Interview with T.J. Loveless

Tell us a little bit about Going Thru Hell.

Going Thru Hell explores parenthood, and the family we create. What would we do? Would we kill? Die? Lip service is one thing, having to actually make the decisions another. I constantly heard, while writing the book and sending pieces to beta readers, “I’d die in an instant for my child.” So would I. But you can bet your sweet bippy I’ll try to find a way for everyone to survive first, I want to watch my kids grow up, explore their world, I want to be there for their triumphs and failures. If the only way for them to survive was my death, take me now. And that is the constant question the MC, Kylie, asks herself.

Where did you get the idea for Going Thru Hell?

As with a lot of the books over the past two years, the spark for the idea came from Wild Horse Loop outside of Rock Springs, WY. We’d head up there, and watch the bands of mustangs for hours. One incident involved an older stallion and a lead mare with her new foal. The band’s stallion died a few days earlier, and the new one was sniffing around. A stallion sometimes kills the very young foals, and the lead mare fought the stallion. She was bleeding, limping, breathing heavy, but not once did she allow that stallion near her foal. Three days later, they found the stallion dead from the wounds, and a new, younger stallion in charge of the band. The foal survived. The lead mare never stopped limping.

What type of research did you have to do for GTH? 

Tons of research! Oh my gosh! I had to call a cousin in Hawaii, he’s an astrophysicist, to learn more about the fourth dimension, and if it was feasible. I also contacted an old professor to talk genetics, and then spent months looking for a dragon goddess, and the real mythology of several forgotten gods. My Google history would have likely landed me in the looney bin LOL

What genre is GTH?

Adult Contemporary Fantasy. It was really the only way it would work.

Why did you choose that genre?

I write mostly in the Spec Fic genre, although I have a dark Contemporary Fiction I’m working on. I love playing with mythology, using the old stories, not what is taught today. It’s fun to come up with a new twist to old ideas.

What actors would play the characters in your novel?

Oh! This one is easy! Kylie played by Genevieve Padalecki, Aki played by Anson Mount (so yummy!), Alicia Coppola is definitely Anahita, and I always see Brunhilde played by Emma Stone.  

If Going Thru Hell had a theme song, what would it be?

My friend, Joey Francisco, handed over the Kylie’s song: Immortal by Eve and Adam. It is the perfect fit, and of course, now I have every album LOL

How long did it take your to write your novel?

When Kylie took over my imagination, it didn’t take long to get the rough draft out – approximately two weeks to write 66k words. I already knew the story, it was just a matter of typing it.

What is your favorite type of scene to write?

Definitely the action scenes. I used to be a Correctional Officer at a Men’s Maximum Security Unit, and it’s easy to write violence when you had to live through it.

If you could meet one author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Margaret Mitchell. I’ve gone through seven paperback, and one hardback, copies of Gone With The Wind, three VCR tapes (now I’m just dating myself), and two DVDs. She wrote Scarlett, and the entire cast, with such realism. They were flawed, making bad decisions, trusting at the wrong times, trying to survive a horrific moment in American history. She didn’t flinch showing they were human, with all the foibles and strengths inherent in all of us.

When did you decide to become a writer?

I’ve been dabbling for years. But early in 2012 we moved to Wyoming, and the opportunity presented itself to really dig into learning to write properly. I took that opportunity and ran with it.

How can readers follow you and learn more about your works?

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tjloveless
Book Links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJZ46O2 

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1117011509?ean=2940148468349

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/363134
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/TJLoveless

AUTHOR BIO:

T.J. Loveless has been reading and writing stories since the fourth grade. She writes predominantly in the Spec Fic genres. A former copy/content editor at a small pub house, she now freelances at Cliffhanger Editing.

She lives with The Writing Zoo, a Hubby who prefers her mood when writing, and a teenager who loves to tells stories of her mother on the floor trying to visualize "legs all akimbo" and how Writing Momma has long, often yelling, conversations with the computer screen.

Website: http://tjloveless.com/
Blog: http://queenofpaddedroom.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/TJ-Loveless-Author/129753790413808
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tjloveless3
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/pub/t-j-loveless/45/25a/274/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/teejwrites/boards/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0046VUI0Q