Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Meredith Millen - author of Searching for Blood

When a string of fires claim the lives of FBI Special Agent Kenzie Frost's parents, she and her partner uncover the secrets that had been hidden from her since childhood. Meanwhile, Kenzie has her own secret that she has been hiding from the world. When a turn of events at work makes Kenzie face her own feelings, she must decide whether or not to put her partner's life in danger by confessing everything to him, finally answering all of the questions he's been asking for years, or continuing to live a lie with the man she loves.











At two months old, Meredith was adopted into a loving family who have supported her and loved her since the moment they first saw her. After years of struggling with questions and emotions of her adoption, she decided to take the first step to begin the search for her birth family. Little did she know that some of them had been searching for her since the day she was born. Two short months after Meredith’s search began, they came face-to-face with each other and part of her birth family became a reality. When Meredith sat down to write her story of finding and meeting her biological family, it quickly spun into the fantasy of Searching for Blood. Meredith resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her daughter.










FMM: Do you draw inspiration from your real life into your books? 
MM: Yes! The story of Searching for Blood originated from my personal search for my birth family. I was adopted when I was two months old and a few years ago found my birth father and siblings. I needed an outlet for all of the emotions tied into the search and finding this side of my history. I sat down to write the actual story of my search, but it didn’t turn out that way. I love what it turned into though and it was wonderful for me to be able to vent out the emotions I had built up inside of me. Many of the things/places in the book are real and hold a deep meaning for me. It was a great way to incorporate things from my life into this fantasy world to share with others.

FMM: What exactly is your editing process? 
MM: My editing process is completely random. Sometimes before the book is even done I go back and edit parts that I decide I want to change as I’m writing a different section of the book. I’ll realize things don’t match up or that I wrote a chapter one way and based on how I write a different part I decide to change it. Once my book is together and completed I’ll always go back and reread it start to finish. Usually the first time its major changes like - rewriting complete scenes, deleting entire chapters, or adding them. Splitting scenes and shuffling things around so it flows better and realizing that I’ve left certain things out that I thought I had written. Once I get to the end I reread it again. The hardest thing for me is figuring out what’s on paper and what’s in my head. Just because I know what I’m trying to convey doesn’t mean anyone else will understand it. Next it goes to my Beta reader who reads through everything and sends it back with questions and recommendations on things I should change or scenes that she thinks I’m missing. When I get everything back I go back through it again with her notes and the process starts all over.

FMM: While you were growing up, did you excel in English? 
MM: No, and to be completely honest I actually hated English class. I never enjoyed being told what I had to write about. That was the worst writers block ever. When I can write about what I want I can write for hours at the time. When teachers would give me a prompt to write about I would sit there and stare at a blank sheet of paper for hours.

FMM: Is there anything in your book that comes from your own life? 
MM: Many things come from my own life. The houses in the books are ones spend my summers in, family has lived in, or ones I have driven by and admired for years growing up. There are scenes though out the book that have actually happened in my life or have a personal meaning. The street names, towns, numbers though out the series, they all come from somewhere in my past or something that I hold dear to me.

FMM: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
MM: My biggest supporter outside of my family is my best friend, Franklin. He’s been there for me from the beginning. Never forcing me to talk when I didn’t want to and always there to listen when I needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to bounce ideas off of. There are a lot of things I wouldn’t have been able to get down on paper if it hadn’t been for him.

FMM: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
MM: The hardest part for me was, and still is, that most of my mother’s bridge club (all women who I grew up in the church with) read my books and there are certain scenes and language that I never would dream of saying or talking about in their presence. There are some scenes I actually scaled back and didn’t write how I wanted to due to this, because I just can’t bring myself to let them see that side of me.
Thanks so much Meredith! It was really a privilege to have you!







Prizes up for grabs:
2 winners will receive the first 2 books signed in the Searching for Blood series



Giveaways terms and conditions:
No purchase necessary.
These promotions are not sponsored by any company or or organization.
Winner(s) will be contacted shortly after the giveaway ends. The winner(s) will then have 4 days most to respond and claim their prize.
Any questions? Feel free to email us.

You may have to wait for the widget to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! We appreciate it (: