Normally I do a Q&A with either the author or one of their characters for my ‘5 Minutes With…’ segment, so you can learn about some of the fantastic Indie authors out there. But here is something just a little bit different from Eloise J. Knapp this week. I hope you enjoy it! 😉
Eloise hit the espresso machine’s On button. It whirred to life, vibrating as it prepared to make a double shot of espresso. The shot glasses, not rinsed from whoever used them last, rattled as the machine went through its warmup cycle.
Writer juice. It was what she needed before she started a good three hour writing session. The bitter yet chocolatey liquid would activate her brain and make her feel super sophisticated as she drank it from a tiny white cup she got for Christmas. After all, it improved her writing if she felt like a super sophisticated writer.
The day was young and thus Eloise was optimistic. Normally irritated by the dirty shot glasses, in that moment she was unperturbed. She gave them a good rinse and let them dry while she ground and tamped the beans for a perfect double shot. The shot was incredible, the creamy espresso striping the sides of the shot glasses as it dripped from the machine.
Coffee in hand, she ventured into the office where evidence of the previous day’s writing remained on her tiny desk. Two green teas, abandoned at the last few sips, sat beside the monitor. A green notebook face down atop her drawing tablet. Nearly illegible scribbles for title ideas for an upcoming book, written on printer paper.
She sunk into the chair, sipping her drink, and gave the space bar a few taps to wake up the computer. Outside, the construction workers hammered away at the house they were building one lot away. They typically started at 7am and continued well into the afternoon. At first it drove Eloise insane. The noise was relentless. She needed complete silence while writing—no music, no talking, no distractions—and the construction cacophony provided all three. After five weeks, she was mostly used to it. Though on some days she felt like…well, those were darker thoughts unfit for the optimistic morning she was having.
The log-on screen came into view. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed in her password and went straight to Facebook to check out whatever drama brewed overnight.
She hesitated. Facebook was so unproductive. Really, she had a love-hate relationship with it. Social media could be used for good, but often wasn’t. If she could go back and give her 15 year old self some advice, it would be: do not get a MySpace. It was the beginning of the end, as far as she was concerned.
Eloise exited out of Chrome and opened Scrivener instead. That’s what she was there to do. Write. She needed to finish the new chapter in Anamnesis soon so the editor could have a go at it. She was psyched about the novel. It revolved around the concept of a drug that made people’s brains stop recording memories while they were on it. But they were themselves while it was active, not mentally hindered in any way, which made it kind of a scary concept.
The main character, Ethan Knight, was a classic Eloise J. Knapp Anti-Hero. The kind of guy you love to hate and end up wanting to be best friends with by the end. It was her favorite kind of character to write.
Her brain zinging with energy from the coffee, she stretched her fingers out and entered another world.
Eloise J. Knapp has several books on offer, including the ones below:
BLURB: GENESIS (BOOK #1)
Pulse: Genesis (Anisakis Nova Book 1) by Eloise J. Knapp
Published: February 9, 2014
Genres: horror, post-apocalyptic
Everyone thought the world would end in a rain of atomic fire; no one suspected it would come from a piece of bad fish.
An unidentified and aggressive illness begins spreading in North Dakota, and the nation panics. People are becoming sick, losing their minds, and murdering each other in disturbing ways. The government is struggling to come up with a solution, but as the epidemic mutates within the civilian population, its grip grows stronger.
Dom is thousands of miles away near Seattle, witnessing his city collapse. The pandemic hasn’t even reached them, but people are panicking and rioting as though it’s already there. Holed up in his apartment with his best friend and girlfriend, Dom fears the worst.
Dr. Adam Baker dreamt of a different life; one full of scientific discoveries and not a failed marriage and twin daughters who hate him. But when the opportunity to make a difference arises and his team has to find a solution to this national crisis, he finds that what he wanted is more than he bargained for.
Who will survive in the wake of this devastation?
BLURB: RETALIATION (BOOK #2)
Pulse: Retaliation (Anisakis Nova Book 2) by Eloise J. Knapp
Published: January 18, 2015
Genres: horror, post-apocalyptic
On the year anniversary of parasite Anisakis Nova’s first appearance, the infected launch a massive coordinated attack against cure distribution centers. In an instant, the already fragile country dissolves into chaos once again. The infected aren’t just back; they’re smarter and stronger than ever with world domination on their minds.
Meanwhile, humans struggle to defend themselves against the infected onslaught. While some choose to recede into the mountains to start a new life, others fight to save civilization. For both, a nightmarish game of survival has only just begun.
PURCHASE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eloise J. Knapp is a Seattle native and never complains about the rain. She recently finished her bachelor’s in graphic design with a minor in creative writing at Seattle University. When not writing she enjoys a variety of hobbies, such as yoga, cooking, shooting, and archery.
Rachel Tsoumbakos 