First off congratulations on your release of The Blood Moon of Winter!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a quirky, introverted, nerdy girl. That’s putting it in simple terms. I’ve been writing my whole life. I used to be a musician, having been classically trained on several instruments, but haven’t picked one up in years. Most of my time is spent at work, whether in the office or at home.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I started reading around the age of three and loved it. As soon as I learned to write, within a year of starting to read, I was never seen without a pencil and a notepad. I was drawn to it. I don’t think there has ever been a time that I did NOT want to write.
I have a nice time chatting with you on Twitter. In 140 characters or less, sum The Blood Moon of Winter for us.
After a startling discovery, Lilyana slowly transforms into the Goddess she is, leaving her to choose between love and saving a dying land.
Now this is your debut book. What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?
I didn’t really have any surprises because I went into it with zero knowledge and absolutely no preconceived notions of how things would go. I had hopes that the process would be smooth and simple, yet knew better. It’s a tough road and I’m glad that I kept an open mind about the whole thing. I think it has made it easier. What were your inspirations for creating a story of an unknown goddess of Makayra?
The only real inspiration that I’ve had (which I shared in my novel) was from Jacqueline Carey. She is one of my favorite authors. Reading her novels is what finally drove me to write my own. Because of that, I gave her an honorable mention in my book. She and I exchanged a couple of emails regarding it and I was even able to send her a copy of my novel once it was published. I can only hope that she reads it and enjoys it.
Most people will/have probably found this book to be a “quick read”, how long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?
I dealt with writer’s block for 10 years before finally writing this novel. It was a long dry spell but the word pool flooded and finally broke the wall. After that happened, I wrote the novel in 17 days. Once I started, I couldn’t stop until it was done. I only left my computer to go to work, and even then, I snuck in some writing time here and there. I’m still amazed at the whole process. I spent about 8-10hrs each day just writing. After writing the novel, I realized that it’s crazy how it took about 200hrs to write the book plus countless hours trying to edit it, and yet it only takes less than 10hrs to read it.
How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
There was no plotting or planning, when it came to this book. I had the first sentence from Chapter One and that was it. From that sentence, a novel was born. It still surprises me to this day.
I just loved Jason in this book. How did you come up with this character?
Jason was fun to ‘build’. I tried to avoid making him into the standard ‘heart throb’. I wanted him to be a good guy, in every sense, yet not over the top. Is it sad to say that, if he were real, I would date him in a heartbeat? I think I may have created my perfect man...
If you could pick one actor to portray Jason on the big screen who would it be and why?
I spent quite some time thinking on this and found the perfect man. James Caviezel embodies Jason to a T. While coming up with the design for the 2nd cover, I had to find ‘Jason’, and I did. Caviezel has the look and the personality to pull it off. He has the ruggedly handsome looks and a disarming smile that can melt hearts. He is the ideal ‘Jason’.
Your elements were so new, original, and refreshing. What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
To me, the most important part is to keep the reader guessing. I wanted the book to be enjoyable and
Writing the transition between the two worlds took a bit of effort. Finding a way for Lily to travel back and forth was the most difficult part. I wanted it to be unique, when it came to how she traveled to the other world.
What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished debut book?
When the cover was complete, I was so very excited. I could not have been happier with how it turned out. Carolyn Gill did an amazing job designing it. There was a lot of back and forth between her and I fine tuning it. The end result is exactly as I wished it to be.
I’ve been asked this question a lot and, no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to come up with an answer. Maybe one day I’ll be able to come up with a profound response, finding a way to give a deeper meaning to my novel. That day is not today though.
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1 comment:
Great interview :) will have to check this book out.
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