What is it about the paranormal, in
particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
I think most people
are intrigued by them. What isn’t appealing about a creature that is immortal –
to be able to hear history from someone who actually lived through it all. It’s
an incredibly unique perspective. Most vampires are portrayed as lonely and
searching through life for someone to fill the void. What woman doesn’t want to
be needed and appreciated by someone like that?
Do you have a special formula for
creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning
to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain
time periods or regions?
This is a great
question. There are a number of things to consider. Where is your character from,
what is their personality/temperament? First and foremost I like to make the
names consistent with where the character lives. From there I will sometimes
pick a dominant trait and look for a name that works along those lines. It’s
different every time.
Do you
have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch
or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character
develop as you write?
I’ve tried both ways. Honestly the only thing that works for me
is to simply write and let the character develop. I usually have an idea of
what type of person they should be and then I learn more about them as I write.
One thing I CAN’T do is write more than a couple of sentences about them before
I have to name them. Once I give them a name the personality seems to just pop!
Do you ever suffer from writer’s
block? How do you deal with it?
All the time! The only
true solution to writer’s block is to step away and do something else for a
while. I will work on another work in progress or jump on Kinect with my kids
or watch a movie. Sometimes writer’s block can last for weeks. You can’t force
it – your writing will suffer if you do. It will sound disjointed from the rest
of your book. Usually inspiration will hit you at the strangest moments. Some
of my best story arcs have come while I was waiting for my son to get out of
hockey practice.
Do you have any weird writing quirks
or rituals?
Absolutely. I think
all writers do in some way or another. I do all my writing in a composition
notebook with a mechanical pencil (I’ll use the same pencil for the entire
book). Every so often (sometimes when I have writer’s block) I’ll transcribe it
onto my computer. For some reason, the story flows better when I write it out
by hand. The composition books are easy for me to carry around with me to jot
something down when I get a good story idea.
Do you write in different genres?
Not many people know, but I do write in different genres. I have
an adult romance that I wrote under a pseudonym – S.C. Wise. I’ve also got a
couple of other works in progress that are pretty dark fiction, but right now
YA is my favorite genre because I can do so much with it and people can still
relate to the characters and the challenges they face every day.
Other than writing, what are some of
your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
I’m a huge hockey fan which comes through my books from time to
time. I really enjoy spending time w/the family. If we aren’t watching Brady
play hockey or lacrosse, then I’m probably visiting Caitlin at college. I love
to sit down with a good book, but I tend to read them from cover to cover in
one sitting so I don’t get to read as much as I would like. I don’t watch a ton
of TV, but I do have several shows that I really like. I’m particularly
attached to Psych, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, and then Game of Thrones and True
Blood on HBO.
Where is your favorite place to
read?
Do you have a cozy
corner or special reading spot? I can read just about anywhere, but if I really
want to remain undisturbed, I head to my office. I took our guest bedroom and
transformed it into an office. I have a large papasan chair in the corner of
the room and it’s the perfect place to sit and enjoy a good book.
What can readers expect next from
you?
Right now, I’m trying to stay focused on writing the fourth book
in the series. Currently it’s titled Rushing Calm. I keep telling myself that
it will be the final book in the series, but then again – Painfully Ordinary
was originally just one book and it grew as I wrote. Who knows if I will be
able to wrap up all the loose ends in one book or if it will spill over into a
5th. I’m also getting a lot of feedback from fans of my adult
romance who would like to see it turn into a series. There are also two additional works in
progress, but they will be single books and are quite a bit darker than my
other works.
Would you like to leave readers with
a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
This is one of my
favorite scenes between Caitlin and Leah in the 1st book Painfully
Ordinary:
I
chuckled and stepped out the back door. “Okay, so what happened that has you so
fired up? I can’t remember the last time I saw you so frustrated.”
She
grumbled. “I tried explaining things to Jace as simply as I possibly could
without using puppets! He still didn’t understand why Talon’s ‘eating habits’
bother us. I swear I’m going to have to grab someone and bite them on the neck to make him understand.
He admitted he didn’t like the idea of me
feeding that way. However, he says it’s ‘different’ and ‘this is Talon’ we are
talking about. Then he said something about the fact that at this point Talon
couldn’t care for anyone else even if he wanted to, whatever the hell that’s
supposed to mean. When I told him I didn’t see what the difference was, he
threw his hands up in the air and walked away from me. He walked away! Can you believe that?”
I
glanced at her innocently. “Puppets? Really? Maybe you should try it next time.
Maybe it would help.” I was fighting back my amusement.
Leah’s
eyebrows came together. “Knock it off. I am being serious. I swear, if you
start …”
Just
then, a trill escaped my lips. I quickly stared at the ground. I knew if I made
eye contact with her at this point, I was going to be completely lost.
“Caitlin,”
she warned. “I mean it. I may just kill you.”
I
made the tactical error of looking in her eyes and burst into laughter.
April 5 Spotlight- tour launch
Lisa’s World of Books
www.lisasworldofbooks.net
April 6 Spotlight
Total Book Geek
April 7 Interview
Michelle @ Mom With A Kindle
April 8 Interview
Books in the Hall –
April 9 Spotlight/Excerpt
Brianna Lee Book Reviews
April 10 Interview
Fang-tastic Books
April 11 Guest blog
April 12 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm
April 13 Spotlight
Brooke Blogs
April 15 Interview
Bewitching Book Tours Magazine
April 17 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
April 18 Spotlight
Shut Up & Read
April 20 Guest blog (review later)
Offbeat Vagabond
April 25 Guest blog and review
4 the LUV of SANITY
April 26 Spotlight and review
Teen Blurb
April 29 Guest blog
Regina May Ross's
April 30 Spotlight
A_TiffyFit's Reading Corner
http://tiffyfit.blogspot.com
May 1 Guest blog
So Much To Write So Little Time
May 1 review book 1
Sara In Bookland
May 2 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.
May 2 Spotlight and review
May 3 Interview
Jodie Pierce
Painfully Ordinary
The Lumina Saga Book One
The Lumina Saga Book One
Stephanie Amox
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: CENA
Date of Publication: Jan 2013
ISBN: 148194780X
Number of pages: 225
Word Count: 86,175
Cover Artist: Photography by Nikki Nichols Photography
Book Description:
Two teenager's lives become not so ordinary...
Caitlin and Leah are content with the slow and steady pace in their small Texan town. They have the typical challenges of any American high school - evil girl cliques and oppressive ex-boyfriends. They see themselves as painfully ordinary...but that soon changes. The arrival of two newcomers at school sets Caitlin and Leah on an explosive path of magic, betrayal, secrets and forbidden love. The discovery of Caitlin's true identity causes tremendous upheaval in her painfully ordinary life. Caitlin must learn to embrace her birthright and trust in her friends or she risks endangering them all.
Caitlin and Leah are content with the slow and steady pace in their small Texan town. They have the typical challenges of any American high school - evil girl cliques and oppressive ex-boyfriends. They see themselves as painfully ordinary...but that soon changes. The arrival of two newcomers at school sets Caitlin and Leah on an explosive path of magic, betrayal, secrets and forbidden love. The discovery of Caitlin's true identity causes tremendous upheaval in her painfully ordinary life. Caitlin must learn to embrace her birthright and trust in her friends or she risks endangering them all.
Family Secrets
The Lumina Saga Book Two
The Lumina Saga Book Two
Stephanie Amox
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: CENA
Date of Publication: Jan 2013
ISBN: 1481956841
Number of pages: 232
Word Count: 65,120
Book Description:
Wailea, Maui would be a paradise by just about anyone’s standards. Caitlin and Leah are no different. They are living like rock stars with Talon and Jace in one of the poshest hotels on the island. Just when they think things can’t possibly get any better—everything falls apart. Their short lived paradise is ripped out from under them. Once again, they are on the run.
A mysterious man appears and attempts to drive a wedge between Caitlin and Talon. He whisks her away to an ancient world where she is treated like a princess yet held completely against her will. She is shown events, consequences and affairs she never dreamed possible. Will the secrets of her family destroy her happiness, or will she rely on her instincts to find a way back to the life she found with Talon?
A mysterious man appears and attempts to drive a wedge between Caitlin and Talon. He whisks her away to an ancient world where she is treated like a princess yet held completely against her will. She is shown events, consequences and affairs she never dreamed possible. Will the secrets of her family destroy her happiness, or will she rely on her instincts to find a way back to the life she found with Talon?
New Beginnings
The Lumina Saga Book Three
Stephanie Amox
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: CENA
Date of Publication: Jan 2013
ISBN: B00AX0L2L8
Number of pages: 312
Word Count: 83,740
Book Description:
What happens when the extraordinary fades into ordinary?
Caitlin awakens to find herself back in the normal life she shares with her best friend, Leah, in their small Texas town. Caitlin has no memory of the fantastic events of the last several months save a mystery man who haunts the shadows of her dreams. Constantly taken aback by strange occurrences: the sudden attention of the two most popular guys in school; Caitlin’s toe-to-toe showdown with Tami; and the constant coincidental run-ins with two mysterious strangers, keeps Caitlin’s nerves raw and on edge. Will she solve the mystery behind the strange events, or will the dreams be all that remains?
Caitlin awakens to find herself back in the normal life she shares with her best friend, Leah, in their small Texas town. Caitlin has no memory of the fantastic events of the last several months save a mystery man who haunts the shadows of her dreams. Constantly taken aback by strange occurrences: the sudden attention of the two most popular guys in school; Caitlin’s toe-to-toe showdown with Tami; and the constant coincidental run-ins with two mysterious strangers, keeps Caitlin’s nerves raw and on edge. Will she solve the mystery behind the strange events, or will the dreams be all that remains?
About the Author:
Stephanie Amox attended the University of Texas at Arlington, where she met her husband. Her life did an about-face in January 2009 and the future of her career looked bleak. Her husband encouraged her to follow her dream and finally write the story which had been buzzing around in her head for a number of years, thus The Lumina Saga was born.
These days she spends her time in Flower Mound, Texas with her husband, two children and a couple of crazy Jack Russell Terriers. When she's not writing she enjoys spending time watching her son play hockey or visiting her daughter at Oklahoma State University.
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