#WiHM2015 Women In Horror Month 2015 Rhonda Hopkins

Introducing tonight's WiHM guest...

Best-selling and award-winning author, Rhonda Hopkins, has learned first-hand that truth is stranger than fiction. Her two decades of experience as an investigator provide her characters with a depth and realism that gives truth a run for its money.

Having come in contact with the best and the worst that society has to offer, Rhonda's imagination is filled with story ideas. Rhonda writes Horror, Suspense, Paranormal, and YA Urban Fantasy. 

Social Media Links

Website | Amazon Author Page | Facebook Author Page | Twitter |
Goodreads | Google+ | Pinterest |

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Rhonda Hopkins Interview

What do you do when you’re not writing about the end of days or things that go bump in the night?

Well, when I'm not writing, reading, or watching those, I'm spending time with my family. I'm fortunate that we're so close-knit. Of course that means everyone's always in everyone else's business, too. But the trade-off is worth it. My sister is my best friend; although, I'm not sure I would have ever thought that would happen when we were younger and trying to kill each other every other day. :-)   

Tell me about your latest book, something unusual if possible.

Anything in particular that you want to say about it? Where did you draw the inspiration from? Favourite characters? Tell us something unusual.

My SURVIVAL series is set in Fort Worth, Texas and I use my knowledge of the courthouses and jails from my days as an investigator to give the current "safe" area realism. Of course, I had to do a little fictional modifying to make the courthouse work for what I needed. For instance, the courthouse I'm using in the story does not have a cafeteria; although, I lobbied for one when they were building it. :-)

I also have twin nieces and I use some of their likenesses and differences for my main characters, Sarah and Dana. Don't tell them that though or they'll probably demand some of the royalties. LOL
   
Book Blurb & Cover

When Sarah escapes from her brutal abductors, she promises to return to rescue her twin sister, but with the walking dead invading Fort Worth, TX, she is forced to rely on a competitive coworker who made her work life hell for years. With her coworker weakened by cancer treatments, her sister still imprisoned, and zombies looking for an easy meal, Sarah’s only plan, if she can pull it off, is Survival.

Purchase Link

Amazon USA
Amazon Uk

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Survival Excerpt

 
Sarah Jamison's gaze met her twin's fear-filled blue eyes. "I—"

"It's no use. The cuff is too tight. You're going to have to leave me." Dana put her free hand on Sarah's, stilling their frantic motions.
   
"No. I won't leave you. Maybe I can . . ." She turned, taking in the empty basement—the cement walls, exposed pipes, and her sister handcuffed to one of the metal cylinders. A small amount of light trickled in through the one lone window, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon. Unless . . . .
   
She strode over to the dangling pipe from which she had managed to extricate herself earlier. Grabbing the unattached end, she tried wresting it clear of its fittings, her own wrist dangling handcuffs which clinked against the metal with each pull. Rust and time made it impossible to remove.
   
"Sarah—"
   
"No." Tears ran down her face. "I can't leave you, Dana."
   
"You have to. It's the only way we're both getting out of here. You have to go for help."  
   
Sarah knelt beside her sister who reached out and wiped her thumb across her cheek, brushing the tears aside. 
   
"I'll be okay until you get back. I won't give them any excuse to throw me out to those . . . ." Dana choked back the word they had both been avoiding, choosing another instead. "Creatures."

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What are you working on next and when can we expect it?

I'm currently working on the second in the SURVIVAL series: DEAD OF WINTER. If all goes as planned, it should be out by the first of April. 

I'm also working on a paranormal suspense novel, DEADLY REUNION and plan to start a new YA urban fantasy series soon called GEMINI PROPHECY. I've got a lot of writing to do in the near future!

What makes you want to write about dystopia/the apocalypse and or horror?

I've always loved the horror genre. I guess I owe that to my grandmother. I would spend most of my weekends with her growing up and we'd settle in with our popcorn and watch whatever horror classic was on. I really miss her!

I started reading Stephen King very young and I just haven't been able to get enough of the genre since. I love that creepy sensation and the adrenaline from the fear that good writers can evoke. So, writing dark fiction just came naturally and I hope I'm able to share those senses with my readers as well.

But, as much as I love reading about zombies and other dystopian fiction, I never planned to write a zombie story. It wasn't until author TW Brown asked me to write something for a charity anthology (LET'S SCARE CANCER TO DEATH) that the idea came to me for SURVIVAL. It was only supposed to be a one-time creation. However, I loved writing about the characters and zombies so much, I decided to continue their story.

 Are you a prepper with an apocalypse plan in place, or are you just going to wing it?

A little of both. I don't have a large stock-pile, but I'm prepared for a short-time period which is good for any emergency. And of course I have my weapons for self-defense. With my luck, I figure the apocalypse will happen when I'm nowhere near my emergency supplies, so I've thought about what I would do if that happened and I have a plan. But we all know that during chaos, carefully crafted plans can and usually do go awry. So we have to be prepared to just "wing it" to survive. 

I believe that the horror genre is way more accepting of female horror writers now, what’s your take on it.

Absolutely! And thank goodness. :-) I don't recall very many female horror writers in the past. But maybe that was just because of the way the established publishers and book stores marketed books. With many authors now going the indie route, we have many more authors to choose from. I've been fortunate to find a great deal of new authors that I absolutely love. Lots of women that can create that visceral feeling I talked about before. Women like Eli Constant, Billie Sue Mosiman, Alexie Aaron, and of course, Claire C. Riley -- just to name a few. 

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Part Of Women In Horror Month 2015 (click link to visit site)

Happy reading my little book whores!

Claire XXX