Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a tattooed, book-loving, somewhat cerebral author and general psycho currently residing in my hometown of San Diego, CA. As a writer, I primarily focus on Paranormal, Dark Urban Fantasy, and Horror Erotica genres, with a strong pull toward the fast-growing Angel and Demon niche” I am also a professional illustrator and artist, and have studied everything from costuming for the theater to tattooing, achieving a “patchwork” artistic background. I own a huge collection of books, indie films, and historical documentaries, and love to delve into any and all of those for some extra inspiration when needed. I live with my beefcake husband, who is always a great source of inspiration and encouragement; we are expecting our first child, a little girl, in December of this year. She is my greatest creation! J

Describe your book ‘Black Dog and Rebel Rose’ in 30 words or less. 

Are hot motorcycles, razor-sharp dialogue, vampire splatter, and sizzling sex your cuppa tea?

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Probably trying to successfully capture an unorthodox, very forbidden romance between a half demon and a half angel and make it realistic! Oh, and not “rushing” to the first sex scene…I wanted the tension to build a bit between these two, tease the reader a little, before that first explosive adult encounter.

What books have had the greatest influence on you?

The list is huge, so I’ll mention the books that helped me along specifically while writing Black Dog: King Rat by China Mieville,Penny Dreadful by Will Christopher Baer, Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker, and the fabulous post-apocalyptic short story And The Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth Bear.

Briefly share with us what you do to market your book?

Obviously, BookBuzzr has been a huge help—I saw a big jump in sales within days of signing up and placing the free sample read widgets on my blog, The Angel’s Gate. I try to do several promotions each month online; those activities usually include interviews (both author and character), giveaways, forum discussions and chats, blogging, Facebook and Twitter announcements, review requests, and email blasts. I have a ball chatting with readers and fans on social networking sites including Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon, and love to hear what they would like to see from me next. Out in the “real” world, I participate in regular readings, library author chats and lectures, and signings at bookstores. Black Dog and Rebel Rose recently went on sale for 99 cents on Kindle as an experiment with my publisher, and that has been a huge success—an entertaining read for a buck really seems to appeal to people in this tough economy. I pretty much do everything I can to get the word out to potential readers and fans—without being too annoying! Sometimes that’s like walking a knife’s edge, I think. I was thrilled to recently receive the Reviewer’s Choice Award for Black Dogfrom TwoLips Reviews, which shows I must be doing something right!

How do you spend your time when you are not writing?

You can usually find me working on the graphic novel and screenplay adaption of Black Dog and Rebel Rose, reading a good fiction, mythology, anthropology, or history book, watching a killer new foreign language or indie film with my husband, or painting in my little studio, lovingly dubbed “The Sanctuary”. Oh, and juggling the myriad promotional and networking tasks expected of every author these days!

What are you working on next?

I am nearly finished editing a short novella titled Coyote Night, another erotic paranormal tale tracking the supernatural adventures of Skriker and Rose, the hero and heroine of Black Dog. This story follows the notorious hunter couple as they stalk a skinwalker on a New Mexican Navajo reservation. This story will be published both stand alone and, eventually, in my first anthology. I am also working on the graphic novel version of Black Dog and Rebel Rose, expected to be done sometime in 2012. I invite everyone to keep track of what I'm up to via my website: www.danielledsmith.com