Vicki Crum's Magical World #ParanormalPleasures @KMNbooks @rebeccajvickery

Let's welcome Vicki Crum! 

Karen: Let's start with you telling us a little about yourself.

Vicki: I live in a lovely little beach town in Southern California, which is actually the setting for the first book in my “Moon” series of light-hearted werewolf romances. I write contemporary and paranormal romance, and I like to add a little humor to the excitement and passion of finding one’s true love. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful daughters, and two adorable grandchildren who light up my life!Tell us your latest news. Do you have any current projects you're working on?

Vicki: The first book in my “Moon” series, Once in a Blue Moon, was released in 2015, and I’m working hard to finish the second book in the series, Moonspell. If all goes well it should be ready for release before the end of November.

Karen: What is the name of your story and what inspired you to write this tale for the Paranormal Pleasures, 2016 Halloween Romance Collection?


Vicki: Something About Autumn is my contribution to the new anthology. It’s the first short story I’ve ever written, and to be honest I wasn’t sure I could do it. Having fall as the theme helped me narrow down on a plotline, and I first thought to make my hero a vampire. I’ve never written a vampire, and thought I could do something along those lines with the shorter format. But as I was getting to know my hero, Dorian, during the writing process, it became obvious to me (and to my critique partners as well!) that Dorian was not a vampire at all, but a master warlock. A good warlock, though—no evil practices for my heroes! I had never written a witch or a warlock before, either, and it was loads of fun!!

Blurb for Something about Autumn:
Autumn Graham has always been a dreamer, a free spirit who never quite fit in with her peers. As an adult, and now an independent business owner, she's worked hard to put all that fanciful nonsense behind her—until a mysterious stranger walks into her bookstore asking for books on the occult. Tall, charming, handsome as sin, Dorian fascinates Autumn like no man ever has. He claims to be a fantasy writer, but she suspects there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. When the instant attraction they share quickly spirals out of control, Autumn finds herself falling hard for the enigmatic stranger. But can she handle the astounding truth about Dorian's real identity?

Karen: When you were a child, what paranormal story intrigued you the most.

Vicki: I enjoyed a lot of Edgar Allen Poe poetry, especially one of his most famous ones, The Raven. I was also a fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies, specifically The Birds. I find crows so fascinating that in my first book, Loving Luc, I have crows playing a mysterious and pivotal role in the story. I was also a huge fan of the Twilight Zone as a child, and the concept of the world as we know it being flipped upside down. You know, expect the unexpected.

Karen: What do you think makes a good paranormal story?

Vicki: A story that takes you to a place you never dreamed of going, that wraps you in an adventure that is quite literally out of this world. It sweeps you out of the mundane and into the exciting realm of what could be.

Karen: What is your favorite paranormal movie or book?

Vicki: A year or so ago I read a trilogy by Nora Roberts, The Cousins O’Dwyer series, about a family of good witches desperately trying to end an ages-old curse, and kill the demon hell-bent on their destruction. The books are full of romance and adventure, with lots of exciting magic thrown in. It was a bit of a different subject matter for me, I’d never paid much attention to witches before, but I really enjoyed that series. And who knows? Maybe subliminally that’s how my sexy warlock, Dorian, was born!

Karen: What makes you interested in the genre you write?

Vicki: I like exploring the “what if” element of paranormal. There’s so much you can do with the concept of the unknown, the out-of-the-ordinary, so many different ways to let your imagination soar. That’s the kind of thing I find exciting about writing.

Karen: Vicki, thank you so much for being here today and sharing with us.

Enjoy a snippet from Something About Autumn, featured in the Paranormal Pleasures, 2016 Halloween Romances.

When the waitress was gone, Autumn looked at Dorian, raised one eyebrow and said, "They seem to know you pretty well here. You ate dinner here just last night?"

His lips tilted up at the corners. "I stay here sometimes, when I plan to be in town for several days."

A wave of tension invaded Autumn's body, accompanied by a surge of heat so intense she felt beads of sweat popping out in places she'd rather not think about.

"Are you telling me you have a room...upstairs...right now? And this is where you've chosen to bring me for dinner?" She had a sudden vision of crisp white sheets on a big, canopied bed, with dozens of glowing candles placed strategically around the room and a bottle of champagne chilling on a bedside table. Not an altogether unpleasant vision, and that shocked her even more.

"Relax," Dorian soothed, his voice deep, almost hypnotic. "Your virtue is quite safe. I chose the inn because they have the best food in town, not because I wanted to whisk you upstairs and seduce you."

The vision collapsed, and Autumn was left with the oddest feeling that something precious had been yanked away. How ridiculously psychotic of her.

"Not that seducing you is a bad idea," he went on, "I just think we should get to know each other a little better first." He raised his glass and tapped the rim against hers. "Here's to getting to know each other."

You can purchase your copy of Paranormal Pleasures at:
Ebook: Amazon / Amazon UK / iTunes / Smashwords /Nook
In Print: Amazon /Createspace / Barnes and Noble

For more information about Vicki Crum and her works, please visit her website.
Follow her on Facebook, too.