Interview With... AmBear Shellea
To all who are reading this,
This is the penultimate interview of this month and today we meet Hot Ink Press author AmBear Shellea, who is going to introduce us to a world many only dream of.
Let's meet the woman herself.
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Name: AmBear Shellea
Age: Not telling!
Location: Unspecified.
Hi AmBear, thanks for joining me! So what are three interesting facts that you'd like to share with the readers?1. I love classic muscle cars! I own a 1973 Javelin AMX, that I am restoring with my fathers. It's our Dad-and-Daughter project!
2. I am a cat person! I already have my 'Old Cat Lady' starter kit. My three fur-babies are Sassy Pants, Little Man and Colombus. Some call them spoiled, I call them loved.
3. If I could invite anyone to my dinner table, here would be my guest list: All the members of AC/DC, country legend George Strait, Carroll Shelby (he designed the Ford - most know of the Ford Shelby series) and Jesus! Wouldn't that be an eventful night?!
What made you want to be a writer?
I love the flight into fantasy. In the realm of dreams and fantasy anything can happen, and anything is possible. Mix that with my over-active, creative imagination and the fact that I can barely draw stick figures and the choice was obvious - write! This pretty much sums it up:
"Creativity is my addiction and writing is my drug of choice."
What motivates you to write?
Different things... The characters are screaming and threatening me for one, but also the fact that when I write, I totally zone everything else out. When in the zone, there is no stress, no doubts and no need for anything but the words on the paper. It's just me and my creation. I lose myself to it and time does not exist. My mind and body seem to fuse into one thing - my writing. I know it sounds weird, but it's really the only way to describe it.
Do you have a particular writing process?
Sort of. Headphones in, music loud, laptop on, and away I go!
As for a process on how the story is put together - all my stories start out as scenes with the characters, which grow into pages and chapters. At this point, I know about where each chapter will fit, but it usually isn't until I am editing that it comes together and forms a readable story.
How do you manage the deadly problem that is writers block?
Music! Loud, aggressive rock music. Music always makes me feel better, I swear it's food for my soul. An aggressive rock beat gets my heart pumping and blood flowing. I have noticed on the writing front, it helps clear my head. However, if it is plot bunnies that are blocking the progress on a current WIP (work-in-progress), I usually jot down the basics of the story and that helps. I haven't taken too much time from my current work and I have gotten the basic premise for another story, or ideas for my series.
What is a piece of writing advice that you will always remember?
Never give up and always write! Whether for fun, money or the love of getting your thoughts on paper, always write.
What is the most influential book you have ever read, and why do you think so?
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind. It is part of his Sword of Truth series. This is far into his series too, so it would be a long interview if I went through all of it BUT basically, Richard is put into a dire situation that is only getting worse. He has a few choices. Accept it and deal with it, or accept it and wallow. His choice: Accept it only as a temporary set back and work to change it. It will be a hard road, and possibly a long road, but it will be worth it. I took from this book:
No matter how hard things are, you can't roll over and give up. The world still goes on. Bills still need paying, your children will still need food, life will continue to go on, so since you have things that have to be done, you may as well work you ass off to make it better, so that at one point your life can be easier, maybe less stressful. Life is not easy and neither is living it sometimes, but giving up only compounds your problems.
As Richard would say in this series, "Think of the solution and not the problem." It is a statement I took to heart. No matter what you do, your problems will be there and they will never change until you actively work to change them!
Have you ever derived inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
Not really. If I have, I didn't think of it that way. I have gotten inspiration for characters from people I know. A certain trait maybe that that person, and then build upon that until the character is created.
Your most recent publication is Rock N Roll Promises. Have you had any publications prior to this?
Yes! Chaos Unleashed and Revelation are books one and two of The Pedalstem Lillie series. It is a fantasy romance and they are both available on Amazon.
What is Rock N Roll Promises about? It certainly sounds interesting!
A woman named Anna Skott. In her youth, in the 70's, when as we all have heard is the Peace, Love and Party era, she is no exception to the rule but finds that the one time she gives into a one night stand, her life will never be the same.
Her party hero is not who she thinks he is and by dawn, although he is still there, her previous existence is not.
Rock N Roll Promises is her journey through her new life; the rules and choices. Some of her choices leave her almost dead and after yet another one night stand, this time to protect her secret, she awakens to find, she is smack dab in the middle of a war.
And when all is said and done, she has broken the rules. Now she waits. Even though her life lies in the hands of two people, her fate may be the same, she prepares for both.
What drove you to write paraphantasy, and what exactly is it?
I am very fond of paranormal and fantasy, and this series has both, thus the name: Paraphantasy. The tagline for this series is this:
The Rock N Roll Paraphantasy series, where the Paranormal and Fantasy collide spawning a rock n roll fuelled world of love, sex, romance and wicked magic!
It is clear from your books that music plays an important part in your life. Do you have a set playlist for when you're writing, or is it something completely different?
Yes, I have a list of songs that I listen to while I write, as well as a playlist for each book. Here is the Youtube playlist for Rock N Roll Promises. These are songs listed on the book:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK6yIpxfLqJ-7fUqLnqQdT6K0ZzuoH_as@feature=mh_lolz
What does the future hold for you as a writer?
More books, more characters, and more fun! Oh and, more conventions and fan parties!
Thank you for such a fantastic interview, AmBear!
Be sure to check out Rock N Roll Promises on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
You can also find AmBear here:
Twitter: @AmBearShellea
http://www.facebook.com/AmBearShellea?ref=hl
www.ambearshellea.blogspot.com
www.rocknrollparaphantasy.blogspot.com
www.pedalstemlillieseries.blogspot.com
---
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
---
Currently reading:
This is the penultimate interview of this month and today we meet Hot Ink Press author AmBear Shellea, who is going to introduce us to a world many only dream of.
Let's meet the woman herself.
---
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Name: AmBear Shellea
Age: Not telling!
Location: Unspecified.
Hi AmBear, thanks for joining me! So what are three interesting facts that you'd like to share with the readers?1. I love classic muscle cars! I own a 1973 Javelin AMX, that I am restoring with my fathers. It's our Dad-and-Daughter project!
2. I am a cat person! I already have my 'Old Cat Lady' starter kit. My three fur-babies are Sassy Pants, Little Man and Colombus. Some call them spoiled, I call them loved.
3. If I could invite anyone to my dinner table, here would be my guest list: All the members of AC/DC, country legend George Strait, Carroll Shelby (he designed the Ford - most know of the Ford Shelby series) and Jesus! Wouldn't that be an eventful night?!
What made you want to be a writer?
I love the flight into fantasy. In the realm of dreams and fantasy anything can happen, and anything is possible. Mix that with my over-active, creative imagination and the fact that I can barely draw stick figures and the choice was obvious - write! This pretty much sums it up:
"Creativity is my addiction and writing is my drug of choice."
What motivates you to write?
Different things... The characters are screaming and threatening me for one, but also the fact that when I write, I totally zone everything else out. When in the zone, there is no stress, no doubts and no need for anything but the words on the paper. It's just me and my creation. I lose myself to it and time does not exist. My mind and body seem to fuse into one thing - my writing. I know it sounds weird, but it's really the only way to describe it.
Do you have a particular writing process?
Sort of. Headphones in, music loud, laptop on, and away I go!
As for a process on how the story is put together - all my stories start out as scenes with the characters, which grow into pages and chapters. At this point, I know about where each chapter will fit, but it usually isn't until I am editing that it comes together and forms a readable story.
How do you manage the deadly problem that is writers block?
Music! Loud, aggressive rock music. Music always makes me feel better, I swear it's food for my soul. An aggressive rock beat gets my heart pumping and blood flowing. I have noticed on the writing front, it helps clear my head. However, if it is plot bunnies that are blocking the progress on a current WIP (work-in-progress), I usually jot down the basics of the story and that helps. I haven't taken too much time from my current work and I have gotten the basic premise for another story, or ideas for my series.
What is a piece of writing advice that you will always remember?
Never give up and always write! Whether for fun, money or the love of getting your thoughts on paper, always write.
What is the most influential book you have ever read, and why do you think so?
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind. It is part of his Sword of Truth series. This is far into his series too, so it would be a long interview if I went through all of it BUT basically, Richard is put into a dire situation that is only getting worse. He has a few choices. Accept it and deal with it, or accept it and wallow. His choice: Accept it only as a temporary set back and work to change it. It will be a hard road, and possibly a long road, but it will be worth it. I took from this book:
No matter how hard things are, you can't roll over and give up. The world still goes on. Bills still need paying, your children will still need food, life will continue to go on, so since you have things that have to be done, you may as well work you ass off to make it better, so that at one point your life can be easier, maybe less stressful. Life is not easy and neither is living it sometimes, but giving up only compounds your problems.
As Richard would say in this series, "Think of the solution and not the problem." It is a statement I took to heart. No matter what you do, your problems will be there and they will never change until you actively work to change them!
Have you ever derived inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
Not really. If I have, I didn't think of it that way. I have gotten inspiration for characters from people I know. A certain trait maybe that that person, and then build upon that until the character is created.
Your most recent publication is Rock N Roll Promises. Have you had any publications prior to this?
Yes! Chaos Unleashed and Revelation are books one and two of The Pedalstem Lillie series. It is a fantasy romance and they are both available on Amazon.
What is Rock N Roll Promises about? It certainly sounds interesting!
A woman named Anna Skott. In her youth, in the 70's, when as we all have heard is the Peace, Love and Party era, she is no exception to the rule but finds that the one time she gives into a one night stand, her life will never be the same.Her party hero is not who she thinks he is and by dawn, although he is still there, her previous existence is not.
Rock N Roll Promises is her journey through her new life; the rules and choices. Some of her choices leave her almost dead and after yet another one night stand, this time to protect her secret, she awakens to find, she is smack dab in the middle of a war.
And when all is said and done, she has broken the rules. Now she waits. Even though her life lies in the hands of two people, her fate may be the same, she prepares for both.
What drove you to write paraphantasy, and what exactly is it?
I am very fond of paranormal and fantasy, and this series has both, thus the name: Paraphantasy. The tagline for this series is this:
The Rock N Roll Paraphantasy series, where the Paranormal and Fantasy collide spawning a rock n roll fuelled world of love, sex, romance and wicked magic!
It is clear from your books that music plays an important part in your life. Do you have a set playlist for when you're writing, or is it something completely different?
Yes, I have a list of songs that I listen to while I write, as well as a playlist for each book. Here is the Youtube playlist for Rock N Roll Promises. These are songs listed on the book:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK6yIpxfLqJ-7fUqLnqQdT6K0ZzuoH_as@feature=mh_lolz
What does the future hold for you as a writer?
More books, more characters, and more fun! Oh and, more conventions and fan parties!
Thank you for such a fantastic interview, AmBear!
Be sure to check out Rock N Roll Promises on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
You can also find AmBear here:
Twitter: @AmBearShellea
http://www.facebook.com/AmBearShellea?ref=hl
www.ambearshellea.blogspot.com
www.rocknrollparaphantasy.blogspot.com
www.pedalstemlillieseries.blogspot.com
---
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
---
Currently reading:
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