Author Interview ~ Samantha Gail

Today, on The Menagerie we have the pleasure of hanging out on the couch with author, Samantha Gail. Let’s all make sure she feels nice and welcome here on the couch. So, Welcome Samantha! Let’s go ahead and get started as soon as you’re comfy. What are your current projects?

Right now I’m preparing for the release of the third (and final) story in my sci-fi romance series. Amanda’s Glory should be on the shelves later this month. I am also working with Keta Diablo on an erotic, paranormal ghost story. Our hero is an ancient who fought with Queen Boudicca against the Romans in 61 AD. It’s my first project with a co-author and has been great fun. For anyone suffering from writer’s block, I highly recommend co-authoring as an antidote.

That sounds like fun, you’ll have to keep us updated as to that one. Do you travel much concerning your books?

All the time! I jump at any chance to travel. Even an active imagination can benefit from the added flavor that comes from seeing a place first-hand. The experience bleeds through in your writing. Best of all, it’s tax deductible.

My next big foray out of the Alaskan wilderness will be the RT Convention in Columbus, Ohio this April. I thoroughly enjoy being one of the Faery Court sponsors. It’s such a fun experience. My editor is coming with me this year – double trouble

Well, that would be amazing, I can’t see my way clear to do much traveling yet… no matter how much I want to. So, who designed your covers?

Martine Jardin and Angela Waters. The gorgeous cover Martine did for Alliance of Passion was a finalist in last year’s Quasar Awards. It still gives me shivers every time I see it. I believe that book covers are extremely important in sparking a reader’s interest. They need to be eye-catching. Martine and Angela do a fantastic job.

Well, that’s what you want on your team, people who know what they’re doing and making you. Now I hate to ask this questions as I sound like a slacker: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

For me, writing comes from a quiet place. Internal and external. When I’m really concentrating on a project, I get up early in the morning and write till about noon. Then, it’s time for lunch, a long walk, some gardening and internet surfing before I settle down to read and revise what I wrote that morning. Evenings are total “veg-out” time. Hubby and I usually settle in for some mindless television entertainment.

I am SOOOOO not a morning person. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to hike and garden. I’m also an avid geocaching nut. My husband got me hooked on the sport a few years ago. At the time, I thought it was just an excuse to buy another electronic toy. Nowadays, I have my own handheld GPS. We’ve discovered some amazing places while searching for “treasure” caches that fellow geocachers have hidden.

Writing is a part-time endeavor for me. I have a wonderful career as a health care practitioner at a native medical center in southeast Alaska serving Tlingit and Haida tribes.

I’m not really an outdoorsy type of girl, so I admire any who can do all that stuff. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Seven. And there are many more on the horizon. Can’t help it…I love to write. Guarding the Coast is my favorite so far. The banter between Frankie and her crew still makes me giggle. The research was a total kick in the pants. The Coasties and smokejumpers were very willing to share their real life stories.

Wow, seven books!? GREAT! Now for the nothing do with writing.:What animal do you think makes the best pet and why?

I’m a dog lover. I prefer small, non-shedding lap dogs that are easy to travel with. Speaking of which, we’ve just adopted a new puppy. Webster is a Chiweenie – a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. It’s been a long time since we had a puppy in the house and the little guy was barely weaned when we got him! He’s a real cutie, definitely worth the effort.

I’m a dog lover too, and my “puppy” is –part German Shepherd and part husky. He’s gorgeous. What were you doing at midnight last night

Watching my last DVD (a documentary on the Galapagos Islands) before mailing the lot of them back to Netflix.

I wised I had been asleep… ah well. A movie sounds like fun. Have you ever cried during a movie? If yes, which one and why?

Oh yes! I judge movies like I do with books. Can they make me cry? Laugh? The bigger the emotional response they elicit, the higher I rate them. My last really big cry was The Green Mile. I closed the curtains and just sobbed.

Haven’t read Green Mile, but that’s same way felt when I watched the movie. What is your favorite pizza?

We have a pizza parlor on our island called Zat’s. They make a delicious pie with spinach, green olives, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. Nicknamed “Olive Oil”, it’s absolutely fabulous.

Do you like thunderstorms?

I love them. Those extra ions in the air must trigger some strange excitement nerve that hypes me up. I was the only kid in the neighborhood who ran outside to watch tornados rather than bolt for the nearest storm shelter. Very stressful for my loved ones! I could easily become one of those crazy storm chasers you see on the reality shows. Sad but true

I love thunderstorms too! If you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?

The rebirth of Nicola Tesla.

Well, that is all with Samantha Gail, I hope you liked hanging out on the couch with us. It’s been a blast.

Samantha Gail and her husband live in Barrow, Alaska - home to polar bears, Eskimos, snowy owls and arctic foxes, along with amazing northern light shows and plenty of snuggling to keep warm.

You can keep up with all of Samantha's latest and greatest news online at her website.

She Who Dares, Wins by Samantha Gail

When the NSA picks up intelligence that the world's premiere genetic researchers have been flocking to a small island in southeast Asia, they send their most productive field agent undercover to find answers. It doesn't take Isabelle Archer long to sniff out trouble.

The Sultan of the small, oil-rich country of Muldahar has been squandering his billions for decades. But oil reserves are dwindling and the desperate Sultan has a new plan to keep his coffers filled.

For Isabelle, getting evidence of this experimental project gone horribly wrong will take a miracle—specifically, a burly blond stunner with a rumbling voice of pure sin. Captain Quinton Herriman, on temporary VIP protection detail with Australia's Special Air Service Regiment, has been assigned to protect the Sultan's ten-year-old nephew.

Despite her better judgment, Isabelle's attraction to him is irresistible. She can't keep her hands off the sexy bodyguard. But to get his help when her mission gets deadly, she'll have to trust more than just her body to his safekeeping.