In the CFWhite-Hot Seat: Avylinn Winter Plus Giveaway!

Author of Volatile, Avylinn Winter

Today I am so pleased to welcome fantastic author, and an amazing friend, Avylinn Winter to my blog where I’ll be probing into her writing habits and the secrets behind her ever complex characters.

I’ve known Avylinn since my early days on Wattpad, where I started out as a newbie writer on the online platform with absolutely no idea what I was doing! Avylinn had been around for a while with an ever growing fanbase and gaining over million reads on her story, Volatile. Despite being so popular, and extremely busy, she always took the time to help others, supporting new writers and offering to read those coming up in the ranks and give great advice. I became a super fan early on and was privileged when I got the chance to beta read her re-release of Volatile (mostly because I wouldn’t ever pass up an opportunity to get up, close and personal with two of the most complex and elusive characters).

Avylinn has re released her debut novel, first in her Treacherous Chemistry series. It’s available from today in Kindle Unlimited and to buy from Amazon in ebook or paperback! You’ll most definitely want to pick up a copy of this one as I can assure you it’s got all the feels and Dante and Chris will have you’re heart racing.

Here’s a little intro to the book:

Chris Sinclair fades under a dark cloud after losing his mother to cancer. On the cusp of adulthood, he doesn’t know where he should go or how to get there. But watching life pass him by was never the plan, and when he is forced to attend a concert in an attempt to coax him out of his shell, he discovers that life might have more to offer.

Dante Heron holds the audience between his delicate bow and the tips of his fingers. He plays the violin as if every heart is his to command, but the discipline needed to perfect his skills has left him with nothing to spare. He’s a fire that burns too bright or not at all—unpredictable and demanding.

When Chris is unexpectedly offered a job to travel around Europe as Dante’s assistant, or ‘friend’, he surprises himself by accepting. Their journey barely starts before Chris realizes he’s in over his head. Every step along the way is fraught with tension, and the farther they go, the closer they veer to a breaking point.

Invisible strings are at play, stitched into Dante’s life by those who should have taught him how to love. Perhaps Chris is right to be afraid, but sometimes, what you fear the most is what you can’t afford to lose

This story has been published previously in another version. This second edition includes material from the companion short story, Magnetic, and is extensively rewritten and expanded.

Now you’ve read the blurb, let’s meet the author…

Did you always want to be a writer, or did you fall into it one day? How did your writing journey start?

I totally did NOT see myself as a writer when I grew up. I’ve always loved reading, but no one ever said I could write. It was when my boyfriend bought me an e-reader (back when Sony had their version of one) that I started to download a lot of stuff I hadn’t normally come across. Those stories got me thinking that I could write if I tried. So I tried, and I started posting online. People liked it and since then I’ve tried to keep it up.

So we should all thank Avylinn’s boyfriend right now… You said you started out writing on Wattpad, what made you make the leap from the online community to publishing in the “real world”?

I think it was the success I’d had on Wattpad that lured me into thinking that it would be possible to make a break also in the ‘real world’. Turned out it wasn’t so easy to make that switch, but I’m happy I tried. Wattpad was a great place to grow up as a writer, to find my legs and all that, but it’s also more rewarding to have something solid in your hands at the end of the day. Wattpad also attracts mostly young readers, which is a bit different from writing for a mature audience. I would say that publishing for an adult audience taught me a lot about myself and maybe forced me to grow up a bit.

Having started on there too, I couldn’t agree more! It’s a totally different readership. What have you found are the main differences of online writing to traditional publishing?

Online writing is a lot more forgiving, and especially
online readers who don’t expect a manuscript to be fully edited when they read
it. I would say that it was healthy for me to have a bit of a lower bar to
begin with. But it’s not only the editing, it’s the content and the subject
matter. For instance, the categories that exist in traditional publishing,
which have been around for a long time, do not exist so much on online
platforms such as Wattpad. Crossovers between genres are much more common and
readers won’t give you the evil eye if your book is not spot on genre specific.
It was a bit of a shock for me to discover that when I left my safe corner and
invited the rest of the world. People began to say that I wasn’t really writing
Romance, and I couldn’t understand
what they were talking about. I have learned more about that along the way, so
I guess I’ve also complied to the rules now.

I can totally relate to that too! There are certain formulas you must follow to be considered a romance writer. So, do you have a writing ritual or can you write anywhere? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a total pantser! I like writing at home, but other
than that, I don’t really have strategies that work. If I ever find one, maybe
I’ll start to become a bit more productive again.

Same, Avy, same! Your latest re-release, Volatile, book one in the highly angsty Treacherous Chemistry series has gone through some major changes from its first release on Wattpad and with Pride. Can you tell us something about Volatile that no one else knows…

I think I’ve analysed that story to death, and I assume
readers from both Wattpad and the first edition know everything there is to
know… but of course, the second edition is a little bit different. I can say
that some of the new influences comes from the fact that I met up with two
classical violinists after a chance encounter on a train. So I got to question
real life versions of Dante. One of them reminded me so much of him that it was
a bit eerie. The other managed to be a complete opposite. Both were lovely!

Wow! A real life Dante! That’s amazing. How did the plot come about for Volatile? Was it the plot or the characters that spoke to you first?

Actually it was the premise that spoke to me first I
think. I heard a violinist at one of Stockholm’s subway stations. He was good.
Really good. I decided then and there that I would try to write something about
a violinist. Then it sort of snowballed from there.

A busking violinist, I can hear it all now! Tell us your favourite scene from the book…

My favorite scene is one of the new ones. But it would be
kind of a spoiler to talk about it. Let’s just say that it involves removing a
lot of stuff from walls. I think that scene more than any other offers a
release.

I know that scene