I'm excited that I get to host on this tour because I met Lori several years ago and she's an amazing person and author. Crystal, I hope to get to know better. So ladies, I'm putting you in my hot chair, one at time of course, to see what myself and readers can learn about two authors working as one. Time to play 10 questions with Crystal! 

Do you prefer to write with a typewriter, pen and paper, or a computer?
Hi guys! Thanks so much for your time today. I like to write everything out by hand, once I get to the point where I’m satisfied I type it out and save it for my editor.

Do you need music or silence to write?
Once I start writing it doesn’t matter what’s going on around me. Once I started writing while I was in a movie theater. The movie wasn’t boring but sometimes, especially when I get to a certain point in the story, my writing trumps everything

Did you read a lot as a child?
As far as reading is concerned I was a late bloomer. I really didn’t start reading on my own until Jr. High.

How did you pick your cover art? What was the inspiration?
For the covers of In the foothills of Mt. Empyreal our inspiration came directly from the stories, which is why there are angels and birds on both covers. Our cover artist for this project is Rebecca Treadway over at http://atrtink.com/

I’ve worked with her before, this was Lori’s 1st time working with Rebecca but because I trusted her so completely Lori trusted her too. We sent her a few images and gave her an idea of what we wanted then we stepped back and let her run with it.

Because both books revolve around the same event and takes place in the same location, but are completely stand alone stories she reversed the images and joined both books together by using fire and ice color schemes. We both approved the very 1st concept.

What would you like to be remembered for?
Hopefully for the little things, for my random acts of kindness, something nice that I said. I hope that I can be forgiven for the times I was bullheaded or intentionally cruel because I let my anger get the best of me or I wanted to hurt someone for hurting me. Being a good person is hard and I haven’t always been that, so hopefully if I do what I need to, if I can think before I speak, to think before I act, I can be remembered as being a good person.

Are there any of your characters that are based off of any people in real life?
No. Some of my characters do and say things that remind me of people I know in real life and after the release of my story The Monster I had distant cousins contact me asking if some of the characters were based on family members, that was fun but, it was just a coincidence.

Of your characters, whom do you favor most, and why?
I don’t have an all time favorite but for instance like in the Spectrum Trilogy there are parts in the story as a whole where one character will blow me away.

How long did it take you to write your very first novel?
My very 1st novel The Darkness took five years to write, but I wasn’t writing full time.

Of your characters, who is it that you just love to hate? Why is that?
Lol, sometimes they piss me off but I don’t hate any of my characters. When I was working with Lori on Mt. Empyreal I created a character named Khrystle that I wasn’t really feeling but Lori wanted to keep her and that made me resent her for a while but I didn’t hate her.

How old were you when you first started writing?
Well I always told really creepy stories, I remember being invited to slumber parties for the sole purpose of telling a spooky story but I really didn’t start writing them down until I was in Jr. Highschool.

I'm excited that I get to host on this tour because I met Lori several years ago and she's an amazing person and author. Crystal, I hope to get to know better. So ladies, I'm putting you in my hot chair, one at time of course, to see what myself and readers can learn about two authors working as one. Time to play 10 questions with Lori!

1. Do you prefer to write with a typewriter, pen and paper, or a computer?
I usually write on my computer, but when I want to experiment I will go back to pen and paper.

2. Do you need music or silence to write?
I don't like writing in silence. I usually have on some music, or have the tv on for background noise.

3. Did you read a lot as a child?
Yes, I was a voracious reader! I think that was one of the things that inspired me to write.

4. How did you pick your cover art? What was the inspiration?
R.L. Treadway did both the covers for The Guardians of Man and Hunting in Closed Spaces.  I discussed the stories with her and she came up with a few choices for each.

5. What would you like to be remembered for?
I would like to be remembered as someone who enriched the lives of others in some way.

6. Are there any of your characters that are based off of any people in real life?
None are actually based on real people, but some of the characters do have qualities of people I know.  For example,  Marradith's mother in Hunting has some personality traits of three different women.

7. Of your characters, whom do you favor most, and why?
In The Guardians of Man, I love Rythy.  She is so completely evil,  and has no clue about rules or limits. Justin Granthem is a favorite because he's flawed and sometimes comical, but in many ways he is an ideal man.

8. How long did it take you to write your very first novel?
About a year and a half.

9. Of your characters, who is it that you just love to hate? Why is that?
There are several! Leighton Ryder, Marradith's great grandfather, and Adam from Guardians.

10. How old were you when you first started writing?
I was nine.

The bird flew in circles, climbing high into the cold night sky.
She was ready to turn around and fly back towards Leighton’s house when she saw it through the treetops; a structure abutting the edge of the property, between a hill and a thatch of trees.
She saw something gleaming.
Fiona landed, and phased back into her human form. Pine needles assaulted her bare feet. She stepped carefully, thinking of snakes and other things that might be crawling in the undergrowth. Despite the fact that she could Shift into almost any animal, there were a few of them that she did not like. Anything that slithered or had multiple eyes or sets of legs fit easily into that category.
Crickets were loud in her ears. Moonlight helped, but she felt herself moving slower than she liked. What she was able to see quite clearly from above she couldn’t make much sense of from the ground.
She was standing in front of the door before she realized she was in the right place. Fiona sighed, wanting to laugh, but choked the sound in her throat. Leighton could be anywhere, she reminded herself.
The door was glass, and it was unlocked. She slipped inside. The lights were off. The most delicious smell came to her. Flowers. She was surrounded by them.
“Who’s there?” a voice called.
She looked up and saw a pair of green eyes glowing at her from above. Now she knew what she’d seen when she was outside.
“Justin?”
“Fi!” She could hear the relief in his voice.
She fumbled in the darkness, and was able to find the controls for the lights.
The light came on in sections, like the power being turned on in a stadium, until all of them were on. She put a hand over her mouth.
Justin was hanging from the ceiling, suspended by two black cords tied around his arms, from shoulder to wrist on each side. The cords were attached to iron hooks placed on either side of the walls. The cords were so tight that they cut into his flesh. His blood dripped onto the floor. What a clever torture device, she thought darkly. If he pulled either side, he would rip off his own arm. But if he just stayed there, he’d bleed to death. Slowly.
The sea of poppies shivered. Somewhere above a fan whirred softly. The greenhouse was huge, and time was of the essence.
“Don’t take this wrong, Fi,” he said, “never happier to see you, but uh, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Marra-”
“She’s up at the house,” Fiona cut him off. She was looking around, for tools, a weapon, something. “I don’t have time to explain. Let’s just say she does not take no for an answer.”
He almost smiled, despite the pain.
“Leighton’s got his own opium farm here, doesn’t he?” Fiona said, trying to distract him. She crossed into the back of the greenhouse, which led into a small room, not much more than a closet. There was a cache of opium bundled in bags, and with it, something to protect the illegal stash.
“Leighton’s heavy on it,” Justin said, as she came back into view. “Though I’d bet opium isn’t the only thing.”
“Stay as still as you can. I have - an idea. You need to trust me.”
He closed his eyes, and she saw his lips move. “Promise me something.”
“What?”
“If you can’t get me down, don’t waste your time. Get my girl away from him.”
Fiona shook her head as she lifted the gun. “No. Do it yourself.”
Justin didn’t have time to flinch. A flash erupted from the muzzle of her gun.