Tuesday, February 22, 2022

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY - MIND HACKERS Series by Amanda Uhl

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Mind Hackers Series

 

Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Amanda Uhl's Mind Hackers Series!


SYNOPSIS:

Mind Hackers Series Description
In a special unit of the FBI, mind hackers work quietly behind the scenes, infiltrating minds, erasing thoughts and implanting ideas to guard the nation's intellectual capital. To navigate the deadly energy fields in the brain, emotional control is essential. But nothing can make a mind hacker feel more out of control than love.

Book 1, Mind Waves
An ordinary girl becomes the target of a rogue hacker and only one man can save her.

Book 2, Cross Waves
A powerful psychic teams up with the charmer who destroyed her heart to track down her missing best friend.

 

What is the sub-genre and trope?  Did your characters lead you to this genre or was that decided before the story began?

These books are considered paranormal romance. I call them romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, since they take place in our normal world and in contemporary times. The world is believable and yet fantastical at the same time. For example, I have had readers ask me if the Cognitive Mind Unit (CMU) is real. I made it up, but it sounds real, doesn’t it? And I wouldn’t put it past the U.S. government to have such a thing.

Believe it or not, the books are inspired by my real life. I call myself a “closet psychic,” as I have had many paranormal experiences, and I draw on these to tell the story and make them authentic.


Are you more character or plot-driven?

Definitely more character driven. I devise a plot but then the characters seem to take on a life of their own as I write, and the story often deviates from what I originally intended.


With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep them separated in your mind?  Do you have a story/vision board above your workspace?

I don’t do a character board (although I should). I do pin images on Pinterest under a book board but that is more for imagery then character traits. When I start the next book in the series, I usually go back and read the other books, so the characters are fresh in my mind. 

https://www.pinterest.com/amandauhlauthor


I know from previous interviews that characters take on a life of their own.  Were any of the characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of where you initially wanted them to go?

In Cross Waves, a character popped up from out of nowhere and introduced himself—the mysterious Caleb Stone—“a creature of nighttime dreams and smoke and mirrors, a shadow of a man, more figment of imagination than flesh and blood.” Caleb will be the hero in the yet unfinished, Dream Waves, the third book in the series.

 

Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?

That is a great question and one I have not been asked before. 

The answer is no, although I did give David in Mind Waves some characteristics I deliberately stole from the men in my family. For instance, he is a competitive swimmer and so are my two boys.


Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?

The females in Mind Waves are based on people I know. 

I didn’t realize this as I was writing the book—it was only after I finished that I realized what I had done. I’m not sure the real-life females would recognize themselves.


Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?

I rewrote Cross Waves multiple times because the plotting on the book was difficult. In general, I find love scenes hard to write, although I’m getting better at it.


What is your favorite book in the series?

I like Cross Waves right now, but I’m sure I’ll say Dream Waves once I finish that book. Writing is like exercise, I become a stronger writer with every book I write.


I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?

My favorite character at the moment is Caleb Stone. He’s fascinating, since he’s a mystery. I want to learn more about him as I write Dream Waves.


Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?

I love David and Grace from Mind Waves. Mind Waves was inspired by my search for beach glass on the Lake Erie shoreline. The beach where I look for glass is surrounded by homes high on the surrounding land. 

I wondered: what if a girl made daily treks to the beach to gather glass and someone was watching her. And then I wondered: what if they could read her mind…and they fell in love with her…what would happen next? 

As I like to say, you have to read the book to find out. 😊


How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?

I placed myself as the heroine, Grace, in Mind Waves and thought about how I would react in similar circumstances. 

The hero, David, was much harder to understand. Some readers have accused David of being too controlling and they dinged the book for that. But I had to think about what a man would really be like if he could hack into your mind and read and change your thoughts. He would be a bit controlling, wouldn’t he? He would have a lot of power over you and would need to fight his own controlling nature to be a likable hero. 

I believe that comes across in Mind Waves. But if you are someone surrounded by men who can be controlling, you may not like to read about one.


What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you?  Why?

Hmmm…another great question. 

(Spoiler alert!) 

My favorite scene to write in Mind Waves was the scene where David has to defend Grace’s mind from the rogue hacker. 

In Cross Waves, I loved the introduction to Caleb Stone, because he was such a surprise to me as a writer. And I loved the epilogue, where you catch a further glimpse of Caleb and witness his aloneness in the world.


Series - Were any of the books harder to write than others?

Cross Waves was extremely hard to write. I spent four years plotting, editing, revising and rewriting. In the end, all the effort was worth it to have a book I could be proud of and to receive second place in the paranormal category of the Book Buyer’s Best contest and be nominated for the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewers Choice Award.


This question is if you write in MULTIPLE POVs not just the hero and heroine - I love the multiple POVs in a book.  It’s not just the hero and heroine, but we get inside the heads of multiple characters throughout this series.  I feel that it gives the story further depth.  Do you think you will write another book or series following this multiple POV outline?

Yes, I do this often. 

You have to be careful, though, about having too many POVs. I try to stick to three at the most, but sometimes I have more than that if it adds to the story. 

In my current work in progress, I kept to the hero and heroine until the epilogue, when I introduced a new POV of the heroine’s sister. This was a deliberate choice, as this sets the reader up nicely for a second book.


How long did it take you to write this book/series?

I wrote Mind Waves in 12 months, but because it was the first book I had ever written, I spent another 12 months editing and pitching until I signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press. 

It was another six months before the book was published. I thought this was a long time, but in reality, that is quick in the publishing world. 

I self-published the second book in the series, Cross Waves, and that took a while because I wrote several other books in between and signed with a literary agent.


How did you come up with the title for your book and series?

At the time I was writing Mind Waves, I worked in cybersecurity. 

I was writing daily about real-life hacking events. I transferred this knowledge to a fantasy story and came up with the title, Mind Hackers, for the series.


If you met these characters in real life would you get along?

Absolutely. I love intense people who aren’t afraid to explore their souls and reveal their authentic selves.


Series question – Did you know in advance that you were going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand their own story?

Initially, I wasn’t planning on writing a series. I wasn’t even certain I would publish the book at all. But after I wrote it and friends and family seem to like what I had written, I started to seriously consider publication. At that time I determined to write a series, since I recognized that readers love them.


If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?

I never thought too much about this question but readers have suggested Christian Bale and Mila Kunis. It is fun to think about, isn’t it? A writer can only dream.  😊


Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect next?  Whether a new book and series or a sequel to an existing series?  Can you share a small tease?

I am currently working on a new paranormal called, Healing Kiss. Healing Kiss won first place last year in the light paranormal category of the 2021 The Far Side Contest, first place in the paranormal category of the 2021 Rudy Writing Contest and second place in the 2019 Diamonds in the Desert Contest. Here’s the current blurb, although this could change in the publishing process:

To save her dying sister…Lillian Milano channels energy from the healthy to heal the sick, which makes her an incredible nurse. But her gift puts Lillian and those she loves in danger from an organization that will stop at nothing to exploit her talent. When her sister becomes gravely ill, billionaire computer genius Tristan King is the one man with enough vitality to save her sister’s life. But being near him threatens to expose her secrets and destroy the walls she’s built around her heart.

She bargains with a billionaire...Tristan doesn’t believe in the supernatural and is wary of emotional entanglements. But his beloved mother is dying, and his lying ex-fiancée won’t leave him alone, so he strikes a deal: In exchange for his help, Lillian must pose as his date for a hospital fundraiser. As the pair work together to save their loved ones, they confront a spiraling web of secrets that threatens their growing feelings for each other. The choices they make will either destroy their lives or heal their hearts. 


Check out all my interviews/reviews for AMANDA UHL at one glance!


 BIO:

Award-winning author Amanda Uhl has always had a fascination with the mystical. Having drawn her first breath in a century home rumored to be haunted, you might say she was "born" into it.

After a brief stint in college as a paid psychic, Amanda graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre and a master's degree in marketing.

Over the past twenty years, she has worked as an admissions representative and graphic designer, owned her own freelance writing company, and managed communications for several Fortune 500 companies, most recently specializing in cyber security.

Amanda is an avid reader and writes fast-paced, paranormal romantic suspense and humorous contemporary romance from her home in Cleveland, Ohio.

When she's not reading or writing, you can find Amanda with her husband and three children, gathering beach glass on the Lake Erie shoreline or biking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 

 


Start reading MIND WAVES today!
https://amzn.to/43LGRH4

BLURB:

If he can control her mind…
Government operative David Jenkins is skilled at controlling his emotions. Feelings are lethal when your job is to infiltrate minds, erase and implant thoughts, and guard the nation’s intellectual capital. But even he can’t fight his strange attraction to Grace Woznisky. He’ll do whatever it takes to protect her from a madman intent on possessing both their minds. Neither suspect their dangerous enemy has a larger motive, and David may be Grace’s only chance for survival.

Can he control her heart?
All freelance artist Grace wants is steady-paying work and to see her flighty sister to the altar. But after David offers her a job, she finds herself in the middle of a mental tug of war—one that has her reeling from nightmares and fighting for her life. She must decide: Are her growing feelings for her new boss authentic, or is she a victim of his mind-altering abilities?



Start reading CROSS WAVES today!
https://amzn.to/3MTlXjq

BLURB:

She can kill with a thought.
Gifted with an explosive psychic talent, Geneva Ericksen can’t risk letting Rolf Jorgensen in her life. If she does, she might accidentally kill him. But when Rolf’s sister goes missing, Geneva and her extraordinary abilities may be his only hope to find her.

He’s hiding a deadly secret.
Rolf‘s not about to let Geneva slip away from him, even if it means protecting her from his dark gift. As Rolf and Geneva trail his sister, they soon uncover a life-threatening plot: someone is attempting to profit from stealing and trapping their power in crystals.

To outsmart the enemy, it will take all their combined strength. But can they trust each other enough to survive?


at
Labels: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)