CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Lily Frost from Where Shadows Dwell

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 Lily Frost. I have brown hair, which is somewhat wavy, and green eyes. I got them from my Dad. His eyes are like emeralds though, much more engaging than mine. I'm not a very big person, fairly petite and about 5'4" tall. I'm your average girl, although I've argued that point with James and he disagrees. I'll introduce you to James later. Right now, I'm hoping to reconnect with my family. My mom recently died and my dad is all I have left, but I haven't seen him in 15 years. To be honest, the thought of being without family scares me which is why I'm looking for him. I just can't stand feeling like I'm alone when there are 7 billion people on the planet.

But the thing with a journey you put yourself on, is that ultimately you realize you're looking for something bigger than yourself. Part of my search for my dad is my search for myself. Who am I? Do I have value? Am I worth anything to anyone, or is it just better if I ghost through life never knowing or being anybody? Really I'm just hoping to find my place in this world, even if it's just a small corner where I can feel loved and be happy.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I spend my spare time at the beach. I don't surf or anything, but there is something soothing about the waves lapping the shore. On the windy days when the sea is angry, I can't help it, I go to the sea to experience the energy, the power that it has. I love to feel the spray on my body and taste the salt on my lips. I'm not brave enough to go in when it's angry, but I go there to soak in the energy anyway. Of course, Michigan doesn't have the sea. When I can I go to the lake, but it's not the same. So in my spare time here I often find myself in the woods. I like to be in nature, all forms of it.

What is your favorite color and why?

My favorite color is blue, not just any blue, but the greenish blue of the ocean. That may partially be due to where I was raised, but I also like it because it's such a peaceful color. When I see it, it's like it washes over me, dissolving some of my tension and fear. It's therapeutic.

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

The favorite food question is a tricky one. I like lots of different foods! My mom baked a lot when I was growing up, so I have a very sweet spot in my heart for baked goods. Pastries, home-baked bread, scones... you name it. If it's baked, I love it.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

I'm a people pleaser. I don't like to hurt anybody, to the point where I will hurt myself instead. I tend to take on other people's problems so they won't have to deal with it.

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

I have two antagonists. The first is my ex-boyfriend, Ryan. The most frustrating thing about him is his need to control everything I do, but more than that, he has an insane obsession with me. I didn't realize how obsessed he was until I left. Just when I thought I was free of him, I wasn't. His obsession is terrifying.

The thing that frustrates me most about my second antagonist is that he's completely driven by the lust for revenge. You can't reason with that! And he has no problems killing people. I have an issue with that. The fact is, I found love when I moved to Michigan and this guy seems determined to kill it before it has a chance to blossom. Between the two of them, I sometimes feel like the stress and fear is going to snap me right in half.

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?

James Prescott means more to me than anything in my life, including my life. I told you I would introduce him later, and now I am. James is the first man I've known outside of my relationship with Ryan; he's the first person ever to show me that maybe I'm worth more than an abusive relationship. More than any person in my life, he has helped me see that tucked deep inside me is somebody beautiful, good, and worth loving. James is struggling though, which breaks my heart. His mom was murdered and nobody knows who did it. They found her body, but no evidence to point the police anywhere. He has a lot of hurt and a lot of anger that he's harboring inside. So I just love him and try to show him the man that I see.

You ask what I would do to keep him, the answer is anything. I would stick with him through anything that comes our way, I would fight for him physically and emotionally, I would abandon my family and destroy any hope of regaining what I am looking for if it means that I get to keep James. And if he asked me to, I would leave him. This seems like a silly statement, but James already saved my life by showing me that I'm worth something. When you love somebody, if they ask you to leave, you leave. That about sums up anything I think.

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 like to have fun. A lot of fun. I love to laugh and I can be a huge tease. Sometimes when you're dealing with crazy things like obsessive boyfriends and vengeful murderers, the fun side gets pushed away a bit. But I'm a tease and James is going to have to learn to watch his back, because if not he might just get shot in the butt with a marshmallow from a marshmallow gun.

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

I'm stronger than you think.

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.

What is your favorite part about creating fictional little people like me that live inside your head? And, how do your characters evolve?

I think my favorite part about creating fictional characters is that they are always surprising me. I think I have them nailed down, and then, wa la! They show up doing something even better than I first imagined. 

My characters evolve in somewhat the same way as a real person would in just meeting them. The longer I know them, the more the layers peel off to show their true character. 

***

Thank you, Lily!

Learn more about Lily and her creator:

http://whereshadowsdwell.com/

See the author interview:

http://idea-creations.blogspot.com/2015/02/author-interview-julianne-kelsch-author.html

And trailer:

http://idea-creations.blogspot.com/2015/02/friday-flicks-where-shadows-dwell-by.html

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Theresa Sneed

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

I have been writing all of my life. I wrote a poem in third grade and then gave it to my friend because she was struggling with the writing assignment. Well, it won first place and was put in the local newspaper, the Piscataquis Observer under her name! Later in sixth grade, I remember writing a skit that my friends and I recorded during recess on a cassette, which I have somewhere.

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

Ideally, I write Monday through Friday starting early in the morning and going until I tire of writing. Sometimes, I'll write from morning until bedtime, but usually it's a few hours sometime during the day. I prefer to use my laptop near a window or better yet, outside.

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

My favorite part of writing is creating the story line. I love to put words together in ways that entertain, uplift and inspire. My least favorite thing, hands down, is marketing. However, if you ignore marketing, you probably will not sell many books, so I sink lots of time into marketing.

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

I come up with characters from many sources, but the interesting thing is that though some of my characters are patterned after real people, none of my characters are that person. My characters have their own personalities, likes and dislikes. It's kind of interesting to see how a character develops over time. One of my favorite characters is Jonathan Stewart in my No Angel Series. He was patterned after Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory, but took on his own personality from those roots.

Why would my readers like my characters? In writing, an author needs to create characters that are first believable and second have some kind of endearing flaw that they can surmount by the end of the story. Jonathan is a reluctant guardian angel. He's actually annoyed that he was even chosen to be one, especially after specifically writing on the Guardians Unlimited application that he had no desire to return to a place he abhorred or to be a guardian angel to someone he could care less about. At the beginning of No Angel, you will not like him, but by the end of this fun story, you will love him!

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

I "work" the social media by maintaining an active  facebook author page; online book launches with Tristi Pinkston; blogging with Loving the Book Launch Party; twitter; pinterest; and my own website www.theresasneed.com. I participate in events like this author interview, and I pay it back by making myself available to others for their launches, etc. Most recently, I participated in Tammie Clark Gibbons', Big Author Virtual Ebook Fair. It's important for authors to make themselves visible in the public eye.

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

I'm a recent empty-nester, so time for me now is perfect for writing. I believe though that time slips away unused, if not scheduled, no matter how much you have of it. I write while my husband is at work, but if I'm on a deadline, then I pretty much write nonstop, except for Sundays.

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

Yes. I have two new books out so far this year. Elias of Elderberry is climbing the charts with 158 books sold in just this past month. It's a Harry Potter-like book with wizards, fairies, castles, elves and dragons. I envision a  minimum of four books for this series, but it could be longer.

Escape is part of a three book series and is about a 15 year old girl who gets abducted by a corrupt sheriff in the late 1970's. He keeps her captive in his cellar for five years, until she escapes with his truck and his five year old daughter, Sally. 

I'm working on a stand-alone, time-travel called the Salem Witch Haunt. It is about Bess North, a 17 year old student at Danvers High. Because she is the 7th great granddaughter of one of the women hanged as a witch in 1692, she is annoyed with all the media hype and tourism in her town, which used to be Salem Village. Losing her way in the woods, she stumbles upon a quaint, but antiquated village that she thinks is Amish. After the initial shock of discovering where she really is, Salem Village 1692, she sets out on a mission to save her grandmother from the gallows, only to put herself in grave danger.

I have thoroughly researched the historical characters and every possible theory about what happened in Salem Village in 1692. Salem Witch Haunt is a believable story steeped in suspense and intrigue with a touch of sweet romance.

My goal is to release it this Halloween, October 31, 2014, as Halloween, October 31, 2001 was the date that the state of Massachusetts exonerated my own grandmother, Susannah North Martin, 309 years after her hanging.

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

Yes. I have already written two additional books in my No Angel Series and would like to get book four out this December. I have started book two in the Sons of Elderberry Series. And I have a good part of book two in the Escape (Sandee Jae) Series written too.

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

If you love to write then you're 75% there - honest. The other 25% is essential though, and that is to actually do it. I recommend joining a reputable writing group or even getting a few writers together and starting your own. Be willing to seek out informative classes and workshops on writing, attend them, and apply the things you learn. Don't be afraid of constructive criticism - take it for what it is. If someone takes the time to criticize your work, glean what you can from their words - it will make you a better writer. Do NOT take criticism personally, take it professionally.

***

Thank you, Theresa!

To learn more about Theresa visit:

www.theresasneed.com 

Amazon.com: Theresa Sneed: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Don't Tell Me, I Have to Start Over?

I have been working with authors for some time now, and sometimes we learn through the process of editing and improving the manuscript, that the task is really that they need to start their short story over. A book is even worse, and it can be very painful considering all the time and effort put into it. 

But sometimes the task is necessary.

Sometimes, you have terrific characters, a nice setting, but the plot? Well, it sucks.

There is not enough intrigue, not enough tension, not enough (dare I say it) problems in the book to make the reader continue to read until the last page. Or you may have a lot going on in terms of problems, but the problems are all over the place and don't necessarily reflect the main struggle your primary character is going through.

Photo by: @Doug88888, courtesy of Flickr

For example, say your main character's parents are going through a divorce, but the problems your character faces don't specifically stem from the main problem. Perhaps the girl's focus is on friends and getting good grades at school, but she has no problem making friends and her grades are perfect. When a child faces the divorce of her parents, the loss affects every avenue of her life. She struggles to be liked, to prove herself worthy of a friend--any friend. (Who has enough self-esteem to be picky?) She makes mistakes directly related to the divorce, and finds herself searching for answers to fill in the loss of a missing parent.

Yes, I'm well aware that some books don't need that climb up the mountain (such as a memoir, for example) but most books need the intrigue. They need the tension.

Without it, you have nothing but beautiful words that lead the reader to the kitchen for a bite to eat.

Starting over isn't all bad. You have the characters in place. You have the setting. Now, create some problems for the character that continue to get worse (based on the main issue) before they get better.