Heartache & Hoofbeats: An Exclusive Cover Reveal and Interview with Author Maz Maddox

Lisa: We’re so pleased to have author Maz Maddox joining us today to reveal the cover of her brand new novel, Heartache & Hoofbeats, book one in the Stallion Ridge series. Welcome, Maz! Let’s start with a character question: If you could spend some real-life time with one of the characters in the book, who would you choose and why?

Maz: Jesse, because he’s charming, funny and could teach me to play poker. Plus, he’s got some crazy stories.

Lisa: On the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?

Maz: Jack and I probably wouldn’t get along. He’s too serious all the time and stubborn as hell. We’d clash to put it mildly.

Lisa: Let’s take off your author cap and put on your reader cap for a moment: what do you look for in a book, what sort of protagonists do you love, and do you have a favorite genre/sub-genre?

Maz: As a reader, I love enemies-to-lovers so much. I adore the begrudging romance blooming out of chaos. The more smart ass the protagonist the better, especially when falling for a strong and silent type.

Lisa: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?

Maz: I’d really like to get into thrillers or horror. I usually write adventure and love humor in my stories as well. Reaching into the dark spectrum is both intimidating and exciting which means I’ll have to do it at some point!

Lisa: What’s the one book you’ve read in your lifetime that you wish you’d written? Why did this particular book leave such a lasting impact on you?

Maz: That’s really hard to pin down, because I have so many authors I pull inspiration from. I think my all time favorite, and the one I always seem to find my way back to, is The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. Lestat is the ultimate broken yet lovable bastard. His story is so heartbreaking but powerful, and while he’s usually the cause of most of his major moments of strife, he never stops being Lestat. My goal in life is to someday write a character as lovably awful as The Brat Prince.

Lisa: What books and authors would you say influenced you to become a writer yourself?

Maz: When I fell into m/m romance, I discovered a treasure trove of authors and series that captured me immediately. My first love was the Cut & Run series by Abigail Roux, followed very closely by Captive Prince series by C.S. Pacat. From there it was a nose dive into the worlds of Charlie Cochet, Sloane Kennedy, Jex Lane and of course T.J. Klune.

All of these authors influenced me not just in their works, but them as people, to chase my stories down and get them out into the world. I don’t know if they’ll ever really know how much they’ve helped me.

Lisa: What would you say was the most intimidating thing about publishing your first novel?

Maz: Imposter syndrome. When you pour your heart and soul into something then realize you’re going to be walking into the same realm as your heroes is a hell of kick to the gut. It’s hard not to feel that tug of “I’m not good enough” or “no one will like this” constantly, even when everything is said and done. Best course of action? Do your best. Surround yourself with support and keep pushing forward!

Lisa: What book that you’ve read and loved would you most like to be a character in? Who would you be, and why?

Maz: I would love to be character in T.J. Klune’s Tales From Verania series. Being able to go on adventures with Sam and Gary would be too much awesome to handle. I’d have to be some type of beautiful, magical thing so Gary and I could be sassy brats together.

Lisa: If you could be any animal in the world, what would you choose? Why?

Maz: So, fun fact. I’m a huge paleontology nerd. I love prehistoric animals, especially dinosaurs. If I could be one animal, it would probably be an allosaurus or pachyrhinosaur. They’re two of my favorites!

Lisa: It’s the zombie apocalypse. It’s up to you and 5 other uninfected humans to save what’s left of humanity. Which fictional characters would you want on your team, and why?

Maz:

Matthew from Jex Lane’s beautiful monsters series, because he can wield a giant, death axe.
Ty Grady from Cut & Run because he’s resourceful as hell and I feel like he’d have a solid survival plan for just such an occasion.
Marius from The Vampire Chronicles because he’s wise and probably knows whatever ancient evil woke them up in the first place.
Dex Daily from the THIRDS, to help kick ass and be my karaoke buddy.
Tate Morrison from the Temptation Series, because once we set up the new world, we’re going to need a drink.

Lisa: Thanks so much for chatting with me, Maz. And now, here’s the cover of Heartache & Hoofbeats!

About the Book

Series: Stallion Ridge: Book One
Length: 250 Pages
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Expected Publication: 28 May 2018
Blurb: Like all centaur shifters, Sheriff Calhoun is the epitome of honor. He protects his small town of Stallion Ridge and its people from any threat large or small.

When word comes in that the notorious Iron Bandits are making a play for a train in his territory he’s both livid and invigorated. If anyone can bring these thieves to justice it’s him and his crew.

What he did not expect was having a charming, whiskey-eyed outlaw dumped in his lap that challenged everything he thought he knew.

Add it to your Goodreads Shelf now // Buy the Book on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited