Showing posts with label YA fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA fantasy. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Lindzee Armstrong

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I have literally been writing for as long as I can remember! My mom says as a baby, I ignored all the toys in the room in favor of the books. In kindergarten, I started telling people I’d be a writer when I grew up. Now I’m happily married and raising twin boys while writing to my heart’s content! 



How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

My writing time is heavily dependent upon the needs of my family. This year, my boys started kindergarten, and I finally have a good chunk of time to write! When they’re at school, I’m at work. I’m very strict about that time and don’t let anything interfere.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I have a home office and a laptop. I like being able to write in different locations if I get bored. But mostly I stick to my office. I almost always have Pandora playing in the background as I type away!

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

It changes a lot depending on the book. As a general rule, my least favorite part of writing is the first round of content edits—those are always so overwhelming! My favorite part of writing is probably either creating the outline or writing the rough draft. I love seeing my vision coming together.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

I currently have ten books published. How long it takes to write depends so much on the story. I’ve had books that have taken me months to write, and books that I’ve written in mere days. I come up with my ideas from literally anything. I brainstorm a lot with friends. I get ideas from TV shows, people I see in the grocery store, something I hear on the radio. Anywhere.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

My favorite way to “market” is my newsletter, because I get to interact with readers and tell them behind-the-scenes info about my books. It’s so much fun to email back and forth with them!

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

Right now I’m working on Match Me If You Can, a new book in my No Match for Love series. I just released a new women’s fiction novel, Chasing Someday.

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Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

There’s a fun YA fantasy novel I’ve been dabbling with for over a year. Maybe one day I’ll get back to it.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration! If you want to be a writer, be a writer. Craft can be learned.

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How long does it take you to take a book from first draft to published?

Great question. Along with you, it depends on the book. I have just started a new YA mysery series, taking a secondary character from the Susan Cramer mysteries, Brianne, who is 18 and has discovered she has a gift for sleuthing like her mother, Susan. The first book in the series: Tie Died, took me three months to write, and will be out very soon - within the next couple of months. The second book in the series, Buckled Inn, will be out this year as well - perhaps in the fall.

I'd originally slotted Tie Died for the fall, but the book is already to beta readers. I finished it much quicker than I'd planned.

As a general rule, it takes me six months to a year to get a book out, but I'm finding that the more I write daily, the earlier the book manages to make its way through to publication. 

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My website is http://lindzeearmstrong.com. My newsletter is smarturl.it/ClubVIP. People get a free ebook when they join!


Monday, June 23, 2014

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Teri Harman

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

Hi. I’m Teri Harman – author, book columnist and blogger, book TV segment host, mom of three and book addict. I’ve written my whole life. At four I dictated a story about a cow to my mom who typed it up on her electric typewriter. I’ve been fascinated by the creation of stories ever since. I took writing and English classes all through school and college, but didn’t seriously begin pursuit of authorhood until about seven years ago after our first child was born.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?


I write at a small wooden desk, handmade by my husband, in our bedroom. I write on a MacBook Air hooked up to a monitor and keyboard. I need the clack of keys to get my writing blood flowing.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

My favorite part is finally solving a plot or character problem that I've wrestled with for a while. Finding just the right thing to do in the story is such a feeling of triumph. Least favorite – pushing through that middle part. Most writers will say the same thing. Stories flow really well in the beginning and the end, but those pesky middles . . .

How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?

Some stories start with characters for me, others start with an idea and I build the necessary characters. I want my characters to be real and authentic, even if they live in a magical world. 
Purchase Blood Moon

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I have a blog, a regular book column on ksl.com, and do regular book related segments for KSL’s popular lifestyle show, “Studio 5 with Brooke Walker.” I’m also active on the big social networks – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. But I find the best marketing is the face-to-face stuff – conferences, book signings, book events. Connecting with readers is the best way to build loyalty.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I have three young kids – 8, 6, 4. So I write when I can. Some days are easier than others. But my kids have gotten really good at playing and staying busy while I work, so I’m usually able to get in 4-6 hours of work a day. And my husband is really great at stepping in when I need more time.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I’m working on the third book of the Moonlight Trilogy, STORM MOON, which comes out next fall. Book 2, BLACK MOON, comes out September 16, 2014. I also have a stand alone upmarket romantic fantasy, A PAINTED LIFE, coming out late spring/summer 2015.


Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I have lots of ideas ready to go! As soon as I’m done with my trilogy I think I’ll explore one that involves a set of antique typewriters.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Getting published requires three things: Persistence, Patience, Hard Work. This is not an easy business. Even after you’re published there are difficulties, disappointments, and struggles. If it’s not your true passion those things will defeat you. Talent can be improved, found, learned, but discipline is what really counts.  

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Learn more about Teri at:  teriharman.com

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Tika from The Least of Elves

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

My name is Tikorrah Adanne Aanneleh, but I prefer to be called Tika (my given name sounds too stuffy).  I live in Travanne in the kingdom of Rhodea – at least I did until the day my maid tried to poison me.  On my 16th birthday I discovered I was not really a princess of Rhodea – I had been adopted as an infant by King Maric and Queen Isleen.  It explains my pale skin, slightly pointy ears and unruly brown hair.  I do not look like the king and queen at all.  I return now to the city of Xanti to learn more about my birth parents.  I just hope I can survive the journey.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to spend time with my sand tiger, Herra.  We go on runs together outside of the city.

What is your favorite color and why?

My favorite color is green, because it is the color of the leaves on the binda tree in my garden.  There are very few trees left in Rhodea so they are very precious.

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

I love Cook’s pudding.  She knows how to make it just right and without any lumps.  The taste is sweet (but not overly so) and the texture is smooth.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

I always look like a whirlwind just attacked me.  My clothes are usually rumpled, I wear scuffed boots instead of fancy shoes, and my hair … it is always a tangled mess.  I am not a model princess.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why?

Mortan wants me dead just because of my heritage – part Human, part Elemental, part Elf.  I think that is ludicrous.  I am no threat to him.  (You should see me handle a sword – pathetic.)

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

A few days ago I would have said my parents mean the most to me.  But I am feeling rather betrayed right now by their lies.  Herra, on the other hand, has never hurt me and I would do anything for her to keep her safe.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I feel like being different all my life has not been a choice.  Because I look different, do things different, and even saw things others did not see, I was shunned by peers.  I think if I could be the same as others, then I will be happy. 

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

I am part Human and part Wind Elemental which means the Human part of me does not like being told what to do and the Elemental part can be quite impetuous and oblivious to consequences.  These characteristics counter the logical Elven side of me – what I should do next.

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Why did I have to be raised in Travanne with Humans?  Why couldn’t I have stayed in Xanti with the Elves?

(I did not personally answer this last question; the author of the book did). Great question, Tika.  Mortan learned of your birth, and his servants followed you to Xanti.  He had spies already placed in the city, so you were not safe there.  You had to leave and be raised somewhere safe in order to stand a chance at defeating him once you were grown.  Travanne was the perfect place as the city is filled with magic, which hides your own abilities from Mortan’s searches. 

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Thank you Tika!

For information about Robin and her upcoming novels go to: