ONE TOUGH MUTHA...

FASTER than a speeding three year old!
More POWERFUL than a caravan!
Able to LEAP tall toy piles in a single bound!
LOOK! Over at the computer desk!
It's the next Nora Roberts!
It's a future NYT Bestseller!
It's SUPER ASPIRING AUTHOR…MEGAN OLIPHANT!


Megan is from Utah, born and bred baby. She is a multi-genre writer, tackling all sorts of romance, contemporary, paranormal, suspense, and even thrillers. When she’s not Super Mom she’s at the computer. As a proud panster, she has multiple works going right now but is hoping 1 may be complete soon.


When did you begin writing with the intent to be published? Why, what sparked the author inside you to finally write? I fiddled with writing off and on for years, but I decided I was ready in January of 2010. The big spark was a Shania Twain song, “Don't Impress Me Much”. The idea of a romance trilogy came immediately to mind and opened the floodgates. That my youngest is 3 helps, too.


What completed works do you have? Describe them. "Um, do short stories count? Then, um...one."
 
What avenues did you travel to get

your MS complete? Crit groups, classes, research, writing communities where you live? I mostly use my wonderful online crit group, but ya gotta love the internet for research. I think that is what broke the barrier for me. Getting out of the house to get to a library to research was too intimidating. I might do that if the work calls for it, but right now, my computer is my best friend.

What inspires your characters? What breathes life into your work? Where do my characters come from....I have no idea. They come into my life as acquaintances, and as I get to know them better, I can write more about them. (Though the bad guys...I'm not so anxious to get to know them. They're too close to my evil alter ego to make my conscious self comfortable.)

What is a genre that you would more than likely never tackle, why? Probably 'literary' fiction. I got enough of that in college, thank you very much. It's all a bunch of whiny angst and “woe is me”. Or “life is so miserable I might as well not be living” and I'm usually screaming at the book “So KILL yourself already!”

What is a normal day like for you, tell us how you get all that writing in? I have five kids, a husband, and a house (not to mention the cat) to care for, besides aging in-laws and various other outside obligations. But my muse is very loud (you would not believe what she was saying in Walmart today!), and I make time where I can.

What stage of the getting published are you in? How has that experience been? I do have a short sweet romance out to an e-pub right now. Here's hoping! And other than wanting to shoot myself for silly stupid mistakes, it's been okay. It'll be a different story when the “novel” gets finished. I might go completely nuts then.


What is next for you? The one WIP that is the most promising to me right now is “Waltz With Me”, a suspense thriller with romantic elements. I actually produced an outline that seems to be functioning for me. A total first, as I've been a pantser till now.


Feel free to attach an excerpt of your work for showcasing. Here's the first 300 words from “Waltz With Me”.


CHAPTER 1-THE GIFT
Yet I would not have all yet.
He that hath all can have no more;
And since my love doth every day admit
New growth, thou shouldst have new rewards in store...”
John Donne, “Lover's Infiniteness"


Viv screamed. The knife, so thin and sharp, slipped under her skin, peeling away a small rectangle of her forearm. She felt her muscles bulge and the plastic binding cut into her wrists and ankles as she pulled against them. Warm blood trickled down her arm, growing cold in the dank dimness of her prison.


The voice, that hated voice, whispered in her ear, his hot breath fetid, rotten.


“I don't mind,” the voice said. “I enjoy the noise. It makes our time together so much more enjoyable.” He dipped his finger into the thickening blood on her arm and wiped it like lipstick across his mouth.


Viv squeezed her eyes shut, turning away from the voice and her blood on his face. Biting fingers gripped her jaw, pulling her back, forcing a wet kiss onto her mouth. The metallic tang of her own blood was sharp in her nose, making her gag. There was no tongue thrust into her mouth, though. He'd learned that lesson the last time. That's why he was dissecting her slowly, and alive. Retribution for her rebellion.


Finally the kiss ended. She left her eyes closed, panting shallowly. The torture was only beginning.


“Viv, baby, wake up.”


Another voice entered her dream, a welcome one, a rope to pull her to safety.


Viv opened her eyes with difficulty, the corners sticky with dried tears. Sam's shadowed back was all she could see in the gray light.


Sam's voice was thick. “Viv, sweetheart, you were crying in your sleep again. I'm sorry babe, but I gotta get up in an hour.” His hand reached over and patted her hip briefly before returning it to his side. His soft snore floated in the warm air.


You are a sandwich, describe yourself on a menu. A Reuben, no question. Crispy on the outside, with bizarre flavors smooshed together inside that make a rather tasty concoction.

If you could be a superhero what would your name and superpower be? Gees, this is hard. SuperMega Mom...able to solve all her children's problems with a single word, after negotiating world peace and a good deal on take out.


What is your porno/stripper name? Using the traditional formula take the family pet’s name and the street you grew up on? For instance, Charli’s is Betsy Orchard, AJ’s Ginger King Edward. Poppy Woodland. Hey, I kinda like that...maybe I'll use it as a pen name for all that secret literary fiction I have ready to be published!

Megan blogs, tune in and follow along here: http://meganoliphant.blogspot.com/