Interview with Heather Burch; interesting tidbits on the titles and the characters

Heather Burch/Zondervan(Book 3 in the Halflings series)

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of posting up my recent interview with Heather Burch, the author of “Halflings”- in this interview we discussed everything from time management in writing, to Nikki’s choice in young men and finally, will there be more in the series? If you are at all curious, you may wish to read the rest. Here’s a clip:

NCFE: In the ‘Halflings’ series Mace is the leader type and he is sensitive to Nikki’s abilities and her feelings-sometimes. Raven, the “bad boy” unleashes the wild side of her prompting her to new heights, helping her let go. In your opinion, which boy would be right for Nikki and why?

Heather Burch: In many ways they are both right … and wrong for her. I loved introducing this dynamic because we get to feel every emotion right along with Nikki. I’ve had many reviewers say they ALWAYS know which boy is the right one. But not with the Halflings Series. Either one could be right. Or wrong. I love involving readers. I love it when they have to sit back and say, “Hm. What do I think of this guy? Is he right for Nikki?”

NCFE: I simply love the titles in the series. Tell me, how did you come up with them? (Besides the obvious first book in the series, LOL!)

HB: In the very beginning, the first three books were titled, Pure, Dark and Risen. Of course, it was still the Halflings Series. It never occurred to me to title book 1 Halflings. That came from my fabulous publisher. (They’re so much smarter than me.)

NCFE: Have your books been compared to other teen series(Christian or not) and if so how do you feel about it?

HB: Halflings gets compared to Twilight often. I think the love triangle factors in on that. Also, book one has a little less action than two and three. I love it when people compare. It means they’re thinking about it, considering it against other YA books.

NCFE: At first the Halfling girls did not accept Nikki and I felt bad for Nikki, however one Halfling girl has her eye on Raven. Will we see more of his story unfold in future books?(Read more on Norfolk Christian Fiction Examiner)

Like pirates? Like adventure? Interview with Molly Evangeline explores fantasy, faith and independent publishing

Molly Evangeline, author of Makilien Book 1: Truth

Molly is a prolific writer of all things fantasy, including those stories reflecting her love for pirates which was boosted from watching Pirates of the Caribbean. Now she is the independent author of five books. She will illuminate what it truly means to be free from traditional publishing…for the time being.

Erica:What inspires you to write about pirates and other fantasy genres?

Molly:The initial inspiration to writing about pirates came from seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl on my fifteenth birthday. That immediately got me interested in pirates and sailing, and I began the first book of my pirate series. The excitement eventually wore off and I didn’t end up finishing the book until a couple years later. As I went on in the series, my fascination with pirates turned more into a deep love of the time period and life at that time. It’s still one of my favorite time periods, and I hope to write more stories set in that time someday. I’ve had my love of fantasy for a bit longer. That came from the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien. My mom read The Hobbit to me and my brothers when we were pretty young, and when I saw The Fellowship of the Ring movie when I was thirteen, I was hooked.

Erica:  I see that you were a fan of the Babysitters club- me too! What kinds of books/genres do you read now ?

Molly:At the moment, Christian fantasy is hands-down my favorite. Though I’m very selective, I’m always on the lookout for a good fantasy read. I’m not in the habit of buying many books, but my last several purchases have been fantasy fiction. I love adventure. I’m also a huge fan of historical fiction. Anything pertaining to medieval times or the 1700s-1800s is my favorite. I love stories of knights, colonial times, and cowboys.
 

Erica: There seems to be trend in supernatural stories geared towards young adults;  from a Christian perspective why do you think this is? From a writer’s perspective?

Molly:Mostly, I think it’s just the world we live in. There is no doubt a fight going on for the minds of young people. Satan will use anything he can to influence us. Not saying all supernatural fiction is bad, but there is an unbelievable amount of stories I would never recommend to anyone.

In the world we live in, it seems that more and more lines are being blurred. And the sad thing is, it’s both Christians and non-Christians. That’s why Christian authors should be especially careful with what we write. We influence our readers too. From a writer’s perspective, the trend is natural. When one author hits on something big, others will want to get in on it and hope to have the same success. If an audience loves something, they’ll want more(continue reading on Examiner.com)

Tracking an Author Continues: Dessen’s New Book and the Author Who Connects

Sarah Dessen Talks About Her New Book, “What Happened to Goodbye”

 

I am always fascinated with author’s stories about how they came to be these weavers of their own imaginations and how they manage to pull us into their character’s world. What is even more fascinating is how much fiction is actually nonfiction for most writers(but I doubt they’d say that).

For example, I’ve read 2 of Dessen’s books: Just Listen and The Truth About Forever, which I highly recommend you read – and it appears that some of the places in her book actually exist, further more the teens go through agaonizing reality. We’ve all been dumped, dooped, and discouraged beyond belief as a teen. Some still are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s+, yet I digress…

What happens to the author who resonates so well with reality, that people pick up his or her books? They become icons thats what. I know some authors may say, “Thats not true! I’ve never been an icon and I published  X amount of books.” My question then is: “Weren’t you published though? Don’t you have a fan base? Have you been writing ever since? Then you are doing well and people love what you do.

Don’t get me wrong. Writing has to be first and foremost a passion. Just like basketball. Or football. Or gardening. This is something you must do and it is a serious mandate TO DO before you leave this life. Yet to have a cult following and getting paid for it are added bonuses for sure.

What drew me to love Dessen’s, Stephenie Meyers’s , and Octavia Butler’s works are that they created a world in which things can/have happened and made me “feel” for the character. Amazing huh? Dessen’s books take you back to when you were a teen and you root seriously for the heroine. Stephenie Meyer wrote a coming of age book complete with “new -girl -has -to transfer- to- school -and -has -divorced -parents mode”(with some vamp action in it), and Octavia Butler, rest her soul, has written dystopian and speculative novels about every ethnicity in the world but you love or hate her characters because they seem so real.

So, back to my question: What happens when the author connects so well to the audience?

We adore them because they just seem to understand-literary- oops I mean literally

Tracking an Author Continues…New Speculative Series about Love and the Afterlife

Last year I began a tracking an author series following my methods of publication. This was not just to show off that I’m publishing a book. The blog posts were there to help those who were considering self publication as an option.

Well, I am now looking forward to my new series. A Speculative Fiction if you will that will ask the question “What if…” Books like these include Octavia Butler’s books, Tananarive Due, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer and more. These authors can take a genre and make you believe this stuff can happen, if only for a moment.

 I feel privileged to have a laptop and a decent grasp of what goes into publishing a book. Last year, “The Prayer Monologues” was written, the book designed and distributed. You may now find it on Amazon.com. But I have to go back to my first love which is fiction.

Today I pulled out my broke down journal and jotted down some more notes for my very interesting heroine. She has several flaws and one of them is thinking everyone else don’t have them. Well, she goes through a drastic, dramatic change that will rewrite everything she ever thought about love and the afterlife and she will meet interesting people along the way.

That same tattered notebook has notes on plenty of my Fanfictions as well. I may need to buy extras. Very important!

Marble Notebooks are the best. I need hundreds more of them!

Okay, so there is the concept. I will self publish this book as well. Feel free to ask me questions along the way. I enjoy feedback so much, its like taking in carbon dioxide. Please provide that element to me.

E.J. Smith

‘Deep Harbor’ plunges your soul into the characters’ lives

Fans of ‘The Captain’s Bride’ will not be disappointed with ‘Deep Harbor’. The characters’ lives are so well thought out and mapped out so well, that even in their triumphs and failures, you feel you must praise God with them, or pray for them. The book continues where the ‘The Captain’s Bride’ left off so each character is more fully developed into their new life. There are some very tragic, sad moments in the book, but it is to be expected and what makes the reading so appealing, is that each person draws upon their core strength: God.

Read full article

Deeanne Gist explores how she plots her bestselling novels and more!

Below, you will find my most recent email-interview with none other than Deeanne Gist. Get excited! Read on!

Erica: After reading Beguiled I am certainly anxious to begin ‘Maid to Match’. Now, when you are creating your characters, are they already fleshed out in your mind, or does the story dictate what they do?

DG: With every book I spend a great deal of time creating a “back story” for my two main characters. In other words, I create a detailed timeline of their life starting from birth to the first page of the book. That way I know exactly what baggage they are bringing with them. This baggage effects every action and reaction they have and gives them more dimension. The timeline includes things as big as the death of a parent or as small as a voracious sweet tooth.

Erica: .What is your writing ritual like?

DG: I spend five months researching and plotting the book, five months writing the book and two months editing the book before I ever turn it in to my publisher.

Erica: Given that inspirational fiction is big right now among many readers, would you say that it will remain the same, or would more things be allowed? For instance, Christian Vampire series have now sprung up(Click here for more of this interview)