Tamela Miles Interview Published on: 08, Aug 2018

I grew up in Altadena, California in a cottage type home. My favorite place to be was in my tiny bedroom, snug and cozy. Did you have any special family traditions growing up? If so, do you still continue these traditions to this day?

One important family tradition was the weekly phone call to my grandma. It was lovely to share all the week’s events with her.

I think being able to see so many new places enriched me as a person. I had opportunities to meet many interesting folks. It definitely helped me create a bank of experience to draw from when I’m writing. That was one of the best parts. The worst part was encountering rude people who never seemed to get that flight attendants are people too, with lives outside the aircraft.

I started writing horror very early, around age 13. My first favorite author was Stephen King and his work encouraged me to try to be as good as he is at what he does with a seed of a horror story. I love walking through the dark garden of his thoughts when I’m reading his books.

“Dark Deliverance” was inspired by my desire to take my demon hunter in the black stiletto boots, Elle Connor, to the next level of being a full grown woman. She needed a man who matched her strong personality and passion and Patrick Holt, her fallen angel lover, was born. Fallen angles simply seem as if they have more of an intriguing story to tell.

I was inspired to write it after a summer of binge watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I loved the idea of a slayer but wanted to take my work darker than light hearted vampires.

I most enjoyed being able to show my readers the beauty and fun of Hollywood, California nights in the 1990s. I definitely identify most with Chloe, as she’s the romantic but with a level head.

I have compiled ten short stories in that one. The story that took the longest to write and also was one of the darkest is “Paper”. A lot of love and care went into crafting that one.

I wanted the main character, Zach, to live and breathe on paper exactly how I imagined him in my head.

I really wanted to explore the emotional depths of betrayal at the hands of someone you thought you knew well in “Hellbound”. It’s a process that began with my short story “One” and continues on even now as I write. It’s interesting having my characters figure out how to cope when betrayal snatches the rug right out from under them. How do you cope with that? Do you shatter or do you nurse yourself back to good and stand firm? Interesting stuff.

No! I have yet to spark a good controversy but it’s in me. Nothing wrong with pulling readers out of their comfort zone, sometimes.

I adore all of my books but I have a definite soft spot for my entire Hell On Heels series and the characters, demon hunter Elle Connor and fallen angel Patrick Holt. Their love story is so beautiful to me. There’s a little of me in all of my heroines but I’m most like her. There’s also a lot of me in Anya James from the story “One” and Natalie Kliebert from the book “Cushion”.

I like foreshadowing quite a bit. It serves to help me create both a chilling climax and a great AH HA! Moment for the reader.

Transcendent.

Tell us more about the love story between these two characters. I would respond that I’m always writing from a place of love and can’t imagine not writing some kind of romance.