Guest Author Lily Velden and eBook Giveaway for Same Page
Hi, Lily. Nice to have you back. Re-Introduce yourself to everyone.
Um, hi everyone, I’m Lily Velden, the broad who walks around with one mint-flavored shoe and one chocolate one… Hey, if you put your foot in your mouth as regularly as I do, you want it to taste good!
Can I confess something, Andy? My shoes are actually caramel flavored! I lurves me some caramel!
Okay, okay, I’ll be serious.
I’m a Cancerian, Wood Dragon, No. 9 (um, Chaldean numerology, BTW, LOL) which apparently means: I love my family, love to cook, am impulsive, original, with a bit of a temper, but quick to forgive. I’m honest and a tad too trusting and accepting (hmm, is that a nice way of saying I’m a sucker?) and a ‘what you see is what you get’ person, totally lacking in guile. I’m also generous to a fault, creative, open-minded, kind, warm, and prepared to compromise.
Sounds pretty good, huh?
Can we not ask my ex-husband to verify all of the above???
On top of that, I’m an excited and nervous writer because my ‘baby’ is about to be released!
1) Your “baby” being your newest book, Same Page, the first book in How The Light Gets In. What’s it about?
Oh boy, where to start! How the Light Gets In is currently two novels (third being written as we speak)
Book 1 of the series; Same Page is due out on 14th June, 2013 and Book 2; The Race is On, has just completed the editing process at Dreamspinner and so hopefully will be released in July or August—hence my excitement and anxiety!
How the Light Gets In is a contemporary love story. Both novels follow the lives of Jaxon Moncrieff, famous American actor, and Liam Lassiter, an up-and-coming artist.
Same Page is pretty much set entirely in Australia as Liam emigrated from Britain to the land Down Under as an adolescent.
It’s taken me quite a while to write the boys’ story—I started in late 2009—and what a journey it’s been. Like any bit of fiction, in parts it reflects a heightened reality, in others, it casts a rosy glow to melt away rough edges, but it also attempts to be ‘real.’ It has a bit of everything: at times, you’ll laugh, at times you’ll cry (well, if I did my job right you will!) and at times you will shake your head at the boys, because isn’t that what we do with friends and family when they say and do things we don’t understand? Or when they can’t see what’s right under their nose?
2) What was the inspiration for the book and the series?
I was in my late twenties, recently separated with three small children under the age of seven to care for, and a friend gave me a tape to listen to by Leonard Cohen. There was one track on it, Anthem that had two lines in it that, when I heard them, I cried. Those lines were: There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
When I heard those lines for the first time, in fact, every time I hear them, it makes me feel okay about being less than perfect. It makes me feel okay about being a bit broken and flawed and battered by life.
For years and years and years, I’ve always carried around a small notebook with me within which I‘ve transcribed quotes, parts of song lyrics, poems, etc. that have meaning for me. If I’m waiting for a bus, or sitting in the doctor’s surgery, I’ll pull out my current notebook and read over my little snippets, all of which speak to me for one reason or another. There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in has been transcribed into each and every one of my notebooks for the last twenty years. To say those words have resonated with me is an understatement.
And so one day I sat down and began writing a story about two men who each came with their flaws and idiosyncrasies. Who each came with their strengths and their weaknesses. And who each came with their emotional baggage and life histories. Two men, not perfect, but perfect for each other.
3) Wow, sound like you pour a lot of emotions into your characters. Do you find yourself letting the scenes and characters write themselves or do you go back and endlessly tweak a scene to get the emotion just right?
A bit of both, Andy. The boys dictate the scene, but I’m notorious for going back and tweaking. Truth be told, I’m the tweaker from hell! I must have driven the Dreamspinner editors bonkers! I add a sentence, I take one out, I juggle the word order, or swap adjectives! I just want it to be perfect, which is impossible, I know, but I try anyway!
I’m the same with my art—I’d even take a huge handbag with me to my openings filled with all sorts of tools and brushes and when no one was looking (LOL, yeah, right. There’s always someone looking!) I’d touch up or adjust something! Picture Mr. Bean as a woman with wild blonde curly hair sneaking from artwork to artwork, and you’ve pretty much got me nailed!
4) Having had the privilege of reading some of your writing that might not be published, your writing tends to have such vivid imagery. Are most of the ‘scenes’ you write about real or imagined?
You’re always so kind, Andy—thank you for saying ‘privilege’ and not ‘chore!’
So, if I tell you the scenes are real to me, are you going to send in the men in white coats???
My characters are very real to me. It takes me ages to write a novel as I need to live with my characters for a while. I need to know and understand them inside and out.
I must admit, I live the story with them. When they are happy, I’m walking around with a bounce in my step. When they are hurting, I’m quiet and withdrawn.
I’ll tell you a little story which is kind of funny in retrospect, but will probably having you booking the white van with men in white coats…
While writing Same Page there was a scene where one of the boys (I can’t say which or it will give things away) was very upset. As I wrote the scene, I was blubbering over my keyboard so much I could barely see the screen.
My daughter, Emma, stopped by unexpectedly to visit and so I leapt off the sofa and raced to the front door, drying my eyes as I went. Of course, she could see I’d been crying and so she threw her arms around me, squeezing me tight and bombarded me with questions. What was wrong? Were her brothers okay? Had anything happened to Opa and Oma?
“Something awful has happened and …….. is hurting so bad right now,” I wailed.
Emma gently pushed me away and whacked me around the shoulders, glaring at me and scolding me for scaring her. “Remind me again, that you actually enjoy writing.”
So, yes, I get very involved with my characters!
I know what it is to be happy. I know what it is to hurt. I know what it is to love, and what it is to fear. Like most writers, artists, songwriters etc. I pick my emotions apart and examine them under a microscope in the hope it will allow me to describe them more eloquently. So, yes, in that sense they are real. Most emotions are universal, even if our experience of them is individual.
5) I’ve never been to Australia, and I’m sure many of your readers haven’t as well – tell us a few things we’d like or wouldn’t like about living there.
Mostly when I see adverts promoting Australia they focus on our beaches, and certainly they are wonderful, but personally, I love some 
of the hinterland that runs just about the whole length of the east coast. None of the mountains are so huge as to be noteworthy for their size, but some of the vegetation is so lush and green. A lot of the rivers are pebble-based and so the water is incredibly clear and tastes so sweet. And when you can find a part of the river where there’s some small, shallow mini-rapids they are fantastic to sit in and sip away on something fizzy or a shandy (yep, I’m a wimp who mixes lemonade with her beer) It’s just so relaxing. The rivers are great for tubing too!
Generally speaking, the towns situated in the hinterland have a less frenetic pace of life than the major cities which are situated mostly along our coastline, and yet, because most of our population hugs the coast, it’s not that far to reach a reasonable sized town or city.
I personally don’t like the center of Australia that much, but I have friends that live there who swear by it, so, as with anything, I guess, it’s a matter of taste. I find it too dry and hot and there are so many flies! I lived in the Northern Territory for five years and I SO missed the smell of the ocean!
I think you’d like our laid back, friendly attitude – though maybe you’d find us too laid back LOL! There are parts of Australia where you really would come across the ‘she’ll be right, mate,” attitude – nothing fazes them!
As to dislikes, you’d probably not like our creepy crawlies or poisonous snakes, but it’s not like they’re sitting on your front door step every morning. In fact, I’ve only seen a handful of snakes in my entire life, and I’ve lived here since I was two.
On the flip side, you’d see and experience some cute things too. Like, where my parents live, there are always kangaroos on the golf course!
Why not come and see for yourself??? You can stay at my place!
6) ‘lil q, Mike and I come to visit for dinner – what would you serve us knowing Mike doesn’t eat Pork or beef?
When can I pencil you in for??? I love cooking for dinner parties!
Hhm, let me see… I think I’d start with something simple that’s also an introduction to the great choice of seafood we have here in Australia. Say, a Prawn Cocktail made with big, fat, juicy Australian King Prawns served on a bed of lettuce and drizzled with lashings of my homemade cocktail sauce – much tastier than the bought stuff.
Two out of three of my children loved prawns, so I figure there’s a better than 50% chance ‘lil q will as well!
The main course I’ve chosen is with ‘lil q in mind – sorry guys, but I’m a sucker for cute little toddlers! The dish isn’t fancy by any means, but when it’s done right, it’s very tasty. It was certainly a family favorite with my crew. Every time I made it, I always had to make mounds of it because everyone went back for seconds! They still do!
It’s Apricot Chicken served with creamy potato mash and steamed beans, peas, and carrots tossed with real butter.
As for dessert, as I’ve already confessed, I’m a caramel girl, but methinks ‘lil q will be infatuated with chocolate! (a close runner-up for me!) So, I’m thinking a nice light and airy chocolate mousse served with whipped cream and fresh berries. (because as long as you serve something ‘good’ with it you can have something ‘naughty’!!!)
Hopefully that sounds good enough for you to jump on the next plane and come visit!
7) Coffee or Tea? Ice cream or Cake? Chocolates or caramels?
Coffee: Cappuccino or latte, or my absolute favorite is a Roman coffee – that’s where you put a nip of Galliano in the coffee and top it with loads of whipped cream!!! You want to try one when you come for dinner, Andrew? I always add extra cream (Galliano too, but maybe I shouldn’t admit to that!)
Ice cream: It makes everything better! I love it served with Ice Magic chocolate and crushed nuts. Oh, and on hot pies, tarts, or strudel, where it starts to melt. Positively sinful, but oh so yummy!
Caramels: Need you ask??? Caramels, caramels, caramels!
8) Art – you’ve done the cover art for your books. Has your art ever inspired a story?
No, it’s more a case that stories inspire my art making. When I say stories, I mean things I’ve observed, experienced, heard, and felt. A lot of my art is very personal. It speaks of my thoughts, my opinions and beliefs, my feelings, and my experiences.
Some pieces I can part with soon after completion (though, lord knows, if allowed, I’d still be tweaking them when I’m eighty!) Others, I need to own myself for a while, but with all of them, I need to know they are going to a good home. I suppose, I’m the same with my artworks as an animal lover would be with the offspring of a beloved pet.
I once refused to sell a man one of my works, in spite of him being willing to pay double the asking price. All because he was a rude, bigoted, arrogant son-of-a-bitch. Everyone thought I was crazy to refuse to sell to him, but hey, money isn’t everything!
9) Which do you find moves you more, your artist side or your writer side?
That’s a very hard question to answer, Andy! When I’m making art I’m so immersed in it I can hardly concentrate on anything else. I forget time and space. I forget to eat. I’ll look at my watch and think an hour has passed to find that five have. But then, when I’m in the middle of a story, I’m the same. Both satisfy a need within me to create.
10) What’s an ideal day for you?
To wake up without the means of an alarm clock, grab a piece of fruit and go for a nice long walk. Come home and shower, then immerse myself for a few hours in the world of my characters with a nice cup of coffee by my elbow. Stop for a bite to eat for lunch and then spend the afternoon in my workshop. Another walk, maybe some yoga, another shower and then more writing and keeping in touch with my online friends!
For either the lunch or dinner, I’d like any or all of my children to drop by and visit and tell me what’s happening in their life!
Not very exciting is it???
Sorry! What can I say? I love to escape the real world!
11) For whatever reason, you’re forced to evacuate your home with only a moment’s you’ve got a minute to leave and only what you can carry with you – what would you take and why?
My children’s photo albums – I have one for each of them filled with my fave pics of them. It would be hard, but I think I could leave the other albums behind.
Lastly, I’d take my laptop as it contains my life!
Between those things I don’t think I’d be able to carry anything else!
12) Cycling back to why you’re here, Book Two in How the Light Gets In – The Race Is On - is set to follow this summer – pimp your next instalment a bit.
Okay, picking myself up off the floor where I fell in a heap—as soon as I saw the word ‘pimp,’ Andy I had visions of myself sporting a pair of sunglasses that were so big they made my face look like that of a mosquito. I was wearing white jeans and a fur trimmed jacket with big heavy gold medallions hanging around my neck. Yep, I fell into stereotype hell!!!
So, I’ve picked myself up, dusted myself off and I’m back in original mode!
In some ways, I feel to say anything about The Race is On will give things away in Book 1: Same Page—that some of the tension will be lost, but I suppose the mere fact there is a sequel will tell most people that the story goes on!
In The Race is On, the boys really hit their stride. They have some issues to deal with, such as coming out to Jaxon’s family and sorting out their living arrangements, seeing as one of them calls Australia home and the other the US, on top of which, they both have demanding careers. What they’re not aware of is paparazzi photographer, Rafael Cacciatore, notices the change in Jaxon and begins stalking him even more closely—he wants to be the first to get the ‘money shot’ and expose Jaxon’s lover. Will he out the boys before the boys get a chance to out themselves? As the title says; The Race is On!
Thanks for having me, Andy. As always, it was a pleasure!
Blurb:
He was like the only splash of color in a black-and-white photograph.
The man was beautiful.
At an exhibition opening in Sydney, jaded Hollywood heartthrob Jaxon Moncrieff lays eyes on publicity-shy artist Liam Lassiter for the first time and is immediately captivated. But he doesn’t get far into their first conversation before he realizes what he’s feeling is attraction, which brings him up short. Jaxon has always been a womanizer.
Despite his reservations, Jaxon makes a play for Liam, but Liam has his own issues. Unlucky in love and orphaned at sixteen, he is reluctant to open his heart to anyone, and dismisses Jaxon out of hand.
Driven by a need he doesn’t understand, Jaxon organizes a return to Sydney to film his next project. If he can’t be with Liam, maybe they can be friends. Of course, that creates a whole new problem. Now Jaxon is falling in love for the first time. How can he move their relationship from friends to lovers without destroying the trust he’s worked so hard for?
Buy Links
Author links:
Website: http://www.lilyvelden.wordpress.com
Email: lilyvelden@live.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lily.velden
Twitter: @LilyVelden
Tumblr: http://www.lilyvelden.tumblr.com/
Win a copy of the eBook – leave a comment below:
To be entered in the contest, leave a comment below. No need to answer a question, or find a hidden clue, just leave behind a few words to let Lily know you visited. Please leave an email address so we can contact you if you win. The winner will be selected at 6:00 p.m. East Coast U.S. time on June 15, 2013 using Randomizer.org and will be selected by Andrew. Winner will be notified by Lily to make arrangements for the delivery of the eBook.
