Jennifer Hendren and By The Pale Moonlight

erewolves!

Jennifer Hendren's By The Pale Moonlight is out now (get it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Smashwords)!

"Makenna Wilhelm knows all of her friends have their quirks, but when Ty shows up naked in her yard one morning, she finds it beyond weird. Stranger still are the deep gashes across Ty's chest and his sudden ability to hear and smell things that no human should.

During a moonlit night, Ty's secret is revealed. He's no longer the boy she's crushed on forever, but rather a werewolf with one serious aversion for all things silver.

Makenna is left wondering if he's to blame for the recent death of one of their classmates, the apparent victim of an animal attack. With the help of Melanie, the dead girl's friend, they manage to shed doubt on Ty's guilt -- only to discover Makenna was the intended prey. Even worse, she's still a target.

In a race against the full moon, the trio struggles to find who murdered the young woman. However, without a way to cure Ty, they have no way of knowing who poses the greater threat: Ty or the unknown enemy."

Jen's dropping by the blog today to answer a few questions... Welcome, Jen!

Thank you so much for hosting me, Deniz!

Which is the most embarrassing song, book, movie or TV show that you love?

I can't believe I'm about to admit this. Okay, I'm a hopeless fanatic of Little House on the Prairie. There. I said it. I can't help myself. I cry nearly every episode. It just gets to me. I mean, the episode where Laura trades her horse to Mr. Oleson to buy Ma the stove she wants... wait... *fans her eyes* Gah. I'm a SUCKER for that show. I still love to watch it whenever it's on, and my family always gets a kick out of it.

Which of your characters is most like you?

Madison from Faking It. Hands down. She's a total geek and has my sense of humor. I just wish I had her metabolism. The girl is always eating ice cream and she never gains weight! (g)

Have you secretly chosen actors to play your main characters?

Gulp. Yes. I have actual actors for my Faking It books (Rachel McAdams would make such a good Madison)... but for the Moonlight series, I have pictures I swiped from the internet. The one I chose for Ty is a model... fits my image of him perfectly.

How's the indie/self-publishing journey been so far?

It's going well. I really didn't know what to expect when I began. Though By the Pale Moonlight is by no means selling in record numbers, its sales are steady. I can only hope they will increase as time goes by. There's a great reliance on word of mouth when you self-publish, and I really hope that if people read and enjoy my book, they'll recommend it to friends. [I sure do!]

Favourite werewolf not your own?

Oh, goodness. This one is hard. I have to tell you, I'm a fan of the oldies. Lou Chaney as the original Wolf Man has a special place in my heart. I love the idea of this lovable guy turning into a monster he can't control. His character really showed the helplessness a werewolf must feel -- how the moon rules everything. Special mention has to go to Joshua Jackson in Cursed because I think he's a cutie patootie -- and Jacob Black, in parts. Definitely before that imprinting mumbo jumbo.

Who was the last person that haunted you?

I've actually had my fair share of paranormal stuff happen. Part of me wants to write it off as my imagination, but I'm not really sure... Last thing I remember happening was when I was living in Tennessee. I toured a local plantation and I swear something followed me home. The tour guide told us that Union soldiers were held in this small closet beneath the stairs, and at least one of them died there. Be it my imagination or sub-conscious messing with me, the light in my closet kept mysteriously turning on -- even when I double-checked it several times. It happened for over a month, and then just stopped... yeah, it was freaky, but not scary in a horror movie type way. [ooh!]

Getting a good review from which author would make you freak out the most?

Oh man. Where to begin? Anyone I admire would probably top that list. I wouldn't want to let them down. If I had to name one person, though, I would probably say Maureen Johnson. Anyone happen to read her review/guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol? The woman could rip me apart, and I'd probably laugh the entire time. That's just wrong on so many levels. To get her thumbs up would be AMAZING. [oh man, that guide is hilarious!]

What's the weirdest thing you've researched?

My research tends to be pretty minimal (yay contemporary). I did a lot of research about werewolves and the various legends for the Moonlight series... But the strangest is probably when I researched how to shoot up heroin for Faking It. I kept expecting some alert to go out to the police or something. :)

What's your earliest memory related to writing?

I used to make up these really elaborate songs when I was maybe five or six. I used to sing them to myself for HOURS. I'm sure it was wonderful to listen to. (heh) The first time I remember putting pen to paper to write fiction was probably right around fourth grade or so... I recall it being one of those teenage books where some mean girl is trying to steal the main character's boyfriend. It didn't really go much further than that. I just knew this girl was mean and that she was up to all sorts of shenanigans.

What's next?

What's next is Walking in Shadow -- the sequel to By the Pale Moonlight. It's a completely different book in many ways, and it's going to be challenging on a lot of levels. I'm excited and nervous to really dive into it fully. But dive in, I shall. I hope to have a solid first draft by the end of November. Wish me luck! :)

Thank you again for having me, Deniz! These questions were a blast!

Thank you for visiting, Jen! I didn't ask you how NaNo was going but I hope the words are flowing... 

It's been steady for me; better than the first year I tried it, but not as crazy as last year,

when I was writing and typing non-stop.

Still on track for my ROW80 goals, though, I hope. And November's barely begun!