Keira's Corner: Terrifying Tuesday: Keira Kroft and Tonia Brown

Welcome to the Keira's Corner, where it’s always hot and panties, underwear and any clothing for that matter are optional.

Keira: You have a story coming out entitled The Cold Beneath. What is that about?

The Cold Beneath is a steampunk horror about sacrifice, suffering and sorrow. Oh, and the walking dead.

Keira: What do you wear, to write?

If I am at home, then it depends on the season. In the winter it’s sweats and socks. In the summer it’s pretty close to nothing at all.

Keira: Is writing your only talent?

I can juggle. Does that count?

Keira: Where in the Hell did you find time to write?

Hell is about right! Seriously though, I write when I can. I consider the whole gig a second job, as I already have a 40 hour a week night job. At home it is just the husband and me. He is really patient with the second job, giving me plenty of space and time to do my thing.

Keira: Why are you a writer?

Because I love to spin a good yarn.

Keira: If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

Neil Gaiman. I feel that man has a lot to teach me. And he can teach me about writing too. Ha!

Keira: How many hours a day do you dedicate to writing?

Again, it depends on the day. I weave it between my night job by putting down at least an hour in the mornings. The weekends are varied. Sometimes I do an hour here and there between other stuff. But when I am at the end of a book, everything else comes to a halt and I write as much as I can.

Keira: Do you use a particular writing method?

I am a by the pants kind of writer. I rarely outline. When I do, it is just to keep up with either the timing of travel, such as for Badass Zombie Road Trip, or to keep up with the body count, as with The Cold Beneath.

Keira: What time of day, do you write best?

Any time is good for me. I love to write so I look forward to it.

Keira: Do you use one or more pen names?

I used to write erotica under the name Regina Riley. At first it was just for funsies, I didn’t care if folks found out I wrote dirty stuff or not. But I found it too difficult to juggle the multiple personalities, so I just stopped submitting stuff under her name.

Keira: Please share a particular detail about one of characters, please.

From The Cold Beneath? Sure! Lightbridge is a favorite character of mine for many reasons. One oddity about him is that while he is quite level headed, save for one sad point—he won’t admit that his wife has passed on. He pretends that she is away all of the time, because he can’t deal with her death. His friends went along with it at first, and when he didn’t stop, neither did they. This character flaw creates a touching moment later in the novel, which I won’t spoil for you. Let’s just say, I have had plenty of emails and phone calls, damp with the tears of a weeping reader. In fact, I cried when I wrote it.

Keira: What advice would you give to an unpublished writer?

Read. Write. Edit. Repeat.

Let’s get personal…

Keira: What is your favorite food?

Fried chicken. I do believe fried chicken was a gift from whatever deity controls the universe. I could eat my weight in fried chicken thighs.

And, if you have ever seen me in person, that is a LOT of chicken.

Keira: What is your guilty Pleasure?

My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic. Yes, I am a pegasister and my husband is a brony.

Keira: What is your favorite Smell?

Fresh cut grass.

Keira: If you could change one your physical feature? Would you? What would it be?

I wish my arms were about one inch longer. Stop laughing! I have these tiny, little T-Rex arms. It’s awful. I feel disproportionate sometimes. My arms are short. I mean short!

Keira: What is your favorite color?

I am fond of purple.

Keira: What is your favorite day of the week?

Friday, because it is the longest possible time before I have to go back to the night job. Ha!

Keira: What is your favorite favorite animal?

I am a huge fan of the capybara. That thing is just adorable! It’s like a big hamster. How cute!

Keira: Can you tell us a secret?

I could, but then I’d have to kill you. How many folks answer with that? I bet you get that all the time! Let’s see, secrets … hmm … nope. I have too big of a mouth for secrets. I’m afraid there isn’t anything about me that folks don’t already know because I talk constantly.

Keira: Do you have pets?

A few cats allow me to share a shack with them. The eldest male, Little Boots, is fifteen going on crotchety. He’s just a grumpy old man. Princess is only about seven, and she is a butterball who hates to have her picture taken. Her brother is Lucky, but he doesn’t get to live inside because Boots hates him. And then there is the husband. He counts, doesn’t he?

Keira: What do you consider a household staple?

The kind of thing you hang posters on the wall with.

I kid! I kid!

I always try to have a jar of peanut butter in the house. You can never go wrong with peanut butter.

Keira: What are you reading?

Tankbread by Paul Mannering. It’s really good. From now on, I’m gonna call him my low fat author because he had me hooked at 2%. Get it? 2%? *taps mic* Is this thing on?

Keira: Can you share your blurb with us?

Sure

In the race to the North Pole, who will become the victor, and who will fall to the ravages of the Cold Beneath? Phillip Syntax is the world's best biomechanic with a checkered past of betrayal and lost love. When given a chance at redemption by the celebrated soldier Gideon Lightbridge, how can he refuse? This ill-fated expedition turns from daring to disastrous when their airship, the Northern Fancy, crashes in the far and frozen north, leaving the crew stranded without hope. But that isn't the worst of it. One by one the dead crew members arise from the cold ashes to seek the warmth of the living, and it becomes every man for himself in an effort not to join the ranks of the revenants.

One lucky commenter will win a free e-copy of The Cold Beneath.

Author Bio:

Tonia Brown's short stories have appeared in a variety of anthologies. She has cranked out several books, including Lucky Stiff: Memoirs of an Undead Lover, Badass Zombie Road Trip and the erotic steampunk series Clockworks and Corsets. Tonia lives in North Carolina with her genius husband and an ever fluctuating number of cats. When not writing she raises unicorns and fights crime with her husband under the code names "Dr. Weird and his sexy sidekick Butternut."

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Keira Kroft