Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Interview and Giveaway with ME Yildirim




Welcome, Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

Hello, thank you for having me! :) I am a Public Relations specialist, a poet, an author, a wife and a down to earth person... when I am not writing, that is. My mother is the one who had inculcated respect and love for written stories in me and taught not to judge a book by its cover. She is a bookworm, like me, although I can see her frowning at the term. She has always encouraged me to choose my own reading material and never shy away from topics that might seem uncomfortable. So I was raised in the spirit of making my own decisions. I had chosen Literature and History as my main focus while still in high school and they remained my passion till this very day. I had worked in a PR Agency, small companies, a big consortium and even in the Military. Yet none of it could ever compare to the adventures of creating and building up my own characters and stories. I write Paranormal and Contemporary Romance, probably because those are also two genres I love to read the most myself. Our favorite reads stay with us, influence us, maybe even challenge us to pick up the gauntlet and try to be a part of this world too. I also write poetry, I published a collection of 70 poems titled “Whispered Out Loud” at the beginning of this year. If I recall correctly, poems are where it all has started for me before I wrote my first novel. I don't use any pen names.

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

CUL-DE-SAC” is my first Contemporary Romance written after my Paranormal series “Chastity Point”. It was supposed to be a stand alone, but in a mysterious way it grew on me to the point where it morphed into a series. I have ideas for more books to come in the series titled “On The Edge”. “CUL-DE-SAC” is about love, but not the kind that evokes fuzzy feelings and is all about poetry and flowers. It's about an unapologetic and unembellished force that shakes the lives of Catalina and Xan to the point where they can't see up from down anymore.

Excerpt from Chapter 50

Catalina realized that love wasn’t always pretty and about living high on emotions. It wasn’t this romantic notion she had always been envisioning either. It was raw, powerful, leaving a person naked and bruised but you held on to it anyway no matter what.

She wasn’t going to give up on him just because it seemed convenient to so many people. She would not say goodbye just because he was too untamed and his armor too tattered to suit her romantic visions. She wasn’t a child and she knew better than anyone that fairy tales were just that–tales.

End of excerpt

They have absolutely nothing in common, all separates them yet the fickle bitch known as Fate causes their paths to cross and all hell breaks loose.

Are you a mom?

I am not a mom, but I foster a four-months-old German Shepherd and I swear he runs me ragged ;)

Is there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect to?

There is always a message, the whole point of the story where it all comes to in the end. What would be the purpose of writing without it after all? My main point is always to show and emphasize, time and time again, that second chances do happen. They usually come in a different shape and form than we could expect and while we are completely, utterly undone and unprepared for it. Yet, this is life and we make of it what we can. “CUL-DE-SAC” is first and foremost about not judging a book by its cover, realizing that there is always much more to people that meets the eye. However, every reader finds something else in stories. As Carlos Ruiz Zafón said; “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

I am as stubborn and restless as the characters I create and “CUL-DE-SAC” is my first Contemporary Romance written in English. I had published a Contemporary Romance in my own language a few years back. Also, whenever I read or hear a word “semi” it makes me think of erections ;)

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

I have plenty of hobbies I don't always find time to pursue and enjoy. I collect many things-old books for one-the more weathered by time the better. Stones and minerals-I am interested in their characteristics. Photography, I see or take a picture and like to imagine which words could go with it and why. My guilty pleasure? Fudge! And no, I didn't mean it as a bad word, but a desert I have a weakness for :)

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

I have moments of weakness when I am considering an erotic novella, but I don't think I am built for novellas in general. I don't see much point to writing something that ends before it really had a chance to start for good. I like a slow build-up, tension and in novella you need to hurry it all up.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?

I love tormented and tragic characters. They need to be strong to endure all the hardship I throw their way ;) Ciarán Blane, the alpha male from the second book in my "Chastity Point" series holds a special place in my heart. He is moody, volatile and his unpredictability is hard to resist. Then there is Xan Thorpe, the main male character from “CUL-DE-SAC” who is tough and vulnerable at the same time. He is a fighter and not only in the most literal sense. They are all alphas to the core with a streak of wickedness to them and we all have inclination toward bad boys. It is part of our DNA code!

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?


The next book is about a character that made an appearance in “CUL-DE-SAC”. His name is Dante and he is a street car racer. He is a ladies' man who loves just about everything in women, but is going to hate the guts of the one that will cross him. I really can't say anything more about them, because I feel they will surprise me. A lot.


Cul-de-Sac
On the Edge Series
Book One
M.E. Yildirim

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Date of Publication: September 25th 2015

ASIN: B01490125I

Number of pages: 310
Word Count: 131533

Cover Artist: Gözdem Perrichet

Book Description:

Sometimes feelings turn out to be the most lethal of adversaries.

He is known as Xan–an unapologetic king of an underground fighting arena who doesn't step out of the ring until a fight is over and won. Nothing matters to him as much as adding another victory to the tally. But who is Alexander Thorpe, the man behind the fierce stance, and what is he really fighting for? Brutal childhood and the rough reality of living on the streets create the perfect background for a relentless and merciless warrior, but is that really all there is to the man himself? Even winning can lose its appeal if a man doesn't know what is he really fighting for... or with whom?

“Perfect” is the word often used when it comes to Catalina Bennett, “privileged” is another. An entitled upbringing, private schools and extracurricular activities make for a flawless résumé, but they don't paint the whole picture of a person. As a photographer, she chooses to stand behind the camera, which is a perfect way of getting to know the world... without letting the world know her. Fostered by her grandmother after the loss of both parents at the tender age of ten, she is expected to bring nothing but honor to her family's name. Be nothing else than prim and proper, with no space left for her wants or needs.

But nothing can be denied forever.

Two completely different worlds of two individuals collide during an accidental event. But does coincidence really exist or do things happen for a reason? Life is made of seemingly unrelated moments, fragmented memories and betrayals influencing the reality, no matter the class a person is from.

Sooner or later, suppressed emotions and desires demand their due…


Available at Amazon


About the Author:

M.E. Yildirim is a Public Relations specialist from Poland who is confident Satan himself created math and that the world needs more bookworms to balance the evil out. Her mother is the one who had inculcated in her respect and love for written stories and taught her not to judge a book by its cover. She lives with head full of voices which won't be silenced until she lets them out to live and spin their tales on paper. That's right-their tales, since they seem to have a mind and will of their own.

Walking through life to the beat of her own drum, she has worked in a PR Agency, small companies, a big consortium and even in the Military. But none of it could ever compare to the adventures of creating and building up her characters and stories. M.E. believes that books are for smoothing out everyone's feathers and reminding people all the things they've already forgotten. She is happily married, oftentimes engaging her husband in her writing, with or without his consent. Tenacious as much as the characters she creates, she loves challenges, letting her own creations to take advantage of that fact.







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1 comment:

M.E. Yildirim said...

Thank you for hosting me! :)