Welcome Special Guest Beth Caudill

Today, Happy Endings has the pleasure of welcoming special guest Beth Caudill,  here to tell us about her new release and what superpower she would love to have…

Welcome to Happy Endings. Can you tell us a little about your latest release?

My latest release is a werewolf paranormal novella from Whispers Publishing called Healer’s Fate.  I created a new world called Arilase which is populated entirely by paranormal creatures.  I hope to write about the different cultures. In the first story, I started with my favorite – werewolves:

Corliss Rumdone hides behind her status as Healer to avoid the normal wolf pack hierarchal challenges. A forced mating changes the course of her life. Instead of Raymond, the beta wolf selected for her, she mates with Liam-her best friend and heir to the Alpha pair.

Liam whisks them away to a shifter retreat so they can allow the mating bond to settle in private. But interference from those seeking power and two terminal children arouse past hurts and challenge their new relationship. Even their home is not the haven it should be as Liam must watch Corliss fight for the right to stay his mate. For one healer, death becomes a weapon to balance life.

Describe where you write…

When I started, I wrote on the sofa.  Earlier this year, my husband and I found a small desk on sale and set up a spot in a corner in our bonus room/playroom/guestroom. I’m still waiting for my husband to put up the corkboard so the desk isn’t as neat as I’d like. I sit right next to a window and can watch the birds fight over the bird feeders. Right now the trees are a nice red and gold but soon there will be nothing but brown sticks in the yard. I look forward to seeing my roses bloom next year.

What’s your favorite genre to read?

My absolute favorite genre is fantasy. I like the magic and challenges that appear in the stories.  There can also be political and social issues that come into play. You can explore new worlds, meet great characters and imagine yourself solving some epic quest.

My two favorite authors are Janny Wurts, who writes both high and epic fantasy, and Anne Bishop who writes dark fantasy.

What did you want to be (when you grew up) at the age of 6? 13? 20? Now?

At age six, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved animals and thought it would be cool to be able to help them. But even the blood of animals makes me queasy so I gave that up.  The next career really took many turns.  I wanted to go into outer space so that meant being an astronaut.  So I thought I’d be an Air Force pilot…except I became nearsighted as I grew older and eventually didn’t meet the qualifications for either Air Force or Navy pilot/navigator.  Being a teenager, I decided I didn’t really want to be in the military if I couldn’t fly. So I decided to work for NASA as an Aerospace Engineer.  That lasted through my junior year of college. I had problems understanding three dimensional, theoretical calculus and switched majors.

Now when my stay-at-home-mom job comes to an end, I’d like to be a librarian.  I love books and spending all day with them sounds good.

If you were told tomorrow that publishers were never going to buy another book in your genre, but you would sell in the one genre you never thought you’d write…would you switch? What would that genre be? (And what do you write now?)

More than likely not.  The genre would be Westerns.  I don’t read them and really don’t have an active interest in cowboys. While I write fantasy and paranormal romance, I think I’ve read enough to be able to cover horror, mystery, science fiction and maybe a contemporary.  I like research so I wouldn’t be too afraid to try a historical. But the western is just something I don’t see myself writing.

Our characters often have characteristics of ourselves or others in our lives.  What’s one characteristic you gave to a character that you know is either you or someone you know?

Bavol, my dragon hero from Dragon’s Mate, has a hidden collection of butterflies.  I think I like dragons because they hoard things (and that whole breathing fire ability.) I’m a packrat and I have several collections – books, Boyd Bears, hobbies (cross stitch, quilting and quilling.) I think they are physical representation of our inner selves – our hopes, fears and dreams.

Have you ever created a villain or killed a character off who is based on someone you know? (We won’t tell.)

Not yet. I try not to use anyone I know personally (heroes or villains). In the trilogy I’m plotting, I have a few characters I call my ‘red shirts’ because they’re created just to die, like the red shirt security officers on Star Trek. But I don’t have an image of them in my mind because I’m afraid to get too attached.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be and would you use it for good or evil (or totally selfish personal gain for at least 24 hours)?

I like healing and shielding powers.  Both are mainly defensive powers that can be used in an offensive manner to kill. I used the healing power in Healer’s Fate that way. While most people think of a shield as protection, if you pushed the shield against someone hard enough you could break bones or suffocate them. I’d use the powers to help people, what can I say…I’m a diehard X-Men fan.  Powers should be used for good and protection not for gain.

If you could become the heroine in a favorite book you’ve read, which book would it be and how hunky is your hero?

The book would by A Secret Love by Stephanie Laurens. My hero would be tall, broad shouldered with dark brown hair. Strong personality but still values a friendship with his wife. I think that’s what I like most about this story is the friendship the hero has with his heroine.  I did after all marry my best friend.

What was the last movie you saw and HATED?  On the flip side, what movie have you watched more than any other?

The last movie I watched and hated was The Departed. I like action movies and usually curse words don’t bother me. I enjoy drooling, I mean watching, Matt Damon and with the other stars (Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, and Leonardo DiCaprio) I didn’t think the movie would be too bad.  After 10 minutes, I was just glad I saw the movie by myself and didn’t convince a friend to go with me.  The action wasn’t bad but there were too many sentences consisting of just curse words.

The movie have I watched more than any other is difficult to answer.  There are movies that I’ve seen repeatedly because that’s what the kids want to watch. Right now we are in our third month of watching nothing but all six Star Wars movies.  Before that we watched nothing but Scooby Doo cartoon movies. However, if you want to know the movies I want to watch more than any other…Then it’s a tie between The Lake House and Sabrina with The Phantom of the Opera nipping at their heels. I’ve seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty the most but they’ve been around longer.

Because this IS Happy Endings, I have to ask: What is your favorite fictional romantic happy endings — either from a book, a movie or TV show. Why that one?

This one is tough because in romance they all end happy. Several stand out – the end ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast, the comedic coloring of Aurora’s dress from Sleeping Beauty as they dance away on clouds, but the one that stands out the most to me is the end to The Princess Bride.  You have the first perfect kiss, the transference of the Dread Pirate Roberts, the slow perfect fall to the ground, and finally riding off into the sunset on four white horses.  It’s cheesy but I still go ‘ahhhh’ each time I see it.

ABOUT BETH

Beth Caudill resides in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Her home is lined with bookcases and filled with books. Although she does not claim the computer manuals, those belong to her husband. In her life prior to becoming a stay-at-home-mom, she worked as a technical support analyst and quality assurance software tester. Now she plays chauffeur and cook for her family and fits in writing when she can.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America, her local chapter Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, and the online chapter Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal. You can find out more about Beth and her stories at http://www.bethcaudill.net/.

Links

Website:  http://www.bethcaudill.net/

Blog:  http://bethcaudill.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/beth.caudill

MySpace:  http://www.myspace.com/bethcaudill

Buy Links

Whispers Publishing – Healer’s Fate – http://www.whispershome.com/author_pages/beth_caudill.html

The Wild Rose Press – Dragon’s Mate, Garden Magic, and Informally Yours (all on sale through October) – http://www.thewildrosepress.com/beth-caudill-m-95.html