Author Q&A: PJ Schynder

I had the pleasure of meeting PJ Schnyder at the Authors After Dark event in Philadelphia this year.  Every time I saw her she had a smile on her face and was just one of those friendly faces that I would see throughout the week  I'm very to have PJ on the blog today!

(Photo credit: J.R. Blackwell) Website:   PJ Schynder
Bio:  Born and raised in the North East, PJ Schnyder spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading every fantasy and sci-fi novel she could borrow from the local and school libraries. She scored fairly high in the verbal portion.

She was introduced to the wonderful world of romance a decade later by her best friend at an anime convention in Seattle.

She now lives somewhere temperate watching the seasons go by with her two dogs and super stealthy ninja kitty, while writing her stories.

Welcome to Hanging With Bells PJ!  Tell me a little bit about yourself and your writing.

A little bit about myself...LOL. I think the nicknames given a person tell a lot more about them than any bio I could present.  So, nicknames: Stephanie "Flash" Burke calls me her Fluffy Puppy Bunny after the rather unique bunny in Monty Python.  My boyfriend likes to refer to me as a real life anime girl (RLAG). The fighters I train with in mixed martial arts like to call me Beast or Trebuchet. My little brother and his friends used to call me Adult Supervision. Make of that what you might wish. ;)

My stories also cover a variety in themes and genres. 

What made you want to write?

I can't not. :D

You write several different genres. Paranomal Romance, Steampunk, and Sci-FiRomance.  Which genre did you write first and what was it about the other genres that made you want to write about them as well?

My first novel was sci fi and it will never see the light of day. I had a lot of growing to do as a writer, but it did become the back story for the heroine of Hunting Kat (available at Carina Press) my sci fi romance. I wrote science fiction because of my love for the elemnts that make sci fi so much fun: the worldbuilding, the conceptual science and the scope for edgy action.

My first novel to be published was Book 1 of the Terra's Guardians series, Heart's Sentinel, (available at Decadent Press) a paranormal romance. It also has a few sci fi elements and a post apocalyptic setting. Paranormal romance interests me with the possibilities intrinsic in shapeshifters and mythology.

I explored mythology aspect a little more with mermaids in my latest short story, Drowning Tides.

(available at ARe)

What do you like to do in your spare time and who are some of your favorite authors? 

With the day job and writing, spare time is a little hard to come by. I love to train in mixed martial arts when I can and there's nothing like stepping into the kitchen to cook for the people I care for. 

When I take a little time for myself I love to curl up with Anne Bishop, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Heinlein, Lisa Kleypas or Lora Leigh.

What do you have planned for the future for you writing PJ?

I definitely plan to continue my existing series. Book 3 of the Terra's Guardians series is close to finished. Book 2 of the Triton Experiment series is outlined and I'm hoping to submit it to Carina Press before the end of the year. I've got a couple of steampunk shorts out there and a sci fi short in an upcoming anthology companion to the role playing game by J.R. Blackwell called Shelter in Place (http://shelterinplace.wordpress.com/). There's also an urban fantasy in the works.

It's been great to visit, Bells, and as part of the Decadent Publishing Paranormal Authors blog tour, Decadent Publishing would like to do a giveaway for one of your readers.  I invite comments or questions and Decadent Publishing will send a print copy of Heart's Sentinel to one lucky commentor (US only).

In addition, I'd like to open up a giveaway to International readers and offer an ecopy of Heart's Sentinel to another commentor.

Thanks for stopping by the blog PJ and thanks to you and Decadent Publishing for this generous giveaway! 

Born human, Mackenzie never wanted to be a shapeshifter. After a shifter stalks and brutally Changes her, she runs to the jaguars of River Gap pride for protection from the stalker still searching for her, to come to terms with the attack and learn to control her new, powerful cougar body.

Adam, a River Gap Sentinel, is assigned as her guard and mentor. Well aware of his strength and how new she is the shapeshifter world, he holds himself back from the flames of primal desire she ignites. But, to survive the stalker, they both need to first battle their pasts and learn what it truly means to be the sentinels of each other’s hearts.

• 1 copy of Heart's Sentinel (US only)
• 1 copy of Heart's Sentinel (International)

Please leave an email in the comments section and let me know which copy you would like to win!  Giveaway ends 9/30 at 12 EST PM and winner will be chosen using random.org.  Good luck!