Author Interview: Michelle Flick

Today I get to interview one of my closest author friends, Michelle Flick. Michelle lives in Western New York with her family. She teaches 8^th grade ELA and is a lover of coffee, dogs, and music. You can find Michelle on Facebook, twitter and on her blog: www.flickspicks1.blogspot.com

About the dog:

Fergie is real! She is a 5-year-old collie. She hates tiled floors, loves the outside, and is never far from her family members. She is as loving and loyal as the Fergie in the novel!

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Tell us a bit about your latest release, WALKER?

Walker is a novel about a girl who can walk through dreams. At first she is freaked out by it, then she meets her dream boy, Nick. She is trying to acclimate to everything and then weird murders start to happen. Kate’s pretty smart so she starts to piece everything together.

In five words, describe your protagonist, Kate. 

Girl next door, smart, tough

What was the inspiration behind WALKER? 

There really wasn’t this big A HA! moment. More – I saw the sisters having a conversation. Then I wanted my collie in the story. But I’m a paranormal junkee – but I didn’t want to the typical, and thought about who was freaky and scary- and Freddy Krueger came to mind. Hello scary. So that was the narrative arc for the dream side of the novel. I then added JCru, Elise, and Colton because, let’s be honest – who doesn’t like a bitch, a loud mouth, and some eye candy? J BAM – The story matured.

Can you tell us about your previous release, THE OWENS LEGACY: REVELATIONS? 

I loved this one. It’s about twin girl who can communicated telepathically. Piper is sassy and finds trouble. Ryder is the level-headed on.  But they get caught up in an Ishtar prophecy and have to figure it out…

Two book boyfriends appear in this novel – Victor the vamp (swoon) and Finn (the boy next store.)

I had a lot of personality in this novel, much like WALKER, I never really knew what was going to come out of their mouths.

What made you want to write a vampire novel? 

I’ve been a fan of vampires since that Keanu Reeve movie – Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I was really young – maybe my mom shouldn’t have let me watch it, but she did. I love vampire movies. I love the stories. It’s what I know – so for my first novel – it made perfect sense.

How do you manage to juggle being a school teacher, new mummy, and a writer? 

I am not sure you can say I juggle. I struggle J  I have supportive family and friends. I def wouldn’t publish if I didn’t have people who help with the actually publishing process or people to watch my little one.

Plus I don’t care if my house is a mess.

What was the last book you read that gave you a book hangover?  

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins – I’m a huge fan of her. I love Kaiden Rowe (His last name is actually my last name). It was provocative, but not over the top. It was a solid story. I am still annoyed I have to wait until April.

What can we expect from you next? Is there anything that you’re currently working on?

It’s a contemporary piece I originally wrote years ago (like 6?). It’s something I need to personally finish. It’s about a girl named Tess Walters who gets her heart stomped on. She was in love and is blindsided by the break up. She doesn’t cope. Period. She finds a helping hand in an unlikely spot – her grandfather.

It’s in its basic form. I need to amp up the characters a little, make some scenes a little more sassier, and smooth it out. I hope to have it out in March or April.

Thank you so much for joining me, Michelle!

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You can find out more about Michelle in the following places:

Amazon
Goodreads
Facebook

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Interview with Samantha Durante

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series.

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Thank you so much for joining me, Samantha! I’m so excited to be a part of the SHUDDER blog tour!

I’m very excited to be joining you, Komal, thanks so much for hosting me!

For those unfamiliar with the Stitch trilogy, could you briefly tell us a bit about it?

Sure!  Stitch starts out seeming like a college ghost romance, but it’s got a big sci-fi twist that lands the characters in a disturbing future dystopia.  The second book, Shudder, is more grounded in dystopian territory, but it’s got some interesting paranormal additions to keep it fresh and different.  And I can’t tell you much about the third book, because I haven’t written it yet!

Stitch was a skillful cross between the paranormal, science fiction, and dystopian genres. I expected Shudder to solely focus on Dystopian, but was surprised when it drifted into the paranormal genre once again. What is your favourite part about crossing genres in this unique way?

Blending genres for me is a way to bring something different to the table.  I LOVE dystopian books, but let’s face it – there are a lot of popular ones out there right now, and the last thing I wanted to do with Shudder was rehash the same old tropes and storylines.  I thought the additional of some paranormal elements would help the book to be unique and hold readers’ interest, even if they’re burned out on straight-up dystopian reads.

Stitch had a huge twist towards the end that no one saw coming. When you went into writing Shudder, did you have any idea how you were going to outdo the twist in the first book?

That had to be the hardest thing about writing Shudder – how was I EVER going to outdo the genre-bending twist in Stitch??  In the end, I couldn’t think of a way to do it without going off the deep end and turning the series into like a cowboy space opera or something ridiculous, so I decided instead to just focus on making Shudder a really strong story and trying to avoid the dreaded “second book syndrome.”  I wanted to use this book to expand upon the foundations that were laid in Stitch, answer readers’ questions about the world-building, and continue to develop the characters, with a healthy dose of action and romance thrown in to keep the story moving.  I was able to bring in a *few* big twists this time (my favorite being the jaw-dropper in Alessa’s last chapter – sorry, I’m a sucker for cliffhangers!), so hopefully those will tide readers over until we can really kick things up in the conclusion of the series.

You presented many interesting ideas in Shudder, but what really resonated with me were your views on over-population. What were you hoping that your readers would take away from the story?

You know, I don’t really have a good answer on how to address the issue of over-population (and being someone who would eventually like to have 4 kids, I’m certainly in no position to preach to anyone to about population control!  lol).  But I can very easily see our world going the same route as the one in Stitch, where eventually just too many people competing for resources is going to have massive, planet-threatening consequences, and it’s really scary to think about that happening.  I guess the message here is that we all need to take a collective step back and look at what we’re doing and try to come up with some solutions, rather than forging blindly ahead until it’s too late (much like we’ve done with global warming…).

Could you tell us something about Stuck, the final book in the trilogy?

Things are going to get shaken up in a massive way for Alessa and the gang, and they’re going to have to find a different way of accomplishing their goals than they originally thought.  That’s all I’m going to say for now.  :-)

What was it like writing a sequel? Was it easier or harder than writing book one?

I thought writing Shudder was actually a lot easier than writing Stitch.  All of the hard parts – the backstory, the character introductions, the world building – are out of the way, so you can really focus on the fun parts and on making the world you created richer.  It was great to just set Isaac and Alessa loose and see where things went.

How much planning do you do before you write your novel? Or do you just go with it and see where the story takes you?

I do a TON of planning.  I literally do not write even a sentence until I have the entire story plotted out and a completed chapter-by-chapter outline that I feel fairly satisfied is 90% of the way there.  The remaining 10% I allow to develop as I’m writing, since sometimes ideas will occur to me or I’ll begin to see a development in a character that I didn’t notice before which is worth expanding on.  But in general, writing is the easy part – when I sit down to write, I already know where the story is going, so I just need to get the words out and try not to make too many typos along the way!

What are you currently reading?

I’m actually knee-deep in parenting/pregnancy/birthing books, since I’m six months along with my first, and (like with my writing…) I like to be prepared and have some plans in place before I jump into things.  But once I finish those off, I have a list of great new sci-fi books plus a few compelling YA/NA contemporaries – many of which are from other awesome indie writers (cough, Falling for Hadie, cough, cough) – that I’m dying to crack open.  :-)

Do you have any other projects in the works? What can we expect from you after the conclusion of the Stitch trilogy?

Nothing in the works right now beyond Book 3 (besides this baby, haha!), but once the Stitch Trilogy is released, I do have a bunch of ideas for potential stand-alone YA/NA sci-fi novels that I’m really excited about!  I’ll be sure to keep readers up-to-date on my blog/social media as plans cement…

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

THANK YOU for all of your enthusiastic support of the Stitch Trilogy!  I never expected people to be so receptive to my work, and I feel enormously grateful for each and every person who’s picked up one of my books.  :-)  Also, stay tuned tomorrow on the Shudder tour for more BAD GUY WEEK and themed posts about your favorite Stitch villains!

Thank you for your time, Samantha!

Thanks again for having me, Komal!

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If you haven't read Book 1 in the Stitch trilogy, Stitch is currently 99 cents on Amazon!

You can find out more about Samantha and her books on the following sites:

www.samanthadurante.com

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter - @SamanthaDurante

Interview: Melissa Pearl

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" 

She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year.

"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."

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Hi, Melissa! Thanks so much for joining me today! I’m really excited to get to know more about you and your books!

Let’s get to know a bit about you first:

How would you describe yourself in one word?

A dreamer

How did you get your start in writing? Was it a childhood hobby or something you became interested in recently?

I always had stories floating around in my brain as a kid, but I never thought being an author would be an option. I wrote a few stories for fun, but never took it seriously until I was in my early 20s. My friend, who was the only person I told my stories too, told me she wanted to read one of them and asked me to write the one I'd just told her. I decided to give it a go and immediately fell in love. When she read it and loved it, I decided to get serious and took a two-year writing course and started learning about this awesome craft.

Are you self-published or traditionally published? What made you choose that particular path for yourself?

I am an indie author and very happy to be that way. I love having control over my writing career. I was initially looking at traditionally publishing and spent two years looking for an agent. I was also completing my writing course during this time and realized I had a lot to learn before my work was ready to publish. When I finally got to the point of having publish-worthy work, I was so sick of getting rejected by agents. I mentioned this to my brother and he told me about Amanda Hocking. I immediately looked her up and then started researching the self-publishing movement. I knew it was the right path for me and I haven't looked back. I love being an indie :)

Let’s talk about your books: What was the first novel you published and can you tell us a bit about it?

My first published novel was Golden Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #1), which is currently free in digital format. It is about a girl who can travel through time. Noone but her family knows this. She falls for a boy she is not allowed to be with. He discovered her secret and so begins a forbidden love affair. It follows their fight to be together. It is the first in a three book series.

What genre do you write in? What do you love most about that genre?

I write in a few different genres - all YA at this stage although I'd like to try my hand at NA at some point. I have written an Urban Fantasy trilogy, a contemporary romance with a paranormal twist, a contemporary romance/thriller and I am about to release an epic fantasy trilogy. All I can guarantee is that my novels will always have a really strong romance in them. I'm a sucker for love :) I love writing YA. Teenagers are the coolest characters to write. I have so much fun.

You have published five books since 2011. Who is your favourite character out of all your books?

Ooooo - tough question. How do I choose? LOL :)

The first one to pop into my mind is a character called Gabe. He is not an MC, but actually a key minor character in my Time Spirit Trilogy. He was so great to write. I really loved him.

I also loved writing Nicole from Betwixt. She can be quite misunderstood, but I love how complex she is. She has a really sharp tongue too and would say stuff I would never dream of saying.

Oh yeah - and I can't forget Mica. She is my MC from Forbidden Territory. She makes me laugh and I'm SO in love with her boyfriend, Eli :)

Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration for your novels?

I get inspired from so many things in my life, but my main themes probably come from a faith I have grown up with. It's such a strong part of who I am, it's hard to not to let it come through in my writing.

What are you currently working on, and what was your latest release?

I have just spent the last 6 months working on The Elements Trilogy. This is a trilogy set in a fantasy world. It is based around an ancient prophecy and two seekers who leave home to find, and resurrect, the light so they can save the earth from darkness.

Unknown will be released on June 13th. Unseen is due for release mid-July and Unleasehd, mid-August. Once that is done I will be working on two novellas - a prequel and a sequel to Betwixt. I have a plethora of novels iined up. 2014 is already full. LOL :D

What’s one piece of advice that you have learned on your writing journey that you can share with aspiring authors?

Take the time to study the craft of writing. It's so important to know the basics of story structure and understand the elements needed for a good novel. If you want to produce quality, then learn the craft and pay an editor to help you refine your work so that it shines.

Last question: What do you love most about being an author?

Living in my imaginary worlds. I love walking the journeys with these characters. I laugh with them, cry with them, live these exciting adventures with them. I don't even have the words to describe how incredibly cool it is.

Thank you so much for joining me today, Melissa! I really appreciate it!

Thank you SO much for having me, Komal :) xx

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To find out more about Melissa Pearl and her wonderful books, please visit her on the following links below.

Facebook Author Page

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Author Page

Smashwords Author Page

Website

Interview with Autumn Doughton!!

Currently, Autumn lives in Gainesville, Florida with her two daughters, two dogs, two cats, two rabbits, three ducks and one lovely husband. She writes books. Fun books for you, and your sister, and your best friend, and your hair dresser, etc. She thinks of writing as a sort of therapy, and the results tend to be feel-good odes to her lost youth, which is exactly how she likes it.

When Autumn isn't working or looking for recipes that include avocado as a key ingredient, she can be found skulking around the movie theater or local bookseller. Generally with chocolate somewhere on her person because she never leaves home without a treat.

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I’m having a HUGE fan girl moment right now. I love your books! I read ON AN EDGE OF GLASS and loved it so much that I immediately went and bought your other book I’LL BE HERE. Okay, so this isn’t really a question, so I better stop fan girling and get on with the interview!

On an Edge of Glass is the BEST book I’ve read all year. I loved every second of it. Could you give us a brief summary of what the story is about?

First of all… THANK YOU! I love, love, LOVE your books and am basically in awe of you. I laughed and cried and swooned during FALLING FOR HADIE and I can’t wait for your next release, so to get a good review from you is incredible!

Now, back to the question. ON AN EDGE OF GLASS centers around college senior, Ellie Glass. Ellie is your typical Type A personality who has her whole life planned out. One afternoon she’s sitting in a coffee shop and has a chance encounter with a scruffy, downright sexy musician. Over the next few days she can’t get him out of her head, and when fate intervenes and the two are thrown together, Ellie gets more than she bargained for. Pretty soon she finds herself feeling and doing things that she never thought were possible.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Falling for Hadie! Coming from you, that is a huge compliment!

Reading your book was like poetry for me. Each word, each bit of description was so meaningful and beautiful. Where did you pick up this style of writing? Is it something that will be present in each of your books?

I get a lot of inspiration from music and the lyrics, so I suppose that has a lot to do with the “poetic” descriptions. Sometimes I struggle because I worry that I’ve gotten too flowery with my words and other days I feel like everything I write is a complete bore and I have to go back and make it more descriptive. It’s a tough balance to find and I hope that with each book I get a little better.

On an Edge of Glass is a story about love and misunderstandings. Did you draw from any real life experiences? Are Ben and Ellie characters that you can relate you?

The story behind ON AN EDGE OF GLASS is sort of an embarrassing one. It begins on the day that the Avett Brothers (my favorite band) were coming to Gainesville for a concert. I was walking my dog on the UF campus (like I do almost every day) and I was jamming out to their latest album getting ready for the show that night and thinking, "Wow, wouldn't it be unreal if Bob, Scott, Joe, or Seth were on campus RIGHT NOW and I caught a glimpse??"

Well... who do you think I look up and see jogging straight at me? Seth freaking Avett. My heart may have actually stopped beating. So, there I was--all sweaty and gross and (because I'm a good pet owner) holding a bag of dog poop. A BAG OF DOG POOP. Basically, the story goes that every single part of me froze up and I said absolutely nothing and before my brain cells could manage to reboot, the moment had passed and I was left standing like a moron staring at Seth Avett's back wondering if I should chase him down like a lunatic stalker and ask for an autograph. I didn't go after him. What I did was walk home on shaky legs with my head lost in a cloud of misery as I relived the moment on an endless cycle of what-ifs that all boiled down to: what if I were less of a dolt?

A few days later, Ellie and Ben just popped in my head and I knew that I wanted to write a love story about a chance encounter and a missed opportunity.

Um, wow. That is super awkward! But at least we got Ellie and Ben from that experience! =)

Can you share your favourite scene or quote from On an Edge of Glass?

I love Ellie’s best friend Mark so much, and I think I enjoyed writing the scenes with him in it the most. He’s actually based on a friend of mine so it was easy to imagine what he would say and what he would do. My favorite line is when Mark tells Ellie: “Happiness isn't something that you plan for. It comes knocking unexpectedly, just like opportunity. And it's up to you to answer the door and invite it inside.” That isn’t just something that I wrote. It’s something that I truly believe.

My favorite scene is when Ellie and Ben have their first date and he brings her the Gummi Bear bouquet. I just loved the idea of that so much and that he was nervous and a little shy about it.

I really loved Mark, too! And that scene between Ellie and Ben was adorable!

I’ll Be Here was an excellent read too. I found myself swooning over Alex and hoping that things would work out for Willow. The way you described Willow’s heartbreak was so real and it really affected me. How did you manage to make her emotions so real?

I tried to write those scenes from experience. I know exactly what it’s like to be seventeen and tied up in knots and have your heart ache over a boy who is all wrong for you because I’ve been there.  

Before I wrote the break-up scene between Willow and Dustin, I looked through my high school yearbook to get back into the teenage girl mindset. By the time I was done writing it, I was actually a little sick to my stomach and I felt like looking up my ex-boyfriend on Facebook to thank him for breaking my heart back then so that I could channel the emotions.

What was your favourite part about writing I’ll Be Here? What made you want to write this story?

When I started writing, I actually didn’t have a clear direction. I had Willow’s voice in my head and I knew that I wanted to bring her to life and that her message was about learning to pick yourself up after falling flat on your face. I played around with some ideas and none of them seemed to be right. Then I was at a restaurant and there was a teenage girl next to me and she was telling her friend about her break-up and a light went off in my head. The rest of the characters just came to me and I went from there.

You have a knack for writing swoon-worthy men. Even now, I can’t decide if I’m more in love with Ben or Alex. What’s your secret to writing men that make us weak at the knees?

I don’t want his ego to get too bloated, but I have to say that my husband is a pretty spectacular guy and there are big pieces of him in both Alex and Ben. And I drew inspiration for those characters from other men in my life—real and fictional, past and present. I’m a complete romantic and it’s easy for me to get caught up in the romance so I often times have to give myself a reality check to keep those characters grounded in real life.

What have you loved the most about your journey as an author?

Well, I have to admit that getting to work in my pajamas is pretty awesome. But, honestly, it’s the connections that I’ve made. Connections with other authors like yourself, and with readers. Every time someone emails me and tells me that they enjoyed the book or that they related to Ellie or Willow, it makes my world brighter.

FUN FACTS

Pen or keyboard?

A little bit of both actually. I like to keep a notepad on me and play around with ideas using pen and paper. I’ll write lines, or sketch something, or simply one word that I know I want to use. I glance at the notepad for inspiration when I’m writing on my laptop.

Amazon or bookstore?

This is a hard one. I am a bookstore junkie. I love real books—the smell, the feel, the way they look on my shelves, but the kindle has changed my world. With the kindle, I can take an entire library with me wherever I go. And I’m infamously impatient so I love the fact that with Amazon, if it’s two in the morning and I read a review for a book that I think I might like, I can download it in seconds rather than having to wait for the bookstore to open.  That being said, I hope that brick and mortar bookstores stick around. There are certain times I just want to browse real books. I think of it as watching a movie from home or going to the movie theater. Being at home is convenient and wonderful and I’m glad that I can pause the movie when I have to pee and don’t run the risk of getting a seat next to a smelly guy, but there’s something special about going to the movies. It’s an “event.”

Are you more like Willow or Ellie?

I think there are parts of myself in every character that I write. I’m definitely neurotic and insecure like Willow, but I put pressure on myself the way that Ellie does.

Alex or Ben?

Though I love Alex, I have to say Ben. I LOVED writing him. It was hard to finish the book and move onto something new because I missed Ben so much.

Team Damon or Team Stefan?

Team Damon all the way, baby!

Thank you so much for your time, Autumn! You’re the best!

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Find out more about Autumn on her Facebook page or her official website.

Interview with Heidi McLaughlin

Please welcome USA Today Bestselling author, Heidi McLaughlin to my blog today! I'm so happy to have her join us!


Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Hedi now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in her home is an overhyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day you’ll find Heidi behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories she plans to release or sitting courtside during either daughter’s basketball games.

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Thank you so much for joining me today, Heidi! I’m so excited to have you on my blog!

Tell us how you got your start in writing? Was it a childhood passion or something you began recently?

Reading was always something my grandma and I did together and when I was young I wanted to be a writer because I saw the smile my grandma would get when she’d read. In those days you had to go to college and get your masters before you’d be considered. Of course, times have changed and we can all express ourselves and share our stories now.

I recently read FOREVER MY GIRL and loved it! For those unfamiliar with it, can you briefly tell us what the story is about?

FOREVER MY GIRL is that high school romance that you had, but ended for one reason or another plus ten years. It’s about finding your soul mate without compromising who you are or who you’ve become.

What inspired you to write FOREVER MY GIRL?

Believe it or not, I saw a picture and this story just flashed before my eyes.

How did you respond to the success of FOREVER MY GIRL?

It’s still very hard to believe and when people say I have fans, I’m like no way. I’m so grateful for everyone who has read and suggested FOREVER MY GIRL to their friends.

I am eagerly anticipating your next release LOST IN YOU. Could you tell us something about it? (Maybe share a teaser if possible?)

LOST IN YOU is a coming of age book with alternating points of view about America’s pop princess (think a young Carrie Underwood) and a blue-collar high school student who meet and fall in love.

Someone like Hadley Carter can have anyone she wants. She’s having this after-party and yet she’s out here on her balcony keeping someone like me company. For all I know she’s taking pity on me because I was alone and about to leave. I suppose leaving her party would’ve made her look like a fool.

I’m close to her, so close that I can touch her if I wanted. I could move my fingers slightly and let her skin light mine on fire. I want to ask her what it feels like for her when we touch because for me it’s as if her skin is full of electricity and my body wants to know what it’s like to be touched by her repeatedly.

Hadley shifts, her knee brushing lightly against my fingers. I don’t move, afraid that she’ll notice. There is a light tingling sensation coursing from her to me. I look down, briefly. She moves closer.

As a writer, do you have any quirks or routines you follow?

Each chapter I write goes to my friend, Yvette. She is also my number one brainstorming partner. If I can’t sell her on my story idea, I’m not going to write it.

Are you an avid reader and if so, what are some of your favourite books of all time?

I used to be until I started writing more, now I read maybe a book every two weeks. I wish I had more time, but working a full-time job and writing at night doesn’t leave a whole lot of time. Not sure I have a favorite book – I like a lot of series though. Right now I’m in love with The Assassins Series by Toni Aleo. Love The Vampire Queen novels (Infinite Days and Stolen Nights) by Rebecca Maizel and The Body Finder Series by Kimberly Derting.

Do you have any exciting projects coming up?

I’m currently working on MY UNEXPECTED FOREVER – book #2 in The Beaumont Series.

What’s something important you’ve learned on your journey as author?

My author friends and my best friend, they’ve been amazing and so supportive.

Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate it!

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You can find out more about Heidi in the following places:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Twitter

Facebook

Interview: J.A. Huss

Julie Huss writes new adult science fiction under the pen name J.A. Huss and non-fiction science under the pen name J. Anne Huss. Her fiction titles include Clutch, Fledge, and Flight - the first three books in the I Am Just Junco series. She also has more than 190 non-fiction titles that cater to teaching science to home learners.
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Thank you so much for joining me today!

Thanks a bunch for having my Komal!  It’s so great to be here.

For those unfamiliar with your work, what is the I am Just Junco series about?

I Am Just Junco is an epic science fiction/dark fantasy series told from the point of view of nineteen year old assassin, Junco Coot.  Junco lives in a futuristic version of North America and the death of her father has spurred a mission to uncover secrets about her past. The first character we meet in the story is a winged alien named Tier. He wants to take Junco off Earth and no matter how hot this winged dude is, Junco is having none of it! The first book is all about Tier and Junco and how they come to terms with each other, and their interwoven futures.

Describe your main character in five words.

Tenacious, mouthy, violent, powerful, crazy

What do you love most about writing in the science fiction genre?

I love that anything is possible as long as you make it plausible, and I love world building.  Science fiction is all about the world and the characters and how the two interact. Junco’s world never stays the same – she’s on Earth in one book, but in space living with the winged aliens in the second.

How did you get your start in writing?

I started writing non-fiction science textbooks about five years ago and all during that time I had this science fiction story building in my head. In January 2012, I decided to make it happen and wrote the first three Junco books last year.

What are you currently reading?

Right now I’m reading an ARC for a friend of mine called SLOW: The Story of Signy and Aden.

What is your favourite science fiction novel?

Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan. It’s a total military SF novel that most girls would never pick up in a million years, but I love the rogue soldier main character—Takeshi Kovacs—because he’s very complicated and deep.

What is your favourite part of being an author?

Meeting new people in the book world.  I have made so many new friends this past year – it’s been incredible.

Do you have any upcoming projects you are working on?

I do – Junco has two new books releasing on April 1.  RANGE is the fourth book in the series and has Junco struggling to come to terms with her destiny and The Magpie Bridge is a novella that continues the epic where RANGE leaves off—only from Tier’s point of view.

What’s one piece of advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Write every day and release something as often as you can. That’s two!  But they are related, I think.

FUN FACTS

Pen or keyboard?

Keyboard

Science or fiction?

Oh….this is actually tough for me – I have to say both! (I cheat!)

Amazon or bookstore?

Amazon

Coffee or tea?

Neither – I drink Diet Pepsi and water and that’s pretty much it. :)

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To find out more about Julie Huss, please find her on the following sites.

Website
Goodreads
Facebook

Author Interview: Erica Cope

I am so freaking excited to have Erica Cope stop by my blog today! As y'all know, she is one of my critique partners and also a very good friend, and I have been super excited about her debut novel, Lark, for a very long time.

Erica Cope lives in Missouri with her husband and their three children. She has been writing short stories and poetry since childhood, but LARK is her first novel. She enjoys knitting, pretending she knows how to play her guitar, and reading pretty much anything you put in front of her.

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For those who are unfamiliar with Lark, can you briefly tell us what the story is about?

It’s a story about a completely ordinary girl who thinks she has a pretty good life. Then her world is completely turned upside down when she discovers that her real dad (who abandoned her before she was born) is actually the king of the Light Elves and that nothing is as she thought it was.

What was your inspiration behind the story?

I actually, as cliché as it sounds, woke up from a dream that I couldn’t get out of my head. I laid awake for hours before I finally just got up and wrote the whole thing down. I fell asleep after that but the next day I started thinking about what would have happened before and after the scene I dreamt. After that I started writing.

Describe your main character in five words.

Independent, caring, courageous, but also a little short-tempered and impulsive. 

She, like most teenagers, doesn’t always think things through but her heart is the driving force in her decision making.

 

Holy Jacoby! I am seriously in love with him, though Greyson is pretty awesome too. What can you tell us about this love triangle and the inspiration behind the love interests?

 I think most people “fall” for more than just one person while they are in high school. Mia is no different in that sense, but what is different is that while both Greyson and Jacoby serve a role in Mia’s life, only one of them is “right” for her.

However, she doesn’t spend the entire book contemplating which one! LOL I wanted to show that as Mia learned more about herself that she would ‘out grow’ her crush, which would then open her up to something more.

What has been your biggest challenge of being a self-published author?

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have so many people offer me advice and to answer all of my questions but a lot of it I still had to learn for myself. I guess my biggest challenge was the decision making part of it all. I didn’t want to make the wrong decision about something as simple as trim size or cream vs white paper, pricing and then end up regretting it or worse, forgetting to do something important! Like adding page numbers to my paperback…yeah…that happened. Whoops!

What do you love the most about being an author?

My most favorite thing is hearing all the positive feedback from readers. I love it when someone tells me they read it, loved it and can’t wait for the sequel…those days I’m pretty giddy and I walk around with a huge smile on my face.

I know you are super busy juggling three kids. How do you find the time to write?

Oh gosh! When I was writing LARK I would start writing as soon as I put the three Blondies to bed and I would often write until 3am without even realizing how late it was! I was in the zone! But when your kids wake up around 7am, that’s not much sleep! I survived those months by drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages!

I try to squeeze in writing whenever I can, sometimes I’ll get something stuck in my head so I’ll have to jot down some notes on a piece of paper and type it up later that night. Which in theory is a great idea but usually I write my notes so quickly that I can barely read my own handwriting!

What are you currently reading?

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead. I adore Adrian!

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can tell us about?

I’m about 75% done with the first draft of a contemporary romance I started last fall and I’m also currently writing the sequel to LARK. Ideally, I would like to have one of the two ready to be released by this fall.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I would encourage aspiring authors to pick good crit partners! I’m immensely grateful for mine!

- FUN FACTS -

Human or elf? I could totally be an elf.

Jacoby or Greyson? I can’t say. ;) Don’t want to be unfair to my guys by picking favorites!

E-book or book? I love the convenience of ebooks but I love the smell of the real thing!

Amazon or book store? For shopping, definitely Amazon, but I could spend hours browsing a book store and sipping on coffee.

Pen or keyboard? Definitely a keyboard. Sometimes I can’t even type fast enough for my thoughts so when I do write them down I have a hard time deciphering my chicken scratch!

Thank you so much for stopping by, Erica! It was wonderful having you here!

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You can find out more about Erica at the following social network sites:

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter - EricaCope3

Add Lark on Goodreads

Lark can be purchased in the following places:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble