Hello Naomi! Thank
you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!
Q) How did you come up the dynamics of your characters?
I always love it when strangers come into small towns – it
just makes for so many possibilities. When I came up with the idea for The
Beast of Birch Hill, it was almost necessary to play that dynamic, and have
Emma be a newcomer with no clue about the people she was about to meet. And to
have Abi be both her guide in this new environment, and part of it's mystery,
just felt perfect.
Q) Do you have any habits that get you in the writing frame
of mind?
I've recently become addicted to making mood boards on
Pinterest. I like to have a soundtrack as well, a few songs that make me think
of my characters or the overall theme of the story. For The Beast of Birch
Hill, I spent a lot of time watching documentaries and listening to podcasts on
cryptozoology and monster-hunting!
Q) What are your upcoming projects?
I have so many...My main focus at the moment is an urban
fantasy novel which revisits the idea of a stranger coming to a small town with
secrets, but it's going to be very different to this story. After that, I have
about half a dozen short stories and novellas in various stages of completion.
I'm leaning towards finishing the one about selkies...but who knows where I'll
end up!
Blurb
Wildlife photographer and cryptozoology blogger Emma Jordan came
to Birch Hill expecting to find another urban legend. The rumours of a big cat
stalking the woods around this quiet town surely had to be just that - rumours.
But when the evidence starts to pile up that Birch Hill really does have a
killer cat on the loose, Emma finds herself caught in a confusing game of cat
and mouse. And her blossoming relationship with Abi Blakely might just be
pushing her further into danger.
Available from – http://www.evernightpublishing.com/
Excerpt
A couple of hours
later, showered, changed, and feeling human again, Emma headed back to
Abigail's Bakes. She told herself she was just looking to grab a quick lunch
and sit somewhere pleasant while she updated her blog. Privately she had to
admit it would be nice to just look at Abi while she worked.
The place was much busier than it had been that morning;
it was full of kids and families jostling for table space. Abi and a younger
girl worked the counter with cheer and ease, and cafe was filled with chatter
and laughter. Emma joined the queue, trying to catch Abi's eye. When Abi saw
her, she waved and favored Emma with that infectious smile.
“How was your hike? Did you catch the Beast yet?” she
asked Emma as she served her.
“Not yet. Maybe later.” Emma picked out a bacon and
cheese strudel and a spiced apple muffin. “Do you have wifi in here? I need to
get online.”
Abi passed her a slip of paper with a password on it
along with her food. “Help yourself. Catch you later.”
Emma smiled, hoping the words weren't just a mere
formality. She found a table tucked away in the corner and flipped open her
netbook. Her main source of income was her photography, supplying stock images
for websites and brochures, entering as many competitions as she could, and
doing the occasional teaching course if she wasn't traveling. It was steady
money, and a hefty inheritance from a grandparent she'd never met allowed her
to live in comfort and indulge her other passion – the alien big cat stories.
Her blog, After Dark All Cats Are Leopards, was one of the
better-regarded in both the cryptid and sceptic communities and she had a
steady following. When she'd announced last week that she was heading for Birch
Hill, her views had skyrocketed, and even though she didn't have much news to
add yet, it was probably a good idea to update now.
She plugged her digital camera into the netbook and
uploaded the photos she'd taken, eating as she worked. The strudel and the
muffin were both perfectly delicious, and she allowed herself a brief fantasy
of kidnapping Abi and making her bake for her full-time.
She didn't notice Abi had joined her until the other
woman pushed a cup of coffee to her. “Looks like thirsty work,” Abi remarked.
Emma jumped, then grinned. “Bloggers are powered entirely
by caffeine. Thanks.”
“So I looked you up after you left,” Abi said. “Why big
cats?” She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. Her
dark curls framed her face perfectly, her expression attentive and interested.
Emma squirmed a little under her keen gaze.
“When I was a kid I wanted to find Bigfoot,” Emma
confessed. “My dad used to take me out hiking in the Rocky Mountains and tell me stories about Bigfoot and
skinwalkers, all kinds of stuff. I just loved it. Then I grew up and decided
there wasn't much chance of Bigfoot really being out there. But big cats?
Definitely.”
“You're so sure? Even though nobody's found a breeding
population of wild tigers anywhere?” Abi asked with a grin.
“America's a big country. There's plenty of space for
wide-roaming animals to hide. And big cats are generally elusive in their
natural territories anyway. Yeah, I'm sure. People brought lions and tigers
over here with circuses in the nineteenth century and there are thousands of
people keeping them illegally today. There are orphanages for abandoned exotic
animals up and down the country. It's not completely ridiculous that some
escape or are released into the wild. And cats are so adaptable. Even if we're
not talking big breeding populations, I think it's more likely that there are
non-native big cats out there than not.”
“You love this stuff, don't you?” Abi said, looking
thoughtful.
Emma flushed. “Was I rambling?”
“No, it's interesting! I wish I could come out big cat
hunting with you, but Jed probably wouldn't let me.” She stuck her tongue out
as if she'd eaten something distasteful.
“Well, he's not coming either,” Emma said. “I take it
he's more than just prickly with you?”
Abi shuffled Emma's empty plates around, looking
embarrassed. “Oh, we just...clash. He's pretty conservative and I'm not. He
thinks I lower the tone of the neighborhood.”
“Not a fan of baked goods?” Emma joked.
“Baked goods or lesbians,” Abi said with a shrug.
Emma's heart gave a little twist, but she kept her tone
calm and amused as she replied. “Oh dear. I'd better not answer any personal
questions he asks me then.”
Abi gave her a thoughtful look again that turned into a
shy smile. “So what are you doing for the rest of the day? I'm off this
afternoon.”
“I'm going back into the woods this evening but I'm free
til then. Maybe...” Emma searched for something that didn't sound too forward
but still made it plain she liked Abi. “Maybe we could hang out?” Ugh. Lame.
Abi didn't seem to notice. She flashed a dazzling smile.
“How about a guided tour of Birch Hill? There's not much to see, but with the
right company it has a certain charm.”
“It's a date.”
Abi stood, grabbing Emma's plates. “Give me an hour and
we're on.”
Emma watched her sashay away with a flutter of
excitement. If the Beast of Birch Hill didn't show up, Abi might prove just as
exciting.
About the
Author
Naomi likes writing,
perfume, fancy tea, and unfathomable monsters from the dark spaces between the
stars, not necessarily in that order. She has been writing stories ever since
she learned how to write, but is still trying to master the art of biography
writing. When she's not dealing with werewolves, demons, or sea monsters, she's
hanging out with her cat and probably watching a documentary about Bigfoot. If
the cat isn't available, she's with her fiancé watching cookery shows and
silently plotting her next book.
Find me online:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/naomi_jay
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/naomijclark
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