SM Blooding - The Hand of Tarot

Remember author SM Blooding, aka Frankie. She gave us a 5-part interview last month for The Gonzo Lecture - impressive indeed!


As impressive, is the cover to her latest book, The Hand of Tarot, which is released tomorrow. Check it out!

Check out the SM Blooding interview, if you missed it...
Any comments?

SM Blooding [5] Upcoming Release!

CG: What are you working on at the moment Frankie? 


SMB: Well, right now I’m working on the launch of The Hands of Tarot, which I am wickedly excited about! It’s my YA Steampunk and is the first book in the trilogy. This book was so much fun to write. The characters are unlike any I’ve written yet, and the setting is just breathtaking! My BETA’s have all said that the visuals in this book are amazing, so I’m really hoping that I captured it well. 

And I’m writing Book 2 of the Dreamland Stories, The NIGHTMARE. Tehehe. OMW! This book is so much fun!! I love this setting! It’s limitless and intoxicating! 


AND I’m working on finalizing the copy edits of Book 2 of the Demon Talker Novels, Those Damn Angels. Such a great, GREAT cast of characters! Easily some of my favorite!! 

CG: Well I'd like to thank you so much for spending time with us here at The Gonzo Lecture and taking the trouble to allow us to see a snapshot of how you work and how you think about your writing. I really wish you all the very best, hope you'll come back and see us again and I'm sure The Hands of Tarot* will be a smash!



*The Hands of Tarot will be available on August 7. 


If you'd like to follow Frankie or learn more about her work, checkout her Website , follow her on Twitter, link up on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + , Goodreads, and Amazon.


Also, check out a couple of her books:
The Dustman

Demons Are Jackasses



Why not post Frankie a question or place a comment?

SM Blooding [4] Mantras for Success

CG: What advice - both mantras to cling to and traps to avoid would you mark out for the writer just starting out on this journey?

SMB: Stop thinking about your book like it’s a baby. Don’t sniffle every time someone doesn’t like your book. People are allowed to have opinions, and they’re allowed to voice them. Some people are going to LOVE you and kiss the ground you walk on. Others are going to HATE you and throw fiery coals at you. 

Sometimes, people will point out where your book is weak. It’s up to you whether or not you listen. Do you think your book is weak? Yes or no. If yes, do you want to invest the time to fix it?  Yes or no. This is a tough occupation/hobby/industry.  It’s not for the weak. It’s not for the lazy and it’s not for the whiners. If you were just insulted by this statement, you need to take a good hard look at yourself. You may not survive.

In my bio, I do warn people that I’m blunt and mildly crass. Or maybe it’s the other way around. I can’t remember.

I have a couple of mottoes: 

1. It’s okay to write crap! Just don’t publish it when it IS crap! *face palm* #LessonLearned

2. You can do anything you set your mind to. You just have to SET your MIND to DO so! #LessonFromDad

3. CAN’T means WON’T and WON’T means, “I’m a QUITTER!” I am NOT a quitter! #LessonFromDad

4. Did you put your Big Girl panties on today? (Hey, even I snivel at bad reviews for at least a good 5-15 minutes. This is my pep talk.) #FrankieIsSuchABully

5. Go ahead and aim for the stars. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You’ll fall flat on your face, butt naked in front of the entire class and everyone will laugh at you. There are worse things. #IsThisSupposedToInspireMe?!

Watch out for part 5

Why not post Frankie a question or place a comment?

SM Blooding [3] A Writer's Day

CG: To you, what's an effective writing day? What do you do - both writing-related and not?

SMB: Cram-cram-cram! 

I start off the day waking up early to write half a chapter or do some editing while drinking my coffee. 

Then I go to work. While at work, I check on email and site stuff on my two breaks and during lunch. At lunch, I spend a full 45 minutes writing. I can usually get a 2K chapter done in that time. 

After work, it depends on how brain dead I am and how far behind I am on what. I could be working on my site, posting reviews, doing interviews for ParaYourNormal, or any other number of things that I do for other writers. 

If I decide to write, I do at least 2K. Though at night, with a full brain, I’m on fire and I usually cap it off at 4K. Usually, though, I’m doing the web stuff I couldn’t do on my breaks, sending emails, doing interviews for others, etc., or editing. 

Then when my brain is good and fried, I turn on the TV and let it visually amaze me. I’ll watch things that have the same feel as what I’m currently writing. It only takes me a month to write a book, so it’s not a big deal. Right now, I’m writing The NIGHMARE, so it’s a lot of romance. 

I also read a lot during this time; however, when I’m reading, it’s usually something someone requested I read for them. I have a couple of BETA reads going on right now, and several books in the queue for review. 

While I’m watching TV, or listening to a book, my hands are busy making things, like demon dolls, tarot dolls and eeps. LOL! The things I give away with autographed books. 

And when I’m doing NONE of those things, I’m either spending quality time with the people I love or sleeping. 

Watch out for part 4

Why not post Frankie a question or place a comment?

SM Blooding [2] Rewards

CG: In your experience, what makes you an effective writer? 
SMB: Well, being a Libra/Scorpio born in the year of the Dragon helps (I’m quite the slave-driver), but it also makes relationships hard because I have such a drive to ACCOMPLISH! I’m very goal oriented. 
I set goals for myself. I have a self-reward system. Nothing grand. The grand prize is for the end of the year. If I meet all my goals by year end, I allow myself one large prize. Mini prizes are: 
Goal: I wrote 10,000 words (that I’m not going to throw away) in a weekend. 
Prize: I get an Iced Venti Soy Quad-shot Toffee Nut Latte. 
Goal: I finished The Hands of Tarot.
Prize: I earned a $20 plant. 
Also, my goals are on a board in my work area, and the goals I’ve accomplished are on big stars that I wall-paper my walls with. 
Watch out for part 3
Why not post Frankie a question or place a comment?

SM Blooding

A touch of Gonzo, perhaps?


That's the definite impression I got when I first encountered author SM Blooding's writings. Her friends call her Frankie. As an author, she's also that fabulous, sexy, dark vibe going on...almost sex and death, all at once... I'd be lying if I said she didn't completely fascinate me.


Lucky for me, she agreed to an interview...

CG: Hi Frankie, Thanks for taking the time to tell us more about yourself. I wanted first to ask you 1. What do you think is particular about you that draws you to write the books you do?


SMB: Life. 


I made some VERY bad decisions in life. I found abusive men, did everything I could to sabotage my life.  Ooohhh, my word. I was a train wreck! 


I started to turn around when my oldest daughter was born, but I still had a long way to go. I was still making really bad choices. That was how I met the bagpipe playing vampiric US Government assassin. (no joke) I think that was a real wake-up call for me. If I were willing to accept him, then what did that say about me? 


My youngest daughter was another wake up call. Her arrival was ill-timed. I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t a great person, not a fantastic mother, and the only thing I was good at was bringing home a paycheck that was instantly gone as soon as it hit the bank. 


Having my children taken from me because I wasn’t BAD, I just wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH nearly broke me. 


I was powerless, hurt, wounded, and incapable. I wasn’t a whoring, murderous street-walker, but I was treated like one. I had no way of “reforming” to prove I was good enough to get my children back. There were no viable solutions.


So I turned to the only therapist I could trust, my writing. It began with me trying to figure out how to handle all the rage, hurt, anger and betrayal.  There was just so much ugly inside of me. There was no room for love, nice, like or hope. If I could find a way for pretend people to get over what happened to me, then maybe I could, and then MAYBE I could find a solution for my very real situation.


My early writing was not great. The form was sometimes lacking, but the characters were vibrant. It started with Demons Are Jackasses as I created a world where I could deal with my anger. 


The Dustman was the story I wrote so I could remember what love was like, what a good person I used to be. There is such hope and love in that book and that world.  


Try Taking Her Down was me needing a vice. I needed to DO something GOOD. New York is filled with people who need people who care, but someone tough enough to not become someone needing to be saved. 


As Night Falls was me trying to break myself out of the hive-mind-meld that I’d been in for so long. A lot of people don’t like Becca. I didn’t like me either, but she’s penned correctly. 


My new book, The Hands of Tarot, is about finding the courage to fight back! Every single person has that POWER and that ABILITY…if THEY believe they do. 


Continued soon - watch out for part 2...


Post a question or a comment for Frankie...