What the Experts Say: Interview with Author Stacy Eaton

Stacy Eaton, Author
Whether I'll Live or Die

Welcome today to Stacy Eaton, author and full-time Police Officer. Stacy draws on her police experience and other sources to make her books credible and lifelike. The first novel of her paranormal series—My Blood Runs Blue—combines the world of law enforcement with the paranormal world of vampires.  Today she is here to talk primarily about Whether I’ll Live or Die, her recently published novel about a young woman coping with domestic violence.

Q: You are a very active person. In addition to writing, you juggle a full time challenging job, a family, and a business to help people promote their causes. When you’re not writing or working, what do you do? 

Stacy Eaton: Work and then do some more work, lol…  Being a full time police officer has a lot of demands on my life and the hours I have available. So let’s take that out of the equation and then think about what I do. I spend time with my family; I chat with friends online, hit one of my local watering holes for a drink with friends and spend as much of my quiet time as I can reading. I love to read.

When I am out and about, one of my favorite things to do is look for an awesome picture. I love photography. It has been a passion for me for many years, first starting out with black and white film where I developed it in my own dark room, and now with technology I take tons of digital pics with my Nikon SLR camera.  My favorite subjects are nature scenes or my two Shiloh Shepherd dogs, Garda and Callie.

Q: What inspired you to write your book, Whether I’ll Live or Die?

Stacy Eaton: I have seen Domestic Violence in my life, many times over.  Not just in my job as a police officer, but also in my private life. I have a passion to help get the awareness out about it, and make it something that people are aware of. It needs to get out from behind closed doors where the silence reigns and out in the public so that people can understand the horror that is associated with it.

Whether I’ll Live or Die brings about the views of Domestic Violence in a very intense and emotional plotline. You follow Amanda through years of abuse while at the same time you see Officer Nicole Nolan dealing with the effects of abuse in the legal system.  Together they bring about different emotions, weaknesses and strengths that will ultimately lead to a final showdown.

This book was not intended to be a simple easy read. It was intended to make the reader think, make them feel and make them wonder.

Q: Where do you get your ideas for your writing?

Stacy Eaton: Life inspires me and gives me the ideas for what I write. I see a lot in my law enforcement career that inspires a lot of ideas, not just the bad, but the good in people too. Sometimes they have nothing to do with my career, but many times they are from something I have witnessed, something I have come upon and had to stop and think about.

My paranormal series, My Blood Runs Blue, was inspired by seeing eyes in the woods late one night. My contemporary romance novel idea came after I attended a week long bomb/explosive training class. My angel series is inspired by knowing that there are times when there has to be a Guardian Angel looking over my shoulder to protect me and guide me at work some days. I keep my eyes and my mind open and watch for the things around me to help guide me, to help me create the stories I write.

Q: What tips would you give to others considering a career in writing?

Stacy Eaton: Do not take reviews personally. Make sure that you have your work edited professionally, and let your heart shine through in your words.

A writer puts love and detail into their work. They want people to like it and read it. One of the most important things to achieve this is to find a good editor. Whether you are just doing grammar editing or you are having someone do developmental editing, it will make all the difference in the world.  You might say to yourself that you can edit your own work, but I guarantee you won’t find all the little errors, you are so close to your story that you will miss out on the little things that first time readers will see.

As for reviews – some authors don’t really look at reviews, others fawn over them. Personally, I look at them once in a while and take them in. If I get a less then glowing review, I suck it up. I read what they have to say – I try to understand where they are coming from and then I try to figure out if there is something in what they said that can help me with my next book. I know some authors that get very bent out of shape with negative reviews, but you can’t do that.  We don’t all like chocolate ice cream, so why would all readers like one book?

Q: What does freedom mean to your characters?

Whether I’ll Live or Die is a story about Domestic Violence. Amanda is a young woman who moves from one abusive relationship to another always trying to find the freedom to love someone without being abused in one way or another.

A victim of Domestic Violence can sometimes take years, or even a life time, hoping and dreaming of being free.  Sometimes there is a high price for this, but like most things in life, being free is the ultimate goal for them.  To live in a world where they are not mentally chastised, sexually abused, controlled, struck, talked down to or ultimately killed, is what most victims dream of.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you so much for allowing me to visit with you here today!  It has been a pleasure to be here and visit with your readers.

Q: No – thank YOU, Stacy. It has been an honor to host you. Stay safe and keep writing. 

And speaking of “free” … 

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Whether I’ll Live or Die

“It sounded so simple in theory; ready... aim... fire... but what actually transpired was so much more.”

Officer Nicole Nolan holds the gun steady in her hands, knowing that life will be forever altered once she pulls the trigger. Her position as a small town police officer is to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It is her job, her career and her life.

Amanda stands where protection does not exist. With several failed relationships behind her, Amanda turns a blind eye to the possessiveness Josh displays in order to sooth her desperate need to be loved. As the mental abuse turns violent, Amanda must deal with the denial and embarrassment of being a victim once again. With her emotional and physical health siting on the edge, she must fight to regain control of her life.

A gripping story with one final destination, but will it be life or death?

Excerpt

Excerpt of Chapter 24 – Whether I’ll Live or Die by Stacy Eaton

It wasn’t until we were on our way home that we broached the subject of my marriage again. Angie brought up a question that had been hovering around in the back of my mind most of the day.

“What are you going to say to Josh?” she asked me quietly as we drove along the highway. I gazed out the window beside me, watching the scenery flash past quickly, reminding me of the memories that had crossed my mind the night before, a rapid succession of images that began to blur together if I didn’t blink.

“I’m not sure,” I answered the window as I continued to view the passing world outside. “I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

Turning up the volume on the radio, Angie let it go at that. We sang to the music for the rest of the ride home. As we turned onto the street, my heart stopped when I saw his car in the driveway next to mine. “Damn,” I muttered under my breath.

“You want me to go in with you?” Angie said as she pulled over in front of the house. “I can if you want me to.”

I smiled, “No, that’s alright.” I thanked her for a great afternoon and for being there for me. I promised not to push her away again and stepped out of the car. I picked up the bag with the single item I had purchased in it and made my way to the front door.

I didn’t take my keys out as I stepped up, figuring Josh would have left the door open when he got home. I glanced back at Angie, waved, then reached for the doorknob as she pulled away.

The door swung quickly open, and I lost my balance, stumbling into the foyer. I hadn’t even recovered my balance when I felt hands push me against the wall. The door slammed shut. I cringed as the door vibrated the wall next to me.

“Where the hell have you been?” Josh yelled.

I turned so my back was to the wall. I could smell alcohol coming off of him and his eyes looked aggressive and glassy.

“I was out shopping with Angie,” I responded meekly to his question.

“Bullshit! Who were you with?” He got in my face and my knees started shaking.

“I was with Angie,” I repeated quietly.

His forearm immediately came to my throat, forcing my head back to the wall. I tried to turn my head to release the pressure, but he held me too tightly against the drywall.

“You better not be cheating on me! Who were you with?” Spit landed on my face as he shouted. A buzzing grew in my ears as the oxygen was denied to my lungs. My heart slammed against my chest and I tried to push him away from me, but didn’t have the strength to compete with his alcohol-induced anger.

“Who were you with, Amanda?” He pressed harder on my neck and I felt things moving around inside. Breathing became even more difficult.

“Angie,” I squeaked out.

Suddenly, he released my throat, punching a hole in the wall beside me. I cringed away from him as far as I could get, sucking air into my hot lungs, the sound of bees still in my ears. I didn’t move any further until he turned and walked away. My shoulders slumped, and I bit my lip to keep the tears back.

“Where have you been?” He flopped down on the sofa and put his feet out on the coffee table. Dirt fell off his boot on to the wood. My head felt foggy, I couldn’t remember what he’d just asked me.

“What?” I licked my bottom lip, tasting my own blood from biting down so hard.

His boots came back to the floor, and he stood up in a swift movement. I froze for just a second as he turned to look at me, I felt like a deer in the headlights of an approaching Mack truck. He started to move, and I decided I didn’t need to be against the wall anymore. I tried to walk towards the kitchen to get away from him.

He was too fast. He grabbed me by my long blond hair, yanking me to a stop. I reached up to try and release the tension he had on me. He yanked me back to him, and I smashed into his chest, almost knocking us both over.

“Where the hell have you been?” he screamed at me as he twisted my hair down. I fell to my knees to ease the pressure.

“We were at the mall. Josh, let go, you’re hurting me!” The pain in my head was like someone had sliced me with a knife. He twisted the long hair around his hand and yanked. I screamed and he flung me away from him. I fell to the floor and lay there, one hand touching the soft carpet under me and the other touching my head where the hair had been pulled. If I hadn’t been touching it, I would have sworn the hair had been pulled out, but the soft locks were still at my fingertips.

I not only heard the sound of his boots on the floor, but I felt the vibration of them as he got closer. My body trembled. He put one knee into my back and pushed my neck down with his hand, forcing my face into the carpet.

“You ever, and I mean ever, cheat on me, Amanda, and I will kill you. You got that? I swear to God if I ever see you with another man, I will kill him and then I will kill you,” his cold voice slithered over me. I had never heard such venom come from him. The carpet fibers dug into my cheek, my cheekbone sharing the pain with my nose. Moisture ran down my cheek as my nose began to bleed again.

“You got that?” he shouted one last time and pushed down on me with his knee and hand before standing back up.

I didn’t speak, only nodded my head slightly into the carpet.

About Stacy Eaton

Stacy is a full-time Police Officer who enjoys crime scene investigation above all else. She also owns a business that deals with helping people get the awareness out for the causes they care most about. She is a mother of two and her husband is also in law enforcement. She is very much into photography and carries her Nikon Digital SLR with her almost everywhere, just in case. She also has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs and loves to play catch with them.

Stacy uses her experience at work to make the stories more believable, weaving bits of crime solving knowledge into her stories of fiction to make them more lifelike. She writes using a unique style that keeps you in the minds of all the important characters. Switching back and forth from mind to mind to keep the readers aware of what each character is feeling and why they do the things they do.

Her first book, My Blood Runs Blue was the start of her writing career.  It brings the world of law enforcement into the paranormal world of vampires. It is a suspenseful adult series that will keep you guessing from chapter to chapter. Book one, My Blood Runs Blue, was published April 2011 and is currently available in paperback, hardcover and e-book editions. Book two of the series, entitled Blue Blood for Life was released September 2011 and like book 1 made International Best Selling lists on Amazon very quickly.  The third book of this series is in the plot and characters development stage. She is hoping to have it completed and published in the winter of 2012.

Stacy published Whether I’ll Live or Die in July 2012. It is a fictional story about a young woman named Amanda who deals with the pain and emotional issues of Domestic Violence.

Stacy is also currently working on several different novels. The first one is called Liveon. Using a similar writing style as her series, this book brings to life Detective Jacquelyn Liveon as she tries to protect a movie star who is being threatened. While this book is well on it’s way, it has been put to the side to make way for another book that she is working on.

Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

Website

Twitter: @StacySEaton

Blog 

Facebook

Goodreads

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