Ladies and gents we have a special Tuesday Spotlight this week, please welcome Jamie Sterling!
Jamie Sterling is always writing something, whether it’s at
work or just an idea that will never see the light of day. As a technical
writer by trade, it’s sometimes tough making the transition from dry,
repetitive instructions and procedural steps to the richer, descriptive prose
describing the passion, the conflict, and the drama of a romance novel. At
times the dichotomy is overwhelming.
“I live in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley and commute to
Manhattan just about every day. It’s exhausting, but at least I get to write on
the train, and that is a huge plus! Sometimes, when I’m stuck on a scene, just
watching the scenery of the river and the hills surrounding it gets my creative
juices flowing and gives me the best ideas.
“Captured Hunter is an exploration of how most people are afraid
to pursue what they really want in life. We are all afraid of showing certain
sides of ourselves, but it’s only by being brave enough do we have a chance to
recognize our dreams.”
Jamie is a voracious reader and enjoys getting lost in the
world that a book can create in the mind. “It’s better than TV or movies, because they
force you to see what they show. In a book, the reader creates the set and how
the characters look. I love that.”
Jamie’s first full-length romance novel, Captured Hunter, released earlier this
month from Siren Publishing and is available as an e-book.
From Captured Hunter:
“We’re going to a haunted house?!” Stephanie nodded
eagerly. “Yeah! It’s going to be so cool!”
Hunter looked skeptical. “I have to ask—is this a haunted
house with actors playing decapitated corpses and jumping out at you, or is
this a haunted house with mediums calling spirits from the dead?”
“Real spirits,” Stephanie said as she parked. “They do
a real séance to call them.”
“This is the big surprise?”
“Yup. Scared?” Her voice was almost taunting him,
daring him to show weakness.
“Uh, no. I have to admit I’m a little surprised that
you believe in ghosts and spirits and all that stuff.”
“You don’t?”
“Not a bit. I think they are a combination of overactive
imaginations and wishful thinking. There’s nothing that passes as proof, or
even evidence, of ghosts. As a woman of science, shouldn’t you believe what the
evidence points to?”
Stephanie seemed entertained by Hunter’s challenging
position. “Of course I do. And that’s the beauty of it. I don’t know if ghosts
really exist anymore than the next person, because I’ve never seen any
evidence. But me not seeing evidence is not the same as there being no
evidence, or evidence to the contrary, so I’m a doubter until I see something
definitive, like you say. Maybe there is no evidence because ghosts don’t
exist, maybe we can’t perceive the kind of evidence they leave behind, or—hey,
don’t roll your eyes at me! —or maybe spirits like to tease the living, showing
us just enough to make us uncertain of their existence.”
She parked and they headed for the entrance. “‘Tease
the living?’” Hunter was caught up in this debate, mostly because he knew it
was in good fun and also because Stephanie appeared entertained by the back and
forth. “So ghosts come back from the dead to…mess with our heads? I’d rather be
one of those totally evil ghosts that scares the shit out of people and makes
them drop dead on the spot.”
“I think you could pull that off!” she said as she
slugged him in the arm while they walked. “Don’t you like scary movies?”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I think the plot is
non-fiction. I like Christmas movies and cartoons, but I don’t think Santa
Claus is real or that rabbits and ducks and pigs can talk.”
“Cartoons? Really?” She shook her head dismissively.
“Anyway, it’s fun to be scared, and it makes it scarier when you give a little
credence to the idea that these things might be real and lurking around the
corner, so I suspend my disbelief.” They reached the entrance of the rather
large colonial-style home. “I want this to be fun—do you think you can figure
out a way to have fun with it?”
He thought for a moment. Hunter had to agree that it
used to be fun to turn off the lights and scare the crap out of himself. He had
read The Amityville Horror as a twelve-year-old, and it had cost him many
nights of sleep, wondering what might happen to him in his house at 3:15 a.m.
However, back then he hadn’t been nearly as sure about the lack of ghosts and
spirits as now. That would make it harder to fully commit to the evening, but
he wanted to have fun as well. “OK, I’ll find a way to enjoy myself and stay in
the spirit.”
“Thanks.”
You can learn more
about Jamie here:
