Deirdre Martin-Interview

1.How do you come up with your female main characters, any inspirations?

That’s an interesting question.  I very often come up with the story I want to tell first, and figure out character details later. A lot of the female leads are amalgams of women I know. I have a friend who’s a former soap actress who helped inspire Monica in POWER PLAY. I often throw bits of myself into my female characters as well. For example, I own a Newf, like Delilah in CHASING STANLEY, I’ve always been interested in New Age-y stuff, like Gemma in TOTAL RUSH, and I like to cook, like VIVI in JUST A TASTE.   

2.Also do you know in advance the secondary characters that are going to be in their own books?

I never do. I write a book, and often, I’ll get email from readers asking “Is so and so going to get their own book?” If I hear that comment over and over again, then I pay attention. I’ll look back at the character and if I agree that the secondary character merits his or her own story, then I’ll run it by my editor. If she agrees, I go for it.

3.I love how family is important in your books, did you do that on purpose or did it just happen naturally?

It happens naturally,  If I sat down at the computer with the intent of tackling particular themes, I’d be sunk, because my brain just doesn’t work that way. It took me a long time to see that the issue of family kept cropping up again and again in my books. In fact, I think someone pointed it out to me, I didn’t see it myself. I wonder if that’s weird! I don’t know.

4.This question is silly, but I have to ask it, are the New York Blades the Islanders?

No. A lot of readers also think the Blades are the  New York Rangers, because Manhattan is  their home ice,  but they’re not. I chose New York because I know New York. The team is totally fictitious, though I will cop to there being certain elements of the Devils’ Scott Stevens and the Rangers’ Mark Messier in the character of Ty Gallagher in BODY CHECK.

5.Why did you decide to write about hockey?

What happened was that I started watching hockey with my husband, and I realized very quickly that not only was the game itself exciting, but that the players made perfect romantic heroes. They're warriors on a quest: the quest for the Stanley Cup. They're willing to sacrifice, whether it's physical, mental, or spiritually, to achieve their goal. These guys are tough. And let’s not forget, they have fabulous bodies.

6.I also love that The New York Blades series is so different, and that each book is unique, how did that happen?

I wanted to write books that were interconnected, but could also stand on their own as individual novels.  Often readers will tell me they pick up one of my books, not knowing it’s part of an ongoing series. When they find out, will sometimes seek out the rest of the Blades’ books, or the rest of the books in the Wild Hart Saga. The latest book, ICEBREAKER, can count as a book in either series: the hero is a hockey player, the heroine a member of the O’Brien family. That was fun to write.

7.If you weren't a writer what would you do?

I would love to be an actor, but that’s even more impractical than being a fiction writer. I do community theater and I’m part of an improv group, and I love it.

8.What NHL teams do you like?

The Rangers. I’m also fond of Philly.

9.How many times have you seen Slap Shot?

Let’s put it this way: my husband and I own Hanson Brothers action figures.

10.Is harder to write a sports romance than it is a regular romance?

A little bit because you’ve got to know the game really well. When you write scenes that take place on the ice, you have to make sure that they’re realistic enough to interest hockey fans, yet still clear enough so non hockey fans can appreciate what’s happening. That’s one reason I try to keep on-ice events pretty simple.


Thanks so much Deirdre this was a fantastic interview!!!!

Erin Kellison-Interview/Giveaway

Ok, so I saw this cover on the interwebs for a book called Shadowman, I fell in love so I did some research and stumbled upon the author, Erin Kellison, and the incredible world she'd built. I've even read some readers call her writing poetic, and extremely hard to put down, I'd have to say I agree. Also Shadow Bound has dual POV, and I'll admit I'm a sucker for that. Also on my Goodreads friends list everyone gave these books 4 if not 5 stars, that I'd say is promising. Today I have Erin Kellison herself, she answered some questions about her series, and her writing, and as a bonus gave us a blurb of her upcoming novella Shadow Touch. She also nicely agreed to giveaway the first two books in her series Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall. Below are the pictures of those two books, and her two upcoming releases Shadowman and Shadow Touch her novella. 

If you want a chance to win the first two books in her series fill out this FORM. I know sometimes forms are super annoying, but its just easier for me to keep track of the entries. I try not to make you jump through too many hoops. Have fun reading the interview, I thought it was pretty cool myself, let us know what you think. & a big thanks to Erin for taking the time to speak with us, and to offer up two of her books :]

 

       

& Erin's Upcoming Releases 

 

Interview, Erin Kellison

1. How did you come up with the idea for such a complex world? 

Banging my head on my desk? No, really…The Shadow world started with a banshee, and then grew from there. The heroine of Shadow Bound, book one in the series, is on the edge of two worlds—the contemporary world, and Twilight, a place of magic between life and death. Her father, Shadowman, the hero of book three, is none other than Death, aka the Grim Reaper, a fae lord of that realm. His duty is to courier souls across the fae divide to the Hereafter. Once I had discovered that structure, the rest presented itself: Twilight is the place of inspiration, seduction, and nightmare. It is the place where dreams, myths, and fairy tales are all true. And yet, for all the magic that the fae have, their existence is circumscribed by Twilight—they can’t change, and therefore are jealous of humankind. Only Shadowman has the power to cross into the mortal world, and then for the sole purpose of taking a soul, which he has done for millennia upon millennia. When he prematurely crosses to love a mortal woman, magic pours into the world. There you have it—the complex world, in a nutshell.

2. Is it hard to write Adam he seems like he has a lot going on in his life? 

I had Adam pretty well developed in my mind when I set out to write Shadow Bound. He is obsessed with one goal—to find a way to kill his brother, who has become a wraith. The tension between the brothers, as well as the sense of duty on Adam’s part, really interested me. He’s a man with the world on his shoulders, slowly losing his humanity in a very different way than his brother. His good friend, Custo (the hero of book two, Shadow Fall), stands by Adam as a true brother would, keeping him as sane as possible in the situation. When Adam discovers Talia, finally there is a hope of a resolution, though it is very hard to come by.

3. Is it hard to get in the mood when writing, the story seems dark and gritty, how do you do it?

Actually, it’s not so hard to get into the dark and gritty tone—the character’s POV takes me to their place in the story—but sometimes it’s hard to shake it off, if that makes sense. I’m prone to nightmares regardless, and I have more when I am writing the black moments. Oh, and every once and a while, I scare the bejeezus out of myself doing research. I remember researching devils for Shadowman, and had to call my husband at work because I was suddenly terrified in my own house, during daylight hours.  I wish I could say that was an isolated incident, but…

4. Do any actors come to mind when you think of Talia, Adam or any of the other characters?

Hmmm… difficult one because I have my own pictures in my head for each of the characters. I like the intensity of Christian Bale for Adam, and for Talia maybe Kristen Bell or Amanda Seyfried. In Shadow Fall, I can see a wolverine-ish Hugh Jackman for Custo, and for Annabella, I was thinking of Mila Kunis. Shadowman is the toughie… My husband suggests CGI.

5. Is Shadowman the last installment of the series? 

No! I’m working on book four now (insert maniacal laughter), which takes the Shadow world in a new direction, and am contracted for a fifth. No idea what that book will be about.

6. Can you tell us any secrets about the series, if not any news you'd like to share? 

Secrets… secrets… well, I used have an epilogue at the end of Shadow Fall, which foreshadowed Shadomwan’s quest. My editor suggested cutting it because it changed the tone at the end of the book, and I agreed with her. The lost epilogue will be making an appearance on my website soon.

Also, I have a novella coming out this June set in the Shadow world, titled Shadow Touch. Here is a mini blurb:

 It’s about a woman, Eleanor Russo, who has a problem she hopes Segue can solve--her shadow has a mind of its own. Sure, it's connected on a primal level, but beyond that it roams, seductive, willful, shameless. Dr. Cameron Kalamos wants to study Shadow (capital S magic), not shadow, the thing everyone has. But the more he learns about Ellie and her dark half, the more he's intrigued. When the shadow starts to take on solidity, Segue is alarmed. The shadow can kiss, touch...kill. Ellie must master her dark half, or be mastered herself.  

7. Does the series have a playlist of songs that inspire you?

Not really. I get the most ideas when I am working out (I hate working out, so getting story ideas is a major motivation). And none of my workout songs are sappy-happy.  When I’m able to sit down, I’ve got to have quiet so I can think. Maybe that’s because my kidlings are always making a racket. Case in point, my five-year-old just galloped by my door pretending to be a horse. Very realistic interpretation, if you ask me.

8. How did you decide you wanted to be a writer, and that you'd write stories about fey and death?

I tried to write my first book in the fourth grade, so I guess you could say I’ve wanted to be a writer most (all?) of my life. I don’t know when it began, but I never really gave it a good try until I had my first kid. Or maybe that’s when insanity set in. And I had no idea that I would be writing such dark stuff! I loved the idea of writing about a banshee, and the rest flowed from there.

9.Before I started this interview, I looked up some reviews, and I couldn't find a bad one, what is it about the series that you think so many readers love?

I’m laughing here, because there are definitely some bad ones out there. By in large, however, they were generally positive, which makes me so happy that it resonated with readers. When readers send me comments, usually they highlight the world building, sense of dark fantasy, and, well, the heroes.

10. Lastly that Shadowman cover, so beautiful right? RIGHT? 

I love the Shadowman cover! Kensington’s art department did a fantastic job, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I had no idea what direction they would go. I think they captured perfectly the story’s sense of fantasy, foreboding, and passion. I’ve had a great response so far, and I hope (pray) that readers love it too. Crossing fingers, and toes, and eyes.

If you want to learn more about Erin and the Shadow series, visit www.erinkellison.com. 

Black Wings-Interview/Giveaway

I got a chance to interview Christina Henry the author of Black Wings, Black Wings is an Urban Fantasy about a Grim Reaper named Maddy, its pretty original, Christina was nice enough to answer some questions, and I posted them below, check them out, and be sure to check out Black Wings too.The sequel comes out in August 2011. Also she was nice and agreed to a giveaway for Black Wings, just comment below on the interview with your e-mail addy. Thanks again Christina :]

Happy Reading
Katy

 

1. How did you come up with the idea to write a book a Grim Reaper?

A few years ago I tried to write a suspense thriller, but it wasn’t working for me. I kept adding in supernatural elements! When I decided to write an urban fantasy I wanted to do something that was a little bit different from a lot of what was out there at the time – mostly vampires and werewolves.

I love the idea of Death as a protagonist, because Death is the most powerful force there is – natural or unnatural. No matter how strong you are, no matter how fast you run – Death gets everyone in the end.

2. Any advice you'd give Maddy?

Stay calm! A lot of Maddy’s problems stem from the fact that she can’t control her powers because she’s too emotional. She’s an older character but it many ways she acts younger simply because she hasn’t spent that much time interacting with other people. She’s been pretty deliberately sheltered by Beezle, her gargoyle.

3.Does Black Wings have a playlist, certain songs you listened to for inspiration?

Black Wings has a lot of humor and a lot of action, but I feel that the core emotion of the book is really about sadness and loss. The first song that summed up Black Wings for me was Sarah McLachlan’s “Full of Grace” and that set the tone for the pretty much the whole playlist and the whole book.

Some of the other songs from the Black Wings list were:

Wonderful Life/Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

O Children/Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

The Part You Throw Away/Tom Waits

Father Lucifer/Tori Amos

Graveyard/Trip Shakespeare

Somewhere Over the Rainbow-What a Wonderful World/Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

Landslide/Fleetwood Mac

4. Can you tell us anything about Black Night?

I can tell you that the stakes get raised very dramatically for Maddy. She owes Lucifer a boon after the events of Black Wings and he’s going to make sure she pays that debt. Of course, being Lucifer he’s got lots of ulterior motives as well, so nothing is ever as simple as it seems for Maddy.

5.Do you have an actress in mind when you picture Maddy?

Wow, this is kind of tough. I don’t know who would play Maddy. I just think I would hate it if she was played by a super-skinny actress, because Maddy is slightly overweight and I like that about her – it makes her more human and less physically perfect than a lot of heroines. The actress would also need a major attitude, because Maddy’s definitely got a chip on her shoulder! Sandra Bullock totally could have played this role ten years ago but I don’t know who would do it now.

6.Have you read any good books lately that you'd recommended to Urban Fantasy readers?

I’m presently reading China Mieville’s Kraken, which is really clever and wonderful like all of his books. His young adult novel Un Lun Dun is one of my all-time favorites.

Also, if you haven’t read Nancy Holzner’s Deadtown you definitely should! The sequel, Hellforged, was just released a few weeks ago and they’re both awesome.

This is a little out of the urban fantasy milieu, but I’ve been recommending Ken Harmon’s The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir to pretty much everyone. It’s  a wonderful send-up of both the mystery genre and Christmas conventions – if you want a good laugh you should read this book.

Stephanie Perkins: Interview /Giveaway

I have this awesome interview to share with you guys, the wonderfully talented Stephanie Perkins was kind enough to answer a few questions. Also remember I'm giving away a copy of the book, just comment on this post with your favorite romantic city & why.. Enjoy the interview :] (you won't get the book early FYI just when its released)


Interview



First of all congrats on EVERYONE loving Anna and The French Kiss, its super buzzed about lately. How did the idea for the story come to you, everybody says how well written, and fresh it is, how did the idea come to be?

Thank you!  The buzz is very flattering and unexpected.  The story arrived to me in a dream.  I saw a beautiful boy with a French name and an English accent sitting on the steps of the Panthéon, and I knew that I was deeply in love with him.  The idea was impossible to resist.  Or, more accurately, THE BOY was impossible to resist!

If you could meet up with Anna, what exactly would you say to her?

I would thank her for changing my life.  And then I would ask her to introduce me to Étienne St. Clair so that I could hear him talk and smell his hair and such.  And then they'd probably issue a restraining order against me.

Anna and The French Kiss is getting constant praise, and the words on everyone's lips are "down to earth, realistic, and also flawless." When you started writing was it your intention to make Anna and St. Clair that way, or did that all just occur? 

Yes and no.  I certainly didn't set out for praise, but I was interested in writing a book that *I* would want to read—and that meant realistic characters that I could relate to on a personal level.  My characters are flawed and make mistakes (perfection is so boring!), but I think/hope that they're genuinely kind people.  If I couldn't respect them or want to hang out with them or want to BE them, how could I expect a reader to feel any of those emotions?  I'm just fortunate that this initial reader response has been so positive.

People want to marry Anna and The French Kiss, leave their lives behind and live in it, what was it like to actually live in that world while you were writing? 

Ha!  Usually, it was wonderful.  Some days were harder than others—writing IS a job, after all—but, yes, most days were a joy.  As Anna fell in love with France, I fell in love with France.  As Anna fell in love with Étienne, I fell in love with Étienne.  That's a good place to live!

Playlist for the book, any songs that made your creative juices flow?

I'll be releasing the official playlist soon on my website, but I will say that it has a lot of French rock on it.  The Hellboys' "Besoin de Rein" was on constant rotation.  I like to think of it as Anna's theme.  Not so much for the content (the title means "thanks for nothing," ha!), but because it *feels* exciting and confusing.


Thank you so much Stephanie, I can not wait to get my hands on Anna and The French Kiss 

Across The Universe-Beth Revis-Interview

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next. Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming (Goodreads)


I'd like to welcome Beth Revis author of Across The Universe to the blog. She was nice enough to answer a few of my questions, and you all should certainly check her book out, I intend to it sounds really good. Also I extended my contest for the interview you can check that out HERE.

How did you come up with idea behind Across The Universe?

My main idea came from reading other books. Megan Whalen Turner had a twisty plot in THE THIEF; Jeanne du Prau (CITY OF EMBER) and Agatha Christie (MOUSETRAP) had a contained mystery where the characters were trapped; Mary Pearson used science like magic in THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX. All these ideas percolated in my brain until they became a murder mystery on board a space ship!

How did you know you wanted to be a writer? 

I've always written, ever since I was very young. But I had been told since I was very young that it would be impossible to make a living off writing, and that it wasn't a career. I spent rather a lot of time becoming a responsible adult before I decided I'd rather just do what I want.

Did you listen to any certain songs while writing Across The Universe? 

Yes! I tend to listen to songs on constant repeat while writing--I tune it out, but I like sound in the background. Mads Larger's "Fact-Fiction" was one I listened to a lot, as was "Still Alive" from the soundtrack of the video game MIRROR'S EDGE, a suggestion from my friend Heather. And, of course, the Beatle's song "Across the Universe." 

Did you have any inspirations when dreaming up Amy or did she just come to you? 

Amy was the kind of person I wanted to be--she's strong and sassy and doesn't put up with bull crap. However, when she's separated from her parents, I drew on how it felt to go off to college for the first time, alone and scared. My other MC, Elder, was the kind of person I was at the time--someone who desperately wanted success and was very eager to please.

Do you have a dream movie cast for Across The Universe? 

I've no idea who would play the lead boy, Elder--it would need to be someone with a multi-cultural background. As for Amy, I'd love it if I could get the girl who plays Nathan Fillion's daughter on the ABC show CASTLE. She's got just the right look--red hair, ethereal eyes...

 

Any tips for aspiring YA or Sci-Fi authors? 

Never give up! Never surrender! :) 

Also: write what YOU want, and don't worry about the market. I thought there would be zero market for AtU, because there were no books out on the market for it. But that's exactly what made it appeal to my publisher, so I'm glad I was pig-headed enough to write the book even if I didn't think it would sell.

Any books you've recently read that you would like to share with us? 

So many good ones! Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY is hilariously fun; Stephanie Perkins's ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is beautifully romantic; Robin McKinely's PEGASUS made me cry...so many good ones out there! 

Interview with Carolyn Crane and Mind Games Giveaway

Hi everyone, so I had the honor to interview Carolyn Crane recently, and below is that every interview. You can view it in that box or you can click the square button on the right next to the zoom + button to view it in a new window, or you can read the interview in full if you follow this link HERE Also Carolyn is offering up a signed copy of Mind Games, a very good book I might add, just comment with your E-mail address and be entered to win. You do not have to be a follower but it is appreciated. Also A big thank you to Carolyn for the interview/ giveaway and for writing a fantastic book!

Rules

1. Must comment and leave your E-Mail address to win if you don't you won't count
2. Open to US and Canada only
3. Try and comment on the interview 
4. Or tell us why you want to read the book
5. Also don't comment and say you couldn't read the interview unless the link is broken or something else legitimate is wrong, I gave you a BIG link, and you can read it in the box it has a zoom.

A Blue So Dark Interview/Giveaway

Terrified that her mother, a schizophrenic and an artist, is a mirror that reflects her own future, sixteen-year-old Aura struggles with her overwhelming desires to both chase artistic pursuits and keep madness at bay.

As her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet keeps drawing Aura toward the depths of her own imagination—the shadows of make-believe that she finds frighteningly similar to her mother’s hallucinations.

Convinced that creative equals crazy, Aura shuns her art, and her life unravels in the process.(Goodreads)

Interview

What inspired you to write a book like A BLUE SO DARK?

Basically, A BLUE SO DARK opens as fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose struggles to keep a secret: her mother, an artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

I’m completely fascinated by the creative process. It’s just so ELUSIVE. Some days, you can go cross-eyed staring at a blinking cursor, and some days, it POURS out of you—three thousand words, and you haven’t even broken a sweat. But why IS that? What’s the source of creativity? Why do some people have the ability to think creatively, while others could stare at a canvas and NEVER, in their entire LIVES, be inspired to pick up a paint brush?

BLUE allowed me to explore the possibility that creativity and mental illness might be somehow linked…

Have you always wanted to write books?

Yes, yes, yes. I remember thinking, even when I was a little girl, that someday I’d go to college, and then I’d be a writer. Period.

The only reason that I got the chance to life out a lifelong dream, though, is because of the incredible financial support from my family. I was teaching piano and guitar lessons on the side while writing and submitting manuscripts…but without their help, I NEVER would have been able to get here. Took me more than seven years of full-time effort to get that first acceptance!

What is your writing process like—do you have any regular habits?

I JUST posted a vlog entry about the sounds and the music of my writing process! (The entry can be found here: http://hollyschindler.blogspot.com/2010/07/music-of-our-environments.html)

If you had to pick an actress to play Aura who would that be?

I recently saw some clips on the making of RAMONA AND BEEZUS, with Selena Gomez. I think she might make a great Aura, actually…

Does A BLUE SO DARK have a soundtrack—songs you listened to while writing or songs that remind you of the book?

I’m a BIG music junkie—and as soon as I gave Grace a collection of old vinyl, I started thinking of songs that represented their situation…One song that REALLY speaks to what’s going on, I think, is Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Google the lyrics and see what I mean.

What type of books do you read? Any recommendations?

I read everything. EVERYTHING. There really isn’t a genre anymore that I can’t get into. Part of that is thanks to being a lit student. You don’t get to say, “That’s not my thing,” when you major in literature. You HAVE to read it—ALL of it—to pass the test, write your papers, make the grade. By forcing myself to read it all (poetry, sci fi, fantasy, etc.) I’ve really come to appreciate it all. My recommendation would be to push yourself to try new genres…to attack those shelves in the library that you once avoided. You really grow as a reader (AND writer) by moving out of your comfort zone…

If you could give Aura advice, what might that be?

At the beginning of the book, I’d probably tell her, YOU’RE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE. But like all people in the real world, Aura would never believe that just from me telling her. She’s got to weather hardships to TEST her strength, to prove to HERSELF that she has every capability to get herself (and her mother) out of the darkness that pervades their lives…

You can visit Holly Here and Here

& You can buy A Blue So Dark Here

Now since Holly is so generous and kind she has offered up a signed copy of A Blue So Dark to one lucky winner. Try being awesome back and visiting her site or commenting on the interview.

Fill Out This Form - Ends July 20th

Thank you so much for your time I'm excited to read this one.