#HIFortnight Interview with Angela Campbell

Today for #HIFortnight I have the pleasure of bringing you an interview with Angela Campbell

Hi Angela

Thank you for coming on Comet Babes Books for #HIFortnight.

Thank you for allowing me J

Can you tell us about your Psychic Detectives Series?

There are three books in the series so far, and they follow a group of private psychic investigators, who fall into mysteries and love in extraordinary, often times hilarious circumstances. Pets are a recurring theme because, well, I love animals and can’t imagine a good story without at least one in it. The first book is ‘On the Scent,’ which is about a sexy pet psychic who falls in love with a pretty nurse after she hires him to protect her millionaire cat and dog, and the second book is ‘Something Wicked,’ about a psychic medium who helps the police solve a serial killing in one of the most haunted cities in America. The third book features the agency’s adorkable non-psychic cyber security specialist attempting to solve a paranormal mystery on her own while petsitting the animals from the first book. Chaos and hilarity ensues. It’s awesome.

Can you share with us who designs the gorgeous covers for you books?

The covers are designed by my fabulous publisher, Harper Impulse.

What inspired you to take up writing?

I used to write stories as far back as elementary school. I’d see a movie I liked and then rewrite my own version, which I would then act out with stuffed animals. Actually, sometimes I still do that.

Are any of your characters based on people you know?

The animal characters are all based on real animals I know. Costello is based on my best friend’s rescue dog, a mutt who loves to hump everything he sees and yet who is the most unusual and cutest dog ever. Charlie is also based on my best friend’s dog, a blind rescue dog with the sweetest demeanor, and Abbott is based on a mixture of cats I’ve known and owned. I am actually allergic to dogs, but I own a very spoiled kitty and do a lot of volunteer work at my local animal shelter. Every animal I’ve met has a unique personality, and also, they can’t sue me, so it’s easy to include them in my books. It’s also why I donate a portion of my royalties to animal rescue.

Do you have a support network for your writing?

I have wonderful critique partners — Pamela Hearon, Abby Niles and Cynthia D’alba — who write such diverse things and are all amazingly talented at what they do. They offer tremendous support and help with my writing. I also have a fabulous editor at Harper Impulse, Charlotte Ledger, who doesn’t get enough credit. In addition to all of them, I’ve used beta readers and now have actual readers who have discovered my series who have sent me terrific feedback and support through emails. The other Harper Impulse authors are also incredible about supporting each others’ books. So I suppose I have a large support network! I’m very blessed.

What items are on your desk/where you write?

I write in so many different locations, but my actual desk has photos of my favorite male celebrities pinned up — Henry Cavill, Norman Reedus, Ian Somerhalder, Nathan Fillion, Jensen Ackles — as well as pictures of my cat, my friend’s dogs, Scooby Doo toys, and Superman, Dean Winchester, Fox Mulder and Daryl Dixon Pop Vinyl Figures. Basically I have the desk of either a 16-year-old girl or boy, depending on how you look at it.

Do you have a routine for your writing? ie time of day.

I work full-time and have other obligations, so I basically write whenever I can find time, which usually tends to be really late at night when I should be sleeping.

Any tips for writers who are just starting out?

Rejection is a way of life for writers, so I’d simply encourage you to be persistent and don’t give up if writing is truly your dream. No one ever succeeded by giving up. And whether you’re a bestselling author or just starting out, there’s always something to learn in this craft. There’s always room for improvement.

What's the best/worst thing about social media?

The best thing: The chance to meet other people you’d never be able to meet otherwise. Plus, I like to pretend I have friends on other continents and in cool places who would let me visit them if I ever won the lottery. The worst thing: The trolls, or people who embody negativity, criticism and judgment because they think it’s funny or cool. It’s not.

Have you ever heard a strange/different story that you thought would be great in a book?

Yes, and I used it! I was thinking up ideas for a book when I saw a headline that read “Italian heiress leaves fortune to stray cat” (here’s the link). I had seen similar headlines where people left ridiculous amounts of money to their pets, and it got my mind churning with the idea for this book. What if a woman left $10 million to her cat and dog, which puts them and the nurse in charge of them, in danger? Of course, they’d need a sexy bodyguard, and—wait for it—wouldn’t it be funny if he were psychic and could hear the animals’ thoughts? Too far-fetched? Whatever. I have a weird sense of humor. I decided to run with it and make it believable. That’s how “On the Scent” was conceived.

Thank you for answering my questions today.

Jo xx

About The Author

An eclectic reader who loves almost every genre, Angela Campbell read her first romance novel at 16 and immediately endeavored to write one, too. Many offbeat attempts (and a couple of decades) later, she published her first novel through Carina Press. Her new romantic suspense series is being published by Harper Impulse. With every story she pens, Angela aims to build in a paranormal element to a contemporary and recognizable world with characters who find love in oftentimes humorous and extraordinary situations.

Check out Angela's Books: