Author T.M. Witko

Well, here we go again. You know the drill, 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 post. Maybe at some point I will do the video interview  🙂

Right now I am preparing the release of Book Three in my Adult Romance series, The Helios Chronicles, entitled Helios Renewed. Yes, you heard that right. I said ADULT romance. I know some follow me for my Native fiction or my upcoming crime series, The Talionic Files, or mine and Deanna’s young adult series, The Diakrisis Tales. 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.

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. 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 Renewed is book three 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 third book, we will find out whether Andrew and Madison’s love can survive another trip to New York City, where they find that old enemies have reemerged, willing and eager to take her and Andrew down. In Helios Exposed, Andrew ran, unable to fathom hurting Madison with his past, but now, is different, isn’t it?

What was the hardest part about writing this book?

I think that with this book it has a lot of fluctuating emotions. They are happy and then sad and then enraged then defeated, and so on, and so on. It was hard to make that work effectively. I needed to show how one transverses grief and anger, while still maintaining connections with people. Representing the fear one feels when you feel like its all slipping away, is difficult at times. I had to work hard to not make it overdramatic but something that could very well happen to anyone. At least I hope I did that  🙂

What was the easiest thing about writing this book?

The easiest thing to write is always their love. I also love that in this book, Andrew feels more confident in himself, he stands up for himself and for Madison. No running away, thinking he is worthless. He knows his worth here and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let anyone come in and destroy what he worked so hard to build. Yep, their love is so deep and emotional that it’s hard to imagine what they would be like without each other.

Who is your favorite character and why?

As I’ve stated in previous interviews, 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. Connor is easily my favorite new character. He’s a mechanic that Jayden and Andrew help out. He’s just so endearing in a manic way. He’s sort of a combination of a couple of my children, both of which have ADHD. Funny thing is, when I wrote the character I had a visual of Harry Styles in my head. So now every time I see Harry I think of Connor 🙂

Who do you love to hate and why?

Oh man, that is easy. The trifecta of evil: Kurtis, Nolan and Senator Bowers. I’m always wishy washy as to who I hate more because they are all 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 it’s there. Now Senator Bowers, he is the real slippery one. He is one of those people who has his fingers in everything, manipulating people to do his bidding. He puts on that politician smile and everyone thinks he’s amazing but really, he’s just a swine. In a way, I see him like the character, Greg Stillson, in The Dead Zone. He shows a kind face to the world but inside his heart is black.

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

Probably that it is kind of suspenseful. There is a lot going on that Andrew and Madison don’t understand and it takes a little bit before the pieces fall together, then when it does, you are left with gaping mouths, going NOOOOOO! So yeah, it’s still a romance, because it can’t be anything else with the strength of Andrew and Madison’s love, but this one is definitely more on the edge of your seat side of things.

Can you tell us anything about what’s next in the series?

Well, Helios Renewed is the last full length book in the series. I am finishing up the epilogue novella, Helios Forever. I just have the last section but it’s the hardest section, at least for me, and if it comes out the way I want it too, the readers as well. I am anticipating, if all goes well, that it will be released in December. After that, hmmm, I’m not sure. I do have a novella that I’m thinking about expanding that gives us Elias and Liam’s backstory. Their life in Texas, falling in love, the circumstances of Jayden’s birth, as well as why they ended up moving to California. As you all know I adore, Elias and Liam, so I am seriously considering publishing their story which I have tentatively entitled, Sunday Kind of Love. I’ll let everyone know if I decide to do it.

Will you be signing your books anywhere this year?

Yes, I will be signing at Indie Bookfest. It’s a very cool indie author convention that is being held at the Westin Lake Mary, in North Orlando, from Sept 28-Oct 1. There is a free book signing from 3-6 edt on Saturday, Sept 29th, that everyone is welcome to attend. I was supposed to attend a romance convention and signing in October but I had to cancel due to medical issues with my mother. I’m disappointed about missing it, but sometimes in life, things don’t go as planned. I am also currently in the process of planning out my 2018 schedule so keep an eye out on my website and Facebook page for the latest info on that.

Any last words for your readers?

I think if anything I would like to remind people to review. As an indie author I don’t have a huge publicity machine churning out marketing ads encouraging people to get my books. What I can do is encourage people to review, because with reviews people are more likely to take a chance on a new author, versus bypassing it for someone else. So if you have read Helios then please review. Also, I want to mention that for the next few weeks you can get Book 1 in The Helios Chronicles, Helios Awakened, for only .99 cents, so go pick it up. Its the perfect chance to start the series. You can buy it on all eBook retailers HERE.