Review and Interview: My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul

My Kind of Crazy

Author: Robin Reul

Published On: 4/5/2016

Page Count: 336

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Despite the best of intentions, seventeen-year old, wisecracking Hank Kirby can’t quite seem to catch a break. It’s not that he means to screw things up all the time, it just happens. A lot. Case in point: his attempt to ask out the girl he likes literally goes up in flames when he spells “Prom” in sparklers on her lawn…and nearly burns down her house. 
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Peyton Breedlove, a brooding loner and budding pyromaniac, witnesses the whole thing. Much to Hank’s dismay, Peyton takes an interest in him—and his “work.”

Overall Rating: 3/5

I love how this ended. No spoilers I promise. I just think it could have gone very badly one way and I'm so glad the author addressed it in the way she did. Suicide, Shooters and Abuse seem to be very present in the books I've been reading lately. I think it's time for a happy fantasy book.

Cover: 2/5

I like how the sparklers tie into the storyline. The plastic doll heads fit with the story however I just find them extremely creepy sitting there peeking out of the grass.

Characters: 2.5/5

Hank: I honestly really didn`t like Hank. I felt like he had a lot of issues that could have been solved by just opening up to his A**hole father.

Peyton: Wow this girl is seriously messed up but I like her story and growth the most. We learn very little at first and have to investigate and make assumptions just like Hank.

Plot: 3/5

The plot becomes fairly predictable near the middle but I feel like to understand the story you really just need to read it. I found somethings to be very unrealistic. Like what type of girl want to go out with a guy who lights her lawn on fire? Overall the plot is about handling poor family situations and how friends can be there to support you even when they don’t realize you really need it. 

Did you listen to a playlist while writing?

I always make a playlist for my books, but I actually prefer to write in silence. However, I listen to the playlist often while I’m driving or taking a walk, or sometimes even before bed with headphones on, because the music inspires me to get in the minds of my characters and scenes. If I am on deadline and am forced to write with others around, I generally listen to this amazing waterfall track that’s just pure white noise and blocks out everything else.

Want to share your playlist?

Sure! My book runs the gamut of emotions, so there are parts where it is funny and upbeat, parts where Hank, my MC, is in his head about all that is going on around him, and also dealing with some serious issues, so the types of music on it is quite eclectic. But here it is:

Let’s Get It Started (Black Eyed Peas)

Into The Great Wide Open (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)

Under Pressure (Queen and David Bowie)

Breathe (Anna Nalick)

Counting Stars (One Republic)

Please Don’t Leave Me (Pink)

I Want You To Want Me (Cheap Trick)

Arms (Christina Perri)

Hurts Like Heaven (Coldplay)

In Between Days (The Cure)

Heroes (David Bowie)

Here With Me (Dido)

Don’t Stop Believing (Journey)

Hot N Cold (Katy Perry)

Believe (Lenny Kravitz)

Take What You Take (Lily Allen)

Amazing (One Eskimo)

Good Life (One Republic)

In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)

Brave (Sara Bareiles)

Crazy (Seal)

Mad World (Tears For Fears)

Drops of Jupiter (Train)

All I Want Is You (U2)

World Spins Madly On (The Weepies)

Only You (Yaz)

Elastic Heart (Sia)

Rise Above (Bono & The Edge/Reeve Carney)

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

Outside your book, who would you *ship* your MC with?

I would have to say Violet from ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven. I think they would really get each other. They both understand grief and loss, and I think they would really connect on lots of levels. She has a huge heart, like Hank, and I think they would be a good team to help each other navigate through that tough time of life.

Describe your book using emoticons.

Sometimes emoticons don’t show up correctly when I email, so let me know if they don’t come through okay.

Why YA as your genre?

I have always been drawn to YA novels, both as a reader and a writer. There’s something really pure and raw about that time, before life really happens to you and dictates the ways you have to think and act as you shift to having adult responsibilities. Those early romantic relationships are especially powerful, because the emotions are so new and intense and they set the standard going forward of what you want and what you don’t. You never forget your first love or your first real heartbreak. Everything feels like the end of the world in those years. It’s like the world and all your emotions are under a giant magnifying glass. There is something freeing and emotionally fulfilling as a writer to be able to go back into that skin and rewrite your own ending, explore paths you were scared to take as a teen, or heal old wounds and try and help others going through the same pitfalls of teendom by writing from personal experience.

Hope you enjoyed the interview with the lovely Robin

TTFN,
Ashley

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Interview and Review: After the Woods by Kim Savage

After The Woods

Author: Kim Savage

Published On: 2/23/16

Publisher: Farrar,Straus and Giroux

Page Count: 320
I received an ARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Would you risk your life to save your best friend? 
Julia did. When a paroled predator attacked Liv in the woods, Julia fought back and got caught. Liv ran, leaving Julia in the woods for a terrifying 48 hours that she remembers only in flashbacks. One year later, Liv seems bent on self-destruction, starving herself, doing drugs, and hooking up with a violent new boyfriend. A dead girl turns up in those same woods, and Julia’s memories resurface alongside clues unearthed by an ambitious reporter that link the girl to Julia’s abductor. As the devastating truth becomes clear, Julia realizes that after the woods was just the beginning.

Cover:4/5

I`m not a fan of people on covers but this blends with the story nicely. I`m not quite sure if this portrays Julia like I imagine her. That font though is awesome and very stick like.

Characters: 3.5/5

Julia does something that even I couldn't do and for that it makes her brave. Even though she went through this traumatic event she wants to solve the new problem.

Liv seems to have taken a 180 since after the accident and that has to be hard on everyone around her. Yes she has her reasons but there is no condoning what she has done.

Plot: 5/5
This is where it gets tricky. All I can say is Julia is dead set on figuring out if the new dead girl is linked to her attacker. Liv and family want Julia to drop it but this is her way of coping.

Overall Rating: 4/5
Overall I believe Kim writes an amazing psychological thriller based on two best friends who only would risk their life

Goodies: Enjoy this spooky interview with the lovely Kim Savage

Currently who is your favorite author? 

Are there actual humans who can limit it to one? Impossible. But the (not so) short list includes Donna Tartt, Dickens, Jeffrey Eugenides, Gillian Flynn, Neil Gaiman, Lev Grossman, and Karen Russell. As for straight-up YA: Lynn Weingarten knocks my socks off. 

What is your current read?

Because I’m revising Novel 2 , I'm re-reading Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. I always have a touchstone book while I’m working, and deconstructing Rebecca is like taking a master class in suspense. Part of it, of course, is pure indulgence. Rebecca has it all: spooky mansion, mad woman in the attic, obsessive love, and an unnamed narrator telling you all about it, Dear Reader-style. What’s not to love?

What book would suggest to be on the lookout for besides yours? 

I’m obsessed with getting my hands on three: The Girl Who Fell by Shannon Parker, Under Water by Marisa Reichart, and The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. They’re all right up my reading-alley, in different ways. That said, there are so many insanely good-looking debuts coming out in 2016. Check out the Sweet 16s https://thesweetsixteens.wordpress.com/authors/ and prepare to be dazzled. 

What age did you start writing?

Like 4 or 5. Year ago, my parents sold their house and handed down to me the evolution of my novel writing: a pile of moth-eaten construction paper covers with lined pages and staples up the sides. My favorite topics were our dog, Gretchen, and a trouble-seeking baby named Jill. The conflict was always presented by page 2, whether it was an inconvenient hurricane or a carny ride gone out of control. Not a bad model, when you think about it. 

How long did you take you to get picked up by a publisher?

AFTER THE WOODS was on sub for about two weeks, and got bought by FSG in a pre-empt. Basically, my agent, Sara Crowe, is magical. Like, sparkly fairy-dust magical. Getting ATW into shape to query agents: that’s a much longer story.

TTFN,

Ashley

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Review and Interview: The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Author:

Published On: 2/16/16

Page Count: 464

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Overall Rating: 5/5

I feel like Nix and crew could have some short stories on the adventures they had before the book took place.
Heidi writes wonderfully and her characters keep you intrigued from start to finish.

 The bond between father and daughter is strong even at times when it feels like it is fraying. Although a slight love triangle did occur it wasn't one that distracted from the main story.
The locations and maps are described so in depth. My finished copy will be well loved once I can put an image to those details.

Cover: 5/5

: I love it. love it. love it. I mean if I wasn't obsessed with it would I have had it out on my book blanket? (The answer you should be saying is NO) it's a ship, a whale that looks like a wave but what's that Eyes. There is a freaking face in the water as well. I didn't see it at first but now I can't stop seeing it.

Characters:

Nix: oh my goodness this girl is so frustrating. She has had every opportunity to screw up her dads plans as a map reader yet she understands why he does what he does and goes with it. She is extremely smart and resourceful. Heidi wrote a character anyone could relate to even if you aren't a time traveling "pirate."

Joss: She was an interesting character and I'm interested to know more of her background now that the book has ended. At first you have no idea where she can fit into all this but then the pieces start clicking together.

Slate although rough around the edges is really just a grown man with extremely strong emotions. He has an addiction and this story shows that even love can be a bad addiction.

Plot:

If you had the opportunity to see your loved one again even if it meant traveling the seven seas (and then some) wouldn't you? That is exactly what Slate has been doing alongside his daughter Nix. All you need to know is Nix is tired of not knowing how each map will work and Slate is exhausted from all of them failing. If this map doesn't do the job will he walk away and never look back? Or will he push through and risk everything he has including his own daughter? Read to find out.

1. My path to publication was a little strange--but perhaps they all are. My particular strange story is as follows: I come from a musical theatre writing background, and I started writing the novel on a whim because my collaborator was out of town music-directing a tour. Once I finished, I was all set to put it out on Wattpad or Amazon for ninety-nine cents and write the next thing when my mother suggested I try to go the traditional route instead. (THANKS MOM.)

I figured, well, alright. I'll give myself six months to try to get an agent, and if it doesn't happen, no harm done. Long story short, it did happen under my six month deadline. Three months after signing on with Molly at The Bent Agency, she sold the book at the Bologna Book Fair. There was a flurry of phone calls and emails. I was actually on bedrest for pre-term labor at the time so it was a little surreal--the doctors had said "I forbid you to do anything exciting or stressful" and so I tried to take a lot of deep breaths the whole time. 

It all seems rather sudden in retrospect, but I had very little concept of how The Publishing Business works back then. I think I probably still don't. There are so many different ways to get there, and different timelines for different people. But I would say it took about nine months for the book to go from Query Draft to Contract. Just about as much time as the average baby.

2. I listen to songs I've heard a zillion times before--otherwise, it's too distracting. For The Girl From Everywhere, I was on a Marianas Trench kick, where I played Ever After and Masterpiece Theatre on endless loop for about a year. Also, there may have been some old sea shanties, but if there were, they were so filthy that I cannot technically admit to listening to them nor can I recommend them in writing.

3. Here's a spotify Marianas Trench link if you're so inclined. HIS VOICE THO. https://open.spotify.com/user/1257134018/playlist/0MY8Q8uDbq9vQfxHe2fpPU 

4. I just finished Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, which took me on an incredible adventure. And then I read This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, which broke my heart.

5. I know that I'm really looking forward to Alwyn Hamilton's REBEL OF THE SANDS. We share an agent so I have it on best authority that book is going to be amazing. If you're looking for more time travel and true love (and I'm always looking for time travel and true love), Emily Henry's THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD seems a perfect fit.


TTFN,
Ashley

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Review and Interview: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Abyss Surrounds Us
Emily Skrutskie
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Flux
Published On: 2/8/16

Cover: 3.5/5
At first I wasn't a fan of the spacey background and animated character but now after reading the book I do think it's fits.

Characters: 5/5
Reckoners are a huge part of the book. They are basically genetically modified creatures used to protect ships from pirates. They take the best attributes of several creatures and put them in an egg. When this embryo hatches it is up to the trainers to start work immediately. Cas has two reckoners we get to read about in some detail.

Cassandra aka Cas is a Reckoner trainer in training. She has potential to be the greatest but her inability to follow directions-hard fast rules- is her downfall. I do love how we get to watch her grow into her feelings. At times she has to make pretty harsh decisions but she does so with a planned grace.

Santa Elena the criminal pirate. All she wants is a Reckoner for her ship so she can rule the seas with her crew. Even though she is supposed to be the "evil" villain in this story I enjoyed how she went about her piracy. Yes she is using Cas for the Reckoner pup but she also seems to care about what Cas has to say. Santa Elena has a past and I would love a novella about it.

Plot: 5/5
Pirates, giant genetically modified creatures and one girl who controls the fate of this world. If a Reckoner pup falls into the hands of pirates the balance of the trade and travel route will be thrown off. Cas a new trainer will have to step up to the plate and do the job she's been training half her life for. If she fails the pirates win, if she succeeds her family will never speak to her again but she will have freedom. The lengths Cas goes to protect those she has come to trust ignores the evil she has been told pirates are.

Overall Rating: 5/5
This is a mash-up novel with a little science and little fantasy and a dash of romance. This was one of my most anticipated debuts and I'm so glad I received an early copy.

Pick up your copy of The Abyss Surrounds Us NOW!!

1. Did you listen to a playlist while writing?

During the actual act of putting words on a page, I can't be listening to music with lyrics. It's something about focusing on one language at a time. I can work if I put on a film soundtrack, but music with words just slows down my thought process. I do keep an inspiration playlist though, full of songs that remind me of the story I'm working on.

2. Want to share your playlist?

Sure! My playlist for THE ABYSS SURROUNDS US can be found on my Spotify account here: https://open.spotify.com/user/skrutskie/playlist/5TF26RwvPKPkRJeuzpTotg

3. Outside your book who would you "Ship" your MC with?

Tough question! Cas is pretty choosy when it comes to romantic stuff, so it'd have to be someone who she can really connect with. Is it cheating if I pick someone from my CP's upcoming book? Because Daphne, from Tara Sim's TIMEKEEPER, is exactly Cas's type—a no-nonsense blonde who isn't afraid to mix it up. 

4. Describe your book using emoticons.

5. Why YA as your genre?

I started writing YA as a fifteen-year-old, figuring that because I was a young adult, that's where my voice fit best. Now, six years later, not much has changed. YA literature has always appealed to me because it's so story-driven. There's a constant need to be an efficient storyteller, and that's something I really value when I write. Maybe as I get older, my voice and style will shift into the territory of adult, but right now, YA is home.

TTFN,

Ashley

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Interview: Sarah Ahiers author of Assassin`s Heart

Assassin`s Heart

Author: Sarah Ahiers

Published On: 2/2/16

Publisher: HarperTeen

Page Count: 400

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Do you relate to Lea in personality?

Ah, a little bit I guess. Lea is very loyal to the people in her life and I can be that way, too. But she’s also haughty and a bit entitled and I hope I’m not so much of either of those.

Where did you come up with these awesome names?

I spent a lot of time researching Italian names, both for places and for people or surnames. I wanted to get a feel of the sound. The place names I tried to make up (though later I found out a few of my made up place names actually are places!) and many of the people names I tweaked from their base name to try and make something new, since this is a fantasy world that isn’t earth

Combining The Godfather and R&J sounds interesting what made you write them together?

Well, it wasn’t fully intentional when I started out. I just really like mafia and mob families, and families at war with each other, which both R&J and The Godfather have in spades. And then I wanted to go for an Italian renaissance-esque feel for the setting which further evoked R&J I think.

When you write do you plot or just let it flow?

Oh I am very much a plotter. I have an outline and everything and even spend a bunch of time prewriting things before I build the outline. BUT! Nothing is strict. I’m allowed to change things and I almost always have to rewrite the outline once or twice while drafting to account for changes that are happening. And for ASSASSIN’S HEART I didn’t actually know the ending until I got there, which was new for me because I almost always know how things will end before I start writing.

How's the companion novel coming ;)

Hah! The draft is finished and sent in to my editor and I expect we’ll be working on it steadily during 2016

What brain foods help you with writing?

I try not to snack while writing because I just won’t stop eating anything that’s in front of me. I will eat it all and not even realize it. But I absolutely must have water on my desk at all times when writing.

What books should we be on the lookout for in 2016?

Oh man, I’ve read so many great ones so far, and I have so many more to look forward to! For YA contemporary I really loved Rahul Kanakia’s ENTER TITLE HERE because it was so meta, or Parker Peevyhouse’s WHERE FUTURE’S END which is a collection of four stories that has a sort of fantasy-sci-fi twist. Or for horror Kali Wallace’s SHALLOW GRAVES and Janet B. Taylor’s INTO THE DIM for fantasy (though I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on Michelle Modesto’s REVENGE AND THE WILD even though I haven’t read it yet). Seriously, though, 2016 is going to be a GREAT year with some awesome reads.

About Sarah: 

I was born on a February afternoon 2 minutes before my twin sister. Angels wept or something, I suppose.Besides writing and reading, I enjoy dogs, animals, my family, board games, yard games, video games, cooking, gardening and dressing up for the MN Renaissance Festival.

Hope you Enjoyed the interview. Look forward to Assassin`s Heart Review sometime in the near future.

TTFN,

Ashley

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Interview: Jeff Garvin author of Symptoms of Being Human

Title: Symptoms of Being Human

Author: Jeff Garvin

Published On: 2/2/16

Page Count: 352

Cover: 

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

About Jeff: (Found on his Website )

Jeff Garvin grew up in Orange County, California, the son of a banker and a magician. He started acting in high school, and enjoyed a fifteen-year career including guest-starring roles in network television series ranging from The Wonder Years to Roseanne to Caroline and the City, as well as several independent features.While studying at Chapman University, Jeff won awards for classical guitar and visual storytelling before graduating with a BFA in Film. As the front man of his rock band, 7k, Garvin released three albums and toured the United States. When the band dissolved in 2011, Jeff, who had always written short stories and lyrics, found his passion in full-length fiction.

Why YA as your genre?

The books I read as a teenager helped me cope with the discomfort of being different. They also shaped me as a creative person. I still treasure those books—The Catcher in the Rye, the Dragonlance novels, etc. I always wanted to have that power to move and inspire young readers. I guess I wrote SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN for my teenaged self. *Reaches back through time.* *Gives self a signed ARC.* *Alters timespace, creates wormhole.* Whoops. My bad.

What book would suggest to be on the lookout for besides yours?

THE SERPENT KING by Jeff Zenter will break your heart and then put it back together. SAVE ME, KURT COBAIN by Jenny Manzer is tense and moving and unpredictable. And, if you haven’t read MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES by Jasmine Warga, you’ll want to read that. Again with the heartbreak, but the good kind.

How long did you take you to get picked up by a publisher?

I was in a touring band until early 2011, when I decided to come off the road. I started writing seriously in April of that year. SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN sold in June of 2014. So I guess about three years from start to sale. It seems at once much longer and much shorter, you know? Like that last week of summer before school starts. At first, it’s like, “I have seven whole days!” And then you blink, and you’re sitting in a classroom again, thinking, “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LIFE?!”

How did you research?

Lots and lots and lots of reading: blogs, books, articles, academic papers. One-one-on conversations. Emails. Phone calls. But there is a fine line between “research” and “procrastination.” At some point, you just have to start writing, and then go back and fix stuff once the story has revealed itself. Writing is a discovery process for me. I always try to create from a blank space rather than filling in a template. Great. Now I have “Blank Space” stuck in my head. I’ll just be over here in the corner, singing to myself.

TTFN,

Ashley

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Interview: Emily Martin author of The Year We Fell Apart

Title: The Year We Fell Apart

Author: Emily Martin

Published On: 1/26/16

Page Count:320

Cover: 

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.

Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too

About Emily: (Found on her Site )

Emily Martin lives and writes in the Greater Boston area, though she will always call Michigan home. She has a penchant for impromptu dance parties, vintage clothing, and traveling to new places. When not writing, she can be found hiking New England’s peaks, searching for the perfect cup of hot chocolate, or baking something pumpkin-flavored.

1) How long did it take you to write your book?

It took almost three years from first draft to final manuscript. This story started as a NaNoWriMo project in 2012, then was selected for Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars in 2013, during which I rewrote about 75%. After signing with my agent, I revised with her before going on sub, then spent the better part of a year revising with my editor! 

2) What inspires you most to write?

I draw inspiration from a lot of places. THE YEAR WE FELL APART was inspired in part by my own high school experiences, and the pressures and standards a lot of teen girls face. But anything that heightens my emotions--a memory, a song, a story I read in the newspaper--inspires me to write.

3) Growing up what were your favorite authors/books?

I LOVED Roald Dahl growing up, and in high school my favorite book was I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. (I still adore that book!)

4) Did you listen to music while writing? If so can we glimpse the playlist. 

I do! For THE YEAR WE FELL APART, my playlist was very Sia-heavy. I played her song, "Breath Me" about a hundred times while writing the first draft. I also listened to a lot of Radiohead, Florence + The Machine, and Ben Harper while writing this book.

5) If you could be reborn in a different era when would you choose?

Ooh, tough question! As a lover of vintage clothing, I've always been partial to the full skirts of the 1950's. The political climate at the time would be a bit difficult to handle... But the clothesss!

TTFN,

Ashley

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Interview: Kathy MacMillan author of Sword & Verse

Author: Kathy MacMillan

Published On: 1/19/16 (AKA My 21st Birthday!!!!)

Page Count: 384

Cover: 5/5 (Only part I can currently rate)

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Raisa was just a child when she was sold to work as a slave in the kingdom of Qilara. Despite her young age, her father was teaching her to read and write, grooming her to take his place as a Learned One. In Qilara, the Arnathim, like Raisa, are the lowest class, and literacy is a capital offense. What’s more, only the king, prince, tutor, and tutor-in-training are allowed to learn the very highest order language, the language of the gods. So when the tutor-in-training is executed for teaching slaves this sacred language, and Raisa is selected to replace her, Raisa knows any slipup on her part could mean death.

About Kathy:

Kathy MacMillan is a writer, American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and avowed Hufflepuff. Her debut young adult novel, Sword and Verse, explores questions of power and prejudice in an epic fantasy setting, and has been called “fascinating and unique” by National Book Award finalist Franny Billingsley. Find her here: Website

1) From someone who knows ASL as well do you think more schools should offer it as a class?

Absolutely!  More and more U.S. states are accepting American Sign Language for high school and college foreign language credit (link: http://www.ncssfl.org/links/ASL.pdf )  It's a beautiful and practical language, and I definitely think everyone should learn ASL!

2) Since Sword and Verse is your 5th manuscript written do you have any plans on getting the other published?

I fervently hope so!  I am currently working on a companion novel to Sword and Verse which picks up about a month after the first book ends and is written from Soraya's point of view.  But I have lots of other projects lined up after that, some of which involve revising earlier manuscripts.  

3) Did you keep the letters you wrote with your cousin?

I do actually have some of them in a trunk somewhere, but I haven't looked at them in a long time.  I should dig them out!  I often think that it was lucky that we didn't have email back then - we never would have gotten so wildly creative with our alternate realities if it had been easy to text or email each other.

4) Where did you come up with the names Raisa, Qilara and Mati? They are all so interesting for both location and people. 

I wish I had a wonderful story for you, but the truth is, I have been working on this book for so very long that I don't exactly remember.  (The first draft was written before my now-fifth-grader was born!) I can tell you that original idea came up while I was doing research for an article on book-burning, and I came across a reference to libraries made up entirely of letters.  I thought, "What if they were letters to the gods?" The names of the gods and goddesses came first.  There was originally a character named "Qilar" - named because I enjoyed how it sounded like "killer", which should tell you something about his personality! - and the country, Qilara, was named after him.  Raisa and Mati, as far as I can remember, just came from listing different name options until I found names that felt right for their characters and the culture I was creating.

5) What is your brain writing food of choice?

I don't actually have a specific writing food, but I do drink pots and pots of tea while I am writing.  My favorite is Blueberry Black Tea from the Spice and Tea Exchange (https://www.spiceandtea.com/blueberry-black-tea-p-742.html).  Yum!

6) Are you a plotter or a write as it comes type author?

A little of each, I guess.  I always start out with loads of research and notes and planning, and I usually know at least what the major emotional beats will be before I go into a first draft, but then the characters take over and take me down paths I didn't expect.  A great example of this is a moment between Raisa and Soraya near the end of Sword and Verse - Raisa says something that shocks everyone in that scene, and I was just as shocked as they were when it happened!

For me, the first draft is all about figuring out the characters and their relationships to each other, and plot is something to be sorted out in later drafts.  I do a LOT of side-writing too - when I get stuck, I go back and write scenes from another character's point of view, and it always clarifies the main story for me.  It's a time-intensive way to work, but it's the only way I know how.  And, on the plus side, it gives me lots of extras to share on my website!

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TTFN,

Ashley

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