A Wild Flower's Bloom

This week's Author Spotlight has captured the beautiful, Poppy Dennison! 

Who are you? What do you do?


To know me, I think you have to know my family. I come from a long line of GRITS (that’s Girls Raised in the South) and am extremely blessed to have a family full of strong, feisty women. We’re all avid readers, and you’ll rarely find me without a book in my hand. In fact, at the moment I have 3 in my purse!

I spend my time either reading, writing, or with my family. I like to think of myself as an amazing aunt to my five nephews and I spoil them rotten as often as possible. In the summer months, I garden quite a bit. There’s nothing better than home-grown veggies!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing M/M stories?


I think part of me has always wanted to be a writer. I remember writing my first story in middle school, and continued writing little blurbs of ideas for years. I have several notebooks filled with ideas and interesting articles that I’ve stumbled across.

I found M/M in 2005 when I discovered some Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction. I devoured the stories, and found myself drawn to the Spike/Xander stories the most. I became a rabid Spander fangirl, and wrote my first fanfic story a few months after I stumbled across the stories.

You say you have a fascination with creatures that go bump in the night, can we expect more paranormal stories for you?

Absolutely. Paranormal is my first love, and if I know my muse, there will always be some sort of paranormal story humming away in my mind. I also love historicals, and am working on a paranormal steampunk for publication in 2013. I’d also love to tackle a Regency style M/M romance, a sort of Pride and Prejudice for the genre. Oh, and I adore mysteries, so perhaps something along those lines too.

Oh, who am I fooling? I love ‘em all!

Your story, Mind Magic will soon be released from Dreamspinner Press, can you tell us how this story came to you? How long did it take to write?

Mind Magic started as a few threads of ideas. I’ve been fascinated with werewolves and paranormal stories featuring werecreatures for several years. I knew I wanted to write one of my own, but didn’t know where to go to find an original idea that didn’t have a “been there, done that” feel to it.

I also love stories with children and families, so I knew that would be an aspect of the story. I merged the first idea, werewolves, with the idea of an alpha with a child. How would that make his world different than the typical shifter stories I’d read?

So while the alpha and his son ideas were percolating, I developed a fascination with the idea of magic, earth magic in particular. I thought that combining a practitioner of earth magic with a werewolf pack would create a really interesting dynamic.

I began writing Mind Magic in March, 2011 and submitted it to Dreamspinner Press in August, 2011. It took me a couple months to get the first draft down, and then I spent about 3 months editing.
Can you talk about how the Magic series is divided up into three parts?

Mind Magic is the first of three stories. I call it the Triad series. As I researched different types of magic, the recurrence of the three theme kept appearing. It’s found in so many areas (Christianities “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” for example). I wanted to explore the idea of a magical trinity. Book one focuses on Simon, a mage, who has “mind magic”. The other two books in the series are called “Body Magic” and “Soul Magic”. Each book centers around a different couple, but Simon and Gray from the first book appear as main characters in all three books in the series.

**BLURB for Mind Magic**

Magical species must never mix. According to the rules, Simon Osborne should ignore the children’s cries for help. After all, they’re werewolf cubs, and he’s an apprentice mage. But for once in his life, Simon breaks the rules and rescues the cubs, saving them from a demon intent on draining them of their magic.

Of course, all actions have consequences, and Simon’s bold move earns him the displeasure of his peers and the attention of the cubs’ alpha, a man named Gray Townsend.

The last thing Gray needs is a mage in his life, but Simon did save his son. Since Simon is now a friend of the pack, Gray doesn’t have much choice about it—or the forbidden attraction that goes along with it. Unfortunately for the alpha, he needs Simon’s help to track down the demon behind the kidnappings—before it strikes again. Simon and Gray must join forces to protect the pack, even as they struggle to resist the temptation that threatens to destroy them both.

What do you think makes a good story?

I think what makes a story great is when an author tells the story that is in their heart. You can tell when a writer is passionate about their characters and stories by how they are presented on the page. Grammar, pov, pacing, all those are based on technique and skill. They are important, too, but if the story has no heart? It’s not for me.

What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?

Now Summer, I know you already know the answer to this and are wanting me to confess my OCD tendencies for the world to see. It’s okay, I’ll do it for you.

Yes, I’m very routine-oriented. My normal day is to get up at 5am. I get the coffee brewing and check emails and such until about 6. By then, I’m ready to dive into whatever project I’m working on for the day. I normally write for about 4 hours, but I rarely give myself any type of word count goal daily other than a 500 word minimum. I do set weekly and monthly goals, because I think it’s important to give yourself something to shoot for.

A friend gave me some great advice on my writing routine which really helped me. “Write every day.” Sounds simple, but it’s so easy to get caught up in everyday life that you don’t make time. A week will go by and you haven’t touched your current WIP. Remember that “heart” I said was so important above? That’s where my heart comes from. I keep the stories and characters fresh in my mind by working on them every day, even if it’s just for a little while.

What are the most important elements of good writing? 

I think there are a lot of elements to good writing. It really depends on the writer. Some are very character driven, others more plot focused. For me, I try to get a balance between those two. I don’t want to know every single thought in a character’s head but I don’t want a story so caught up in the action that the characters feelings and emotions become second fiddle. I think great writers are able to balance those two elements successfully.

According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?

Books. I don’t think you can be a writer and not read. I’ve heard folks say “oh, it’s been months since I read a book” and it breaks my heart. I think that we can learn more from our peers than any writing book on the market. If I’m struggling with characters, I’ll grab an Amy Lane book and see what she does. Heck, I’ll even turn to other writers when I’m struggling with grammar points. It’s easy to be told “this is what you do” and another to put it into action. So read, read, read.


What motivates you to write?

I get an immense amount of pleasure from putting words to screen. The stories in my head demand to be told, and there is a certain giddiness that comes when you know you’ve nailed a scene. There’s a particular scene in Mind Magic, between Gray (my alpha werewolf) and his son, Garon. It was almost a throw away scene, just them having a little chat, but when they came to life and the words flowed onto the screen, I knew I’d found a little bit of magic. I think I sent that scene to half a dozen friends that day. “READ THIS!” LOL Looking back, it was probably a bit obnoxious of me, but man, when you have that moment when the characters are talking and you’re able to not only listen but grab hold long enough to get it recorded? Pure bliss. Every time that happens, I want to write more to find another moment like that for both myself and my characters.

If you could collaborate with any other author, who would it be?

Oh, that’s a tough question! There are some AMAZING talents in this genre. I love Mary Calmes Change of Heart series, and would probably squee loud enough she could hear me in Hawaii if I ever got to work with her. When I read Mary’s werepanther books, I knew I wanted to write my own. That story, and her character Jin in particular, spoke to me in ways I’d never seen before. The problem is that I’d spend so much time flailing around because I was actually working with Mary Calmes that I’d never get a word out!!

Poppy is the author of Blindsided.

Download Here

Mind Magic is scheduled to be released by Dreamspinner Press soon. Keep an eye out for it! Poppy can be found on facebook , GoodReads, her blog, and her website .
Thank you Poppy for stopping by and sharing yourself with the rest of us!