Lydhia Marie's Blog, page 2
April 22, 2015
Interview with author Antuan Vance
If you wish to find a good Christian, action-packed, sci-fi story to read, I strongly recommend The Catalyst.
When Earth's greatest enemy returns, Lukas Brown must send his daughter and protegé west on a dangerous cross-country mission, and retrieve the key component to the world's survival, The Catalyst.
But the road west is filled with more delays and challenges than expected, and Lukas discovers there's more to their newest threat than meets the eye.
What follows is an interview with the author about his newly published novel as well as his writing habits.
Name:
My name is Antuan Vance.
Title of most recent book:
The Catalyst
What inspired you to write this book?
I honestly can’t remember the specifics. I wish I could. The story came to me in bits and pieces over time, and is part of a much larger story.
A year or so before I started this novel, I was working on a different one. It wasn’t moving forward; so I had to retire it. And because I am a writer, and desperately wanted to put something in print, I started something new. Something different. I put my brain to work; and it came to me. I would write a quasi-romantic, action-packed cross-country adventure with Levi and Abigail. As However, after writing the prologue, it became just as much about Lukas (and the door at the end of the hall) as it was about Levi and Abigail.
What is your writing style?
I write it as I see it, as if I’m watching a movie or TV show. I write it as a movie in text form. Only, you get to see/hear people’s thoughts. And I experience and play with the conversations as I write them. It makes the dialogue more real.
How much of your novel was influenced by your personal life?
A little bit. Levi is kind of an unflattering, alternate universe version of me. He looks like me, but with more muscles (Ha!). His tastes reflect mine. Since Levi runs the radio, I get to compliment my favorite bands. I’m a Star Trek fan. I had to mention how amazing it is.
Having worked in the hotel
industry, I know what hotel staff are and are not to do and made sure Alexis did everything wrong.
What do you like the most/least about writing?
What I like the most about writing is creating, visualizing, and enjoying the story. It exciting having ideas and pouring yourself into a different reality. I like to ponder on the possibilities of a story going in different directions. It’s also very satisfying having the story shift in a way you didn’t initially intend to when you started the story.
What do I like the least? Probably the difficulty of having your stuff read. If you’re not connected with the right people, people who have the time, interest, and energy to appreciate your work, it can be a very lonely and frustrating process, even disheartening.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?
Yes. I’ve had writer’s block on a number of stories, and briefly on this one. What I learned was that, despite the block, I still had to write something. So, I just pushed through it. I fabricated conversations between my characters. A fun thing to do is to have your characters talk to each other, even if, in the moment, the conversation might not work in the story. You learn something about the characters. You might even get a great conversation that will fit later in the story. Who knows, sometimes that conversation reveals new possibilities for the characters or events that you hadn’t once considered.
What subject wouldn’t you feel comfortable writing about?
Myself. Hahaha. I’m a very private person. I can write about any subject that I have a grip on. However, a lot of me is off limits, simply because I like to be known more intimately, person-to-person.
What kind of books do you read?
I read a lot of the popular stuff like Twilight, Harry Potter, something written by Stephen King or Dan Brown, but mostly science fiction and fantasy. Occasionally, I read the Nikki Heat series. It’s a crime procedural based off of the ABC TV show, Castle. Gotta love a good mystery.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Holy Bible, of course. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without it. It is the key tool of life and liberty.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
No. I don’t share my work until it’s finished. I have found a closed door goes a long way in the creative process.
If you want to know more about this author and his published books, visit his website or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
You can also find his novel on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, and more!
Thanks for reading!
March 30, 2015
PRESS RELEASE
MARCH 30th. The first of Lydhia Marie’s upcoming young adult novels in the AMANI series will publish on May 8th 2015. AMANI: Remember will be available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, as well as on Ingram in paperback.
About Lydhia Marie
Lydhia Marie was born in a small town in Quebec, Canada. She discovered her passion for writing later in life during her last summer as an English student at Bishop’s University. To be honest, she wasn’t much of a reader before she started her degree, but this hate for words transformed into a passion for reading and then morphed into a need for writing. Strange but nonetheless true.
After finishing her first draft, she attended a three-week creative writing course at the University of Oxford, where she realized that her first manuscript was very badly written. Fortunately, the idea behind the writing was “so unique and different,” according to an early critique of the novel, that she decided to write the entire manuscript anew, from a blank page to the epilogue.
She enjoys books that transports her into a new world and characters that are both original and relatable. But most of all, she loves spending time writing or reading with her dog, Bookie, on her lap, looking adorable with his legs in the air and his belly ready to be rubbed.
About AMANI: Remember
From the first time Amya gains consciousness in a hospital, she tries to remember the train of events that landed her in a coma, as well as the lost memories of more than eleven months of her life. But her struggle does not stop when she wakes up. The world around her is falling apart. Her best friend Samera needs her help and urges her to work for the Protectors of Amani again and her friend Xander is the victim of a Rascal’s bite. A Rascal only needs to touch somebody in order to feed on their humanity: their energy, their youth, their dreams… But when they bite you, there is no going back.
Using her ability to Sojourn—to project her soul into people’s bodies—and Samera’s capacity to Travel between Dimensions, Amya risks her life and integrity to save a loved one. Little does she know that her friend might be lost forever.
For two weeks, starting on April 1st, AMANI: Remember will be available for free on Goodreads for a total of 50 readers!
“Each page was captivating. From page one, there’s already suspense and darkness.” -TheBooksBeyond
“This book is nothing like I've ever read. The story was so unique and different than others that I was absolutely amazed.” –TheBooksBeyond
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March 28, 2015
FREE BOOK!
If you wish to win a free e-copy of AMANI: Remember, enter your name and email in the contest below by clicking on the cover. :)
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
by Lydhia Marie
Giveaway ends April 14, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Quotes from AMANI: Remember
Here's where I'll post quotes from AMANI: Remember, once a week, until May 8th! :)
"Prudence, my dear fellows, prevents from unfortunate compromises."
March 12, 2015
Why is writing important?
If you hate books, writing, and everything in between, don't go just yet because I'm not talking about writing a novel or a short story.
I'm talking about The importance of writing.
Now, unless you're a super computer unable to feel anythine, you've probably already experienced what we call an emotion. A feeling, a sense that you are changing in some way.
You get home from school and your parents ask that you have to do all your homework + do the dishes before you can watch your favorite series. You have a big crush on a guy/girl at school and you find out he/she's dating someone else. OR your best friend invites you to a sleepover or to play videogames all night long.
Different kinds of emotions, but they all have the same effect. They change who you are.
At least for a short period of time.
They change the way you think and behave. And most importantly, they change your future.
So what does that have to do with writing?
Writing is known to be a very easy way to get your feelings out and be done with them.
Ever wrote an angry letter to a frienemy or to a sibling you can't stand?
I'm not talking about a letter that you'll send to the person and then get grounded or expelled from school. What I'm talking about here is a way to express everything you're keeping inside.
Anger. Angst. Fear. Joy. Excitment. Stress. etc.
All of this can be expressed either in words--or sometimes you're too pissed off and you can't even put words on your emotions so you can draw a big and scary circle or lightning bolt. Whatever works for you, really.
Now, how will writing or drawing what you feel help?
Have you ever felt like you had no one to talk to? Like nobody would understand what you're going through?
Well, that piece of paper won't ever judge you. And the best part is that it'll never tell anyone what you just wrote or drew.
And believe me, you'll feel much better after.
You don't believe me, do you?
Try it! It's 100% free and you'll soon realize that the unwelcome emotions like fear and angst won't last as long as before. It's simply because you express it, which in turn makes you feel better.
See? You don't need to be a writer to write. You simply need a little courage and the need to feel good about yourself.
**P.S. Writing with music is even better. Change the soundtrack so it matches your emotion. Then, you might need more than one piece of paper!
