Q&A with Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue, BEFORE THE DAWN

LF: What she said! All of it is dead on, which makes sense because this is something we talk about with each other A LOT. I mean, how could we not? What author wouldn't love to see their creation come to life? I'd be ecstatic to have the chance to see how someone else interprets our world and characters, but...I'd also be scared. Because, you know, what if it's all wrong?! That being said, I'd be way more ecstatic and excited than I would be scared, so, yeah. :)12. What made you both choose this type of story?
LP: If my memory serves correctly, the type of story was LF’s idea. She’d been playing around with a dystopian, post-apocalypse idea for a while. Maybe not for an actual book, but a project around two friends and their communication during such a cataclysmic event. Clearly, it turned into much more, but that’s the spark that lit the fire, so to speak.
LF: Yep, that’s pretty much right. I’m not sure where I got the idea, but it had definitely been rolling around in my head for a little while. Maybe it was because I’d been away from my own hometown for several years at that point, and I was feeling the distance that can develop between friends even in our uber-connected age. What might it be like if we didn’t have cell phones, etc? I was curious, so LP and I explored the idea together...and voila! Dani and Zoe sprang to life. :)
13. Have you both enjoyed writing them?
 LP: I can easily say that without LF I probably would never have dove head first into the writing world, or I should say publishing world. Writing is one thing, but turning it into something that hundreds--maybe thousands--of people have the potential to see is taking a passion for writing to a whole other level. It was amazing embarking on this journey with someone, and I know I will never regret it, as long as I live.
LP: Yes! Word! Precisely! Writing is hard and painful at times, and putting our story out there was terrifying...and sometimes VERY painful. But the hard times were minimized by sharing this journey together, that’s for sure. Aaaaand, the good times, the joys and successes and holy-sh!ts, felt so much bigger because there was always someone else who was just as invested, just as excited. Writing the Ending Series has been highly enjoyable...writing it together has only made it more so.
14. Your characters feel like real people to me, are any of them based on people you know?
LP: Ha! Not really, though there are aspects of people I know that are sprinkled throughout Zoe and “her” characters. There are some aspects of my fiance in Jake, mostly because his characteristics felt natural to write having known him for over 10 years, and Harper is the best guy friend I always wanted--Morgan from Criminal Minds. I can’t think of any others....
LF: Nope! Just people I know in my head...
15. Did you start writing from an early age? What are your inspirations?
LF: I didn’t, but I know LP did. I was more of a voracious bookworm.
LP: I did start writing at an early age, and I think it was a coping mechanism for me. Life and puberty was difficult for me, especially in high school so it helped to have an outlet, so to speak. My life is pretty much normal now, but writing is a way I can experience living through someone else’s eyes--in another world with people I find fascinating and going on adventures I wouldn’t otherwise have. I can research things I would never learn about otherwise, and just have fun. Although writers say this a lot, it’s true: being out in the world, living everyday life in the presence of others is where I get my inspiration. People’s losses, their conflicts, the things that make them smile...there’s nothing like going to a funeral or witnessing a couple making up in a public place to bring you back to humanity and the way people interact.
16. Where did you come up with the idea for each "disease"?
LP: I’ll let LF take this one. She was the brains behind this. There was a day-long note and study session at the library that helped us move things along, but the Virus lives inside her head. I’m still fact-checking with her to make sure certain things work and make sense.
LF: Oh my gosh, this part was hard! I guess you could say we reverse engineered the virus. We decided on the “rules” - that some people would be affected differently than others (Abilities vs “Crazies”). I created some psuedo-science and mixed it together with modern genetics and came up with a type of gene therapy delivered to the patient/victim via a flu virus. It makes sense, you see. Because science. Sort of...

Book & Author Details:
Before the Dawn by Lindsey Fairleigh & Lindsey Pogue
(The Ending #4)
Publication date: November 20th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance
Synopsis:A year ago, the Virus killed off most people in the world.

A year ago, strange things started happening to those who survived. Some of them transformed into something dark and sinister, while others evolved, becoming something more, something beyond human.

A year ago, Dani and Zoe were lost. They traversed the country to find one another, losing some of the people dearest to them along the way. They fought for their right to simply live, uncovered long-buried secrets, and discovered irreversible truths. And after everything Dani and Zoe have been through—even with the battle wounds that they bear—they’re still not safe.

It’s time for the struggling to end, for survivors to take back their lives, their families, their safety. It’s time to really begin to live, and to do that, they must wait for the first rays of dawn.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18329357-before-the-dawn?ac=1
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Before-Dawn-Ending-Lindsey-Fairleigh/dp/0988715473/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1447779854&sr=8-2&keywords=Before+the+Dawn+Lindsey+Fairleigh+Lindsey+PogueB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/before-the-dawn-lindsey-fairleigh/1122931917?ean=2940156678457
AUTHOR BIOS: Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two very confused cats.
Author links:http://www.lindseyfairleigh.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551703.Lindsey_Fairleighhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindsey-Fairleigh/220345161400603https://twitter.com/LindsFairleigh

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, wrote her first YA manuscript in high school, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world
around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.
Author links:http://www.lindseypogue.com/https://www.facebook.com/lindseypogueauthor?ref=hlhttps://twitter.com/lindseyrpoguehttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551704.Lindsey_Pogue
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