"Blue Blood For Life" Blog Tour: Interview with Author Stacy Eaton

Stacy is back today, this time for an interview. She's done two guest posts for me (you can find them here and here).As you can see, she's been busy promoting her books, "My Blood Runs Blue" and it's sequel, "Blue Blood For Life". 

Currently Stacy works full time as a Police Officer for a small township in Southeastern Pennsylvania. While her current position is that of a patrol officer, she spends a lot of my time doing investigations and crime scene processing.  She loves forensics and takes her job seriously.
 
She is also a Police Officer's wife and with their constant schedules life can get very hectic in their home. She's been blessed with two children; a son and a daughter. Her son is currently in the United States Navy, and she's very proud of him for what he is doing and for serving his Country. Her daughter is a priceless princess who loves to help her market her books to teachers and other parents while she is at school and church.
 

When she's not working the job that currently pays all the bills, she works on her business. Yes, she even has her own business. 

She has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs, Garda and Callie. They are a bit different than the standard German Shepherds most people are use to. They are larger and less aggressive and they have more fur!  Man do they have fur!!!  Garda has a face that resembles a wolf, which makes her love him even more. (You can see by her photo that she wears a wolf pendant). Garda actually means "The Guardian" in Irish. It is also the name of the Irish Police.  Rather fitting for their family of officers don't you think?

In her spare time...She writes.

Stacy can be found on her website, twitter and Google+

Stacy, thank you taking the time to write guest posts for me and taking the time to answer my questions. I know that working so many jobs and having a family is time consuming.

Bea: What is your favorite part of writing? Your least favorite? 

 

Stacy: My favorite part of writing is getting lost in the story, allowing my mind to fill with the sights, sounds tastes and smells of what I am writing on the pages. 

My least favorite would be to go back the try and find my mistakes.  Editing is not my strong suit, and I have no problem investing in a professional editor to figure out where those silly commas are supposed to go.
 
Bea: Are you a planner or do you wing it when you write?

Stacy: Other than the general plot, I write by the seat of my pants.  I have an idea of where I need a character or a chapter to go and then I sit down and bring it to that point.  While in life, I am meticulous about planning and scheduling things, my writing is far from that.  I write when I have time, and I write what comes to mind.  

Bea: Do you have a writers group or do you work on your own? 

 

Stacy: Nope – write all on my own!  Except for the book I am collaborating on with another author and we do all that via e-mail, as we have never met or spoken on the phone or in person.  

Bea: Does your family read your books? What do they think? 

Stacy: My husband read the first one, but he’s not much of a reader. He’s my husband so he said it was good, lol… I wasn’t sure if my mother would want to read it, but she was a good mom and downloaded it when it first came out. Since there was language and sex in the book, not to mention vampires, I really didn’t think she would read it, but she did and other then telling me I had a dirty mind and needed to wash my mouth out with soap, she loved it.  My mother-in-law said she loved it and even took the time to write a simple review of it.  

Bea:  You mention on your site that you like wolves. Are there werewolves in these books (sorry, I haven't read either one yet)? If not, do you anticipate writing a book with werewolves? 

Stacy: Yes – I am a wolf lover and No - there are no werewolves in my series.  Will I write them one day? Maybe…but not right now.  A wolf to me symbolizes the strength and integrity of leadership while working together. I have two tattoos, one is a wolf. I wear a wolf pendant that was custom made for me and Garda my Shiloh Shepherd has a very wolfie look to him.  I have pictures of them all over my house and I want to start volunteering at a local wolf sanctuary when I can find the time.  

Bea: Along those lines, why vampires? What is the appeal for you? 

Stacy: I have no clue!! Lol… Maybe it is because society has made them dark, sexy and mysterious.  Maybe because I have a fascination with blood myself. It intrigues me, strange I know…  In April of 2010 I was recovering from a surgery that kept me in bed for a month.  I spent a lot of time reading, and picked up a vampire book.  I got hooked, and I read more. I think I wrote about the vampires in this series because of the circumstances that caused the plot to be formed, eyes staring at me from the dark. 
 
Bea: What genres do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favorite authors?

 

Stacy: I read quite a few genre’s. Mostly I stick with Paranormal, Urban Fantasy and Mystery.  I will jump into a classic romance from time to time to rest my mind from the deep and dark. I do enjoy police novels and mystery’s although I tend to stay away from “real-life” books.  I see enough “real-life” in my job, so when I read I want to know it’s not real.

            

Bea: If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play? (Romantic lead, sidekick, etc)
 
Stacy: Lol… I am in my book!  I’m Officer Kristin Greene in my book!  There are some difference between us, but mostly we are the same.     


Bea: Do you have a preference for print or ebooks? Do you have an e-reader? 

Stacy: If I LOVE a book… I mean absolutely LOVE it – I want it in print.  Otherwise, I prefer to buy my books for my Kindle.  It goes everywhere with me and if I can’t bring it, I have the application on my Droid. 
  
Bea:  Social media has become prevalent these days. I know you are on Google+ and Twitter.  How much time do you spend on it? Do you believe that it's important for authors today?

Stacy: Oh yeah, I am LinkdIn – Circled up – Statused – Tweeted, Goodread and Blogged! Social Media is HUGE for authors today.  Our society today is all about technology.  If you are not connected, you are not going to reach people.  The days of browsing physical books stores are virtually over.  People spend more time than ever shopping on-line so authors need to be everywhere.  They need to be able to reach out and hit on that person.  Those people won’t remember you until they have seen you 4-5 times.  Then they might pay attention to you.  Once they see you over and over again, they start to associate you with something and that makes them want to know you more and know more about what you write. Sometimes it may seem like we are overdoing it, but I have learned just this last month that if I don’t get out there and market myself EVERYWHERE, I’m just not going to reach people.

Bea: What drew you to police work?  

Stacy: I was 29 years old and my life had been anything but calm. I had a great job but yet, I wanted more. I had NEVER thought of being a police officer until I saw a segment on the news about how State Police were trying to recruit women into police work. It made me think about my past, about what I had lived through and grown up around and I decided to take the leap. The day I entered the Police Academy, I never looked back, never wondered why I was doing it, it is in my blood and I breath it – My book title speaks for me here – “My Blood Runs Blue”.


Bea:  Anything that you want to add or say to your readers?

 

Stacy: First, I’d like to thank you for coming by and for reading.  Second, I want to ask them that if they do decide to read my book, I hope that they try to make contact with me to let me know what they think. I love to talk to my readers, love to hear what they have to say.  I have made some awesome new friends with people who have found themselves lost in the world of Fawn Hollow and I sure hope that continues!

Juggling Police Work & Writing - A Guest Post by Stacy Eaton "Blue Blood For Life" Blog Tour

Author Stacy Eaton is back again today, with another guest post and an interview (that's in a separate post). Stacy has been busy promoting her releases, "My Blood Runs Blue" and "Blue Blood For Life".  

Currently Stacy works full time as a Police Officer for a small township in Southeastern Pennsylvania. While her current position is that of a patrol officer, she spends a lot of my time doing investigations and crime scene processing.  She loves forensics and takes her job seriously.

  She is also Police Officer's wife and with their constant schedules life can get very hectic in their home. She's been blessed with two children; a son and a daughter. Her son is currently in the United States Navy, and she's very proud of him for what he is doing and for serving his Country. Her daughter is a priceless princess who loves to help her market her books to teachers and other parents while she is at school and church.
 

When she's not working the job that currently pays all the bills, she works on her business. Yes, she even has her own business.

She has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs, Garda and Callie. They are a bit different than the standard German Shepherds most people are use to. They are larger and less aggressive and they have more fur!  Man do they have fur!!!  Garda has a face that resembles a wolf, which makes her love him even more. (You can see by her photo that I wear a wolf pendant). Garda actually means "The Guardian" in Irish. It is also the name of the Irish Police.  Rather fitting for their family of officers don't you think?

In her spare time...She writes.

Stacy can be found on her website, twitter and Google+

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 I have been asked several times if my writing ever interferes with my career as a law enforcement officer.  I would have to say no.  As a police officer, my life is filled with stress.  Most of this stress is from taking on the stress of others, helping them to deal with their problems, trying to be there for them when they need someone or need guidance with a problem.  I see my writing as a way to let the stress out.  

 

While some of the incidents that I respond to, do prompt me to write about them, I do not write those things exactly.  I use them as a direction to help people understand what it is that we as police officers do.  Some crime novels talk about the investigations, some about the details, but what do you really know about what a cop does?  In Blue Blood for Life you follow Kristin through a shift.  Like any other day, we deal with a huge array of issues.  Kristin deals with an animal complaint, a civil issue, helping someone with a flat tire, a car accident, having to rush to the scene to do CPR. It shows the little things that police officers do on a daily basis. My intent is to not only engage readers in a good story, but to educate them also. 

The guys I work with are pretty freaking awesome, and yes the women too.  Many of the guys that I work with directly and indirectly have read my book and they joke about the fact that I’m going to be rich and famous.  When they ask about my sales, they always follow up the question with, “So when are you leaving us”.  I laugh at them and tell them that if I left, I won’t have any material to write about! 

I know that many of them respect me even more than they did because I started something and I finished it and then I started again and finished it again.  They love to hear bits and pieces of what I am writing and always want to know if I modeled a character after them.  Many of which I have; like “Mick”.  Mick is my real life partner, with a different name.  He is in both My Blood Runs Blue and Blue Blood for Life as Kristin’s partner.  I had fun writing him and his wife absolutely loved seeing how I projected him in the book.  

When I am working night shifts, we have a lot of down time.  A lot of time to just drive the streets and patrol the neighborhoods and it is this time that I find myself plotting, planning and talking to myself in my car about my characters and what will happen next.  I have worked through more conflicts in my car then I have recently out of my car! Lol….  

I will continue to use the experiences that I have had to further engage my readers and help to educate them in some small way.  Maybe next time they see a cop standing in the local donut shop they won’t think “Man look at them, all they do is drink coffee!”, but instead they will think “Good, glad they are safe and a have a moment to relax and get a drink.”  

Thank you so much for allowing me to visit with you for a second time!  I have loved being your guest!!!
 

"My Blood Runs Blue" Blog Tour with Stacy Eaton: Guest Post & Giveaway

Currently Stacy works full time as a Police Officer for a small township in Southeastern Pennsylvania. While her current position is that of a patrol officer, she spends a lot of my time doing investigations and crime scene processing.  She loves forensics and takes her job seriously.

  She is also Police Officer's wife and with their constant schedules life can get very hectic in their home. She's been blessed with two children; a son and a daughter. Her son is currently in the United States Navy, and she's very proud of him for what he is doing and for serving his Country. Her daughter is a priceless princess who loves to help her market her books to teachers and other parents while she is at school and church.
 

When she's not working the job that currently pays all the bills, she works on her business. Yes, she even has her own business.

She has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs, Garda and Callie. They are a bit different than the standard German Shepherds most people are use to. They are larger and less aggressive and they have more fur!  Man do they have fur!!!  Garda has a face that resembles a wolf, which makes her love him even more. (You can see by her photo that I wear a wolf pendant). Garda actually means "The Guardian" in Irish. It is also the name of the Irish Police.  Rather fitting for their family of officers don't you think?

In her spare time...She writes.

Stacy can be found on her website, twitter and Google+

Book Blurb:

“I’m still a cop, and my blood runs blue.”

Officer Kristin Greene has always felt that something was missing from her life. Although her job with the Fawn Hollow Township Police Department keeps her busy, she still feels like there is something else out there for her. She soon finds herself investigating a homicide where a young woman has had her throat ripped out. As she begins to dig for the answers, she finds herself thrown into a world she didn’t know ever existed. When the two strong and silent men walk into her life, she finds herself being pulled into a love triangle that has been going on longer than she has been alive. Who are they and why do they keep calling her Calista? Join Kristin as she fights to learn the truth about the recent murder, the two seductive men who have entered into her life and the real truth about herself.

My Blood Runs Blue is book one of the series. Blue Blood for Life is the second book and was released on September 30, 2011.

My Blood Runs Blue is an adult Action/Romance Series and is intended for mature audiences.

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I have been asked many times if my series, My Blood Runs Blue is a Paranormal Romance or an Urban Fantasy.  Until recently, I honestly couldn’t have told you. After the research that I have done to write this, I have found that answer and I can safely and happily say, I fall into the Urban Fantasy genre.

With all that I have read I have found that to be considered a Paranormal Romance; the story must be deep into the romantic aspect and have elements of the supernatural world while dealing with some other smaller issues. Many of these issues would deal more with relationships and personal growth of the characters, especially the ones that have the supernatural aspects. Paranormal Romance is a sub-genre of Fictional Romance with added aspects bringing it into the paranormal world.  The use of vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, demons and witches play deeply into the work of PNR.

Now with Urban Fantasy they say that it is somewhat opposite. The story deals with a more suspense plot and keeps the romance to the back burner not focusing on it as a high point.  It still deals with many of the same aspects of Paranormal with vampires, werewolves and such, but might even bring in more Sci-Fi aspects. Many people out there say that to be Urban Fantasy the characters are dealing with Good versus Evil and that it’s called Urban Fantasy because it takes place in an urban setting. 

Now I’m not so sure on that last part. I mean I have read books where they aren’t in some large urban metropolis but a more rural country setting.  My series is more on that line, taking place in a small country township on the outskirts of the Philadelphia area. Should my book then be characterized as a Rural Fantasy?  Is there even such a thing?

I did a lot of reading of blog posts, comments and even checked out Wikipedia to see what they had to say.  It was while I was reading the information on Wikipedia that it explained Adult Urban Fantasy, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy) and explained to me that most urban fantasies are told by first person narrative, which mine is. It also stated that this type of fantasy worked through a lot of law enforcement or vigilantism.

So since my books are written in the first person narrative from not only Officer Kristin Greene’s perspective, but also through the first person perspective of Alexander and Julia, who work for the Vampire Military Force, I can safely assume at this point that my series would be classified more as an Urban Fantasy then a paranormal romance. 

I was asked why I choose to write in the genre that I wrote.  Well, until I began writing this post, I didn’t even really know what genre I was writing.  I wrote the first two books of my series from my mind, without having thought about where I would be listing it.  I wrote it from my heart and my mind.  I didn’t set out to write a UF, I just did.  

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