Saskia Book Tours – Featuring Indie Author Donna Hawk and “When Darkness Walks”

Saskia Book Tours – Featuring Indie Author Donna Hawk and “When Darkness Walks”

Courtesy of Saskia Book Tours, I’ve got another fantastic indie author and a great new book to feature today, and a giveaway, too (but you have to read to the end!)

Saskia Tours

The author is Donna Hawk, who we last met just a week ago here!

Donna Hawk

 

Here’s what Donna has to say about herself:

I have been a teacher in Kansas for 33 years. I enjoy writing, riding my bicycle, and spending time with my husband. I am an avid photographer and Photoshop user. Currently, I am working on a dark trilogy for young adults, the first of which I am hoping will be completed by the end of the summer 2013.
If you have any questions for me, you can email me at: bydonnahawk@gmail.com

You can follow her at her website,, on Facebook, via Twitter and at Goodreads.  I’ve also got a NEW interview with her:

Question: What have you published recently?

My first book was published in 2010, Desert Gold, The Legend of Chinook, my second was published March 2012, Of Stone & Mist. I am currently working on the third book of the Mortgatha trilogy, aimed for teens and up. The first book will be called Where Darkness Walks, the second is Tattered Heart, and the third is Shadowed Hands. It is a dark fantasy/paranormal story about a girl who finds a flying carpet….

Question: How, and when, did you decide to become a writer?

I have always loved to write. I wrote my first full-length manuscript in 1981, but was never brave enough to pursue a writing career. The book is full of old-fashioned notions, but it makes me laugh when I read it, at least! I actually have 4 or 5 hidden, secret manuscripts! I retired from teaching to write.

Question: Where can we find your published writing?

My eBooks can be found on Smashwords, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and other retailers. The print books can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel. I’ve seen them other places, too, but I think Amazon & B&N are the most popular.

Question: What is a typical day like for you as a writer?

My very best time of the day is first thing in the morning. My mind is the most creative and clearest then. In the summer, that early morning time will compete with me wanting to go out for a walk or bike ride before the sun is hot, but I usually manage to work it out. I write until early afternoon, then I stop and get fresh air. I write a lot in the evenings. Some days, writing is like feasting, but others days it’s more like famine! J

Question: What are your favorite characters that you have created? Tell us about them

I try to make strong female characters. I don’t want anyone who wants to beat up their man; my women are definitely women. But their hearts are strong. Right now, I like Clarie character in my upcoming trilogy because she is strong, yet sensitive. I really like the Jessa character in Of Stone & Mist because she’s sassy. One reviewer called her “snarky”. I loved that! She doesn’t think she is brave, but she is! She is far braver than I’d be in the same situation. OOOh, scares me to think about it!

Question: do you find you “mentally edit” other writers’ works as you read them? Does doing this help you or bother you?

Actually, I do mentally edit, though I didn’t think about that until just now. I guess I’m always pitting my work up against theirs. I always think: Man! I wish I would’ve thought of that! It’s really hard to read a book that is poorly edited and poorly formatted. Being a teacher, it makes me want to get out a red pen and mark up my Kindle. Just kidding, of course! It’s hard to catch all mistakes. Every book I’ve ever read has mistakes.

Question: What music do you listen to, while writing?

Hahaha! That actually makes me laugh. I have tried and tried to listen to music: soft, country, alternative, all kinds, but I’m way too easily distracted to do it. My best writing occurs when there is nothing going on around me, just me and my computer. I wish I could listen to music, but alas, it just can’t be.

Question: What do you eat while writing?

Sometimes, but mostly I slurp coffee like it’s going out of style! Excuse me… *slurp*… okay!

Four for Fun:

What is your favourite non-alcoholic drink?  Diet Dr. Pepper

What is your favourite cartoon character? So many to choose from… Mickey Mouse

What is your favourite movie of all time? Mama Mia

What do you like to do for fun or just to relax? Ride my bike, hike, and take nature pics, READ

And her new book, just released last week, is “When Darkness Walks” (book 1 of the Mortgatha Trilogy)

when darkness falls

 

Clarie’s world is about to change for the darker. Rand broke up with her at the prom, she uncovers a secret in the hidden back of an armoire, and she meets Patrick, who is determined to help her forget her broken heart.

As Clarie evades classmate Bulldog’s stalking, she and Patrick explore the dark halls of an abandoned cement plant. After following Clarie and Patrick deep inside the cement plant, Bulldog confronts Clarie as he fights with Patrick. When she is accidentally pushed against a set of dark doors into the shadow realm of Mortgatha, everything she fears is set into motion to keep her away from her beloved Earth world.

Even with Patrick’s help, the doorway home moves randomly, evil characters beset them at every turn, and the way home seems farther away than ever.

You can buy it on Kindle or in paperback.  Here’s a brief excerpt to whet your appetite…

Clarie stepped out of the cave and then skirted behind the rushing water of the falls. Peeking around the edge, she expected to see the vast prairie valley where they’d spent the night. Instead the air shimmered thickly, like a gossamer curtain, with the valley beyond. The mid-day was dull, though brighter here than they’d seen before now in Mortgatha. As she squatted down on a rock to watch, the whining became more strident and the gossamer curtain became thicker. Bright beads of the red crystal on Pusat’s border pulsed anxiously. The lighted dot in Pusat’s design glowed more steadily.

In one moment the world was dead quiet; in the next moment there was cacophonic rip in the air. The sky, the air, and the view of the world split apart. She was up too high and too far away to touch the void that opened, but Clarie could see a picture form inside the tear. Great, bright snowcapped mountains rose majestically from inside the rupture. The sky was the brightest blue she’d ever seen, and the huge, slender lodge pole pines in the foreground were surrealistically green. For only a moment, Clarie got a whiff of pine scent before the mountains at last began to fade into her memory. Slowly, the rift sealed, the gossamer curtain lifted and drifted away. The valley was once again just as it was when they made the climb to enter the cave.

And the giveaway…since you’ve read all the way down to here…a free copy of Donna’s novel, “Where Darkness Walks”!  And since you’re here, I’ll throw in a free copy of book #1 of my series, Dream Student, in the eBook format of your choice.  All you have to do is comment on this post, and one lucky commenter will win!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

3 Replies to “Saskia Book Tours – Featuring Indie Author Donna Hawk and “When Darkness Walks””

Leave a Reply to Roxanna Rose Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.