Hello Readers!
I’m Gina Marie Long and I write paranormal thrillers, urban fantasy and young adult, with light romance. My published books are: Unknown Touch: Werewolf Series, Rocked: A Chelsie Valdar Saga, and The Reaper’s Cat.
I write about werewolves, vampires, witches, werecats, Bigfoot, demons, psychics, Vikings, ghosts, surviving an apocalypse, and riveting human characters. But not ALL in the same story… my brain would explode trying to keep track of everything!
My fiction is inspired by the supernatural, science fiction and fantasy world. Writing indulges my passion for the entertainment arts, giving my active (ADHD) mind a playground of possibilities to explore.
I love creating strong, unusual characters with crazy or traumatic story lines, and to have readers fall in love with them… or want to strangle them! I get a thrill writing tense situations with the clock ticking down, making readers wonder what happens next. Writing about other beings, such as werewolves and vampires, allows rules to be broken concerning life and the world as we know it. The idea to have these supernatural species living and breathing among us is so wickedly intriguing. Having close contact with them, developing relationships, and dealing with the good vs. the evil – it sweeps you away into another reality – an escape from real life. You wonder and worry about what the characters will stumble upon next. Or, what horrific tragedy knocks them flat on their faces.
In another life, I owned and operated a beauty salon for many years. In 2010, I sold the shop and dove into writing full-time. I’m also a freelance web writer and content marketer.
I live in Highland, Illinois, with my husband and three cats.
Email me: (spelled out to avoid spammers) GML at ginamarielong dot com
Frequently Asked Questions to ME
1. Favorite book as a child?
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
2. Are you self-published?
Yes. I also label myself as an indie author/publisher.
3. Favorite part of writing a book?
Knowing that I’m creating an entire novel, hundreds of pages that others will read, is very intoxicating. It’s wild how an entire fictional world is brought to life.
4. Least favorite part of writing a book?
When I realize I need to research something – and I DO LOVE researching – but it tends to happen when I’m deep into writing. I don’t want to stop my creative “flow” and take the time to figure out something. Sometimes I can make a note to come back to the problem spot later, but it’s aggravating if I actually NEED information NOW in order to continue moving forward with the story properly. ARGH!
5. Are you working on anything new?
Yes. I’m always writing something.
6. Do you have any rituals or routines to your writing?
I start with an outline. I research like crazy on the internet for names, locations, background info I need for characters, places, etc. I diligently back up my writing in three places. I’ll read chapters out loud for clarity.
7. Comment on the writing life…
I’m proud and surprised to say that while I wrote my first book, I never had writer’s block for more than five minutes. My brain is constantly on “go”. Time zips by when I write. *Update:* I do get distracted, though. The internet can suck your time. You have to stay focused and motivated and organized.
8. Why do you write?
I love the entertainment field. I like being my own boss. It’s exciting. It doesn’t feel like work, most of the time. You enter a different world – an escape from daily life. It’s fun creating stories and I enjoy how my readers care for the characters… worrying about them and what tragedies they’ll encounter next.
9. When do you write?
I don’t have any set time or day. I like to write when I have chunks of time. In other words, it’s unlikely I would sit down to write if I only have thirty minutes of time.
10. When did you know you were a writer?
In high school, I made A’s on my essays and book reports. I can talk up a storm. I’m into details. I’m organized and like to do research. When I realized that 90% of what I do in my spare time revolves around something with entertainment, I figured I wasn’t barking up the wrong tree by deciding to write a book! Oh! When I was a pre-teen, I created Long’s Little Library (also known as The Triple L)!! I had a number of books that I loaned out to a few friends to read. How’s that?
11. Do you do book signings?
I did for the first two books (years ago). But it seems that book signing events just aren’t as popular anymore. So many people are buying ebooks instead of physical books now. Paper/hardback books will always be “around”, but the big thing is really downloading an ebook. I’ll admit that I rarely ever buy a physical book, anymore. It’s so convenient to buy an ebook nowadays. Many authors don’t even bother producing a physical book and opt only to create an ebook of their story.
Gina Marie Long 