An Interview by James DiBenedetto

Indie Author Spotlight – Heather Dowell and “Summers & Winters”

by James DiBenedetto

Find this on his website: http://writingdreams.net/indie-author-spotlight-heather-dowell-and-summers-winters/
 

I’m thrilled to present to you another great indie author – meet Heather Dowell!

Hey everybody. My name is Heather Dowell and I was born in Tennessee on March 12, 1990. My family moved around frequently when I was a kid, mostly from county to county, so I’ve had a lot of experience with being the new kid. I graduated from Portland High School in Portland, TN in May 2008. Shortly after my 18th birthday, I enlisted in the United States Navy. I went to boot camp in Greatlakes, IL, which is a short train ride away from Chicago. I went to Chicago with my sailor friends as often as I could. I really enjoyed the city.

I’ve lived in Tennessee, Mississippi, Illinois, and Florida. If you count the womb, then I’ve also lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, that’s part of the reason why I chose for Heather Winters of “Summers & Winters”  to live in Las Vegas. I asked myself, “How would my life have been if I grew up in Vegas?”, and created a whole new world.

I served four years on the USS Carney(DDG-64) in Mayport, FL and lived in Jacksonville, the largest city in the US. I met some of the most wonderful people on that ship, and that is when I really started writing. In my upcoming book “The Newcomer”,  I transformed my real friends on the Carney into mythical creatures, like Mermaids, Vampires, Trolls, Fairies, Werewolves, and some creatures of my own creation, that are battling the Evil Black Dragon and his minions in order to keep them from conquering the world and dominating the human race.

I write books of almost every genre, all with a little hint of Romance, so if you are into that sort of thing, you should definitely try out one of my books. 

I’m currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Elementary Education at Western Kentucky University. I have a passion for teaching children and for writing novels. I also love music and I’m a flag girl in the Big Red Marching Band. I’m married to a wonderful husband, and I love seeing my family every weekend. Family and friends are very important to me. You can probably see that through the characters that I have developed. They’re all very unique and some of them are based on people I know. Some of the events stem from real events in my life as well, but I twisted them into a very fictional story. I hope you enjoy my work, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading.

Follow Heather at her website, on Facebook and on Goodreads.
And here’s her book…

I thought leaving Las Vegas to move to South Carolina was going to be one of the worst days of my life. A pivotal moment I wished not to have. But as it turns out, coming to South Carolina would be the highlight of my life. Just like every other love story, it started with a boy.

You can buy it at Amazon!

I’ve got an interview with Heather…

Who is your favorite author?
Amanda Hocking. Her books have introduced me to the world of Paranormal Romance. Reading how good a book from an indie author could be, made me want to be one. I had already been writing “Summers & Winters”, but after reading her books, new plot lines just starting coming.

How do you describe your writing style?
I write just about everything in first person present tense, nothing else seems to really capture the essence of a character like it does. I also use reverse sentence structure, every once in a while, to put the reader right in the moment.

Besides those things, I have a two page rule. I never go two pages without dialogue. I want the reader to stay engaged, not bombarded by what I call “literary garbage”, placed there for the sole purpose of either showing how poetic the author can be or to fulfill a publishers word count.

Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book?
If you want to feel what it is like to be in love again, or it you want a book that makes you laugh, cry, or even want to punch someone, then you should read this book. The series only get better from here.

Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?
I’ve been told that my lead characters reflect myself, not necessary who I am, but who I want to be or the traits that I admire. If I had to say one character resembled me most, I’d say it is Heather Winter for “Summers & Winters”.

If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?
Alora. She isn’t in this series, but she’s in one that I’m working on. She’s very bold and goes after what she wants. That, and the guy I paired her with is gorgeous. As in, Ian Somerhalder, gorgeous.

What books have most influenced your life?
I think I answered that is the first question, but my favorite series of all time is the Forever Series by Quinteria Ramey and Brandon Alston. It ripped my heart out and then tried to piece it together again. I don’t know that the book will ever leave me.

If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?
Ah, unique twists. Hmm. I guess the last book of the Divergent Series. I haven’t finished it yet, but I saw the spoilers and I am so disappointed. I want a different ending. The first book was way to good for the series to end the way it does.

Beatles or Monkees? Why?
Beatles, hands down. I may only be 23, but there music is timeless. They have a song for every mood.

Who should play you in a film of your life?
I can’t think of anyone for my current age, but if they played a younger me, I would choose Kay Panabaker. I’ve seen her plan several different role, and I think she could play just about anyone.

AND, last but definitely not least, she’s shared an excerpt from her book with us…just click below to read it!

“Dare number two… make out, with tongue, with the person to your right…” To my right is Mitch. This is so my dare. “For five minutes.”

“I got it!” I yell. I’m going to make out with Mitch, right here and now.

“Mitch, it looks like it’s your lucky night,” Brian tells him, handing the camera phone over to Kenji. “Heather, make it good for the camera.”

“Oh I will. I just hope Mitch is up for it.”

“Oh I’m up for it,” Mitch grins.

“Alright Kenji, keep track of the time.”

Kenji nods and then says, “Go.”

This is it. It’s now or never. Mitch is looking at my lips. He’s ready. I lace my hand with his and then turn to straddle the log I’m sitting on. He does the same. I’m so nervous. I’ve never made out in public, and I never thought I’d be able to do so with Mitch. I tenderly touch his shoulder with my free hand and then lean slightly forward. The spark returns as soon as I touch him. His breathing is slow and strained like he’s incredibly nervous, too.

“I’m restarting the time,” Kenji says. “I’ll start it when you start kissing.”

Mitch and I both let out a laugh as our foreheads meet. I look up at him through my lashes. He’s so perfect. I drag my hand up to his cheek and then kiss him gently. His free arm goes under my arm and around my back. He licks my bottom lip and I part my lips, giving his tongue room to enter my mouth. Mmm, he tastes so good. Just like winter fresh gum. The tip of his tongue traces a line across the roof of my mouth. I put my hand on his neck and then run it through his hair. I let go of his hand that is holding mine as our tongues dance. I let my now free hand cup his firm peck and push him downward.

I detach myself from his mouth long enough to move on top of him and then I suck and nibble on his bottom lip as he lets out ragged sighs. I love his breathy responses. They make me want to be wild. What’s a game of Dare without a little risk? With him I want to do things I’ve never been brave enough to do with anyone else. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. I’m going to do what I want.

I kiss his cheek and then suck and nibble on his earlobe. He’s breathing so hard now. Or is it me? I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I want him. I wanna make my claim on him, and I want everyone to know that he is mine. “Unsnap me,” I whisper into his ear. He tilts his head to the side and kisses my cheek.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

His hands travel to the clasp of my bra and he fidgets. Then I feel the pressure on my back fade away. “Take it off,” I say while tugging on his lip. He doesn’t hesitate. He slides down both of my straps and I slip my arms out. He pulls my bra off with a little tug and then tucks it under him.

“For my eyes only,” he says.

I love the feel of myself on top of him with little between us. I kiss his neck and his hands drift down my back as Ty say, “Go for it, Mitch.” I laugh and nod into Mitch’s neck. His hands drift slowly to my bottom. When he gets there, I can’t help but grind into him inconspicuously. Hopefully, the others won’t notice what I’m doing. He presses me to him and I can feel his hardness. He presses upward and holds me down. My whole body goes hot. I let out a soft moan as he presses me harder against him.

“That’s enough for me,” Christine says.

“It was enough for me before they started,” Marie says.

“Still got two minutes,” Kenji tells us.

There’s a sigh in the background. It must be Brittany. She’s probably making out with Sammy.

“It’s not yawls Dare,” Ty says, confirming my suspicions. “So, Christine…if you don’t like watching, I could always kiss you, instead.”

Brian laughs at Ty’s flirtatiousness. Considering that Ty hasn’t even asked Christine out, it is a little odd that he would try persuading her to kiss him.

Now that Mitch and I are no longer the center of attention, we really go at it. Our kisses become much more urgent. We only have a minute or so left and I’m determined to make the best of it. Mitch must be having the same thought. His hand slides up my dress and to the zipper. He slowly inches it down, waiting for me to protest. I feel the warm breeze on my exposed skin, until he covers it with his hand. He doesn’t try to take my dress off, but he lowers the zipper a tad bit more and presses himself to me. My thighs start squeezing together. Oh no! Not now! Not here! He presses me tightly against him as I let out a much louder moan. How am I going to explain that? This is no longer a Dare. It’s us, alone in his bedroom, that first time he made me wet. I don’t understand how he can have such an effect on me. But…I like it.

His fingers trail down my spine and I come undone. I collapse, no longer able to keep my breathing regulated. He did it again. Except this time, it was in public. I breathe hard onto his neck. He trembles under me. If the group around us didn’t know we were together, they would know now. I can’t believe I just did that in front of everyone here. I really, really hope none of them noticed what just happened. Heat rushes to my cheeks.