About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.

Author Spotlight with Jay Di Meo

K.S.  Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

J.D.M. Let’s see what constitutes important information. ;-)

1. I am a girl and I love boys. Very much. I love to see them get all hot and bothered, and I love putting them through hell to see their reaction. Oh, and I believe in happy endings. Definitely.

2. I love the supernatural and am a great fan of fantasy and science fiction.

3. I am European and (omigod) I’ve never been to the US. I’ve lived in Central America for some years, though, and in different European countries (Germany, France, England).

4. I am married, and have no cats (yet). I’ve done all sorts of jobs. I have taught English, French, and German, I’ve been a translator and a text editor. I worked at KFC for a while, did interviews from door to door and was tourist tour guide in Paris for a month - necessary all round experience for any author.



K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

J.D.M. Usually what comes to me first is a scene or snippet of dialogue. I jot such things down before I forget, then start thinking how my two heroes would come to this point and where they might go from here. The next step, always, is to find out their names. Without names I can’t write the story. I usually go through lists of names from specific countries that are linked in my mind to the story. The names most often jump out at me, yelling “Take me!” - and I do. The names tell me a lot about the characters, how they look and how they behave. They are like passwords to the personalities (which is also why I have trouble changing names afterward). And then I get down to writing the story.
Is this quirky? I don’t know. It’s how my writing mind works.



K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

J.D.M. Well, in typical author anecdotal fashion, I decided I wanted to be a professional author when I was ten. A year later I wrote my first epic of 700 pages. I still have it. It’s high fantasy. *grin*
It’s hard to say what sparked my desire to write the first time, having been a fan of stories since I can remember. I do know that when I was nine I read Michael Ende’s “Neverending Story” and that definitely marked a turn in my life. I think that book pushed me to finally try my hand at writing.


K.S.  What genre do you write?

J.D.M. I write erotica in the fantasy, paranormal or science fiction genres.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

J.D.M. Favorite author… Apart from you? Okay, let’s see.
In erotica, I love Barbara Elsborg’s books, esp. the Trueblood series featuring vampires, werewolves, fairies and all sorts of supernatural beings. Her world building is amazing, and her characters unforgettable.
Arlene Webb. Very unique stories, funny and lovely.
I also adore Marie Kulhane and Misty Malone, great authors of erotica. 

K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

J.D.M. My family is quite traditional and has no idea I write erotica. Please don’t tell them! Lol! Except my husband. He’s happy with my choices and supports me every step of the way.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

J.D.M. That I can write them. No, really! First of all, I never thought I could write erotica. Second, I never thought I would like it so much. Third, I had no idea that I would be so inspired when I put two boys together. I picture them, and plots begin bombarding me. What can I say? Boys together do inspire me, and it’s something I only found out quite recently (in the past few years). Call it a journey of self-discovery.

K.S.  What inspires you?

J.D.M. Boys. Hot boys. Boys together. Supernatural and magic. Elves. I love elves, no clue why. I want to write many stories with them. Tolkien made them too perfect and saintly. I want them hot and horny. ;-)

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

J.D.M. I will tell you a little about my novella BINDING SPELL and my novel THE FALCON AND THE JACKAL, both released by Cobblestone Press.

My M/M novella BINDING SPELL was just released last week. It’s the story of Mador, a beautiful demon, released from Hell only to be bound in flesh by a mortal man, Jay, who made a desperate deal to save his family. These two men find themselves bound by lies and desire, and in the end perhaps love.

Excerpt from opening scene (ca. 500 words):
If only the hellhounds would lose his scent, Mador could be free for a while. He ran faster in the dark hallway. He’d make it. Not too far now. His hiding place was close. A wonder Prince Sitri hadn’t discovered it yet.
He might hide and stay low for a couple of days, sleep and dream and try to forget—forget the knives carving his flesh, the whip cutting through his muscles, the twisting and beating and hurting.
Being a demon didn’t mean he had to like being in Hell.
A shout.
Mador stopped and turned, his heart thundering.
Nobody.
Faint wisps of red light beckoned from the balcony ahead. He sprinted toward it. Nobody would seek him in the cave. After his long sojourn in the pits for disobedience, compliments of his master, he yearned to curl there, quiet and barely breathing, pretending not to exist. He longed for a moment of reprieve. I’ve earned it.
Just one moment alone. Safe.
“Madorael…”
Who was calling him? He swallowed a curse and glanced over his shoulder.
The voice threaded the air, whispering. Male or female? He couldn’t tell, but it burrowed and buzzed into his ears.
He shook his head in an attempt to snuff it out, his long hair caressing his bare shoulders and chest. He spun around, snapped his fingers, and several torches in the wall flared.
He scanned the passage. It stood empty.
The torches sputtered. Thin smoke swirled in the light.
Figures I’d finally go fucking mad in here. He shrugged and let the torches die, yet he hesitated to turn away. He stood still in the dark. Cold currents whipped his pants and hair, making him shiver.
He turned his head this way and that, trying to make out any sound other than his own breathing.
It really was all in your mind, Mador.
Inhaling deeply, he turned once more, the gleam from the balcony inviting. His light steps whispered on the stone floors. Red reflected on the walls, and he already felt the air change, rush past his face, not stale like in the depths of the castle but fresh with a hint of wood smoke.
Heavy steps pounded behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. Winged shadows detached themselves from the wall, spread on the floor, lengthened.
That goddamn voice had distracted him, slowed him down.
A spiral staircase loomed at his right. He sprinted up the narrow steps, but hands grabbed his ankles, and he tumbled back down, hitting the steps with his ribs.
Curse them, that hurt.
He instinctively curled and kicked at them. He heard grunts and reached out for the stairs again but only made it onto the second step when they fell on him again and flipped him over. His head hit the stone, and his eyes blurred.
Two bat-winged demons leered down at him, long black tongues lolling.
Fuck, that was way too soon. “Who sent you?”
They did not reply, but he was pretty sure he knew the answer.


My novel THE FALCON AND THE JACKAL is coming out in September. I love this one. It’s the story of James and Silver, two young men who are vessels of ancient Egyptian gods and are caught in a fight that might destroy their world before they even decide how they feel about each other.

Blurb:
James had never been attracted to a man before. But Horus, the Egyptian god of the sun, is not just any man. Drop dead gorgeous, Horus is also the harbinger of bad news. He proclaims James to be Seth, his dark godly counterpart and ally, and warns that Osiris, god of the dead, is about to take over the world once more. Caught between a game of power and falling in love with Horus, James must remember his past and regain his powers, or he’ll lose everything—his future, his former lover, and his own life.

This story benefited an awful lot from your great comments, Katie, thanks again!


K.S.  Where can we buy your novel?

J.D.M. Novella BINDING SPELL from Cobblestone Press: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/bindingspell.htm

Upcoming novel THE FALCON AND THE JACKAL from Cobblestone Press: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/comingsoon.htm

Short story (“The Crown’s Blade”) from Whispers Publishing: http://www.whispershome.com/book_pages/the_crowns_blade.html


K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

J.D.M.
http://jaydimeo.wordpress.com


K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

J.D.M. Keep writing. Take advice and use it, but never let comments discourage you. When you write a story you like as a reader, you’re halfway there.