What is it that draws you to mystery, horror and paranormal thrillers?
I love the supernatural and you can feel it even in my mysteries and thrillers. I like the creepy and my books are often gritty and scary. That's why they named me the Queen of Scream I guess.
How difficult is it to maintain the suspense and intrigue in your books while still building up to a satisfying ending?That's actually my favorite part. The plot. In my books you'll meet several people whose stories don't seem to have anything to do with each other, but at the end you'll realize it is all connected somehow and I make sure you'll be surprised when you realize how. That is a lot of fun.
You have a knack for creating characters who readers care about. What is your secret for creating compelling characters?
Oh wow. Thank you. I am happy to hear that. I think that I care a lot about them myself. And I try to make them have more than one side to them. Especially the bad guys. There is always a very good reason for them to be the way they are and I take my time to explain what happened to them. Their motives are important. And even my heroes mess up now and then. Just like the rest of us. I am also not afraid to make them be emotional. I spend more time writing about their emotions than describing what they look like or what the place they're at looks like.
Tell us a bit about your writing habits. Do you plan out the plots of your books before you start writing?
It is very different, actually. Sometimes I dream something, other times it's just something that comes to me and I think, Hmm that's interesting or scary, maybe my readers will find it interesting or scary too. I always try to go places where I frighten myself, where there is pain or fear. Like recently I read a post on Facebook about a woman warning other mothers that she and her daughter were being approached by this man in Target and then afterwards in the parking lot outside and she had heard about this trafficking ring that targeted mothers and their children. Reading that post scared me like crazy so I knew I had to write about it. It turned out it was a hoax, but the idea was planted and soon it became a book.
What do you do when you are busy writing a book and the next idea is nagging at the back of your mind? Are you one of those authors who writes multiple books at a time?
I don't write multiple books at a time, but I do get ideas all the time even while writing. I have a document, actually several where I write these things down, so when I get to the time when I need to write it, all the ideas are there. Right now I have the next four books planned out. I used to worry that the ideas would stop coming, but I don't anymore. It's like the more I write, the more ideas I get.
Besides being a best-selling author, what other secret skills do you have?
I surf. That's my biggest passion besides writing and reading. I get the best ideas while being in the ocean.
Girl Dividedby Willow RoseGenre: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy
They think she's a monster, but she's their only hope…
In a divided nation, 14-year-old Jetta belongs nowhere. Her face is split right down the middle: half-black and half-white. The non-white residents of her New Orleans camp call her a demon. The white oppressors who took over during the 2nd American Civil War have called her much worse…After years as an outcast, Jetta uncovers her true heritage as the daughter of an African storm god and a Finnish death goddess. As she attempts to harness her terrible new abilities to turn the tide in the war, trouble comes to those she tries to help. Only Jetta has the power to heal her divided homeland… or destroy everything in her path…Girl Divided is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel infused with magical forces. If you like immersive worlds, strong characters, and a tale that reads like Neil Gaiman and Stephen King combined, then you'll love Willow Rose's provocative story.**On Sale for .99 cents!**
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They didn't give them time to pack their things. Still, Jetta managed to grab her old teddy bear and a ring her grandmother had given her that she said belonged to her mother before the soldiers grabbed her by the arm and carried her out of the apartment that had, up until now,been the home of her childhood. The soldiers carried her down the stairs, while she heard her grandmother crying and screaming behind her."Nanna!" Jetta cried, but she couldn't see her.Jetta was placed on the ground outside, where an officer approached her and looked at her face, placing a hand underneath her chin to lift her face to better look at it."What do we do about this one, sir?" the soldier who had carried her, said.The officer scrutinized Jetta's face, while Jettawatched her grandmother be put on a bus, a soldier pushing her forcefully."What are you, child?" the officer asked.Jetta looked at him. She didn't answer because she didn't understand the question."Answer me, child. What are you?"She shook her head, and then looked at the entrance to the bus, where she could no longer see her grandmother. Panic started to erupt, and Jetta's small body was shaking.The officer grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "What are you, child? Black or white?""I…I don't know."The officer shook his head. "I’ve never seen one like this," he said to the soldier."Me either, sir.""One side is pure as snow, yet the other is dirty.""Clearly dirty, sir.""Yeah. She's got dirt in her blood. You know the instructions, soldier. Anyone with any hint of dirt in their blood goes.""Yes, sir."The soldier saluted the officer, then grabbed Jetta by the arm and pulled her forcefully. He lifted her into the air and she began to cry. He walked to the bus and put her on the steps."This one goes too," he said addressed to the driver.Jetta ran up the stairs, her eyes searching for her grandmother in the crowd, but she couldn't see her anywhere. People were standing so close, it was hard to breathe, and as more people were stuffed inside the bus, Jetta could no longer move. She was pinned between aseat and someone's belly, fighting to even breathe."Nanna?" she cried, but no one could hear her. So many were screaming, whimpering, and crying out names of their loved ones, her voice was drowned out. The pushing and shoving got worse and as the bus took off, some guy in big black shoes trampled on Jetta.
The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 40 novels. She writes Mystery, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy. She lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners.
Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 20 of ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada.
She has sold more than two million books.
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