Interview and Giveaway with Jamie Haden

Spirit Seeker by Jamie Haden

1. Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?

I am a stay at home mom raising three young daughters. My children are my greatest inspiration. I wrote Spirit Seeker for them.

2. What is it about the paranormal, in particular shape-shifters that fascinates you so much?

The shape-shifters in Spirit Seeker are spiritual humans that have died with their spirit animal present. Now, they must live a dual existence, condemned to walk the earth as man and beast. This becomes tricky because how they live depends entirely on the moral state of their soul at the time death. These shifters can voluntarily alter their bones to become something else entirely. Of course, this is not just a mental transformation, but a physical one. I think the one thing that intrigues people the most about animals is they live free from the existential burden of choice. Of course, human reality is wholly different. The mere idea that some very spiritual people (shamans) can literally metamorphosize is of the mysterious, something I find to be deeply compelling.

3. Please tell us about your latest release.

Spirit Seeker is a story about sixteen-year old Talisa Santiago. She is the granddaughter of a shaman and was born in the desert underneath the full moon in January—the wolf moon. However, she left the desert with her mother when she was a young girl. She remembers bits and pieces of her past, but it isn't until she and her mom move to a remote barrier island off the coast of North Carolina that she feels fate has finally called—secretive and mysterious he stands alone on the edge of the bank. Her friends tell her to stay away; she hears rumors that he is dangerous. Still, she can't resist. Whether Talisa realizes it or not, she knows a thing or two about boys like Jag Chavez. Fate is funny that way.
For the first time in her life, Talisa meets kids just like her—Native Americans who know the way of the spirit. The closer she gets to Jag, the more she realizes he is hiding a dark secret. He may have the markings of the Thunderbird, but he is named for the powerful Jaguar. Together they embark on a journey that will haunt her forever.

4. What is your favorite scene in the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?

One of my favorite scenes is when Talisa, Jag, Dakota, and Miguel go to Cave Island at midnight to perform a sacred ceremony. I can't say much about it without giving too much away, but it is certainly a surreal experience for Talisa when she learns what she is capable of doing. Becoming.

5. Do you have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?

Even though I always start with an outline, I let the characters develop as I write. Talisa Santiago, the heroine, shocked me the most. I had to let go of all my personal beliefs and philosophies and allow her to develop own personality entirely. I knew she was completely independent from me when she fell in love and made some very adult decisions that would alter the course of her life forever.

6. Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?

In Spirit Seeker, I wanted to build a world that was separate from society. Spirit Seeker takes place on Silence and Cave, two fictional remote barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. Cars are not permitted, and it is only accessible by ferry boat. Still, the islands are home to many families who live a very normal lifestyle going to school and work. I am fortunate to live near the seashore in North Carolina, and I have spent time on barrier islands. When I started to write the manuscript, I was at the beach and had an ideal image in my mind of what I wanted Silence and Cave to look and feel like.

In the sequel, Illuminate—Alive, she cried, Talisa, and her three closest friends go to live deep within the great Smokey Mountains with a very secretive tribe of Cherokee Indians. The only way to and from the reservation is by horseback. It is certainly a completely different world from anything I have ever seen and was drawn entirely from imagination.

7. With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?

Each of the novels in The Talisa Santiago Series can be read as stand alones. I just completed the second book in the series.

8. Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?

I definitely think I share some of the same characteristics as my characters. I am a Native American Indian and was adopted at a very young age. Even though I never met my biological parents, I have felt their presence my entire life. As an only child, I spent most of my childhood dreaming up magical worlds and faraway places. I always delighted in my imaginary friends, just as I do today.

9. Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?

Every morning before I write, I burn sandalwood and light white candles. My office is filled with fresh cut flowers, stacks of my favorite novels, lots of chocolates, and photos of my girls. I have a statue of Saint Jude right beside me and usually my seventy-five pound English bulldog Sophia is asleep at my feet. I have to surround myself with the things I love in order to be productive.

10. What are your guilty pleasures in life?

Wine. Chocolate. Coconut. Candy. And fried green tomatoes.

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Spirit Seeker
By Jamie Haden

ISBN: 978-1-61706-074-8
Price: $14.99
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
Available at: www.pillhillpress.com & most other online retailers!

Book Description:
Life is strange and difficult for the granddaughter of a shaman.
Sixteen-year-old Talisa Santiago was born in the desert underneath the full moon in January—the wolf moon. However, she left the desert with her mother when she was a young girl. She remembers bits and pieces of her past but it isn't until she and her mom move to a remote barrier island off the coast of North Carolina that she feels fate has finally called—secretive and mysterious he stands alone on the edge of the bank. Her friends tell her to stay away; she hears rumors that he is dangerous. Still, she can't resist Whether Talisa realizes it or not, she knows a thing or two about boys like Jag Chavez. Fate is funny that way.

For the first time in her life, Talisa meets kids just like her—Native Americans who know the way of the spirit. The closer she gets to Jag, the more she realizes he is hiding a dark secret. He may have the markings of the Thunderbird, but he is named for the powerful Jaguar. Together they embark on a journey that will haunt her forever.

Book trailer links:
http://youtu.be/XFl1xzhOUjY
http://youtu.be/KV6O1JZESQQ



Author Bio:
Jamie Haden lives in Wilmington, North Carolina with her husband and three daughters. Jamie has a Bachelor's degree in philosophy and taught special education in Kentucky and North Carolina. Pill Hill Press will release her young adult novel SPIRIT SEEKER-BOOK ONE OF THE TALISA SANTIAGO SERIES August 26, 2011. Jamie is currently working on ILLUMINATE-ALIVE, SHE CRIED, the sequel to SPIRIT SEEKER.

www.jamiehaden.com
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