Thursday, November 2, 2017

A CHAT WITH HEATHER MacKINNON (Changed)

 
The first week of November is bringing us more wonderful interviews. Today we have Heather MacKinnon in the house, talking about her new book "CHANGED." Heather stopped by to have a short chat.
 
SC:  Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

 HM: The main character of Changed is Adrienne Wilkinson. She’s a college-aged woman who lost her parents years ago in a car crash and has since kind of floated through life. She hasn’t made lasting connections, or really applied herself to anything in part because she’s afraid to lose it. That all changes when she’s Changed into a vampire and forced to apply herself or be completely lost in this new world she’s been thrust into.
SC: Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

 HM:  truly believe that every myth has some basis in facts. I don’t know that I believe in vampires or werewolves, but I believe in the possibility of them. The only paranormal experience I’ve ever had have been with ghosts. Or something. I’m not sure who to blame. Or credit, as it were. This happened right after I’d graduated high school. My boyfriend was over and we found ourselves in the rare situation of being completely home alone. We watched a movie in my room and then proceeded to get frisky. All of a sudden, my television went off. I looked around and found the remote on the floor next to us. It was strange, but I turned it back on and we continued to make out. A minute later, the television turned off again. This time I knew for a fact the remote was on the ground and hadn’t been touched by either of us. Keep in mind, this t.v. was about a year old at this time. So I turned it back on again, only to have it shut off a third time. By this time, as you can imagine, the mood had been ruined. We didn’t know what was wrong with the television, but we straightened ourselves out, anyway. Less than five minutes later, my whole family arrived. I still own that television, 13 years later, and it’s never turned off on its own since then. I’m convinced there was something warning me to get my act together before my parents came home.

 SC:  What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?
HM: I’m finishing the final edits for my second novel, Shift. It’s about hard working criminal lawyer, Elizabeth Montgomery, who’s finally taking a vacation, a solo trip to the mountains of North Carolina to a cozy little cabin in the woods. Unfortunately, she doesn’t even get to spend one night there. She takes an early evening hike and ends up on the wrong side of a vicious animal attack. Or so she thought. When she’s found and rescued by sexy stranger, Abraham, she soon finds out it was a werewolf that attacked her. And that she’s the newest member of Abraham’s pack. Now Elizabeth must navigate the changes that come along with becoming a werewolf while also learning to fit into this tight knit pack. For an only child who rarely speaks with her own parents, getting close to Abraham and his family might just be scarier than becoming a werewolf.

SC: You're quite the busy gal, Heather. We won't keep you any longer. Let's take a look at your book now.


Changed
Heather MacKinnon

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Heather MacKinnon

Date of Publication:  10/31/16

ASIN: B01M9IU0EJ

Number of pages: 225
Word Count: 76,800

Cover Artist: DesignsbyDanielle

Tagline: A captivating novel that explores the link between love, possession, and the lighter side of the myths that lurk in the dark.

Book Description:

Adrienne’s post-college plans were shattered the night she was attacked. She woke up in the basement of a restaurant and finds she can see perfectly in the dark, is stronger than she’d ever been before, and can move impossibly fast.

Testing her new limits, Adrienne zips down a NYC street, passing people by in a blur, only to be stopped by a strange man who’s stronger than she is now. Nicholas explains that she’s been Changed into a vampire, like him. Adrienne is forced to accept the strange turn her life has taken, but struggles with the growing feelings she has for Nicholas. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the man who Changed her shows back up, insisting she’s his property.

Now she’s on the run from a centuries old vampire who’s determined to make her his wife. Can Adrienne outrun and outsmart the man who Changed her into a vampire? If she sticks with Nicholas, the vampire who’s taught her all she knows, she might have a chance. As long as their budding romance doesn’t get in the way.


Excerpt:

“Adrienne.” I watched his lips sound out my name. “Just what the hell did you think you were doing?”
Not a fan of being scolded, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What did it look like I was doing?”
I watched him take a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “It looked as if you were running full speed down a New York City street in full view of humans.”
“As opposed to a street in full view of aliens?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“This isn’t a joke, Adrienne.” I liked the way he said my name. “Do you know how bad it would have been if someone had seen you? Luckily the only people on this street are the meth heads a few doors down and no one would believe them if they talked.”
“How do you know they’re meth heads?”
“I could taste it.”
“How could you taste–”
“Enough!” He yelled, and I jumped a little. I watched him take another breath as if to compose himself. “Excuse me, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m trying to convey to you the gravity of this situation.”
Standing there effectively cowed, I waited for him to continue. His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-two. What does that have to do with anything?”
He ignored my question and shook his head. “No, how long have you been Changed?”
Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes at him. “Changed into what?”
He stood there looking at me for a moment longer before he sighed and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “That explains a few things,” he said quietly, almost to himself.
“Well, that’s great for you but it explains nothing.”
He sighed again. “Where is your maker?”
“My what?” It was like this guy was speaking another language. He sighed a third time, and I’d had enough. “Do you think you could quit sighing and tell me who you are at least?”
He looked abashed. “Excuse me. Where are my manners? My name is Nicholas. Can you tell me when you awoke?”
“Awoke?” Who talks like that? “I awake every day.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. When was it you awoke and noticed a change in your senses? Better vision, sense of smell, greater strength?”
Oh. That change.
“Just tonight. I left my friend’s party and woke up a few hours later in the basement of a Chinese food restaurant over there.” I pointed in the general direction of the store.
“Was there anyone there with you when you awoke? Do you remember how you got there?”
“No. I was alone and I don’t know how I got there.”

Nicholas seemed to be deep in thought, his thick, dark eyebrows drawn together forming a crease between the two. Seeming to decide something, he nodded his head and held out his hand. “All right then, come with me.”

About the Author:

Heather MacKinnon is an author living in the research triangle in North Carolina with her husband and two troublemaking dogs. She grew up on Long Island and spent her young adult years in various states in New England.

This led to her subsequent addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts latte’s and her gratuitous use of the word “wicked”. She’s tried her hand at many jobs throughout the years as she strove to find the one that made her happy. Heather has sold chicken, kitchen knives, auto body supplies, PR packages, and computer software. She’s been a cashier, a waitress, a cook, a hotel concierge, a phlebotomist, and an Uber driver. Though her jobs have been many, her passion has always been reading.

She’d hide in the bathroom and read between sales calls, or find a lonely corner in the kitchen and whip out her kindle between waiting on tables. After a lifetime of enjoying other people’s words, she decided to write down some of her own.





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