Meet author Zoe Adams!

Welcome Zoe! Zoe Adams is one of my new publishing sisters at Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. Let’s take some time and get to know her!

Zoe, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well I turned 21 this year and I live on the north east coast of Lincolnshire, in England. Just recently, I’ve finished a three year degree in Professional Writing, which was immense fun, a lot of hard working and a truck load of writing!

     I’m a nerd and I’m not ashamed of it. I even named my cat Bilbo for Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit!

Oh that is Awesome! I have always wanted to visit England! I’ll get there one day and come visit you!  J

Now, when did you first start writing, Zoe? Do you have a favorite genre?

I first started writing professionally in 2010, but I’ve always been writing, since I was a child. Even then I was fascinated by mystical stories, and that’s carried through into my adult life.

     I think my favourite genre would be fantasy, as there’s so much which is incorporated with it

Fantasy is one of my favorites to read!

 Speaking of reading, what series is your guilty pleasure? What do you love to read?

One of my guilty pleasures… I don’t think I have one really! But I do love rereading the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson by Louise Rennison. Teen comedy at its finest.

     I love reading crime, erotica, fantasy, horror, paranormal, romance… The list is quite frankly endless!

Do you have a favorite book character?

There are so many I love! A character that’s been with me for a while though is Kelley Armstrong’s Elena Michaels, from the Women of the Otherworld series. A female werewolf, she’s strong and beautiful, with human flaws. She’s just incredibly powerful as a character. I’d love to be her for a day…

Oh, I’ll have to check that one out! :D Now, let’s talk about your new release! Best Served Chilled… sounds intriguing! Why don’t you tell us a little bit about it?  Where did the inspiration for the story come from?

Best Served Chilled is an adult horror novella. It follows Tokyo born, Hiraku Michiyo, and the pain that remains with her from her past. When she meets a deadly Japanese alcohol demon, her life is turned upside down, and she finds out that the real horror is about to begin.

     The original inspiration came from the television show Supernatural and the episode featuring the famed demon. When I looked into it, there was a lot of scope to go wild with! From there, it just sort of bubbled out the side of my brain!

And the main characters, what can you tell us about them?

Our main characters are: Hiraku, Shoichi and Ed.

     Hiraku was originally born in Tokyo but moved to London with her parents when she was a child. She has had a really awful life and as an adult, suffers with depression and alcoholism. It doesn’t matter to her what she drinks as long as she gets it in her system.

     Shoichi is a shōjō (an alcohol sea spirit demon from Japanese folklore). He masquerades as a human, which he does well, even though he often lets his mask slip and reveal his true nature. In demon form, he either inhabits alcohol bottles or he slides his soul and essence into humans. He admires himself – he can make people bend to his will and strike bargains that only benefit him. He’s vile really, but he was my favourite character to write.

     Ed is a human. Born and bred in London, he is Hiraku’s best friend. He’s been in love with her for years, but has hid it by being with other women. Deep down, he knows how scared she is of her past, but still has a feeling that she’s hiding things from him. When the story progresses, he gets thoroughly involved, wanting to care and protect Hiraku for the rest of his life.

That sounds like a fantastic read! I can’t wait to get my hands on your book! I’ll be posting a review here soon.

Now let’s move on… I have just a few fun and quirky questions…

When do you do your best writing? Morning or Night?

Night definitely! I think my brain works better, and I’ve been known to write long into the night and fall asleep on my laptop. I think it’s because all the ghoulies and ghosties come out to play then!

Do you play games? If so what kind? If not, why the heck not? I’m so addicted to Candy Crush Saga it’s not even funny! J

My partner is a big gamer so he’s got me into a fair few of the JRPGS.

I love Spyro the Dragon and its counterpoint Skylanders, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy, Tekken, Soul Caliber… I have a habit of getting games on my Ipad too!

I love the Ratchet and Clank games too, and I just bought Tekken for the xbox, one of my favorites!

Favorite author?

There are a few incredibly good authors who I would read again and again. The one who’s influenced my writing though is Laurell K. Hamilton. She’s talented and can be completely badass yet so damn sexy all at the same time. I’ve read all the books in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series so far.

Don’t you just love her? I am a huge fan of LKH! If you haven’t read them, you’ll have to pick up her Merry Gentry series! So Hot! :D

Favorite TV guilty pleasure?

Eastenders. It’s a British soap and completely over the top at times with drama and characters. But I can’t stop watching it when it’s on and I even watch it on catch-up television!

Cool! I am a BBC America fan, but I haven’t caught Eastenders, I’ll have to look for it! :D

Favorite Action Hero?

Very tough question! I have a lot of favourite characters who are action packed, but I tend to gravitate towards the villains or people who don’t exactly deserve halos’.

     In that respect, Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon a Time. He’s such a trickster and there’s more to him than meets the eye. And his counterpart Mr Gold too.

Isn’t that show just the best?! :D

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Cat! I adore little kitty cats! I was heartbroken when my old cat Sweep died. It still hurts to talk about him.

     I have two kittens currently: a brother and sister fighting team. Bilbo, the male, was named for Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit. Sooty short for Soot Sprite, the female, was named for the pesky Soot Sprites in the Studio Ghibli movies.

Oh, I’m sorry to hear about Sweep! Bilbo and Sooty sound like fun cats :D

Chocolate or Vanilla ice cream?

Vanilla, because you can stir the chocolate goodies in! Mmm!

Yum! That does sound good! 

Now, If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have 3 things with you, what or who would they be?

The teddy bear I have had since I was a baby. He’s my comfort blanket. I could never leave him.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. One of the most poetic and influential books I have ever read.

I’d also love a paper-and-pen. See I’ve hyphenated it so I can have both. I need to be able to write. I’d go insane otherwise.

Those are some great answers! Zoe, it has been so much fun chatting with you today! I am really looking forward to reading Best Served Chilled! Good luck with your new release and congratulations!  Watch for my review of Best Served Chilled, coming soon!