Five Questions with Author Mel Hopkins
Monday, June 18, 2007
What genre do you write in?
Supernatural Suspense/Sci-Fi/Fantasy. I grew up in the Christian Church
- Therefore my first encounter with the supernatural was stories in the
Bible. I've been fascinated with the supernatural/paranormal genre ever
since.
What motivated you to write Sleeping with a D-Man?
I was inspired to write Sleeping with a D-Man for my daughters but
especially my oldest daughter who was going off to college at the time.
I knew that she would encounter many young men while she was away at
school and I wanted to share with her in a non-preachy way that it was
important to know her own value before she engaged in any
romantic/sexual relationships.
I find that young people especially young women don't know who they are
and allow others (moms, dads, relatives, friends, boyfriends even
professors et al) to define him or her and map out a life before the
young wo(men) has a chance to do so for him/herself.
I chose to write Sleeping with a D-Man, however, in a supernatural
format to share the aforementioned message through an allegory of
sorts.
In doing so, and to illustrate the message I created Sleeping with a
D-Man's premise based on bible verses Genesis 6:2 -4 to tell the story.
Genesis 6:2 - 4 The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ...There were
giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons
of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to
them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
My novel's plotline tackles the questions raised in the scripture where
it reads, "There were giants in the earth in those days and also
after".
• What if after the flood, offspring of angels still walked the earth?
• What if they were still around to this day? If so, how would a modern
woman know whether she has encountered a human man or an angel's
offspring? It seems as if antediluvian human women couldn't tell the
difference between angels and human men.
• In addition, what if a man didn't know he was half angel?
"Sleeping with a D-Man," answers those questions while telling a young
woman's story from a paranormal perspective while using a mixture of
Hebrew and African Antiquity to weave the tale.
How do you juggle writing with your day-to-day activities?
To be honest I don't juggle writing with my day-to-day activities. I've
yet to learn how to do it. I better learn fast because I'm in the
process of penning the sequel to Sleeping with a D-Man" that I expect
to publish in March 2008.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I was laid off from my cushy high profile
9-to-5 position when I decided to write my debut novel "Sleeping with a
D-Man". All I had was some savings, severance pay and unemployment
checks to sustain me while I wrote. Once I finished, however, it was
onto the business of selling the book and launching my own media
communications business, The LeadStory.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
I've been a writer in various forms throughout my professional career so
writing comes naturally to me. However, it wasn't until I decided to
write a novel did I learn it takes discipline.
I believe everyone truly has at least one story in him or her,
therefore, it's important for an aspiring writer to choose one story he
or she wants to tell and stick with it until that story is complete.
Further, an aspiring writer should write his or her novel as if it's
the only shot to have his or her voice heard. We've heard that
so-and-so is voice of his or her generation; determine what story will
leave a lasting legacy.
How can readers learn more about you and your books?
Readers are encouraged to visit me at http://www.melhopkins.com/;
http://www.myspace.com/nickyjett;%20http://blog.myspace.com/nickyjett
Supernatural Suspense/Sci-Fi/Fantasy. I grew up in the Christian Church
- Therefore my first encounter with the supernatural was stories in the
Bible. I've been fascinated with the supernatural/paranormal genre ever
since.
What motivated you to write Sleeping with a D-Man?
I was inspired to write Sleeping with a D-Man for my daughters but
especially my oldest daughter who was going off to college at the time.
I knew that she would encounter many young men while she was away at
school and I wanted to share with her in a non-preachy way that it was
important to know her own value before she engaged in any
romantic/sexual relationships.
I find that young people especially young women don't know who they are
and allow others (moms, dads, relatives, friends, boyfriends even
professors et al) to define him or her and map out a life before the
young wo(men) has a chance to do so for him/herself.
I chose to write Sleeping with a D-Man, however, in a supernatural
format to share the aforementioned message through an allegory of
sorts.
In doing so, and to illustrate the message I created Sleeping with a
D-Man's premise based on bible verses Genesis 6:2 -4 to tell the story.
Genesis 6:2 - 4 The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ...There were
giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons
of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to
them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
My novel's plotline tackles the questions raised in the scripture where
it reads, "There were giants in the earth in those days and also
after".
• What if after the flood, offspring of angels still walked the earth?
• What if they were still around to this day? If so, how would a modern
woman know whether she has encountered a human man or an angel's
offspring? It seems as if antediluvian human women couldn't tell the
difference between angels and human men.
• In addition, what if a man didn't know he was half angel?
"Sleeping with a D-Man," answers those questions while telling a young
woman's story from a paranormal perspective while using a mixture of
Hebrew and African Antiquity to weave the tale.
How do you juggle writing with your day-to-day activities?
To be honest I don't juggle writing with my day-to-day activities. I've
yet to learn how to do it. I better learn fast because I'm in the
process of penning the sequel to Sleeping with a D-Man" that I expect
to publish in March 2008.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I was laid off from my cushy high profile
9-to-5 position when I decided to write my debut novel "Sleeping with a
D-Man". All I had was some savings, severance pay and unemployment
checks to sustain me while I wrote. Once I finished, however, it was
onto the business of selling the book and launching my own media
communications business, The LeadStory.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
I've been a writer in various forms throughout my professional career so
writing comes naturally to me. However, it wasn't until I decided to
write a novel did I learn it takes discipline.
I believe everyone truly has at least one story in him or her,
therefore, it's important for an aspiring writer to choose one story he
or she wants to tell and stick with it until that story is complete.
Further, an aspiring writer should write his or her novel as if it's
the only shot to have his or her voice heard. We've heard that
so-and-so is voice of his or her generation; determine what story will
leave a lasting legacy.
How can readers learn more about you and your books?
Readers are encouraged to visit me at http://www.melhopkins.com/;
http://www.myspace.com/nickyjett;%20http://blog.myspace.com/nickyjett
