Bewitching Author Maureen Bonatch!

Please help me to welcome author friend Maureen Bonatch to the spotlight today! Isn't she lovely?

So Maureen, being an author can be very demanding. How do you balance the demands of your everyday life and your writing life?

This is an ongoing challenge. I get up earlier each day (around 4:45) and bring my laptop with me everywhere so I can sneak in time during my lunch break or kids activities. I don’t watch much television, but do sit in the living room with the laptop so technically I’m not neglecting my family. ;)


Hmm...sounds familiar. Share with us a little about your family. 

I’ve been married for twenty years and we have twin fourteen-year old girls. We also have a 2-year-old shih tzu, Scruff, and two guinea pigs. (Wow, that’s a lot of 2’s) The guinea pigs accepted Scruff because I believe they think he is a giant guinea pig, lol.

Hey, whatever it takes for them to get along, right? Speaking of animals, if you could be any animal, what animal would you choose, and why?

I would be Scruff for a day. Besides the fact that he is the happiest creature I think I’ve ever seen, and that he sleeps a large portion of the day, I’ve often wondered just what is going on in his little, furry, inquisitive mind. 

Might be shocking! With the Halloween around the corner, give us a little insight into life of the young Maureen. When trick-or-treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy that you didn’t like to get?

Popcorn balls. We didn’t have much candy at home when I was growing up, but we had popcorn. The last thing I wanted was a ball of popcorn as a treat. I was out there for the chocolate, darn it! 

I'm with you there, my friend! Now, modern day Maureen...what one thing (modern convenience) could you not live without?

My laptop. Besides it being practically an extension of my arm, my handwriting is terrible. If I had to hand write my stories I would be doomed because I couldn’t even decipher my own notes. 

I know! I go into a completely illogical panic whenever my laptop goes down. I just can't cope! Here's a fun one, what are your three favorite smells?

Is clean a single smell? But you know what I mean, when you walk into a place and it just smells, fresh. A second would be crisp, autumn air- the scent in Scruff’s fur when he comes into the house in the evening. My third would be something cooking in the crockpot- because I know dinner is done and I have more writing time. I feel as if I made this a difficult question, lol. 

Ya know, you are in the spotlight, and I ask the difficult questions. It's my thang. Here's another hard one, name your favorite children’s story.

It’s not quite a children’s story, but the first series I loved was the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

Oh, me, too! I always wanted to grow up to be Mary Ingalls! Thanks for joining us today. It was nice getting to know you a little better. Now let's hear about your latest work...

She's a witch hunting a spell. He's hunting witches and falling for her.

Blurb ~

Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.


Magic bounty hunter Dylan has scoured libraries of banned magic paraphernalia seeking a method to distinguish genuine witches from impersonators. He suspects unorthodox librarian Carman might hold this information tighter than the hair he’s dying to unleash from her bun. With a past as hidden as his sleeve of tattoos, Dylan discovers he’s been used to gain Carman’s trust and their passion risks more than mixing mortals and magic.

Excerpt ~

…once she’d started Carman couldn’t stop,

the book beckoned. Pressing its spine against her palm, begging her to search within the pages to find the answers she’d unconsciously sought her entire life. As she lifted the book, her scalp tingled and her hair elevated like a halo.

“Whoa.” Dylan shielded himself with his hands. “Put it back, slowly, because this is reminding me too much of the incident with the chest. Having my apartment blown up from magic isn’t covered in my rent.”

The plastic evaporated in a puff of smoke in Carman’s hands and the book unsealed with a sigh. She smiled, the welcoming warmth emanating from within its pages against her palms. Why had Mother kept her from this? This is what she’d been waiting for.

As curiosity overtook his common sense, she detected Dylan’s cautious approach. He stood close enough to peer over her shoulder into her book, but far enough away to avoid touching her.

After the shockwave the last time their skin met, he probably worried he’d ruin another pair of pants. Carman closed her eyes, absorbing the power from the book. The delicious feeling evoked a sensation like melting chocolate, sweet and satisfying.

“I remember hearing about her, Esmeralda Wrath. I wonder if this was her book?” Dylan’s warm breath caressed her shoulder.

Carman opened her eyes and examined the page. To stare right at a photo of the most powerful witch of all time…her grandmother.





Fun Facts about Grandma Must Die:



· The inspiration for the church/library and the town in the story are located along a bike path the author frequents.

· A church that now operates as a bar the author has visited inspired the interior of the church/library in the story.

· The heroine, Carman, is obsessed with sexy, stilettos

· No real Grandmas were harmed in the making of this fictional story. In real life everyone loves Grandmas (unless, of course, they’ve been infected with a nasty spell).

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Grandma-Must-Die-Touch-Magic-ebook/dp/B014T4WQ2M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441398219&sr=8-1&keywords=grandma+must+die



The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6408

Author Bio ~

Maureen realized later in life everyone didn’t have characters telling stories in their heads, or weren’t envisioning magic and mayhem within the everyday. This, and long walks in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania spawned a love of writing.

Therefore she’s chased other interests, though none-the-less-daring, but closer to the ground, such as belly-dancing, becoming a self-proclaimed tequila connoisseur, fulfilling her role as biker babe to her alpha hubby and surviving motherhood to twins (so far).

Penning stories boasting laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world.



Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Maureen-L.-Bonatch/e/B00KHY1KK8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbonatch

Blog: http://www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/

Website: http://www.maureenbonatch.com

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Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/maureenbonatch/

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3103486.Maureen_L_Bonatch

Contact Info: mbonatch@yahoo.com