Trista Borgwardt’s The Tempie Rosenthal Series are fresh wind in the supernatural genre. She already published two parts of her cool story Rabbit’s Feet and Polarity. Our next guest is writing poetry and short stories. Let’s welcome lady Trista Borgwardt.

– Trista, would you introduce your book Rabbit’s feet?
– It is the first book in my supernatural/horror series. It is about a normal high school girl who is living the dream in Hawaii. Her life takes a devastating turn for the worst when her mother is killed. She begins to feel paranoid and flees to South Dakota in hopes that the unseen evil that is stalking her does not follow. Once there, she finds herself on a roller coaster of emotions. She develops an infatuation with a handsome man, feels the guilt of that infatuation as she yearns for her long-time boyfriend. She develops new friendships and experiences the sting of betrayal. Her biggest challenge is when she is finally confronted by the evil monster stalking her. Her whole world is twisted upside down as she discovers that supernatural beings do exist.

– How did you decide to write the story?
– Once I graduated from college, I decided that I was going to write a novel. I have always wanted to write, so I began discussing my ideas with a close friend. I explained this world that I wanted to create and the supernatural beings that I wanted in it. It was just a seed that began to flourish and grow. We spent many hours discussing different paths, scenarios and ideas. Once I started writing, everything flowed into place.
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– Writer’s block is sometimes the biggest hang-up. I can recall several instances where I would open the computer to write and just sit there staring at the screen for hours and maybe get one sentence out. That one sentence is then usually deleted on a later date and replaced with something different. I have tried many ways to overcome writer’s block, but sometimes, they only thing I can do is walk away for a while.
– Tell us something more about your main character? Is it close to someone from your real life?
– This is a fun game for those that know me. They try to pick out who my characters are in real life, but the fact is, the characters have their own lives and personalities. They may exhibit traits of those around me, but I never put anyone from my life in my books. Tempie is my main character and she is not based on a real person. She was created with bits and pieces of those who have influenced me or strong female characters that I look up to. She has pieces of personality that I expect a strong heroine to have.
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– My first draft of Rabbit’s Feet was completed in 6 months. Then, after some input from a couple of beta readers, I made significant changes. After several edits, I released it in 2012, 3 years after I completed it. My second book Polarity, took 7 months from the beginning of creation to release date.
– What the readers will find in Polarity, Part II of The Tempie Rosenthal series?
– Polarity is the second book and is a continuation of Tempie’s tale. In this story, the readers will discover new things about Tempie as she does and delve deeper into the world of supernatural. They will learn more about witches, vampires and more. Tempie will struggle with an unsuspecting foe as well as dark spiritual forces. She will experience more death and the loss of loved ones, but grows stronger as a woman and a supernatural force.
– Give us some insight about your other book The Darkest Light?
– The Darkest Light is a compilation of my poetry throughout the years. The poems are based on my experiences in love, friendship and nursing school. They are also based on feelings of those around me. Poetry is something that I have to be in the mood to write, and it either flows or it doesn’t.
– Who are you?
– I am a mom of two wonderful boys. I live in a house full of animals; we have bearded dragons, a salamander, frog, guinea pig, two cats and a dog. Our house is always an adventure. I love to read as much as I love to write. I began writing at an early age and have always had the passion to write supernatural novels.
I am a registered nurse who works in clinical research. I love all kinds of adventures, especially hiking around the black hills. No matter what kind of adventure we are on, I always have a notebook handy because I never know when a new idea will strike.
– What are your writing habits?
– I write mostly in the evening and on the weekends as my nursing position takes up my daytime hours. Most of the time, I sit at my laptop and write, but sometimes, depending on my mood, I will write in a notebook first and then transcribe it onto my laptop later.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of the book?
– My book sales are where I expect them to be. In truth, I am not writing for the sales or the money. I write my books for me because I truly enjoy what I am writing about.
– What are you doing to promote your book by the best possible way?
– I have run ads on Facebook and Google Words to promote my book. I have also done special sale pricing and even free downloads of my books to help promote them. I also have a website, twitter, facebook and goodreads account that are all branded to my books.
– When we will see your next novel?
– If all goes as planned, within the next year.
– You changed different genres – short stories, poetry and horror. Was it easy to switch between them?
– Yes it is. The short stories are something that I started working on when I was having writer’s block. I would put aside my novel and work on the short story. I find that it is easier sometimes to have multiple projects in the works, that way I can pick and choose what I want to work on.
As for the poetry, that is something that has to come to me. I can’t just sit down and write it. Something has to inspire me enough to start jotting down some lines and then I can work with it.
– You are working as a nurse. Did you use some of your life experience in your writings?
– No, I have not used any of my life experiences as a nurse in my book. I try when I am writing to be conscious enough not to use too much nursing lingo or terms. I want people to enjoy what they are reading and not be overwhelmed.
That being said, there is certainly some nursing knowledge that does come out in my books especially when it comes to injuries, etc.
– Tell us about your pets?
– We will start with the oldest pets. I have two cats, they are brothers, Bailey and Tigger. They are both 7 years old and Tigger is a diabetic requiring insulin shots twice a day. The next is Ty, our black lab. He is almost 3 years old and is a pretty well-behaved dog. Next up is Pepper; she is our guinea pig and is a little over 2. We have our salamander, Taco, who is 1.5 years old. My youngest son caught him at his Grandmas. Then, we have our two bearded dragons, Mjölnir and Gandolf and they are both just over a year old. The youngest animal we have is our frog, Puffer. We have only had him for a few months.
– If you may ask yourself one question in the interview what it will be?
– What advice would you give to other aspiring authors? The advice that I would give to anyone wanting to be an author is to stay true to you. Make sure that you are writing what you want to and what you enjoy writing. Don’t worry about making money and what other people think you should write. The moment you stop enjoying it and are just writing because you feel you have to or because someone told you that this genre sells better, this will reflect in your work.

Learn more about Trista Borgwardt at her Web page
Twitter
Facebook page

Take a look at her books:
Rabbit’s Feet
Polarity
The Darkest Light