Interview with paranormal author R.W. Buxton

Today’s special guest is fantasy author R.W. Buxton to chat about his new paranormal fantasy novel, Moscow Nights.

During his virtual book tour, R.W. will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a luck randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, R.W. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I love a good paranormal read, something about the un-dead haunts the fringes of my mind. Mix in romance, love, loss, and you have a great story.

I voraciously read everything, fiction, and non-fiction but always find myself turning back to the darker stories. I’ve always wanted to write and the dream became a reality with Capital Thirst, and the remainder of the Erin Kingsly novels.

I spend most of my days designing and building websites, but my free time is devoted to my wife, family, and cats. Yes, three grown children and three cats. Things can be hectic.

For fun you might find me driving winding roads with the top down or out photographing nature.

Please tell us about your newest release.
I’m super excited about Moscow Nights. For me, it’s the book where Erin and Gerry grow up. Where they learn that what they share is more important than their differences. Especially for Gerry, who has had a hard time reconciling his feelings. For Erin, returning to her home in Moscow after three-hundred years forces her to face her demons and decide what she really wants. Is it being a vampire and taking revenge on men for what happened to her three-hundred years ago, or is it to start a new family with a man she loves? She finally comes face to face with the realization of what’s most important to her.

What inspired you to write this book?
At the end of Beverly Hills Torture, there were a lot of loose ends. Things that needed to be resolved, and I wanted to do that with this book. In many ways I have, but in the process I’ve created a few more. I wanted to see Erin and Gerry mature. Not that they aren’t grown adults, but to heal their wounds and move forward instead of forever back. By no means is it the end of their story, but they are in a place where I’m finally happy.

Aside from just the book, the entire series was inspired by my desire to look at what lengths people will go to, to pursue  acceptance. Not just that, but what really constitutes good and evil.

Excerpt from Moscow Nights:
The car roared into the small town. She turned down the main street and headed for the road out of town. Free from the town’s confines, the country road that led to the highway lay ahead of her. She floored the gas pedal. The scream of the engine thudded in her ears. She pushed in the clutch without letting off the gas and crammed the car into a higher gear. The tires chirped as the car surged forward. She calculated in her mind that the drive with traffic took an hour or a little less. She had to do it tonight in record time, less than thirty minutes. Trees blurred past the window. The ramp to the highway now loomed ahead of her. She pressed the brake and downshifted to take the turn. The car slid but held the road. On the highway she could let the car loose. She prayed she would make it in time.

Lights flickered past in a constant succession as she tore down the highway. She glanced at the speedometer. She was nearing 190 kilometers per hour. It wasn’t all the car could do, so she pushed harder. Her head swam with images of Gerry as he faced Dumitru alone. The possibilities of what might happen to Tina.

What’s the next writing project?
Currently, I have two projects going. The fourth book in the Erin Kingsly series and a new book that at least for now is titled Midnight Witch. Not surprisingly, it’s about witches. The Cradle of Humanity, which is the fourth book in the Erin Kingsly series, was actually finished in March 2020. After that it was out for a beta read and I received some great feedback I want to incorporate. Although since Covid, my writing has slowed significantly. I’m not sure if I’m just bored with being stuck at home, or if the lack of interaction with other people has somehow slowed down my creative process. Either way, I’ve certainly slowed down.

I’m actually very excited about the new series. It’s more light-hearted than the Erin Kingsly series, and so far has been a fun new experience.

I’m hopeful Cradle of Humanity will be published by August of this year. It’s a matter of me sitting down and making updates.

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
The biggest challenge when I started writing the first book in the series was figuring out the characters. Once I had a firm grasp on who they were and the kinds of things they would do the whole writing process became much easier. Moscow Nights was a little different. With Moscow Nights, I was faced with setting the story in Russia. The upside was I had been there, but that was when it was still the USSR and before the Berlin Wall came down. Russia has changed significantly from then. The tourist attractions remain much the same, Red Square, the Bolshoi, and the subway, but the city itself has changed. Moscow City where a good part of the book took place is essentially all new since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The people have changed as well. This took a good deal of research. Hours Googling, looking at Google Earth and other images. So hours of time spent on the internet to create a city I hadn’t seen since the early 80s.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
My preference is to research first. Once I start writing I don’t like to stop. It interrupts the flow and takes longer to get back into the “groove”. That said, it doesn’t always work out that way. Invariably I’ll get to a point where I need some detail I don’t already have. Then it’s back to Google, or in the case of Moscow Nights, sometimes a tour guide book, or whatever source is at hand that might have the information I need.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I have a beautiful study. Very classic with a large dark wood desk and tall bookcases filled with books. I never write there. Instead, I’m usually in the family room. I love to be able to look out the French doors into the yard. I’m usually in my well worn and comfortable recliner with my laptop on my lap. There’s a table with a lamp next to me so I can see in the morning before the sun is up and have a place to put my coffee cup. It’s just a comfortable, relaxing place to write.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
I love a good mystery, and a good cozy is one of my favorites. But I also enjoy a good procedural. So Mary Grimes or Elizabeth George are at the top of the list. Also in that genre is Colin Dexter, and all the Inspector Morse books. They are at the top of my list for British crime. Although it’s still sort of in my genre of urban fantasy, I love Amy Vansant’s Kilty series. It’s a mystery and comedy all rolled into one. I’m usually rolling on the floor and laughing out loud as I read them. Not to mention she’s a wonderful person who does more than her share to support other Indie authors.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
If readers take a chance on Moscow Nights, I just want them to have fun. To be transported to a new place with some crazy adventures and enjoy the story.

Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Bookbub | Goodreads | All Author | Amazon | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Thanks for being here today, R.W. Happy writing!

a Rafflecopter giveaway