Author Spotlight: Mandy Lou Dowson

Introducing Mandy Lou Dowson, author of multi-genred paranormal romance:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm an Irish Mother (no, don't be scared - we're not that bad), and I'm thirty-one.  I'm the kind of person you'll see smiling for no reason, or laughing away to myself about something that happened ages ago.  I'm never as happy as when I'm learning something new.  This time around I'm learning to drive - yes, I know I'm a late starter - and I haven't killed anyone yet, even though roundabouts freak me out and I sometimes forget to break 'cos I'm daydreaming.

When I'm not threatening the public with my vehicle, or writing, you can usually find me curled up on the couch with a good book or a movie.  I don't really watch much TV and I wouldn't even have cable if I didn't have children, preferring the smell of ink and paper to the sight of full color on screen.  Sometimes I even go out in public haha.  I've been known to enjoy the odd night out, karaoke et all!  I love to dance, and Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Last year I made my own costume using styrofoam, paint and a bed sheet.  I was... the Ghostbusters sign!  I won three competitions with that haha.

2. When did you start writing, and why?
I started writing as soon as I could form a sentence, I think.  Of course, when I was a kid I wasted my talent - and my emotions - sending love letters to unattainable guys.  Don't we all?  No?  Just me, then.  Anyhoooo, I read a book when I was very young, called Under the Hawthorn Tree, about three Irish children trying to survive the Great Famine, and it just struck such a cord with me, and instilled in me the adoration of books I still have today.  That was where my love affair with the written word began.

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3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I write Paranormal Romance, but I hate labelling it so - it's so much more than that.  I'm not your typical boddice-ripper-writer.  Imagine if you will, a veritable genre orgy.  Romance is there, Paranormal is there, but they also hook up with Thriller and Horror, Comedy and Mystery, and Urban drifts around the edges, taking it all in.  It's a feast for the eyes, the senses and will leave you longing for another go around.  That's what I love about writing.  The total enthrallment of my captive audience.  When someone comes back to me to let me know they loved my book, and can't wait for more?  That there is the sole reason to do what I do.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
I recently released the first in a series.  Bound by Fate, a Moon Bound Series novel. I'm currently working on book number two in the series, Bound by Revenge, and by the way fans are reacting to the first, I know they're going to adore this instalment.  It's due for release in February.  But if I have all my duckies in a row, it could release as early as January.

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5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
My world has a modern day urban setting, for the most part.  A lot of my characters live completely ostricized from humans, but there are also a few dotted around who have integrated a little more with the humans' way of life.  Magic is prevalent in my world, and the presence of The Great Mother - She who created them - is always near.

The mythos of my world is this... In the beginning, The Great Mother cleaved our spirits in two, sending each one to earth in a separate vessel to find each other.  But before these, there were others, which She calls the Lonely Spirits.  As a young deity, She knew no better, and sent spirits in their entirety to earth in just one vessel, not knowing that they would turn into twisted and evil things, and there they remain, causing havoc, destroying spirit halves, and generally being a pain in Her holy butt.

But things are about to change, as She takes a more active approach in their destruction.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Aside from my main character, Beth, and the two males in her life, there are so many different characters that I have loved creating.  There's the pair of cackling old she-wolves who remind me of my dearly beloved and recently passed Nan and her sister.  There's Alanna, the seductive and sinuous Mistress of Dance.  Mickey and his ill-fated conquest September.  Bradley - everyone loves to hate him!  But I have to say, I have such a soft-spot for Donovan - one of the two males Beth must choose between when her mating ceremony goes wrong in every way.  He's such a softy, and gets himself into more situations than he should because of that.  Gareth is your typical tough-as-nails, if-looks-could-kill Alpha in the making.  Between the pair of them, Beth is driven to distraction and I, as their creator, was driven to the point of madness when they wouldn't behave on paper! :P

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
I wrote the first half of this about five years ago, and then got bogged down with other projects, so it languished in the vaults of the unfinished until earlier this year, when suffering from serious Writer's Block, I dusted it off and immediately immersed myself in the familiar waters of this world.  Ever since, the ideas just keep flowing, and I've got the bones of at least six more books in the series rattling around in my brain.  They won't let me sleep at night.

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Bound by Fate:
Giving her Guardian the slip has never been a problem for Beth. Even for a wolf, she is wicked fast and almost impossible to track. Then she meets Gareth, her new Guardian. Gareth is ruggedly handsome, unfailingly stubborn, and seems determined to sniff Beth out, no matter where she runs.

After a disastrous night of passion with Gareth, Beth has no choice but to put herself forward for mating. Although, it's not just Gareth that has his eye on this female. Donovan, a wolf from a neighboring pack , has his own reasons for wanting this she-wolf, and when Beth makes the wrong choice, she finds out exactly what happens when you're "thrown to the wolves".

Secrets are revealed and choices are made. Will love conquer all, or destroy everything Beth has ever known?

Review Snippets:
"This book was truly amazing. I ran the gamut of emotions while reading it. (Seriously TWO Kleenex's)"

"For me..you rate right at the very top."

"I honestly can't wait for the second book in the series and I highly recommend this book"

"This is an excellent start to a new PNR series and I look forward to seeing what else Mandy Lou Dowson has up her sleeve."

"I hope this will be a long series"

"You have ruined me I don't know who I love more in Bound By Fate so many choices to ponder upon!"
 
The first book in the Moon Bound Series, Bound by Fate, which is garnering 4 and 5 star reviews across the board, is available on all good online retailers.

Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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About the Author:
Mandy Lou Dowson was born and raised in a small town in Ireland, in 1983. Family is a huge deal to Mandy. She has three wonderful children, and two dogs - a Siberian Husky who only does what she's told if there's something in it for her, and a little white Pomeranian who loves nothing better than to roll in mud, or worse.

In her spare time, she likes to relax with a few glasses of wine and some karaoke. She has a keen interest in special effects make-up and is part of a dramatical society which puts on one show and one concert each year.

Mandy started reading at quite a young age and her appetite for the written word has only increased with time. It would not be at all surprising to find her reading anything and everything from shampoo bottles to Edgar Allan Poe.

Like The Great Mother, I can be found in a lot of different places.

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