Novel Travelers...: Good Cop..An Interview with Stacy Eaton, Author of My Blood Runs Blue.

Some authors are privileged to get the opportunity to interview other authors. This one is special to me. Having had been married to a police officer for many years, I know the stresses that are put on the lives of our police officer's, and their families. I can empathize as a writer how having that kind of a profession, and then trying to write a novel, can be almost too much! I am honored to have Stacy Eaton, author of three novels, Whether I Live or Die, My Blood Runs Blue, and Blue Blood for Life, join me today to talk about her life as a police officer, and an author. Help me welcome Stacy, won't you? And feel free to pop over to her blog and thank her for joining me here!

Welcome Stacy! You're a police officer, right? How did you get into that profession?

Yep-I sure am. I made a major career change when I turned 30 and got into this field. I've been doing so for 12 years now and love it. In my late 20's I was working a great job for a manufacturing company. I worked with a bunch of great people, but I felt Like there was something missing, and couldn't imagine working there for another 25 years. I started wondering what I wanted to be when I finally grew up. On night, I was cooking dinner and listening to the news on television. They did a segment about how important it was to have female law enforcement officers, and as I watched the segment, I thought to myself, Hey, I can do that.

I started asking and researching it a bit more, and about 7 months later, I was in the police academy. While I went to the academy I continued working my full-time job and took my classes at night. When I graduated from the academy, I was one of the lucky ones who actually already had a job lined up. I've been there over 12 years now and love it. I can't imagine not wearing my badge.

How does your day job influence your writing?

Day job?....LOL...Don't you know that being a police officer is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week, 365-day-a year job? I call it 'the job that pays the bills', since I spend as much time working night shifts as I do working day shifts, but back to your question... My job is a huge influence in my work. All of my work is written into the law enforcement world and has a strong demale officer as the lead character, I use bits and pieces of what I have seen or done through my patrol years to weave bits of reality into my stories. In the series I have partially published, My Blood Runs Blue, I bring the paranormal to reality by mixing vampires into the human race to help the police. It gives them a sense of humanity that many authors have not included. Although I use my career a lot for ideas, I use some of my previous experience in life too. In Whether I’ll Live or Die, I dig deep into the world of Domestic Violence, something I have more knowledge about that I would care to have, not only as a police officer, but also as I victim. People have often said that authors should write what they know. I live and breathe my job so it only makes sense to write about it.

I so get what you are talking about! As you know, my own book, Run, River Currents, has a dark storyline centered on abuse. Who makes a good character for your novels? Do they have specific traits?

I have to be able to relate to my characters, pure and simple. Most of my female characters are very strong woman, I related heavily to that as I am that kind of a person. It seems that the more you put on my shoulders, the stronger they are and harder I work. In the My Blood Runs Blue series, Officer Kristin Greene is an intense woman with strong views and she expects people to listen to her and accept her; which does not always happen.

While most of my characters tend to be strong – there are times when a weaker character must be written to bring about the story. In Whether I’ll Live or Die, Amanda is such a young woman. Going from one abusive relationship to another, trying to find love in all the wrong places. At times she was very difficult to write, but at others rather easy. The easy parts were only because I had previous knowledge of the emotions and pain that she was going through.

I believe most writers write from that place of tension. So how do you create tension for the reader?

I’m a twists girl! I love to twist up a book, make you think I am going one way and then turn you in the other direction at an explosive moment. I did pretty good with my first book, very few people figured out where I was going with it, and those that did were hoping it would turn out that way.

In Blue Blood for Life, the twists and turns are so intense, no one sees them coming. I spend hours trying to figure out how to make those twists work so people don’t see them coming. I am not a fan of knowing the ending while still reading the first few chapters. I want people to think about the characters and the events when they set the books down.

In Whether I’ll Live or Die, there are not so many twists, but there is a moment in that book that will leave you taken aback. I have yet to find someone who said they saw that particular event coming and while people have praised me about it – they also ask a very strong question about it. I can’t tell you what the question is because that would give it away, but I will tell you the answer… It’s up to the reader.

I think every reader loves a good twist in a story. From the feedback you’ve received about your books, which novel has affected your readers the most? Why?

I have gotten a great response from readers on my series. While it does have a romance, there is enough tense and police procedural in it to keep men interested in it. Ironically, I have quite a large male readership on it.

Whether I’ll Live or Die was published in July 2012, so it is still a very new book on the market. Reviews are just starting to come in, and everyone who has taken the time to write a review has praised the book for touching on a subject that needs to be discussed. Some people have never been touched by Domestic Violence, while others have been affected quite severely. My hope for this book was to reach readers who were survivors, victims, family members and people who have no clue what it is really all about, and I wanted them to see up close and personal what happens behind closed doors. From what I am hearing from readers… I am doing just that.

Sounds like you have been pretty successful and pretty busy! What is your next project?

Would you believe I have 4 active projects right now? Well, I do. I am working on the third book in the My Blood Runs Blue series, along with finishing up a contemporary romance, a book about guardian angels and a new book that I just came up with recently that deals with alcohol and drug addictions.

It makes it hard with my work schedule to always find the time to write, but I do it when I can. I hope to get at least one of these book on the market later this year, only time will tell. If they don’t get out this year, I will be released several next year.

I swear that time is an author's biggest enemy, isn't it? Anything you’d like your readers to know about you or your writing style?

I write for adults. My books deal with real life situations although they might include fantasy elements, they deal with some very hard core events. It is hard not to write like that when you are talking about what happens in police work. While I try to keep the language to a minimum in most of my books, there are times when certain words just have to be used to fit the situations and the characters.

I also write from multiple first person perspectives. I want you to see into the minds of the main characters to know what they are doing and why they are doing it. That is what I like to read, so that is what I write.

I’d also like to thank you for allowing me to visit on your blog! I’ve loved answering your questions and I am always interested in hearing from readers! Thank you so much!

And thank you, Stacy! What a great way to get to know you! Thanks for stopping by!

So Friends, drop on over to Stacy's blog, and say hello. Then make sure you pick up her books for your reading pleasure! See you soon!

Whether I Live or Die

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Whether-Ill-Live-Die-ebook/dp/B008GWT8LG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1341307308&sr=1-3

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whether-ill-live-or-die-stacy-eaton/1111941743?ean=2940014655798http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whether-ill-live-or-die-stacy-eaton/1111941743?ean=2940014655798

Video Trailer Link to You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg6hnujjhmk&feature=youtu.be

My Blood Runs Blue:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/My-Blood-Runs-Blue-ebook/dp/B004VGUIBA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302138781&sr=1-1-catcorr

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-blood-runs-blue-stacy-eaton/1100455039?ean=9781432769284&itm=1&USRI=my+blood+runs+blue&

You Tube Video Trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQb5HS5n8zg&feature=channel

Blue Blood for Life:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Blood-For-Life-ebook/dp/B005R0S8EI/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1