Maya Tyler.

Today I'd like to welcome Maya Tyler, author of  “Dream Hunter” to The Thursday Interview. Before we get started, a quick intro!

Maya Tyler is a romance author, blogger, wife, and mother. She has a degree in Commerce and her day job is in Finance. Over the past few years, she decided to unleash her creative streak and get serious about writing. So far, she has published a short story “Just for Tonight” in an anthology called With Love from Val and Tyne and her debut paranormal romance novella Dream Hunter. She has also written a few other books (not yet published). Writing mostly paranormal romances, all her books have a common theme – happily ever after. When she’s not writing, you can find her playing with Lego and watching superhero movies with her husband and sons.

OK - HERE WE GO !!

No.1  Would you break the law to save a loved one? .. why?

In theory, no. I have a strong moral compass… instilled in me (er hammered) by my parents.  I pretty much can’t even lie which is a terrible trait for a kid to have when they’re trying to get away with something. Not me – I was an angel. But when it comes down to it, I think I would break the law to save a loved one. If it was in my power to save them, I’d do anything for my husband and little boys. Maybe not bungee jump though…

No.2  What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

Being alive is maintaining the ability to breathe and survive. It’s what you do to get through a horrific task or time period (like high school). It’s counting down the weeks, days, hours until the next thing. It’s mere existence, like living on life support.

Truly living reforms your mere existence into something of meaning. When you truly live, you have joy and happiness in your life. You achieve your dreams. You help others. You are happy with what you have. You are appreciative of what you have.

No.3  What motivates you to write?

I write because I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always had difficulty expressing myself vocally. When I was younger, I was constantly writing – short stories, poetry. It was a huge part of my self-expression. Somewhere along the way, I forgot to write. Life is busy. Other tasks were of higher priority. I was daunted by the possibility of failure. Whatever the reason, I teetered between ‘being alive’ and ‘truly living’ until I started to write again. Honestly, I’ve said it a million times that blogging keeps me sane. I try to keep my blog topics writing and book-related, but who I am influences what I write. And writing helps sort out and understand my feelings. I’m motivated to write. I can express myself on “paper” better and writing books was my life-long dream.

No.4  Why do humans want children?

Well, I can’t speak for all humans… since some don’t want kids at all. I always wanted to have kids. Maybe because I’m like a big kid myself. Maybe because kids are more fun than adults! I love all things Disney – especially Tigger and the princesses. Disney World is my happy place. I dream of being a voice in a Disney animated feature. I love to play with kids – I admire their imagination, their creativity. When I was a kid, I babysat a lot. At every family function, I was the one surrounded by the little kids, organizing games, keeping them occupied. It was a given when I grew up, I would have kids of my own. There are different motivators for producing children. Someone to keep your family name going, someone to pass your legacy onto, someone to take care of you when you’re older. My little boys (aged 4 and 6) inspire me. Children are truly the hope for the future. My desire is to give my kids the brightest future possible and help their dreams come true. Plus, I like to build Lego with them. Although I build houses with gardens and my boys are all about trucks and flying contraptions with lots of weapons!

No.5  What was the biggest challenge in creating your book "Dream Hunter" ?

The biggest challenge… The road to writing a book is wrought with challenges! If I had to pick one, I’d choose editing. Whatever you’re doing, it’s near impossible to pick out your own errors. A second (or third) set of eyes, especially ones with literary experience is crucial when it comes to editing your book. There are many traditionally published books that I find errors in. It’s a big turn-off to a reader. We’re all human though. If half-way through your book ‘Karen’ becomes ‘Karin’ or your blue-eyed heroine gets brown-eyes? We’ve all been there. There are critique partners, beta readers, and copy editors to help you prevent similar catastrophe – use them! When you write a book, you envision the story revealing itself in a certain way. A reader other than you can give valuable feedback. Does your book make sense to them? If it doesn’t, it should. Editing is a time-consuming process (both the creative and technical sides) and it can be frustrating when others don’t immediately love what you’ve written. Like all steps in the writing process, it’s worth it at the end, when you can be confident you’ve produced the best work you can.

No.6  What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far? 

Health is everything. Seriously, pretty much every other aspect of your life you can control to some extent. You can change careers, find new friends, divorce your spouse, buy a different car, or renovate your house… But you can’t give yourself good health. Sure, you can eat right and exercise, it never hurts to take good care of yourself. What happens if you get sick? Really sick. My husband was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis a few months after our first son was born. Instead of the ability to enjoy the first year of our son’s life, we faced a terrible and incurable neurological disease which robbed my husband of his ability to work and drastically changed our lives. In spite of this we have found contentment and happiness in our lives.

No.7  How did you come up with the title "Dream Hunter" ?

I named my book “Dream Hunter” due to the hero’s role in the story. In his role of guardian angel, Gabe communicates with his charges through their dreams. I pictured him watching over them from a distance like a hunter would watch prey.

No.8  How do you handle personal criticism?

Hopefully with grace and poise. No one, myself included, likes to be criticised. A book review is a prime example of personal criticism authors often face. Most reviewers are professional in their comments, but you have to accept the fact that not every reader will like your book. You need thick skin in this business. I try not to take the negative reviews personally. There is a time and place for criticism and I try to learn from it.

No.9  Why should people read your book? 

My book is geared toward lovers of paranormal romance. So if that’s not your genre, my book will probably disappoint you. I believe in advertising what I’m selling. It’s a fast-paced, short read with a twist. You need to have an open mind about dreams and guardian angels. If you like sci-fi and pnr, then you probably already do.

No.10 Why is there something rather than nothing? 

There’s something because I dreamt up an idea for a book and <put on my brave hat> decided to write it. Everyone has a story inside them. Whole, new worlds open up each time you pick up a book and I love to create them.

Thank you Maya for taking the time to answer my questions & the best of luck with your new book! 

Check out  “Dream Hunter" on

GOODREADS & AMAZON 

Cynthia’s dreams are so real, they are actually coming true
 complete with the prerequisite dream guy. 

But things are not as they seem.

Who said dreams are sweet?

Chicago businesswoman Cynthia Courtland is completely focused on her career when a sensual, reoccurring dream disrupts her orderly life. Then a threat against her workplace forces her to take time off. She is lost with nowhere to go--only her empty apartment.

Work is Gabe’s life too; he takes it very seriously and will do whatever it takes to succeed. He's been watching over Cynthia for a long time and he has her best interests at heart, but can he protect her from the danger she is blind to? When Cynthia insists on investigating the threat so she can get back to work, it makes Gabe's job all the more difficult. When things settle, will there be more for them than a life filled with work? Will she give her dreams a chance to come true?