Angie Thompson's Blog - Posts Tagged "interviews"
Indie E-Con Scavenger Hunt 2018 - Stop #11
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Indie E-Con 2018! That is, welcome to the very small portion of it that will appear on my blog. The main event will be found at the link above, and I’m really looking forward to both attending and participating. Here’s just a sampling of what it will include—author blog posts, book awards, writing critiques, games and prizes, ice cream—oh, wait, that’s right; the ice cream is bring-your-own. ;) If you’re interested, I hope you’ll stop by and check it out.
Any of my regular followers know that I’m not much of a blogger, but I will be posting a couple of things here over the next week that relate to E-Con. And to kick things off, we have a beautiful scavenger hunt spread over a ton of author blogs. The catch—everyone is guest-posting on someone else’s blog!
Each of the blogs will contain a letter to help you fill in the mystery phrase. In this case, I’ll give you the clue at the end, where I’ll also let you know where to find my own post.
And now, let me introduce you to Kyle Robert Shultz!
I’ll say right off the bat that I haven’t read any of his work. (I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t read magical fantasy.) But I can already tell that he has a great sense of humor…
Take it away, Kyle!
How I Failed at Not Being an Author
I really, really tried not to write and publish a book. I want everyone to know that right from the start. If you’re displeased at seeing all these wacky little stories about retold fairy tales and snarky magical creatures with my name on them, please keep in mind that I did my very best to prevent them from ever existing.
In fact, the very first time that the concept of an alternate reality where fairy tales are history popped into my head, I upheld my duty as a non-author and shoved it into the back of my mind where it belonged. “It’s too ridiculous,” I told myself. “And complicated. And probably boring. Nobody will want to read it. I am most definitely not going to write it.”
However, it proved to be a lot more stubborn than I had imagined. Storylines sprouted and spread like crab grass, refusing to abate despite my very best efforts. Still, I stuck to all the time-honored methods of not writing a book--procrastinating, self-criticism, comparing my ideas unfavorably to those of other writers, reminding myself that I was nothing more than an impostor in author’s clothing. That worked for a while.
Then the characters started cropping up. I blame the fact that I randomly thought of the names “Beaumont and Beasley”--an admittedly catchy twist on the title “Beauty and the Beast.” To my chagrin, personalities began to take shape behind the names: a skeptical detective turned into a storybook monster, and the quirky enchantress who put the spell on him.
“Yes, thank you, not today,” I said, showing the odd couple to the door and slamming it behind them. “I am not an author,” I added through the keyhole. “Please take your bizarre, completely unmarketable stories elsewhere.”
Then I turned around to discover that they’d climbed through the window or something, and were now standing right behind me, demanding that I explain why I wouldn’t write their stories.
Even now, in the face of all this resistance, I struggled to cling to my non-author status. I kept shooing the characters into the dark corners of my brain. I changed their first names every three seconds just to annoy them. I insulted their personalities and highlighted all their weaknesses. I made a very clear and well-argued case for why nobody would ever want to read about these people.
I really thought all that would finally drive them away. But still they lingered on, sometimes waking me out of a sound sleep and forcing me to scribble down random notes about them in the middle of the night.
Finally, I had had enough. I decided it was time for drastic, unthinkable measures.
“FINE!” I shouted at these pesky characters and overgrown storylines. “I’ll show you! I’ll write you! And I’ll even go a step further. I’ll put you on a writing critique website! On display, for everyone to see and tear you to shreds! That’ll teach you to try to make me write a book!”
It was a brilliant plan, or so I thought. Surely this would set the whole matter to rest once and for all. And anyway, the creative part of my brain would surely peter out after a few chapters, leaving me free to sweep the whole thing into the garbage and never think about it again.
But there were a couple of things I didn’t count on. First of all, the characters--who by now had taken the names Nick and Cordelia--were a lot more stubborn than I thought. They would not go gently into that good night. Instead, they raged against the dying of my laptop screen and insisted that I keep plugging away at their stupid story.
Also, posting this stuff online spurred me to--horror of horrors--finish it. I admit it, I caved to the peer pressure of the other people on the critique website and completely betrayed the deep convictions of my non-authorship. Soon, I actually had a complete draft sitting on my hard drive. And online as well, which meant that I couldn’t just make it vanish. There were witnesses, after all.
That’s not to say I didn’t try to make it all go away. I couldn’t bring myself to delete it, so instead I opted to destroy it in a more figurative way. “By the time I’m done with you,” I warned the Frankensteinian thing that dared to call itself a book, “you’ll wish I’d deleted you! You’ll beg me to delete you! And I will refuse, and laugh in your face! HA HA HAAA!!!”
My occasional bursts of maniacal laughter caused my family to worry about my health, but I ignored them. I had non-work to do, after all. I’d failed to not-write a book, and I sure as anything wasn’t going to fail to not-publish it.
I savaged the so-called “book.” I took note of every single one of its flaws, even those so miniscule that they were invisible to the naked eye without a microscope. I piled a few dozen more insults onto its characters. I wrote about seventy bazillion alternate versions of it in fruitless, demoralizing attempts to fix its shortcomings. I felt sure that would finally bludgeon it into submission.
But no, of course it didn’t. The original draft of the book refused to die.
“All right, that does it,” I told the book, which was now calling itself The Beast of Talesend. “I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. It might destroy my reputation, but at least it’ll destroy you as well.”
And so I did the unthinkable. I published the book.
It was a great and noble act of self sacrifice, of course. And it was bound to work, I reasoned. After all, those few people on the critique website probably didn’t know what they were talking about. Once my book was available for the whole world to read, everyone would see how inferior it was. I would probably become a laughingstock, but at least I would have finally destroyed The Beast of Talesend. It would all be worth it.
Except that’s not what happened. I’m not saying everyone loved it--though many people did. To my consternation, though, even the people who didn’t love it were kind enough to look past the fact that I was a new author with a lot to learn. Instead, they wrote reviews saying how much they enjoyed the book, and offered kind, helpful feedback for how I could improve in future stories.
It was over. I had gambled and lost, and permanently sabotaged my non-lucrative, unfulfilling career as a non-author. There was no going back for me now.
I was left with no other choice but to accept my fate. And so I stand before you now, a failed non-author, whose unruly characters forced me to write several more books of their misadventures. Whatever you do, don’t read them. You’ll only make things worse for me.
Perhaps you can learn from my cautionary tale and avoid my mistakes. Procrastinate at every opportunity, relentlessly criticize yourself, and cultivate a chronic case of impostor syndrome. Also, whatever you do, don’t let other people read your work and offer their feedback, under any circumstances. Make this fatal mistake, and your non-authorhood will be gone in the blink of an eye. Although if you agonize over every detail of the critiques you receive and take them fully to heart, you just might be able to nip your potential writing career in the bud.
Or, you can fall back on this time-honored strategy: don’t write. Write absolutely nothing. Even a shopping list can turn into a novel if you’re not careful. Keep well away from all pens and keyboards, and you can remain in blissful serenity, with no characters or plot threads cluttering up your mind and demanding your attention.
If you’re not careful, you’ll end up like me, wrangling dragons and cataloguing alternate realities for a living.
Who would want that?
Giveaway: Everyone who signs up for my email newsletter this month will be entered into a paperback giveaway for Horseman, my new western/fantasy novel. Use this link to subscribe: http://eepurl.com/cHwAHT.
Links:
Website: http://www.kylerobertshultz.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/kylerobe...
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/KyleRobe...
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kylerobertsh...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kylerbrtshultz
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kylerobertshultz
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kylerobertsh...
-----
Okay, I’m back with your clue! In case you’re just joining us, here is the phrase to be filled in—
And here is your clue—
If you’re just getting started, you can go back to the beginning at Kandi J. Wyatt’s blog here or find the full list of blogs here. (Did I mention there are prizes involved?) If you’d like to check out my own post, you can find it here—hosted by Jesseca Wheaton! The official party starts on Monday—I hope you’ll stop by and see us!
Any of my regular followers know that I’m not much of a blogger, but I will be posting a couple of things here over the next week that relate to E-Con. And to kick things off, we have a beautiful scavenger hunt spread over a ton of author blogs. The catch—everyone is guest-posting on someone else’s blog!
Each of the blogs will contain a letter to help you fill in the mystery phrase. In this case, I’ll give you the clue at the end, where I’ll also let you know where to find my own post.
And now, let me introduce you to Kyle Robert Shultz!
I’ll say right off the bat that I haven’t read any of his work. (I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t read magical fantasy.) But I can already tell that he has a great sense of humor…
Take it away, Kyle!
How I Failed at Not Being an Author
I really, really tried not to write and publish a book. I want everyone to know that right from the start. If you’re displeased at seeing all these wacky little stories about retold fairy tales and snarky magical creatures with my name on them, please keep in mind that I did my very best to prevent them from ever existing.
In fact, the very first time that the concept of an alternate reality where fairy tales are history popped into my head, I upheld my duty as a non-author and shoved it into the back of my mind where it belonged. “It’s too ridiculous,” I told myself. “And complicated. And probably boring. Nobody will want to read it. I am most definitely not going to write it.”
However, it proved to be a lot more stubborn than I had imagined. Storylines sprouted and spread like crab grass, refusing to abate despite my very best efforts. Still, I stuck to all the time-honored methods of not writing a book--procrastinating, self-criticism, comparing my ideas unfavorably to those of other writers, reminding myself that I was nothing more than an impostor in author’s clothing. That worked for a while.
Then the characters started cropping up. I blame the fact that I randomly thought of the names “Beaumont and Beasley”--an admittedly catchy twist on the title “Beauty and the Beast.” To my chagrin, personalities began to take shape behind the names: a skeptical detective turned into a storybook monster, and the quirky enchantress who put the spell on him.
“Yes, thank you, not today,” I said, showing the odd couple to the door and slamming it behind them. “I am not an author,” I added through the keyhole. “Please take your bizarre, completely unmarketable stories elsewhere.”
Then I turned around to discover that they’d climbed through the window or something, and were now standing right behind me, demanding that I explain why I wouldn’t write their stories.
Even now, in the face of all this resistance, I struggled to cling to my non-author status. I kept shooing the characters into the dark corners of my brain. I changed their first names every three seconds just to annoy them. I insulted their personalities and highlighted all their weaknesses. I made a very clear and well-argued case for why nobody would ever want to read about these people.
I really thought all that would finally drive them away. But still they lingered on, sometimes waking me out of a sound sleep and forcing me to scribble down random notes about them in the middle of the night.
Finally, I had had enough. I decided it was time for drastic, unthinkable measures.
“FINE!” I shouted at these pesky characters and overgrown storylines. “I’ll show you! I’ll write you! And I’ll even go a step further. I’ll put you on a writing critique website! On display, for everyone to see and tear you to shreds! That’ll teach you to try to make me write a book!”
It was a brilliant plan, or so I thought. Surely this would set the whole matter to rest once and for all. And anyway, the creative part of my brain would surely peter out after a few chapters, leaving me free to sweep the whole thing into the garbage and never think about it again.
But there were a couple of things I didn’t count on. First of all, the characters--who by now had taken the names Nick and Cordelia--were a lot more stubborn than I thought. They would not go gently into that good night. Instead, they raged against the dying of my laptop screen and insisted that I keep plugging away at their stupid story.
Also, posting this stuff online spurred me to--horror of horrors--finish it. I admit it, I caved to the peer pressure of the other people on the critique website and completely betrayed the deep convictions of my non-authorship. Soon, I actually had a complete draft sitting on my hard drive. And online as well, which meant that I couldn’t just make it vanish. There were witnesses, after all.
That’s not to say I didn’t try to make it all go away. I couldn’t bring myself to delete it, so instead I opted to destroy it in a more figurative way. “By the time I’m done with you,” I warned the Frankensteinian thing that dared to call itself a book, “you’ll wish I’d deleted you! You’ll beg me to delete you! And I will refuse, and laugh in your face! HA HA HAAA!!!”
My occasional bursts of maniacal laughter caused my family to worry about my health, but I ignored them. I had non-work to do, after all. I’d failed to not-write a book, and I sure as anything wasn’t going to fail to not-publish it.
I savaged the so-called “book.” I took note of every single one of its flaws, even those so miniscule that they were invisible to the naked eye without a microscope. I piled a few dozen more insults onto its characters. I wrote about seventy bazillion alternate versions of it in fruitless, demoralizing attempts to fix its shortcomings. I felt sure that would finally bludgeon it into submission.
But no, of course it didn’t. The original draft of the book refused to die.
“All right, that does it,” I told the book, which was now calling itself The Beast of Talesend. “I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. It might destroy my reputation, but at least it’ll destroy you as well.”
And so I did the unthinkable. I published the book.
It was a great and noble act of self sacrifice, of course. And it was bound to work, I reasoned. After all, those few people on the critique website probably didn’t know what they were talking about. Once my book was available for the whole world to read, everyone would see how inferior it was. I would probably become a laughingstock, but at least I would have finally destroyed The Beast of Talesend. It would all be worth it.
Except that’s not what happened. I’m not saying everyone loved it--though many people did. To my consternation, though, even the people who didn’t love it were kind enough to look past the fact that I was a new author with a lot to learn. Instead, they wrote reviews saying how much they enjoyed the book, and offered kind, helpful feedback for how I could improve in future stories.
It was over. I had gambled and lost, and permanently sabotaged my non-lucrative, unfulfilling career as a non-author. There was no going back for me now.
I was left with no other choice but to accept my fate. And so I stand before you now, a failed non-author, whose unruly characters forced me to write several more books of their misadventures. Whatever you do, don’t read them. You’ll only make things worse for me.
Perhaps you can learn from my cautionary tale and avoid my mistakes. Procrastinate at every opportunity, relentlessly criticize yourself, and cultivate a chronic case of impostor syndrome. Also, whatever you do, don’t let other people read your work and offer their feedback, under any circumstances. Make this fatal mistake, and your non-authorhood will be gone in the blink of an eye. Although if you agonize over every detail of the critiques you receive and take them fully to heart, you just might be able to nip your potential writing career in the bud.
Or, you can fall back on this time-honored strategy: don’t write. Write absolutely nothing. Even a shopping list can turn into a novel if you’re not careful. Keep well away from all pens and keyboards, and you can remain in blissful serenity, with no characters or plot threads cluttering up your mind and demanding your attention.
If you’re not careful, you’ll end up like me, wrangling dragons and cataloguing alternate realities for a living.
Who would want that?
Giveaway: Everyone who signs up for my email newsletter this month will be entered into a paperback giveaway for Horseman, my new western/fantasy novel. Use this link to subscribe: http://eepurl.com/cHwAHT.
Links:
Website: http://www.kylerobertshultz.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/kylerobe...
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/KyleRobe...
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kylerobertsh...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kylerbrtshultz
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kylerobertshultz
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kylerobertsh...
-----
Okay, I’m back with your clue! In case you’re just joining us, here is the phrase to be filled in—
And here is your clue—
If you’re just getting started, you can go back to the beginning at Kandi J. Wyatt’s blog here or find the full list of blogs here. (Did I mention there are prizes involved?) If you’d like to check out my own post, you can find it here—hosted by Jesseca Wheaton! The official party starts on Monday—I hope you’ll stop by and see us!
New Release, Author Interview, and Huge Book Sale!
So many things to cover in this post! I'll try to be brief, but it's all happening so fast, and it's all so exciting!
First off, my newest short story, Lessons, was released earlier this week! While it's not technically a Thanksgiving story, it does have an old-fashioned, homey feel with a hint of wood stoves and crisp fall weather. It's only $0.99, so if you're in the mood for a quick, feel-good read with your leftover pumpkin pie, pop on over and check it out!
Second, I have the distinct privilege of interviewing a fellow indie author as part of the Black Friday Indie Book Sale blog tour! More on the sale in a second--be a nice reader and play along... ;)
J. Grace Pennington was one of my first introductions to the world of Christian indie fiction--and what an introduction! Nearly a year and an absolute flood of books later, her Firmament series is still holding its own among my top favorites ever! (Oh, and that's favorites of all time, not just favorite Christian indie books.) I could go on for quite a while about how much I love this series, but since I know you're anxious to get to the sale, I'll refrain. (Quick tip--they're in the sale. Buy them. Just saying...)
Okay, on to the interview!
First off, congratulations on your new baby! Such a pretty name--Violet Kathylene. :) When creating a new character, do you tend to put a lot of thought into choosing a name? Or do you usually go with the first name that pops into your head?
Thank you! It's a little bit of both, honestly. Sometimes it does just pop into my head. “Andi Lloyd” is one example of that--I have no idea where her name came from. The same goes for all of the characters in October. They just came to me.
But a lot of the time I really do go searching for the perfect name. I have a list I've compiled over the years from movie credits, baby name databases, and other sources of names I would like to use at some point, so I'll go there first. If nothing there seems right, I'll scour more credits and more baby name databases to find something that sounds just right! Captain Trent's name took me an especially long time--I remember cooking while my younger brother sat on the other side of the room with a name dictionary and and read me the names one at a time.
Some, like Crash, come partly from other people. My siblings once were speculating about how funny it would be to have a pilot named Mr. Crash, and I swiped the idea. So I get my names from all kinds of sources!
Sounds about right--I've never been able to figure out why some names come so easily and others take so much work! And Crash's name just fits his personality so well! (Then again, maybe you have to be a little reckless to even attempt being a pilot with that name...) :D
I know you've written in several different genres. Do you have a favorite genre to write in/read? If so, what makes it your favorite?
My favorite to write in, by far, is science-fiction. Partly because I'm fascinated by science, especially anatomy and physiology, and love to research those things, but also because of the scope it gives to explore an idea or a theme in a way we can't see it in the real world. At least, not the world we live in now!
As far as reading, I don't really have a favorite. I'll read any well-written story. A lot of my favorite books do tend to be just general fiction or classics, but some genre fiction makes its way in there, too!
Well, your science fiction is my favorite, too, so that works out well! ;)
As an author, I'm always surprised to find how much of my attitude, personality, experience, etc. creeps into my characters when I'm not looking. Which of your characters would you say is the most like you?
Andi Lloyd, by far! She is essentially a more confident, outgoing version of myself. We share affectionate, stubborn personalities and tend to have strong principles. We also both really hate change. October also has many similarities to me, although it's more complicated because I specifically gave her a more troubled past than myself to exacerbate certain issues that she has.
Mmmm...I love Andi! And I haven't read October, but I totally get turning up the dial for a character on an issue you can relate to.
If you could have one of your characters as a friend in real life, which would it be?
That's a tough question, because I really consider all of my characters to be amazing friends! But if I had to choose I think I might have to say the Doctor. He's my favorite of my characters, and I would love to have someone in my life with that kind of loyalty and wisdom.
So, I have to admit that after I asked this, I started wondering which of your characters I would choose to be friends with in real life...and then reminded myself what a silly question that was. (For the record, I still haven't gotten over my almost-year-long book crush. Also, I haven't tried. <3) However, that out of the way, I'd have a hard time picking, shall we say, a second. ;) I'd love to meet so many of them!
And finally, what is one question you've never been asked in an interview that you'd love to answer? Give us the answer, too, please!
Hmm, that's an interesting question (or non-question?). I don't think I've ever been asked about my fascination with doctors--I think I have major doctor characters in every one of my books except for October.
The answer to that would definitely have something to do with my love for all things anatomy and physiology. I'm intensely interested in how our bodies work, how they fail, how they heal, and how they are designed to work so intricately and so brilliantly. But I think that's also combined with a fondness for characters who are deeply concerned with caring for others. A doctor has to see and deal with so many difficult and terrible situations, but he does it because he so wants to help those under his care; to make them whole again. I love that.
Thank you so much for interviewing me, Angie!
Oh, that's a great question/answer! I love the medical details in your books, even though I'm not half as knowledgeable as you are. (Which also means that my penchant for writing medical characters is on a much shakier foundation...)
Thank you for the lovely interview! It's been so much fun! Hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Again, I highly recommend checking out J. Grace Pennington's books, especially the Firmament series! I also really enjoyed her western mystery, Never. And the only reason I haven't read the others is because of my very personal comfort level with certain themes and plots.
Also check her out at the links below:
www.jgracepennington.com
www.facebook.com/jgracepenningtonthea...
www.twitter.com/jgracetheauthor
And now the moment you've all been waiting for...
The Black Friday Indie Book Sale!
Over 80 indie authors have gotten together to offer over 150 books for $0.99 or FREE from Black Friday through Cyber Monday!
If you didn't just click away to the sale itself, I seriously commend your self-control! And congratulations, because it gets better...there are also giveaways involved! More on that in just a second.
As part of the sale, you can get my debut novella, Bridgers, for only $0.99 through Monday! You'll also find all my currently published short stories in the list, too, except Lessons, which was a little too new to make the cut. Feel free to pass the information on to anyone else who might be interested; we want as many people as possible to take advantage of this sale! And if you have any bookworms on your Christmas list, some authors are also offering discounted paperbacks...
NOTE: I haven't read all of the books being offered, so I can't vouch for their content, but all of them should fall under a Mild+ or lower rating. You can link to rating definitions and filter books by content level on the sale page.
I know I hope to pick up a bunch of new books this weekend; thankfully for you, ebooks can't sell out! ;)
And finally, the giveaways! Enter below--US addresses only for the print giveaway, but the ebook giveaway is open to everyone!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?
Grand Prize (20 paperbacks)
Mythical Doorways by Jenelle Schmidt
Faith is the Victory by Faith Blum
Kiera by Kate Willis
Because Anonymous by Diana L. Sharples
After: Book One in The Neverway Chronicles by Savannah Jezowski
Specter: Book Two in The Neverway Chronicles by Savannah Jezowski
Leandra’s Enchanted Flute by Katy Huth Jones
Eagle Eyes by Tammy Lash
London in the Dark by Victoria Lynn
When Beauty Blooms by Victoria Lynn
Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset by Sarah Ashwood
Iced by Avery Daniels
Nailed by Avery Daniels
There Was Always Laughter in Our House by Sarah Holman
Bridgers: A Parable by Angie Thompson
Love Blind by Angie Thompson
Code by Angie Thompson
Christmas Eve at the Backdoor by Rebekah Morris
The Seven Drawers by Kendra E. Ardnek
He's Making Diamonds: A Teen's Thoughts on Faith Through Chronic Illness by Sara Willoughby
2nd Prize (20 ebooks/audiobooks)
Gather Round the Fables by Erika Matthews
The Case of the Tabloid Tattler (audiobook) by Perry Kirkpatrick
The Twelve Cats of Christmas (audiobook) by Perry Kirkpatrick
Coffee Shop Christmas by Ryana Lynn Miller
The Land of Cotton by Ryana Lynn Miller
Entertaining Angels, Entertaining Angels Book 1 by Emerald Barnes
Secret’s Kept by Jennette Mbewe
The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue
Beyond Broken Pencils by Julie C. Gilbert
Ashlynn's Dreams by Julie C. Gilbert
Soldier On by Vanessa Rasanen
Burning Rose by Hope Ann
Iced by Avery Daniels
Nailed by Avery Daniels
Imani Earns Her Cape by Bokerah Brumley
October by J. Grace Pennington
Disowned by Sarah Addison Fox
My Compass Home by Michaela Bush
Summer Shadows by Killarney Traynor
Necessary Evil by Killarney Traynor
If anyone's still reading, you should get a prize...or a slap upside the head. Get going already! Buy books! Enter giveaways! Tell friends! That is all.
Oh, and happy Thanksgiving! :D
First off, my newest short story, Lessons, was released earlier this week! While it's not technically a Thanksgiving story, it does have an old-fashioned, homey feel with a hint of wood stoves and crisp fall weather. It's only $0.99, so if you're in the mood for a quick, feel-good read with your leftover pumpkin pie, pop on over and check it out!
Second, I have the distinct privilege of interviewing a fellow indie author as part of the Black Friday Indie Book Sale blog tour! More on the sale in a second--be a nice reader and play along... ;)
J. Grace Pennington was one of my first introductions to the world of Christian indie fiction--and what an introduction! Nearly a year and an absolute flood of books later, her Firmament series is still holding its own among my top favorites ever! (Oh, and that's favorites of all time, not just favorite Christian indie books.) I could go on for quite a while about how much I love this series, but since I know you're anxious to get to the sale, I'll refrain. (Quick tip--they're in the sale. Buy them. Just saying...)
Okay, on to the interview!
First off, congratulations on your new baby! Such a pretty name--Violet Kathylene. :) When creating a new character, do you tend to put a lot of thought into choosing a name? Or do you usually go with the first name that pops into your head?
Thank you! It's a little bit of both, honestly. Sometimes it does just pop into my head. “Andi Lloyd” is one example of that--I have no idea where her name came from. The same goes for all of the characters in October. They just came to me.
But a lot of the time I really do go searching for the perfect name. I have a list I've compiled over the years from movie credits, baby name databases, and other sources of names I would like to use at some point, so I'll go there first. If nothing there seems right, I'll scour more credits and more baby name databases to find something that sounds just right! Captain Trent's name took me an especially long time--I remember cooking while my younger brother sat on the other side of the room with a name dictionary and and read me the names one at a time.
Some, like Crash, come partly from other people. My siblings once were speculating about how funny it would be to have a pilot named Mr. Crash, and I swiped the idea. So I get my names from all kinds of sources!
Sounds about right--I've never been able to figure out why some names come so easily and others take so much work! And Crash's name just fits his personality so well! (Then again, maybe you have to be a little reckless to even attempt being a pilot with that name...) :D
I know you've written in several different genres. Do you have a favorite genre to write in/read? If so, what makes it your favorite?
My favorite to write in, by far, is science-fiction. Partly because I'm fascinated by science, especially anatomy and physiology, and love to research those things, but also because of the scope it gives to explore an idea or a theme in a way we can't see it in the real world. At least, not the world we live in now!
As far as reading, I don't really have a favorite. I'll read any well-written story. A lot of my favorite books do tend to be just general fiction or classics, but some genre fiction makes its way in there, too!
Well, your science fiction is my favorite, too, so that works out well! ;)
As an author, I'm always surprised to find how much of my attitude, personality, experience, etc. creeps into my characters when I'm not looking. Which of your characters would you say is the most like you?
Andi Lloyd, by far! She is essentially a more confident, outgoing version of myself. We share affectionate, stubborn personalities and tend to have strong principles. We also both really hate change. October also has many similarities to me, although it's more complicated because I specifically gave her a more troubled past than myself to exacerbate certain issues that she has.
Mmmm...I love Andi! And I haven't read October, but I totally get turning up the dial for a character on an issue you can relate to.
If you could have one of your characters as a friend in real life, which would it be?
That's a tough question, because I really consider all of my characters to be amazing friends! But if I had to choose I think I might have to say the Doctor. He's my favorite of my characters, and I would love to have someone in my life with that kind of loyalty and wisdom.
So, I have to admit that after I asked this, I started wondering which of your characters I would choose to be friends with in real life...and then reminded myself what a silly question that was. (For the record, I still haven't gotten over my almost-year-long book crush. Also, I haven't tried. <3) However, that out of the way, I'd have a hard time picking, shall we say, a second. ;) I'd love to meet so many of them!
And finally, what is one question you've never been asked in an interview that you'd love to answer? Give us the answer, too, please!
Hmm, that's an interesting question (or non-question?). I don't think I've ever been asked about my fascination with doctors--I think I have major doctor characters in every one of my books except for October.
The answer to that would definitely have something to do with my love for all things anatomy and physiology. I'm intensely interested in how our bodies work, how they fail, how they heal, and how they are designed to work so intricately and so brilliantly. But I think that's also combined with a fondness for characters who are deeply concerned with caring for others. A doctor has to see and deal with so many difficult and terrible situations, but he does it because he so wants to help those under his care; to make them whole again. I love that.
Thank you so much for interviewing me, Angie!
Oh, that's a great question/answer! I love the medical details in your books, even though I'm not half as knowledgeable as you are. (Which also means that my penchant for writing medical characters is on a much shakier foundation...)
Thank you for the lovely interview! It's been so much fun! Hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Again, I highly recommend checking out J. Grace Pennington's books, especially the Firmament series! I also really enjoyed her western mystery, Never. And the only reason I haven't read the others is because of my very personal comfort level with certain themes and plots.
Also check her out at the links below:
www.jgracepennington.com
www.facebook.com/jgracepenningtonthea...
www.twitter.com/jgracetheauthor
And now the moment you've all been waiting for...
The Black Friday Indie Book Sale!
Over 80 indie authors have gotten together to offer over 150 books for $0.99 or FREE from Black Friday through Cyber Monday!
If you didn't just click away to the sale itself, I seriously commend your self-control! And congratulations, because it gets better...there are also giveaways involved! More on that in just a second.
As part of the sale, you can get my debut novella, Bridgers, for only $0.99 through Monday! You'll also find all my currently published short stories in the list, too, except Lessons, which was a little too new to make the cut. Feel free to pass the information on to anyone else who might be interested; we want as many people as possible to take advantage of this sale! And if you have any bookworms on your Christmas list, some authors are also offering discounted paperbacks...
NOTE: I haven't read all of the books being offered, so I can't vouch for their content, but all of them should fall under a Mild+ or lower rating. You can link to rating definitions and filter books by content level on the sale page.
I know I hope to pick up a bunch of new books this weekend; thankfully for you, ebooks can't sell out! ;)
And finally, the giveaways! Enter below--US addresses only for the print giveaway, but the ebook giveaway is open to everyone!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?
Grand Prize (20 paperbacks)
Mythical Doorways by Jenelle Schmidt
Faith is the Victory by Faith Blum
Kiera by Kate Willis
Because Anonymous by Diana L. Sharples
After: Book One in The Neverway Chronicles by Savannah Jezowski
Specter: Book Two in The Neverway Chronicles by Savannah Jezowski
Leandra’s Enchanted Flute by Katy Huth Jones
Eagle Eyes by Tammy Lash
London in the Dark by Victoria Lynn
When Beauty Blooms by Victoria Lynn
Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset by Sarah Ashwood
Iced by Avery Daniels
Nailed by Avery Daniels
There Was Always Laughter in Our House by Sarah Holman
Bridgers: A Parable by Angie Thompson
Love Blind by Angie Thompson
Code by Angie Thompson
Christmas Eve at the Backdoor by Rebekah Morris
The Seven Drawers by Kendra E. Ardnek
He's Making Diamonds: A Teen's Thoughts on Faith Through Chronic Illness by Sara Willoughby
2nd Prize (20 ebooks/audiobooks)
Gather Round the Fables by Erika Matthews
The Case of the Tabloid Tattler (audiobook) by Perry Kirkpatrick
The Twelve Cats of Christmas (audiobook) by Perry Kirkpatrick
Coffee Shop Christmas by Ryana Lynn Miller
The Land of Cotton by Ryana Lynn Miller
Entertaining Angels, Entertaining Angels Book 1 by Emerald Barnes
Secret’s Kept by Jennette Mbewe
The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue
Beyond Broken Pencils by Julie C. Gilbert
Ashlynn's Dreams by Julie C. Gilbert
Soldier On by Vanessa Rasanen
Burning Rose by Hope Ann
Iced by Avery Daniels
Nailed by Avery Daniels
Imani Earns Her Cape by Bokerah Brumley
October by J. Grace Pennington
Disowned by Sarah Addison Fox
My Compass Home by Michaela Bush
Summer Shadows by Killarney Traynor
Necessary Evil by Killarney Traynor
If anyone's still reading, you should get a prize...or a slap upside the head. Get going already! Buy books! Enter giveaways! Tell friends! That is all.
Oh, and happy Thanksgiving! :D
