Thursday's Interview - Erin Dameion- Hill

1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
I tend to fall in mulitiple genres but I stay close to Dark Fantasy and Paranormal Romances/Erotica.

2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
Fantasy chose me years ago! When I was six years old, I read The Hobbit instead of Dr. Seuss! Admittedly, I'm a terrible rhymer but I thrive in new and exciting Realms!

3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
I'm not a fan of the Historical genre only because I believe women should be more than just objects for men. Women can't have too many roles because of the male oppresion that was inevitable in the past. Many of my novels have very strong women wielding weapons and being fierce warriors. There aren't too many historical documents that tell of women warriors, so I don't think the Historical genre is for me.

4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I adore Christopher Moore for his witty comedy and whenever possible, I catch up on other Fantasy novels that I might have missed out on or I try to find something completely different like the graphic novel "Claymore" by Norihiro Yagi.

5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
Upon my entrance into Flager College, I met my destiny. I saw my husband sitting on the library steps lost deep in thought on a college paper. I immediately fell in love. When people say there is no such thing as love at first sight, then they have not lived. It was instant attraction for the both of us and when we realized we both had the same classes and affinity for literature, we never left each other's side. We have been married for 7 years and still growing strong. My husband, Cameron, is the inspiration for every hero I create. He is handsome as well as strong, intelligent, talented, and funny. Without him, I wouldn't be able to do what I do now. He has been my rock.

I wrote my first novel at the tender age of 8. It was about a princess and her horse. Some of the details are sketchy, but she has to fight a dragon in the end. She wins and she rides off into the sunset. My novels haven't really changed that much except, hopefully, the writing has matured!

6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
My favorite character is Baric from the work in progress "Dior: The Joining" which is the sequel to "Dior". That man lives in my heart! He is such a sad character and yet his strength and devotion is epic! He has a truly depressing past but he manages to stay positive.

7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Oh yes I have villains! Many of my villains are very dangerous criminals who harass my shero in some way or form. Usually, they're abusive and foul and need to be taken down several notches by the tormented shero. (I use Oprah's term shero for heroine because strong women should never have the same name as a hard drug!)

8. What are you working on now?
Currently, I'm working on the fourth in the "Legend" series, "Legend: Gleise581g" where the corrupt Starnetic Stragedy continues to experiment on humans creating werewolves, chimeras, and in Gleise581g, dinosaurs. I'm also working on "Demon Lush", a short story about a woman dealing with divorce who just wants to let loose but finds herself chained by a hauntingly gorgeous demon! Finally, I'm working on "Dior: The Joining", the sequel to "Dior". Dior is epic in all forms and follows the lives of two sisters, Namidira and Liessa who eventually try to destroy each other. Led by forces and by fate that they cannot control, they are forced to battle.

9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
I have three stories that will be released this summer: "Dior", "Dark Revelation", and "Alpha Worship". My two short stories, "Dark Revelation" and "Alpha Worship" are hardcore erotic tales filled with unleashed passion and dark desires. The idea for "Alpha Worship" was inspired by Rihanna's S&M song. I have whips and chains but also werewolves. What's an erotica without those studly creatures? "Dark Revelation" is a spin-off story from the world of "Dior". It follows Merrick, a tortured Blood Keeper who has taken vows of chastity in order to watch the dangerous mage, Julia. He lusts for her and, in the end, he cannot control his desires.
"Dior" came to me while I was taking a bath! I wanted to create a new world with many different creatures unknown in the current fantasy world. I began to create "Dior" when I was 18 years old. I put it aside while I went to college and sought a job. It finally reappeared to me after I had written "Legend: The Wolf", "Legend: The Fey", and "Legend: The Chimera". I knew I had to finish the epic novel and I did. I am very proud of how it turned out.

10. Tell me about your latest book and how it came about. Enclose the opening of the book around 400 words.
The latest release by New Concepts Publishing is "Legend: The Chimera". I wanted a paranormal romance that reached beyond werewolves. I wanted a creature so fierce, that readers would shake in their comfy chairs. A Chimera is a violent creature of myth. It has the head of a lion, the head of a goat, and the tail of snake. It is powerful and in my novel, I have also given it wings! Unfortunately for my main character, Emily, the destructive beast lives within her! But, a handsome werewolf helps her control her beast so that life is not as dark as she assumes!
Here is a beginning excerpt from "Legend: The Chimera":

y eyes blink into the bright light of white snow and unending white mountains. A windy gust pushes me onto my side as snow crackles underneath my weight. My heart is barely beating. I am barely breathing. Ice cold has wrapped its delicate fingers around my body.

I'm shivering.

My teeth clatter against themselves and my muscles violently contract. I manage to bring my arms around my shoulders and pull my legs toward my bare belly. My knees are purple. My skin along my toes is bright red. Snot and mucous creep down from my numb nose and freeze onto my chapped and dry lips.

I glance down my naked body and realize that I am beginning to suffer from frostbite. My extremities are numb, paralyzed with an escalating cold that bites into me. Blood is rushing to my brain and to my heart in order to keep me alive.
I try to stand but cannot. All I can do is lie here in the snow and let it pile around me. My skin is stinging and tight under the lashes of the snow.
My black hair is stuck on my cold face. I can feel it brittle and hard. I could completely snap it off if I wanted to.

My eyes are blinking even though the skin around my eyes is so tight and dry that I can barely squeeze my eyelids. I feel like I am in a tug-of-war between myself and twelve Vikings because my skin is so tight and unwilling to move. The Vikings are winning. My skin is becoming more and more taut as the wind picks up speed.

Snowflakes drift smoothly across me from behind and they crawl up my buttocks. I can feel it drip inside me. I am so cold and stiff that I cannot stop it. I can only abide this feeling, suffer through it.

Slowly, thoughts form inside my desolate and freezing mind. How did I come to be here? Where is here?

Thank you,
Erin Dameron-Hill
Legend: The Wolf
Legend: The Fey
Legend: The Chimera
Soon to be released: Dior, Dark Revelation, and Alpha Worship.