Everyone meet and greet author Tara Fox Hall! We thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions. Readers are always on the lookout for new authors so we’ve got questions and you’ve got the answers. Some of the questions may be unusual but you’d be amazed at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ snatches their attention where nothing else can. So, let us begin.

Can you share a little something about Tara Fox Hall that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?

I am looking forward to welcoming another cat or two to our home in the next year. A week ago today, I had found an orange cat almost identical to ours at the edge of the road near our driveway; he was terrified to the point of immobility, but unhurt. We brought him indoors as a bad storm was on the way, and gave him some food, though he wanted petting more than anything else. We were able to locate his owners through friends (Thank you again, Chuck and Jessie!) over the next 48 hours, and his owners came to get him the next day. He was an indoor cat, so he was very happy to be home again. Having him made us realize we are ready for another cat; we have had 4 cats die in the last 4 years (terminal diseases, and old age).

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since 2001, or so. I published short non-fiction tales of animal rescue/farm life in a little magazine that sold catnip at first, then published short horror stories online. My first novellas were published in 2011, and the first novels were published in 2012.

What have you found most challenging about it?

At first, it was getting published, as I couldn’t find an agent (and thought I needed one )or a publisher with no “writing cred” to my name. Now the challenge is finding undisturbed blocks of time to write.

What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?

It’s fun, its emotional, its maddening, its draining of my soul sometimes, if I have a story I NEED TO GET OUT and I’m actually able to write until I run out of words. It’s less sometimes about what it does for me than what it does for a reader. I’m writing to share with others, as well as to remember some of the more meaningful moments of my life.

Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood?

I just need some time. An hour isn’t enough. 2 hours isn’t enough. I need at least 3-4 hours in a block to get anywhere. I have spent the last 11 months in a new full time job training literally for months at a time, so I am way behind.

Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job?

I crazily though it I just wrote a novel everyone would love it as much as I did, and fame and fortune would follow. Everyone who read my work loved my short stories. But that didn’t happen. And its better it didn’t, because I’m really happy with my life now, and am glad to have a mostly quiet life out of the spotlight. I would be a terribly celebrity; all my handlers would tell me to endorse this or that, or do things, and I suck at being fake.

Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life.

 What are your pet peeves?

Fake anything, be it people, platitudes, or maple sugar.

 Who is your hero?

God. And every single one of our deployed armed forces members. God bless you all, and keep you safe.

Give us one thing on your bucket list.

I wanted to see the Lions of Tsavo, the real life “Ghost and the Darkness” killer lions since I saw the movie decades ago. I am thrilled to say I got to do that this past summer with a good friend. Spending the entire day at the Field Museum in Chicago, seeing the special exhibit Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches, the T-Rex Sue, and the archeopteryx, and the many other exhibits was wonderful. But finally seeing those lions was the highlight of the day.

What would readers find surprising about you?

I listen really well, and remember dialogue. If you say something to me I find funny, or something memorable, good bad or strange, likely a version of it will end up in a story sooner or later. I was just at a hotel with some new friends playing a game of “What if…?” a few months ago, and I went back to my room later and wrote a bunch of notes. That’s going to be a short story in the next horror anthology. Don’t worry, though, I always change names (smile).

If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?

Jesus, of course. I’d tell Him I was there (not that He wouldn’t already know) and ask Him what kind of job I could start doing. Once I got some kind of assignment for the next day, I’d go look for my grandparents.

Just for fun. What is your favorite:

Hero body part –  I write erotic romance. You can have 3 guesses, lol.

Leading character weakness – arrogance

Overused word in a title – Soul or heart

Genre – thriller/horror

Villain – Hannibal Lecter

Now that our readers know who Tara Fox Hall is let’s get down to the business of your 3-book series, Unhallowed Love Series.

So, demons and incubus. And right in time for Halloween! Are they the heroes in your series?  Please tell us a little bit about the series.

You might say that Shaker is both villain and hero. He’s a demon, and demons are evil. But some evil is simple, and other evil is complex. Can a being be evil by nature, and want more out of their existence than just to be evil, especially if they’re immortal? Shaker wants more than he’s had in his centuries thus far, and he thinks he’s found a good match in his Mistress, Debbie Deal. Together they make Debbie’s indie studio, Pandora Productions, a force to be reckoned with in films. But Shaker also isn’t always forthcoming with Debbie, especially in the beginning of their relationship. She also initially sees him only as a means to an end, the way most human masters have.  If the people close to you think you are just one thing, and that it is all you can ever be, how hard is it to break out of that? Would you necessarily think you could, especially if you’d been in that rut for a long time? If you managed to break out, could you change yourself in any lasting way? These questions are why I wrote this series (Shaker was a minor character from the last few novels of my Promise Me series).

The Incubus of the series is Vassago Gray; another demon, but one more given over to flirtation and seduction than Shaker. He sets out to seduce Debbie, but they end up becoming close friends. He gives his life to save hers at the end of Year of the Incubus, prompting Debbie to attempt a rescue to break him out of Hell. You’ll have to read to see if she succeeds.

What was your hardest challenge writing it?

I didn’t want to glorify demons, or evil, being Christian. It’s a fine line to write a being who is inherently evil, and not whitewash his actions or motivations.  Evil shouldn’t WIN in stories, it should LOSE to good to inspire us, and I think we have lost sight of that rather badly in the last three decades. Reconciling that with me enjoying writing Shaker’s character and sense of humor is hard. It’s also why the fourth book, Year of the Siren, is taking so long to finish.

What kind of research did you have to do?

I looked up the names of mythology, of lesser known demon names and angels, some biblical and other historical references. And I had to go back in the Promise Me Books to look at everything I’d mentioned about Shaker so I didn’t write myself into a continuity corner. I also had to look up a lot of filmmaking information because I didn’t know much about making films. Any sometimes just odd stuff comes up, like there’s a legal bind in Year of the Incubus that Shaker and Debbie find themselves in. I had to research that situation to find a way for them to legally extricate themselves, which took the better part of a weekend.

What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?

They both have to have a sense of humor, and passion, and not be afraid to take risks. They have to speak up for themselves and others. And they have to have at least a couple common core values. Passion is fleeting when it’s just physical, and the twosome doesn’t have any respect for one another as people. I understand that much better being older, and a wife for 2 decades.

Any other works in progress?

Year of the Siren is in progress, as is a third horror anthology. I also have the beginning of multiple stories for Make Me Behave III.

Latham’s Landing II: Return to Cairn Isle, is on preorder now; that’s a stepping stone between Year of the Incubus, and Year of the Siren. Latham’s Landing is a haunted island mansion that Debbie was trying to film a horror movie called The Origin of Fear at in Year of the Incubus. The evil force (read: demon) residing on the island is the villain of that book.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t quit your day job. Write when you can, hone the best you do to the best it can be, and send it off until you find someone who’ll publish it. Then keep writing as long as it makes you happy.

Final words?

Thank you so much for having me here and letting me talk about my work!

I have been busy most of this year converting the rest of my published works into audiobooks, and all three of the Unhallowed Love Series books (A Good Year, Year of the Demon, and Year of the Incubus) are available now on Audible.com. You may also still be able to get free codes for download of these audiobooks on AudioFreebies.com.

Happy Halloween, or Samhain, or All Hallow’s Eve, whichever you prefer!

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