Featured Author Interview - T.F. Walsh

Featured Author

T.F. Walsh

T.F. Walsh is the author of Cloaked in Fur, a book that we love! You can read our review by clicking here. Having written such an amazing debut novel, we just had to hear more about the author, her history, and what she might have in store for us for future projects! 

About the Author

T.F. Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she's always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. 

She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.

Interview

MBB: We’re so excited to discuss your book, and anything else you would like to share!

TFW: Hi Stephanie, thank you for having me today on your blog. I’m very excited to be here.

MBB: We're excited to have you! You write beautifully! It’s hard to believe Cloaked in Fur is your first book! Please share with us how long you’ve been writing, and what inspires you!

TFW: I’ve been dabbling in writing ever since I was young. I remember scribbling short stories on the inside flap of books, and then I signed them. I was practicing way back then it seemed. But it was only several years ago that I started to take writing seriously. My inspiration is greatly influenced by two things. One, my dad is a wonderful poet and author, who is very well known in Romania, and his passion for books and stories has obviously trickled down to me. Second, I have always loved horror movies, especially anything with monsters. And even today when I sit down and plot a novel, I can’t help but add dark elements and monsters in my stories.

MBB: That is a fascinating history! What approach did you take to begin writing your book?

TFW: Werewolves have always fascinated me from the perspective of their dual personality. No matter how much control someone has over his or her wants and needs, once the werewolf takes over, all hell breaks loose. And to a greater extent, that makes shifters very alluring creatures. Who wouldn’t love to let go of all constraints? So, with that in mind along with wanting to explore the idea of how far someone was willing to go to save true love, Cloaked in Fur was born.

MBB: Please tell us a little about Cloaked in Fur (we would also love to hear any behind the scenes tidbits you’re willing to share)!

TFW: As a moonwulf, Daciana never expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, she never imagined that she’d abandon her pack, endanger everyone around her, and break the worst rule possible. But she did.

A rogue werewolf is killing Daciana’s friends, and she sets on capturing the creature. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the beast. The police and her boyfriend, Inspector Connell Lonescu, are starting to question her involvement in the murders, which is endangering the pack’s secret existence. But when the pack alpha kidnaps Connell, revealing the awful truth about the creature and its connection to the pack, Daciana must choose between saving the man she loves and saving her pack family from certain death.

Behind the scenes tidbit:

As I wrote Cloaked in Fur, I was becoming infatuated with Enre, one of Daciana’s ex-lovers. He is so raw in his approach to life and naïve at the same time, which is why he’ll be playing a much bigger part in book 2.

MBB: Enre is a great character! I’m excited he will play a bigger part in book 2. Was there any special research or preparation required to write Cloaked in Fur?

TFW: I actually watched every wolf documentary I could get my hands on to study how packs worked, their hierarchy, mannerisms, and even what different howls meant. For the setting of Brasov in Romania, I researched the area, watched youtube tourist videos of the streets, and lucky for me, I have a good friend from Brasov who helped me with some of the finer details. And to understand how wolves and bears attacked, I spent hours reading reports of unusual human attacks. By the end, I felt like a bit of wolf expert.

MBB: That must be how you were able to write such descriptive scenes. What do you like most about the paranormal romance genre, in general?

TFW: I enjoy writing about all sorts of paranormal shifters and creatures to explore what makes them tick. Everyone has a reason for what they do, and in my stories, the characters’ past always come with heavy baggage. Nothing is ever straightforward. Now throw in a handful of romance, and you’ve got major complications.

MBB: What advice do you have for other writers who are just starting out?

TFW: Join a writers group or find critique partners, and don’t be afraid to share your writing. That’s the only way you’ll improve as a writer.

MBB: So, it sounds like there will be a follow up book! Any other projects planned?

TFW: Absolutely. A sequel to Cloaked in Fur is currently in the works. Daciana, her pack and Connell are facing a number of new foes, and the tension is higher. I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

I’m also working on another project. A young adult fantasy novel, which is made up of three parts about six characters. It is set in a world filled with witches, steampunk monsters and magic, and at the heart of the story, there’s the struggle to find love. I’m so excited about this story. More to come soon.

MBB: If you were stranded on a deserted island with all the published works of just one author, what author would it be? Please elaborate!

TFW: That’s so hard. It’s a toss between Richard Laymon and Stephen King. I’m going to go with Richard Laymon. He has a lot of great books filled with suspense and horror fiction. That’ll keep me occupied on the island, though I might be a bit scared at night.

MBB: Scared, but entertained! Is there anything else you would like to add?

TFW: I loved writing Cloaked in Fur and incorporating snippets of Romanian culture and tradition. It’s a special book to me because it helped me grow as a writer and also led me to meet the wonderful group of writers who I now call close friends.

Thank you to T.F. Walsh for giving us a personal look into her history and how her first book came to be! We love her writing style, and can’t wait to hear more from her in the future!

Cloaked in Fur by T.F. Walsh

Available on Amazon!

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Interviewed by Stephanie