Author Tina Carreiro on the Road to Hell

Please welcome Author Tina Carreiro onto the Road to Hell. Tina Carreiro is the author of Power of the Moon.

Now, it’s time to create a little hell and get to the good stuff by revealing all of Tina Carreiro’s wicked secrets while on the Road to Hell. LOL  Yeah, you wish! ;-D 

Grab your favorite drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Tina…

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GRACEN:  Tell me three things about yourself that we cannot find on the internet or in your bio?

Tina Carreiro: I could tell you but then the Men in Black will come take you away. Lol Okay, three things that won’t get you investigated. I worked in a funeral home. I’m addicted to Caramel Macchiato creamer and… nope, that one will get you in trouble. ;)

GRACEN: What hobbies and interests do you participate in when you’re not writing?

Tina Carreiro: I love crafts, playing with Lego’s and Rock Band with my family, camping and photo manipulation.

GRACEN: Do you have any writing quirks or certain things you MUST have or do before beginning the writing process?

Tina Carreiro: Yes! I have to have my twist, solid in my head. My husband laughs at me and calls me M. Night Shyamalan.

GRACEN: If you were plotting to take over the world, how would you do it?

Tina Carreiro: Well, that’s an easy one. I would start by controlling all the chocolate of the world, followed by caffeine, then shoes and purses. Now… this won’t throw everyone off, just mostly women. I’ll start my divide and conquer by giving out a shoe here, a piece of chocolate there until I have all the women on my side. That’s the answer to world domination. There’s nothing like the love from a woman’s heart, nothing like a woman scorn and NOTHING like a woman that wants a freaking piece of chocolate.

GRACEN: I'd be your faithful minion if you controlled coffee a/k/a nectar of the gods! haha If you could make one statement that the entire planet would hear and remember, what would it be?

Tina Carreiro: Don’t waste your time on spiteful, mean spirited people. You can’t change them, rise above it and move on. Life is short.

GRACEN:  What genre do you write and why that genre?

Tina Carreiro: Romance is my go-to genre. I started sneaking my mother’s novels at a young age. Janelle Taylor’s, Savage Ecstasy, was my first and I was hooked. My love for the paranormal ran parallel with my romance addiction.

GRACEN: For those who are not yet familiar with Tina Carreiro, can you please give us some details about the book and/or series?

Tina Carreiro: Power of the Moon starts the series off with Mia’s journey of self-discovery and overcoming her fears. The POWER OF THE MOON series is a paranormal romantic thriller featuring heroine Miakoda Starr and Detective Cole Barnett. Mia and Cole have some obstacles ahead of them and many things happen in the land of the paranormal that will have them working overtime to live happily-ever-after.  Their story has just begun and it isn’t over with the first book. Vampires, shifters and Mia … oh my!

GRACEN:  Do you have any new stories in the works and can you tell us a bit about it/them?

Tina Carreiro: I do! Covet the Moon is fifty percent complete and I’m working on two other stories. One is under my T.C. Lee name and the next book in the Darker Side of Blue series. The other WIP I just completed the outline for and will be announcing as soon as I get Covet completed. I’m in love with all of them… but after Covet, whichever character screams the loudest in my head will go down on paper first. You know how it is, Gracen, anything to make the voices stop. lol

GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with one word or brief phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they’ve finished reading your story.

Tina Carreiro: Adrenaline rush.

GRACEN: LOL Good one!! What, in your opinion, makes your story unique and what makes it stand out from other stories in your genre? Think of this as a pitch to convince readers to pick up your books.

Tina Carreiro: Since we’re all different, I would hope my voice alone makes my story unique. But, I do feel I have something different in my genre, something fresh and I’ve read some of the comments that indicate this. I have always been fascinated with the Men in Black theory.  I’ve incorporated my love for that and wrapped it around this whole FBI secret agency, Sector 13, world of vampire cops, weres and shifters. The fact that I try to keep it grounded in a contemporary setting, I feel, is unique. On top of that, I like hard-core romances where the chase is just as fun as the capture. I’m not one for overly mushy stuff either so I teeter on the edge of horror. Covet the Moon is going to step it up a notch. ;)

GRACEN: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

Tina Carreiro: Oh, my… now you will know how strange I am. I know we are supposed to have suspension of disbelief but I have to have my paranormal world grounded. I’m obsessed with it. I was researching something for book two and I’m very lucky to have a detective for a husband because he makes sure all my procedures and crimes are accurate when he beta reads for me. I had asked him (grilled him) questions about the way a body decays in different environments… water verses land… etc and if he could describe the look, smell and everything to me so I could paint a vivid picture with my writing.  He said the smell is something he could never describe. I left it at that. We went on a weekend vacation and came back to a broken refrigerator in our garage. I had just gone shopping so the freezer was full. My husband called to me and said, “You want to know what a dead body smells like?” Of course, I went right to him because I’m eager for detail. “Open the freezer.” He says and steps back. Now I’m thinking, do I really want to smell this? My weird meter went into the red as a cracked open the door and that was all it took. The smell stayed with me for days, something my husband says is common in real life. You can’t wash, scrub, or perfume the scent out. It stays with you. That’s it… you guys can run now. ;)

GRACEN: Wow! Glad that's not something I have to smell too often. By the way, this type of realism makes a book come to life for me, so thank you for going the extra step! Of all your books, which character did you have the most fun creating and why?

Tina Carreiro: Cole, hands down is my favorite. I enjoy writing Cole for a couple reasons. He’s a vampire and his character is based on fantasy. I can push him to levels I can’t push human characters. I know the pain he’s suffered. I know his past. In addition, I get to be a vampire detective – how cool is that!

GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

Tina Carreiro: I’d like to meet Mia. She’s such a strong person but very vulnerable at the same time. She tries to be positive despite her past and she’s funny. She’s the type of girl I think I could go to Hurricanes with, the  nightclub in the book, and throw back a couple of drinks. Plus, I think she could ask Jimmy Hoffa where he is REALLY buried.

GRACEN: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

Tina Carreiro: Vincent. I can’t tell exactly why but he scares the shit out of me.

GRACEN:  If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

Tina Carreiro: That’s an ironic question because I just asked myself the other day, why am I doing this? Of course, this was after I had seen a not-so-nice review on my other title. Let me take that a step further and elaborate on not-so-nice because I’m all for professional criticism and it’s okay not to like something but it’s how you tear it down that matters. So, when I do get down I remind myself why I write beyond the fact that it burns inside me.

When I was little and sneaking those romance books… I saw that after a long hard day of work, supporting two kids on her own, my mom completely relaxed when she was reading. You can physically see the stress fade from her face and I thought, wow… I want to do that and if I could make someone, at least one person escape into a book, forget the stress from their lives, entertain them—that’s what I want to do.

GRACEN:  I agree, it is definitely how a review tears a book down that matters. Like you, I respect helpful criticism, but when it gets personal, it sucks! Thanks so much for joining us, Tina Carreiro!  It’s been a treat getting to know you better! 

Website: http://tinacarreiro.com

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BLURB

Haunted by visions of death, and a past that holds her prisoner, Mia Starr never imagined her life could become even more complex. Untapped psychic powers spark to life, and her chosen solitary existence fills with creatures that shatter her safe reality. Now the very thing she fears the most is the one thing that will complete her in every way possible.

Detective Cole Barnett has mastered the vampire within. It has earned him respect and a position with Sector 13, the hardest job a vampire can hold. When a beautiful mortal is thrown into his investigation, with powers able to subjugate vampires, she tests his restraint.

Cole and Mia's passion ignites, but Mia's fear holds her back and she struggles to forget his touch and possessive kiss. What she doesn't realize is the more she runs from him, the more excited he becomes, and the hunt is something he cannot resist.

EXCERPT

 “Detective, won’t you please come in and interrogate me? I mean…” Redness tinged her cheeks and she pulled her gaze away from his. He laughed deep and loud.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Say that out loud? And yes, I would love to.” He stepped inside, pausing to survey the apartment. His eyes came to rest on the table in the kitchen. “I’ve interrupted your meal. Should I come back?”

“No, that’s okay. Besides, you look so excited that I invited you in, I wouldn’t have the heart to send you packing.” She put the milk on the table. “Would you like something?”

“Yes, I would. Could you please go put some clothes on?” He boldly looked her over.

Mia looked down at her loosened robe, giving him a peek at her panties and bare belly. She pulled it together with a panicked expression. “I’m sorry.”

 “Don’t be sorry. I just don’t think I can get any work done if you’re dressed like that.”

“Excuse me.” She quickly walked over to the bathroom area.

“That’s a beautiful shade of red on your cheeks.” He watched her silhouette as she dropped her robe.

“Glad you like it,” she muttered, “It’s probably going to stay that way, especially since the only thing separating you from my naked body is a thin six-by-twelve wooden room divider.”

If she only knew he could hear her. Smell her. And there was that pull again. He felt connected, in tune with her. Cole didn’t have to turn around to know she was watching him as he stood by her bed. He felt her. He imagined laying her on the bed, gliding his fingers down her stomach and sliding them into the panties she had innocently displayed for him. He spoke with his back to her. “Is this your mother in the picture?”

“Yes, it is.

“You look like her.”

“Can I ask you to do something for me now?”

“What can I do for you, Mia?” He arched a brow.

“Move away from my bed, please.”

He slowly walked toward her. “Does that bother you—me being so close to your bed?” He inched closer to her.

“Just as much as my clothing bothered you, Detective.”

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