1). Tell us a bit about yourself.
Olá! Meu nome é Miranda J. Riley and I am a young author in the midst of publishing her first works! I am married, have three cat children, love to paint, shoot photos, and read anything I can get my hands on, which is easy since I work at a library! I am from Brazil originally, but have been living in Tennessee for the majority of my teenage-adult life. I just finished my second novel, and I wrote two short stories during quarantine that got selected for publication, one of them being for SLAY!
2). Who is your favorite vampire author?
This is going to sound terrible, but I have not actually read that much in the vampire lore! I love the good old fashion Dracula and Immanuel’s Veins by Ted Dekker, but I also love the manga series Tokyo Ghoul (I know, doesn’t technically count but it could if you think about it) and Seraph of the End. I’ve read some of Stephanie Meyer and P. C. Cast, but I am really looking forward to this collection so I can broaden my author list of amazing vampire stories.
3). If you had the choice, would you be a vampire?
I’d rather be a dragon, but vampire is a good second choice.
4). Who is your favorite vampire?
Angel. Hands down. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the show) filled my vampire tank to the brim. (I didn’t know there were books!?!?) Angel won my heart.
5). What do you like the most about Slay?
I am so excited to read these African inspired characters. Not only that, but I am excited to learn how to write a great vampire should I choose to further develop my character’s story in the future. I feel honored to be among so many great black authors, even though I am a young white woman. I feel like there is a lot I can learn about creating realistic and true black characters for my future novels and short stories.
6). What inspired you to write Rampage?
I lived in Southern Africa with my mom and sister during my 13th – 14th year of life. I drew from my experiences traveling around Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia to create the setting. My characters are formed around people I socialized with and my main character is actually named after our wonderful cook and house lady, Aziza, whose food and companionship I miss dearly. I wanted to challenge myself by writing a story out of my comfort zone that could help me better my writing and better my ability to tell a story.
7). Tell us a bit about your story.
Rampage is about an African Elephant contracting the vampire disease and going berserk in Kruger National Park. Aziza, a warrior of Machanga, is recruited by rangers to help take down the elephant before she wipes out all the herds. In this story, Aziza learns how to trust others to achieve a goal and what it means to give something up for the greater good.
8). What do you hope accomplish with Rampage?
I hope to entertain my readers, first and foremost. For a reader to come up to me and tell me they enjoyed my story and want to read more, that is what fills my heart with joy. This will by my first official published work and I hope it begins my career path as a writer and I hope to accomplish great things after this publication.
9). Will there be more stories of Aziza?
Funnily enough, Rampage was not the first story of Aziza that I wrote. Rampage is an origin story for Aziza. I wrote another story initially, but the word count was too long for submission. I was advised by a wonderful editor who read my story out of kindness that I needed to world build in order to perfect my character in this other story. Out of that world building, Rampage was created.
10). How do we keep up with all things Miranda J. Riley?
You can follow me on Twitter @TheSpunkyDragon and friend me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MirandaJRiley I also have a baby website in the works at https://www.mjrileyonline.com/
11). What advice would you give to Slay readers about this anthology?
Read It, Review It, Share It. Help support your local authors and first time authors like me! Enjoy each story like it was its own book! Take the time to read and digest and then go find those authors online and read more of their work! That’s what I’m going to do!!
To read Rampage by Miranda J Riley and the other amazing stories in this fantastic anthology, preorder your e-book today!
For more exciting speculative fiction titles,
visit Mocha Memoirs Press
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