Today’s spotlight is on S. C. Mitchell, author of SON OF THUNDER, SWIFTLY BEATS THE HEART, THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS WEREWOLVES, THE FORSAKEN TEMPLAR, and SEEDS OF IMMORTALITY.

Thank you for inviting me to join you on your blog today.

Why do you write?

I’ve tried not writing, and it doesn’t work for me. Stories keep exploding in my head. I miss getting most of them down in the computer, but when I hook into one, it takes me for a ride and I have to sit down and at least start it. I have files of orphaned stories I hope to get back to one day, although the new ones keep pushing them to the back of the line.

What’s your favorite genre? Do you have a favorite author (if so, please tell us the name)?

For years I wrote fantasy and science fiction, though I never published any of it. My early influences were J.R.R Tolkien, Robert E. Howard and Anne McCaffrey. Anne McCaffrey has to be my all time favorite author, and she always had romantic elements in her books to drive the story forward.

One day my wife handed me ENCHANTED by Nora Roberts (You never forget your first romance) and I fell in love with the paranormal romance genre. It blends together everything I love in a story. I would have to say my new, favorite influence would be Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series.

To be successful as an author, what do you see as the main goal?

I don’t consider myself so much an author as a storyteller. My main goal is to tell the best story I can. I love it when people tell me they read and liked my books, but I don’t really write for other people, and I’m not really in this to make money (though I’ve never turned down a royalty check). I just enjoy telling my stories, and hope people will like them.

What advice can you give to aspiring authors?

Keep your day job. There are easier ways to make money than ripping your soul out and laying it bare before the public.

What advice would you give to the youth of today (not just authors)?

Do everything wrong the first time. It’s the only way you learn anything.

What’s on your bucket list?

It’s the silliest thing, yet something I think about every so often and is probably completely unattainable. I’ve never been in good physical shape, but I would love to have a set of washboard abs good enough to be a cover model on one of my books. I’ve recently gotten a gym membership, and started working out seriously for the first time in my life (it hurts).

Tell us about your book:

Son of Thunder is set in contemporary times, but in a world where the old mythical gods are real. War rages in the heavens between the pantheons, but the Norse gods have managed to stay out of it…until now. Thor has gone missing and his son, Jord, is determined to find him. His only clue is his father’s magical belt, Megingjörð, discovered in the hands of a mortal, museum curator named Meghan Larson. Meghan and Jord get swept up in an adventure full of danger, discovery and romance.

BOOK BLURB:

The man looked like a god. Then again, he was one. . .

Jord Thorson was a god– the son of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. In his search to find his missing father, Jord seeks out the mortal, Meghan Larson, who is in possession of his only clue–Megingjörð, Thor’s magical belt of power.

But when the belt decides to take matters into its own hands, locking itself around Meghan’s waist, Jord and Meghan are plunged into the middle of a massive conflict that rages across the heavens.

Giants, magical artifacts, and a golden city in the clouds weren’t exactly what Meghan Larson expected when that amazing belt arrived at her museum. Now Megingjörð is stuck around her waist and talking to her in her head. She’s got to be dreaming, but with the wonders around her and hunky Jord Thorson at her side, Meghan’s not sure she wants to wake up.

What would you like people to know about you?

First off, yeah, I’m a guy, and I read, write and enjoy romance.

I grew up an avid reader of comic books, science fiction and fantasy literature. In 2010 I left my job as a computer desktop support specialist to pursue my passion for writing. I am a member of the Romance Writers of America.

My wife of thirty-four years, and I live in the wooded northlands of Wisconsin. We have two adult children.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy gardening, acting, reading, music and computer gaming.

My sites:

Blog – http://scmitchell.wordpress.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSCMitchell

Twitter – @AuthorSMitchell

Books:

Son of Thunder – http://www.amazon.com/Son-Thunder-Heavenly-Series-ebook/dp/B00BJ64GPY

There’s No Such Thing As Werewolves – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KAE45A

The Forsaken Templar – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081S8LPO

Seeds Of Immortality – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AU5OZS8

Swiftly Beats The Heart – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077T6F06