Helios Exposed Interview

Winyan Press asks each of its authors prior to the release of their newest books to either do a video interview or a blog post. Yeah, me and videos is not gonna happen… LOL, so I elected to do a blog posts.

Right now I am planning the release of Book Two in my Adult Romance series, The Helios Chronicles, entitled Helios Exposed. Yes, you heard that right. I said ADULT romance. I know some of you follow me for my Native fiction or my upcoming crime series or mine and Deanna’s young adult fiction. But, alas this is for mature audiences. The Helios Chronicles is a love story but language and situations contained in it are more suitable for 18 and over, honestly some 18 year olds are questionable 🙂 Anyway, here we go!

Tell a little about yourself, in case people don’t know you.

Well, I would say, go check out my biography page on my website. Just kidding 🙂 For those that don’t know me, my name is T.M. Witko. I am a licensed clinical psychologist, a full-time writer/editor and one of the co-founders of Winyan Press, LLC, an independent publishing house geared at helping female writers find their voice. When I first started writing I thought that I had to pick one particular style and write just in that style but then I met several writers that were considered multi-genre authors and realized that I could do all the things I enjoyed as well. Thus, I consider myself a multi-genre author who writes Young Adult & New Adult Fiction, Crime/Suspense/Thrillers, Adult Romance, and Native American Fiction.

Tell us about your upcoming novel.

Helios Exposed is book two in my Adult Romance series, The Helios Chronicles, which follows the lives of Andrew ‘Helios’ Harrison and Madison Ellis as they fight for their happily ever after in a world that would rather see them apart. In the second book, we will find out whether Andrew and Madison’s love can survive a life in New York City, where they find that things aren’t as simple as they hoped it would be and that there are just as many enemies back east as there were on the west coast. When everything begins to crumble around them will their love be enough to hold them together. Guess you’ll have to read Helios Exposed to find out!

What was the hardest part about writing this book?

I think the hardest thing about writing this particular story was making sure that I got across the difficulties of new relationships. In Book One, Helios Awakened, we got to see them fall in love. She was taking care of her mother but aside from that she had a lot of freedom, especially since he wasn’t working. Not that everything was peachy keen for them but they did have the opportunity to just ‘be’ in love without the responsibilities of work and bills and other commitments. In Book Two, we see the struggles that Madison goes through trying to balance her ambition while still trying to build a relationship with Andrew, while Andrew tries to find his place in a city that could care less about him. It was easy to show them in love, it was hard to show their struggle effectively without it turning into an angsty, depressing story. Although, I do teeter on the edge a bit there 🙂

What was the easiest thing about writing this book?

The easiest thing to write, as I stated in the previous question, was their love for one another. Their desire to be together. Their passion for each other. That came so easily that I often wondered if people actually loved one another so deeply in real life or if that was a product of my own imagination.

Who is your favorite character and why?

I’m going to bypass Andrew and Madison because honestly, they will always be my favorite people in this series, as they should be… LOL. I love Andrew’s ability to give himself wholly to Madison in spite of all he’s been through and Madison’s strength of character and her unconditional love floors me at times. The more I write them the more I love them! In this particular story however, there is a minor character named Randall. I really enjoyed writing him and what he represented to Andrew. I can’t really go into too much detail about it without spoiling his piece but let’s just say I love that guy and I hope people will catch the symbolism of his character.

Who do you love to hate and why?

Oh man, that is easy. Kurtis and Nolan. I’m always wishy washy as to who I hate more because they are equally worthy of my disdain. I think Kurtis is just your typical arrogant guy, who thought there was more to his ‘relationship’ for lack of a better word, with Madison, than there really was. He doesn’t see Andrew as an equal and takes pleasure in letting him know it. His hatred for Andrew is right out there for all to see. Nolan on the other hand tends to be more calculating. He’s more that snake in the grass that slithers up and bites you before you realize its there. He’s such a jerk that as I wrote him, I wanted to smack him more than Helios did… LOL. Of course, what would a story be without a villain you love to hate?

Without giving any spoilers what do you think will surprise people most about this story?

Probably that it isn’t as lovey dovey as the first one. Andrew and Madison struggle a bit here. They both make mistakes and lack of communication causes some problems. But I think that’s real life. People fight with each other but it doesn’t mean they don’t love one another. It’s a growing process and if they get though that growing process they are even stronger than before.

Can you tell us anything about book three in the series?

Ahhhh, Helios Renewed. I have already finished the editing on that one and am just waiting for it to be copyedited. At the end of Helios Exposed, I leave some loose ends that are not tied up. They are not cliffies by any means and if they weren’t answered you would still feel pretty awesome where Helios Exposed ends but there are some things that people may question and wonder about. I know for me, I wanted to finish a couple of storylines I hinted at in book two which is what I do in book three. We will also meet a few new people in Helios Renewed, one of which I absolutely adore. He was such a blast to write and I think people will really respond to him. I can’t wait to share him with you 🙂

Will you be signing your books anywhere this year?

Yes, I will be signing at Indie Bookfest in Orlando in September. I wasn’t able to get things situated for some of the romance cons this year due to the fact that I’m in the process of moving out of state. Once I get settled I am sure I will have some other things lined up.

Do you have anything else you would like people to know about?

Not really, aside from taking this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support of me. Especially my Helios hOOrs: Brenda, Corinne, Amanda, Carrie , Rachelle, Tamara and Leeanne. I love you girls so much! We have been on this journey a long time, haven’t we? I know that no matter what you have my back, as well as Helios’, and that’s totally enough for me 🙂