar of the wind.

“Over there in the corner!” Betty Ann answered.

Yeats immediately snapped a picture of the corner. The spirit box spat out a photograph, and he waited for the image to develop, throwing one arm up to protect himself from a flying quilt.

“Mrs. Walsh, you might want to wait downstairs,” Ras said. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”

Betty Ann was halfway back down the hall when Yeats yelled, “Ras, we’ve got a rogue here.” A portrait of Jesus Christ, the kind where the eyes were always on you, tumbled to the ground.

Ras dodged a potted plant and examined the image. Something that used to be a young woman in a red dress stood in the corner, her long black hair flying in all directions as though she’d been struck by lightning. The wind spirit’s skin was mostly chalky, save for just around her eyes where the flesh was bloated and black. Her fingers were smeared with dried blood.

She had no pupils, just black marbles where eyes should be, and yet Ras could still tell she was staring straight at the spirit box.

He could also tell she was pretty pissed off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Rainey was raised by wolves who later sold her to gypsies. She then joined the circus at the age of ten. There, she was the flower girl in the famed Bearded Bride of Beverly Hills show until the act was discontinued (it was discovered that the bearded lady was actually a man).  From there, she wandered around the country selling novelty trucker hats with vaguely amusing sayings printed on front. Somehow, she made enough money to go to The Ohio State University for a major in English.

Website: http://www.jenniferrainey.com

Blog: http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JenniferKRainey

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferRainey

 Jennifer will provide two $20 Amazon GCs and five copies of Thoroughly Modern Monsters, her short story collection to randomly drawn commenters during the tour. The grand prize to one randomly drawn commenter will be a $25 Amazon Gift card, a copy of These Hellish Happenings (her first novel) and a copy of Thoroughly Modern Monsters.

Please leave a comment or question for Jennifer (and your e-mail address) on this post to be entered in the giveaway. 

Click HERE for the complete tour schedule. The more tour stops you comment on, the better your chances of winning. Good luck!