Interview with Barbara Garren.
Get to know Babara and her new book, Phasms: Infinite Potential
·
What is your favorite board game? Card game?
I’m not really into board games, but my husband and I
have a game of Rummy that we’ve been keeping track of for almost 7 years. We
play to 500 or a thousand, but keep track of who is ahead overall. The funny
thing is, whenever we count up all the tick marks we end up being pretty even.
·
When writing, do you share chapters with friends
or beta readers as you go or do you keep your projects secret until they are
complete?
I share with one CP as I go along – usually chapter by
chapter, but I have another CP who gets the whole project when I think I’m done
with it. They each provide different types of feedback and this is what has
worked best for us. It just evolved this way, and I would imagine different
writers and their CP’s would work out their own process, as suits their needs.
When I’ve made the first round of changes, I send to both of these friends, as
well as a few other trusted Beta’s. I don’t share with friends or family until
I think it’s ready to query or publish.
·
Do you have any special talents? (Singing,
dancing, juggling, gardening, etc.)
LOL – no.
I have none. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, can’t play any instruments,
can’t paint or draw. I used to run really, really long distances (marathons and
ultra’s) but a knee injury 3 years ago has pretty well put an end to that. I do
make amazing soup – of any kind. I guess that’s it.
·
What was your favorite subject at school?
I’d have to say math. I hated it at first and thought I
was just dumb, but once I realized it was like a big puzzle waiting to be
solved, I really got into it. I do math problems in my head for fun, or to
prove I can. I loved physics too, and took AP physics as an elective, cuz I’m
weird like that.
·
Please share a favorite line from your newest
book.
Hmmm – okay, this is from Captive Potential, Phasms
Volume 2: “Aiden shrugged, and it was that motion, that
inconsequential and dismissive movement that made me realize we really didn’t
know each other at all.”
Check out this special excerpt from: Infinite Potential, Phasms Volume 1
JAMIE’S
NOT WITH ME on the beach. My arms and legs feel loose and disjointed. I
walk along the edge of the water, picking up starfish and easing them back into
the ocean, the waves pulling them back to their normal depth.
I look up,
gasp, and jump back. Strange people float by me, inches off the ground, yet
their feet leave shallow impressions in the sand. Their limbs are lean and
graceful.
They
remind me of the ballet lessons I took as a little girl. They wear loose,
flowing clothes that move gently in the still air. Their skin has a soft warm
glow, an iridescence that highlights their features: straight brows, fine jaws,
and sensuous lips. The men are every bit as beautiful as the women. Some more
so.
Their
voices are soft, yet eerie with longing and desire. They pass, slowing to look
at me, their hands resting gently on my shoulder before pushing off. Their
thoughts, wishes, and desires swirl inside my chest. No two are alike, and each
fills me with images of things I’ve never known. I think they are praying, but
it’s no prayer I’ve heard or read. It’s more a sense, a feeling of what they
long for, of what they have lost or seek, what they have never known and always
known. What they hope to find.
Hundreds
pass me, filling me with an ache, a loneliness of never finding, never knowing
what they are. I look up as the last one pauses before me, familiar in all his
strangeness. He’s tall and dark with features both beautiful and fierce. His
mouth twists, threatening and tender, at the same time he reaches toward me
with both hands.
Unlike the
others, he stands square in front of me with both hands on my shoulders. His
eyes have no pupils, no depth, yet no end of depth. He opens his mouth,
revealing teeth that are even and white. Everything about him is achingly
familiar, strong, and masculine. And alone.
The
agonizing ache of loneliness creeps through his hands, along my shoulders,
falling into the pit of my stomach, echoing how I feel. I stumble to my knees
and he falls with me, his eyes locking with mine. He struggles, his mouth
twisting, one hand cupping my face. His brow furrows, an inky wetness filling
his eyes before he’s thrown back, yanked away by an invisible force.
He climbs
to his knees, straightens, and stands. Pain and anguish radiate from him,
mirroring my own feelings. He reaches a hand toward me once more, cries out in
silence, and shimmers from my sight.
Available for pre-ordering on KOBO at:
I'm a writer, a reader and a frequenter of the
more charming sites in town, namely pubs.
Born and raised in Southern California, I left to
explore the world courtesy of the U.S. Navy. I've lived in San Francisco, New
York and Norfolk, Virginia, but prefer to call San Diego home these days, with
my husband, Henry (the inspiration for all the romance).
When not working on my next novel or reading a
good book, I can be found running after my grandchildren, my dog and my sanity.
I believe a well-rounded diet consists of coffee,
scotch, chocolate, popcorn and Luna Bars - in that order - and have been
accused of violating grammar and etiquette rules in at least seven countries.
My Muse is a Valkyrie named Prue, so look out.
You can follow me at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bgarrenwrites
Twitter: @bak229
