Welcome to my stop on the frabjous tour the UH-MAZ-ING Mindee Arnett and her UH-MAZ-ING book The Midnight Affair! I'm so excited to share book love and this amazing author interview with ya!

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn't get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell. And then it comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues--both within Eli's dreams and out of them--to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she's up to and marks her as the next target.  

About Mindee Arnett

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She's addicted to jumping horses and telling tales or magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares. 

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Mindee Arnett is a crazy awesome author right? Hopefully you are as excited about her book as I am! So make sure you add it to your Goodreads if you haven't already! And now I've got a special treat for ya'll. I got the awesome-sauce priviledge to intervie Mindee! Woot! She's fantastic, and I hope you have as much fun read things as I did....[oh shut up Inky, just roll the interview already!]....onward ho!

Your book has a crazy intriguing idea, telling the story from the POV of a Nightmare! Any special thing that triggered this idea for a novel?

Yeah, I was asleep one night, and I had this dream…nah, just kidding. No dreams involved. Really, I sort of stumbled on the idea purely by chance. I was researching monsters to populate some of short horror stories when I came across them. What intrigued me most was the idea that nightmares ride people’s chests when they’re sleeping and give them bad dreams. I started to wonder what it would be like to be one of those creatures and to have to live that life. And almost right away the idea of the creature being a girl instead of a monster occurred to me.

What is your favorite memory from the writing process from Draft One to your finished novel?

Tough, tough question. There are so many! Like getting my awesome edit letter that consisted mostly of “add more magic and romance” or seeing the formatted print in the first pass pages. But probably my favorite was when my big sister, and one of my early readers, told me in an e-mail that the story was “read again good.” It meant a lot. Still does, actually.

What's the best piece of writing advice you've ever gotten?

“You must not come lightly to the blank page.” That’s a direct quote from page 106 of the first edition of Stephen King’s On Writing. Of course, it took me a really long time to figure out what it actually means, but once I did things started changing for me as a writer.

For me, not coming lightly meant I got serious about the stories I was trying to tell. I no longer let the story wander without purpose or aim, and most especially without question. I started to truly study the art of storytelling—not writing—but storytelling. I familiared myself with terms like “turning point,” “major setback,” “climax, “denouement, “deus ex machina” and so on. I sought out solid, reliable critique partners. And I immersed myself in the business of writing by finding agents and editors online, and learning about what really goes on when a book is sold and put into production.

Describe your book in 5 words.

Whimsical murder mystery with magic.

How did you name Dusty?

Honestly, at first I picked it at random. I always thought it would be a fun name for a girl, sort of along the lines of “Taylor.” Also, the first horse I ever loved was named Dusty. So maybe that had something to do with it. But really, Dusty is just a nickname, one she picked herself—mostly to annoy her mother.

If she had to be renamed what would her name be?

Taylor? Evangeline? Sally? I really have no idea. She is—for better or worse—Dusty. And to be honest, it’s a little bit of a running gag throughout the story that I hope people will like.

Do you write by free-hand or by typing on the computer?

Nearly all my writing is done on the computer. I occasionally draft scenes by hand, but only if I can’t get to my computer. My handwriting is atrocious, and I can’t keep up with my brain. I do, however, do all my brainstorming and prewriting by hand.

You're stranded on a desert island with one book. What is it?

The sequel to The Raven Boys or barring that, the sequel to The Diviners, two of my favorite reads of 2012. I definitely wouldn’t pick a book I’ve already read, no matter how much I love it. If I’m stranded, at least I’ll get a couple days of pure escape into a new book before being condemned to read it over and over again.

What is your favorite kind of scene to write?

Action, all the way, regardless of what type of action is, including a death scene or kissing scene.

What is one of the first things you do to get your know your character a little more? 

Any special upcoming projects? 

I’m very excited about both the sequel to The Nightmare Affair, and my upcoming sci-fi thriller Avalon.

Is there something you want readers to take away from your book?

I really just want the reader to have had fun reading it. Call me shallow, but that’s what matters most to me as a reader—did I enjoy the time spent with the story? If the answer is yes, that’s a win in my book.

Favorite movie of all time?

Ugh, this question—so hard! I have so many favorite movies. Seriously, I’m like a movie whore. But today I’m going to go with Serenity.

What's your ideal place to read a book?

My La-Z-Boy recliner with my rocker ottoman, a warm fuzzy blanket, and my warm fuzzy cat Bela in my lap.

Candy Corn or Candy Canes?

Candy Canes

M&M's or Skittles?

M&M's.

Root Beer Floats or Ice Cream Sundaes? 

Ice Cream Sundaes

Thor or Captain America?

Thor, all the way. Chris Hemsworth? Total swoon.

Blonde or Brunette?

Blonde

Plaid or Polka Dots?

Plaid.

Thank you so much for stopping by Mindee! It was an absolute pleasure. 

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Isn't she fabulous?! I hope you've gotten more excited to read her book! If you haven't had that pleasure yet, here is your chance! Mindee has so generously offered up TWO signed copies of her book to two lucky tour followers! Isn't that awesome?! So hurry! Go enter! Don't miss out! And make sure to leave a comment for Mindee below! Happy Thursday!
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Have a fabtastic day and sleep tight tonight! Don't want any nightmares dropping in! XOXO,