Author Spotlight: Daniel Koch's DESCENDANT

Hi, everybody!

Today as part of my ongoing Author Spotlight series, I'd like to feature author Daniel Koch and his book Descendant: The Protector.

You may remember Daniel already from my Big Awesome YA Giveaway back in December, where he generously donated a print copy to one of the prize packages (and I am hoping to have another one of those pretty soon!).

So without further ado...

*cues music*

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Kate: Welcome, Daniel! Tell me a little more about Descendant: The Protector. What's the setting? Who's the main character?

Daniel: The world is in the midst of an apocalyptic event. It's been in the making for thousands of years, but everything is falling into place and it seems that sometime very soon all humans will be wiped out. Jason Hook is just a normal person trying to survive in this world, until the very creatures that threaten to destroy it come directly for him. As the story progresses, he begins to realize he may not be as normal as he once imagined.


Kate: Apocalyptic event? Monstrous creatures? I love it! How would you describe Jason, your main character?

Daniel: Strong-willed, but foolish and stubborn.


Kate: Foolish and stubborn? That sounds a little ominous, at least for for him... Now tell me more about these creatures taking over the world. I was so intrigued that I read a few of the reviews on Amazon looking for more information about them. Are they vampires? They sounded like vampires.

Daniel: The monsters are vampiric in nature, but some are more powerful than others...

Kate: Oooh, sounds interesting. 

What inspired you to write Descendant--was it a particular scene, or character, or theme?

Daniel: One day I sat down at my computer and wrote a name: Jason Hook. I had been interested in the vampire and apocalypse genres for a while before, and so I decided to center my character in a world very similar to ours, but broken and plagued by monsters.

Kate: Who in the book (besides your protagonist) is your favorite character?

Daniel: Actually, my protagonist isn't my favorite character. He's a close second, but my favorite character is actually Falko, the villain. Of course, this only really occured while I was writing the second book, where Falko's character becomes much more fleshed out. But ever since then his tragic story has made him my favorite.

Kate: I can understand that. I always end up totally adoring my villains if they are in ANY way sympathetic. I'm such a sucker for a anti-hero.


Do you have any particular writing tricks or habits you'd like to share?

Daniel: I write at night, or really the early morning. I tend to sleep late (very late, actually) and can sometimes stay up writing until the sun rises. For some reason I have trouble writing during the day, even if no one else is home and everything is quiet. There's just something about being up in the dead of night that gets my creative juices flowing and my best work comes out.

Kate: I'm the same way. My most optimal writing time is between midnight and 2 AM, which means I am up late a LOT.

Now when it comes to writing, are you a plotter (planning out the story beforehand) or a pantser (making it up as you go along)?

Daniel: For my first book, I was a pantser. Everything I did was spur of the moment. Once I finished it, though, I realized it would be very difficult to write an entire series like that. Too many things were going on and I couldn't keep it all together in my head, so for the next three books I plotted every little detail. Plotting has now become the norm for me. Although I'm still working on The Descendant Series, I have a few other books that already have character lists and major plot details written down.

Kate: I was the same way. I wrote my first several books completely spur-the-moment, but I find it completely impossible to sustain a series with that style of writing (I also find it faster to plot first). Now I have a notebook full of charts and scribbles.

Are you writing anything else at the moment?

Daniel: I have a few things in the works. I'm nearly complete with book 3 of The Descendant Series, with only one more to go once that is finished. After that, I have a stand alone fantasy story idea that I've been wanting to write for awhile now.

Kate: Sounds great. Good luck with your new projects! Thanks so much for stopping by, Daniel!

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You can find out more about Daniel Koch and his vampire-apocalyptic YA series here:

Website: www.TheDescendantSeries.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DanielWKoch
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Descendant-Series/135779306448383

Author Spotlight: Emily Anne Ward's FINDING FIONA

It's time for the next installment in my author spotlight series, where I'm interviewing select authors whose books are included in my Big Awesome YA Giveaway 2011.

If you haven't entered to win yet, you can find out more information about that here, and a list of all the prizes here..


And now, the interview...


*musical intro*



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Kate: Today I'm interviewing Emily Anne Ward, author of the sci fi novel FINDING FIONA. Welcome, Emily! Tell me a little about Finding Fiona. (And I just love the cover!)

Emily: The victim of a brutal attack, Fiona remembers little about her life until she meets someone who claims to be from her past. He tells her that her parents were killed for a human replication machine. He's shocked to discover she's still alive since her body was found in the wreckage of the fire. She soon travels to her old home in New York to figure out what happened to her and her family. She needs to find out who she is, but more importantly, confront the men who killed her parents.

Kate: I love amnesia stories! I'm actually writing one right now, as a matter of fact. 

What kind of reader would this story most appeal to, and why?

Emily: Readers who enjoy light, fast-paced science fiction should enjoy this book. If you're looking for a quick read over the weekend, Finding Fiona is perfect. Also, if you liked Keary Taylor's Eden, you might enjoy Finding Fiona, too. Fiona has a lot in common with Eve: amnesia, a strange past, a journal which gives her some answers, but not enough.

Kate: It sounds like a great read. Besides the main character or hero/ine, who’s your favorite character in this book, and why?

Emily: Probably James. He's Fiona's past boyfriend, and he's very supportive and devoted to her. I think if they hadn't run into each other at the library, he wouldn't have stopped searching for her until he found her. He's willing to do anything to keep her safe. I was lucky enough to find a great guy like James.

Kate: Me too, by the sound of him. :) Is there a particular theme of Finding Fiona that spoke to you personally as you were writing it?

Emily: Fiona and her parents were working on a human replicator, so parts of the book deal with the moral issues of creating people through science instead of natural, biological means. Even though the technology to do this is hundreds, perhaps more, years in the future, I still got to explore the idea of a soul and a person. Can someone have a soul if they are created through scientific means? What makes someone unique? Seeing how my characters dealt with these questions was a joy, and it made me think about what makes someone human. 

Kate: I love books that explore those kinds of questions.

Is there anything you’re working on now that you’d like to tell us about?

Emily: Yes! I have an upcoming fantasy series titled The Protectors. The first in the series is called Promising Light. Grace is a noble with no knowledge of shape changers until they kidnap her and tell her she can break the curse on their family. She is forced to choose between sacrificing to help them or staying in her comfortable life as a noble. Promising Light will be published early January.

Kate: That sounds really intriguing! 

Now tell me, where can readers interested in your work go to find out more?

Emily: My website: http://emilyannward.com
My blog: http://wordsofeward.blogspot.com

Kate: Thanks, Emily!

Emily: Thank you so much!

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You can enter to win Finding Fiona and much more here, or see the whole list of prizes here.

Author Spotlight: Holly Hook's TEMPEST

It's time for the next installment in my author spotlight series, where I'm interviewing select authors whose books are included in my Big Awesome YA Giveaway 2011.

If you haven't entered to win yet, you can find out more information about that here, and a list of all the prizes here..


And now, the interview...


*music*

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Kate: Today I want to welcome author Holly Hook. Holly is giving away 1 ebook version and 1 print copy of her YA novel Tempest. 

Welcome, Holly! Tell us a little about Tempest.  What’s it about?
 
Holly: Sixteen-year-old Janelle never thought the gray spiral birthmark on her arm meant anything special.  That is, until she meets Gary, a boy her age with a birthmark exactly like hers.  Gary’s attractive, brooding, and perfectly normal…except for the fact that he materialized out of a dangerous hurricane right in front of her.  Janelle’s certain of only one thing.  Gary’s mark—and hers, too—mean something, but he’s reluctant to tell her what. 

At last she squeezes the truth from Gary about their markings.  And the truth is utterly terrifying: Janelle and Gary are more connected to the destructive power of nature than she ever dreamed possible.  And learning the truth about herself is only the start of her nightmare.

Kate: Sounds intriguing! What kind of reader would this story most appeal to, and why?
 
Holly: Both young adults and adults have enjoyed this story.

Kate: Tell us about the very first idea you had regarding this story, the one that made you say “I HAVE to write this!” Was it a certain scene, character, or situation?
 
Holly: It came from a weird dream I had one night, which I don't remember.

Kate: I get a lot of book ideas from dreams, too. Is there a particular theme of Tempest that spoke to you personally as you were writing it?
 
Holly: Maybe the environment and how important everything is in regulating it.  Or that evil isn't too easily defined.

Kate: What person (besides yourself, obviously) is most influential on your writing process?
 
Holly: Maybe my critique group, who helped me through this and other novels.

Kate: Crit groups are amazing. :) Is there anything you’re working on now that you’d like to tell us about?
 
Holly: The third book in this series. I can't give too much away about it now, or what disaster it's about.  I am posting news on my blog, though, and hope to unveil the cover at the end of the month.

Kate: Awesome! Where can readers interested in your work go to find out more? 

Holly: My website is www.hollyannehook.wordpress.com



Kate: Thanks so much for joining us, Holly!


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You can enter to win Tempest and tons of other awesome books now by clicking here and following the directions! The giveaway concludes Tuesday, December 20th!

Author Spotlight: Shel Delisle's DOLPHIN GIRL

For the past couple of days, I've been interviewing some of the authors of the lovely books I'm giving away in my Big Awesome YA Giveaway (if you haven't already entered, you could win TONS of books, so go check it out!!). Tuesday I interviewed Megg Jensen, Wednesday, I interviewed Joel Arnold, and Thursday I interviewed Melanie Nilles.

Today, I'm interviewing author Shel Delisle!

*cue intro music*

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Kate: Tell me about Dolphin Girl. What’s it about?

Shel: Dolphin Girl is a coming of age story about sixteen-year-old Jane, an artistic, quirky character, who wants to bend (and sometimes break) the rules. She has an overly controlled family life and attends a high-school where the cliques are severe and kids just don't "cross-over" into other groups.  So there's a lot that is forbidden to her.  As she tests what is off-limits, Jane ends up in some pretty interesting situations and the fact that she falls for popular Sam Rojas, a star swimmer, only complicates her life. The story chronicle's Jane's search for identity with her family, friends and her first love as she tries to live like a dolphin--wild, graceful, and, most importantly, free.

Kate: I love the summary--the dolphin aspect really adds a freshness to the typical coming-of-age story, too! What kind of reader would this story most appeal to, and why? 

Shel: One of my hopes since releasing Dolphin Girl is that it would find its readers.  Or, vice versa, that its readers would find it. I'd always thought it would appeal to younger teens, but I've had a few older ones tell me they really enjoyed it.  It blows me away when there are adults who like it, because I never thought of it as a crossover book.  Ever.  But, based on some of the early readers, it seems like there are some adults who like it too.

So, maybe it's the theme, or Jane's situation, that's resonating with readers.  If that's the case, then I think it would appeal to people who get frustrated with labels, or by being defined by a group.  It's for people who don't feel like they fit in, or who feel like they don't want to fit in if it means being something other than themselves.       

Kate: That's a wonderful theme to explore, one that I bet resonates with a lot of people. Tell us about the very first idea you had regarding Dolphin Girl, the one that made you say “I HAVE to write this!” Was it a certain scene, character, or situation?

Shel: It was always Jane that made me write this book. She showed up and wouldn't leave me alone. Ha! -- that sounds psycho!

Seriously, though.  I still remember one of the first things she told me was, "I have a thing about teeth."  Then, she proceeded to tell me about the teeth of her English teacher and Sam's chipped tooth and her crooked teeth, et cetera.  I dutifully wrote all of this down, because, well, it seemed really important to her.  Then, one of my first readers said, "Oh it's a vampire story, right?" 

I was shocked.  "No, she's not a vampire or even into vampires!  She's all about dolphins.  In fact, she's a little obsessed with them."

One of the great things about being an author is that we get to have the final say about what makes it into our books, so I cut all of the teeth obsession, except for her fixation on Sam's chipped tooth.

All of this is a round about way of explaining why I had to write the book.  Jane as a character was so 3-D and so alive on and off the page (in my imagination) that she compelled me to tell her story.    

Kate: I absolutely love it when a character comes alive and demands to be written like that. Besides the main character or hero/ine, who’s your favorite character in Dolphin Girl, and why?

Shel: You ask hard (but good) questions!  This one is difficult because I love all the secondary characters. I mean, Jane is in love with Sam and he's really adorable, Lexie's pretty much the perfect BFF, John is a great big brother, Mom is mom, Desiree is a great role model.  So it might sound weird for me to pick a more minor character, but, other than Jane, my favorite character is Irwin.

For anyone who hasn't read the book, Irwin is the other photographer on the yearbook staff that Jane has to work with.  He's a loner who is at times arrogant, at times cranky, and often hard to like.  But, he's my favorite because he's the character who is always genuinely himself and able to withstand the pressure of high school cliques.  Despite his insecurities, he's tough, much stronger than he looks and not willing to compromise who he is.  I really admire that about him and think that he helped shape who Jane became at the end of the story.


Kate: Where can readers interested in your work go to find out more?

Shel: Oh, I hang out at all the usual webby places -- and a few unusual ones, too.  For people who are interested in finding out more, the best spot is my blog/site at http://sheldelisle.wordpress.com/ because (sometimes) I actually talk about interesting stuff there. At the site, anyone can find out how to reach me on Facebook, twitter, et cetera.

Kate: Thanks so much, Shel!!

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You can enter to win Dolphin Girl and tons of other awesome books now by clicking here and following the directions! The giveaway concludes Tuesday, December 20th!

Author Spotlight: Melanie Nilles

As part of the Big Awesome YA Giveaway (if you haven't already entered, you could win TONS of books, so go check it out!!), I've been interviewing some of the authors of the lovely books I'm giving away. Tuesday I interviewed Megg Jensen and yesterday I interviewed Joel Arnold.

Today, we welcome author Melanie Nilles!

*cue intro music*

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Kate: Melanie Nilles is the author of a number of books, including the Starfire Angels series and the Legend of the White Dragon series. In the Big Awesome YA Giveaway, she's offering print copies of four books from her Starfire Angels series--Starfire Angel, Broken Wings, Crystal Tomb, and Origins of Dark Angel.


Welcome, Melanie! Tell me about Starfire Angels. What’s it about?
Melanie: My YA series, Starfire Angels, is about a teen "angel" who grew up on Earth believing she was human, discovering what she really is, and learning to become what she was meant to be. In the process, she falls in love with one of her own kind sent to train her while they fight those who would kill to claim the Starfire Crystal shard that she protects.

In the most recent book of the series, Origins of Dark Angel, I give the reader a taste of Elis's life before he was sent to Earth to find Raea and became the savior of her small town known as Dark Angel.


Kate: Tell us about the very first idea you had regarding this story, the one that made you say “I HAVE to write this!” Was it a certain scene, character, or situation?

Melanie: That moment came while watching an anime series the second time through. Something clicked into place for rewriting a novella from ten years before. It was a character trait--the black wings of the hero--that did it for me. I was in the middle of writing an epic fantasy series (Legend of the White Dragon) when the world and characters blossomed. In a week, the idea was ready and demanding to be written. I had to set aside what I was doing to write the first draft. I ended up completely changing it and writing a new draft a year later, but that second draft is what is now Starfire Angels (Book 1 of the Starfire Angels series).


Kate: You returned to it after all those years... I love that. 

Besides the main character or hero/ine, who’s your favorite character in this book, and why?

Melanie: Everyone adores Elis, the Dark Angel, because he's an honest to goodness hero with a heart of gold. Besides him, I have to say that I've loved hating Nina from the first book, couldn't live without Leksel and Cris in Broken Wings, and find a certain charm in the wisdom of Tenkil, Elis's great-grandfather who has some screen time in Origins of Dark Angel.


Kate: I love a good "love to hate" character! Is there a particular theme of the Starfire Angel series that spoke to you personally as you were writing it?

Melanie: There are many themes. Mostly, I like the idea of a hero who is honestly good at heart without any hesitation of doing what is right. Throughout the series, I bring up the idea of appreciating what you have while you have it and appreciating the little things in life, because you never know when they could be taken away. That's something that I try to live by every day. Other themes crop up, but that and the idea of doing good no matter how badly people try to tear you down are the strongest.

Kate: That last theme in particular really resonates with me. Is there anything you’re working on now that you’d like to tell us about?

Melanie: I'm working on the fifth book, Forever Dark. It will be the last with Raea and Elis, whose stories make up the subseries, Dark Angel Chronicles (Starfire Angels, Broken Wings, Crystal Tomb, Origins of Dark Angel, and Forever Dark). However, I have dropped clues throughout DAC about what else is coming, but future stories will feature other characters.

Kate: That sounds fascinating!

As we conclude the interview, where can readers interested in your work go to find out more?

Melanie: I have two dedicated pages at Facebook, one for this series specifically--http://facebook.com/StarfireAngels--and my author page--http://facebook.com/melanienilles.

I also have a website--http://www.melanienilles.com--and a blog.

All the links are listed on my website for Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.

Kate: Thanks so much for dropping by, Melanie!

Melanie: Thank you, Kate.


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You can enter to win four signed copies of Melanie Nille's books here, and you can check out the total list of prizes here.

Author Spotlight: Joel Arnold's SNOW BURN

It's time for the next installment in my author spotlight series, where I'm interviewing select authors whose books are included in my Big Awesome YA Giveaway 2011.

If you haven't entered to win yet, you can find out more information about that here, and a list of all the prizes here..


And now, the interview...


*musical intro*


~~~~~~~

Kate: Today, I want to welcome author Joel Arnold. Joel is giving away three e-copies of his YA suspense novel Snow Burn in the Big Awesome YA Giveaway. Welcome!!

So, Joel. Tell me about Snow Burn. (BTW I love the title... it's got that slight dissonance of ideas--cold and hot--that somehow goes together perfectly at the same time. It's very intriguing!) What’s it about?

Joel: Seventeen-year old Tommy Connell knows he’s in trouble when he goes winter camping with his friend Vince Nguyen without telling his folks. But when they’re caught in a sudden blizzard, and the man they rescue from freezing to death turns out to be an escaped convict, Tommy’s troubles are only beginning. Now Tommy and Vince must not only survive the blizzard, but also find a way to keep Quinn – who’ll stop at nothing to stay out of prison – from killing them.

Kate: That sounds incredibly chilling!

What kind of reader would this story most appeal to, and why?

Joel: I think Snow Burn will appeal to YA readers and adults who like suspense. It also raises some ethical questions - sort of a 'what would you do in this situation?' kind-of-thing.

Kate: Tell us about the very first idea you had regarding this story, the one
that made you say “I HAVE to write this!” Was it a certain scene,
character, or situation?

Joel: It was the situation. I wanted to explore the ethics of - if you were in the position to save someone's life, but learned as you were doing so that this person is a criminal, would you continue to save them? Would you let them die? Where does self-sacrifice and self-preservation intersect? This was a conundrum that I found fascinating and wanted to write about that.

Kate: That's a fascinating question to explore. Besides the main character or hero/ine, who’s your favorite character in this book, and why?

Joel: There are really only three characters in the book, but my favorite is Tommy's friend, Vince, who is Cambodian-American with a prosthetic leg who also plays football. I based Vince's personality on a childhood friend of mine, who seemed to effortlessly bridge the gap between the 'jocks' and the 'band geeks' of our school.

Kate: You just grabbed my interest with that description--"Cambodian-American with a prosthetic leg who also plays football." I love it! 

Where can readers interested in your work go to find out more?

Joel: My blog: authorjoelarnold.blogspot.com
Twitter: @authorarnold
Buy Snow Burn on Amazon


Kate: Thanks so much for participating in my author spotlight, Joel!!

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You can enter to win Snow Burn and tons of other awesome books now by clicking here and following the directions! The giveaway concludes Tuesday, December 20th!

Author Spotlight: Megg Jensen

As part of my BIG, AWESOME YA GIVEAWAY 2011, I am doing a few author spotlights highlighting some of the authors whose books are available to win.

Psssst!! If you haven't entered in the giveaway, you can do that here! I've giving away a whopping 39 books which will be split up among 4 lucky winners!!

So without further ado...

*ahem*

*cue interview music*

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Kate: Today's author is Megg Jensen, author of Anathema, Oubilette, and Severed (the Cloud Prophet Trilogy), among other books. That's right, she's giving away THREE books in the Big Awesome YA Giveaway!! She is also the author of Sleepers, which I understand is getting a new cover this week and thus couldn't be included.  

 
Welcome, Megg, and thank you for participating in the YA Giveaway: Author Spotlight!! Tell us about the Cloud Prophet Trilogy. What’s it about?

Megg: The Cloud Prophet Trilogy is comprised of my first three novels: Anathema, Oubliette, and Severed. It follows the journey of Reychel, a simple slave who’s destined to be more than she believes she can be. Reychel must the decisions she believes are right – whether or not they lead her to her destiny.

Kate: What kind of reader would this story most appeal to, and why?

Megg: It’s considered young adult fantasy, however I know plenty of adults who’ve enjoyed it – both male and female. There’s some romance, but there’s also a lot of mystery and action! My novels are what I like to call medieval dystopian.


Kate: Medieval dystopian? I love that!! I'm a huge fan of mixing up genres in interesting ways.


Tell us about the very first idea you had regarding TCP Trilogy, the one that made you say “I HAVE to write this!” Was it a certain scene, character, or situation?


  Megg: My daughter said to me, “Mom, I can see things in the clouds.” I answered, “What shapes can you see?” Her answer: “No, mom, I can see the future!” It was in that moment that Anathema was born. (You can tell my daughter has quite an imagination too.)

Kate: What a great story! I love that your daughter had a hand in the idea.


Is there a particular theme of Anathema, etc that spoke to you personally as you were writing it?

Megg: Everyone always writes stories about characters with a grand destiny. While this is a typical fantasy convention, I wanted to turn it on its ear by letting Reychel make her own choices. Many things are not what they seem in my books, especially the ending of Severed. My readers seem to appreciate the element of surprise.

Kate: I love that--you give tradition a nod while reinventing it. What person (besides yourself, obviously) is most influential on your writing process?

Megg: Wow, that’s a tough question. My family is very supportive of my writing career and without their support, I couldn’t get everything done. In fact, my daughter is curled up next to me while I answer this questions and my son is playing on the floor.

Kate: *cackles* I love asking the tough questions! Is there anything you’re working on now that you’d like to tell us about?

Megg: I am revealing a new cover for my novel, Sleepers, this week! Plus, I have two sequels to Sleepers coming out in 2012. I will also be releasing a short story that has a connection to the Cloud Prophet Trilogy, hopefully in January. I never stop writing. :D

Kate: Wow, that is a lot of writing. You are a woman after my own heart, then! Now, where can readers interested in your work go to find out more?

Megg: I mainly hang out on Facebook. I kind of live there. Is that weird? ;)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/meggjensenauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/meggjensen

Website: www.meggjensen.com

Kate: There you have it, folks. Thanks so much for joining us, Megg!

Megg: Thank you so much for having me!!!!!!


~~~~~~~~~~

Intrigued? Be sure to enter for a chance to win Megg's Cloud Prophet Trilogy (one winner will get the whole set!) and be sure to check out her new cover for Sleepers!

You can check out the list of total prizes for the giveaway here. I will be featuring five more authors from the Big Awesome Giveaway, so stay tuned

NaNo Stats and an Interview with Angie Azur

Hey, all!

I have an interview up with Angie Azur on her blog Writing Teazurs. You should check it out... She asked me some really interesting and thoughtful questions, ones I hadn't had before, and it was a ton of fun to respond.

Read the interview!

In other news, I am hard at work on this (semi) NaNoWriMo book. I'm at about 15k, but hopefully I can squeeze out a couple thousand words today. I think I'm finally hitting my groove with the story.

How are your word counts coming, NaNoers?

Indie Snippets!

Hey, all! Hope your Thursday is going well!

I was recently featured on Indie Snippets, a blog that posts short excerpts from ebooks. You can check out my entry here.

In other news, today's a good day for The Curse Girl. I'm currently hanging out in two Amazon Top 100 Bestseller lists (both related to fairy tales and mythology). We'll see how long it lasts. But for now, yay :)

*returns to writing*

Onward and upward, everyone!!

A Dancer And An Axe Murderer

I love this fantastic (and hilarious) advice about learning to balance drafting and revision in this excellent article The Seven Habits of Successful Writers:

(c) liakapelke (Not Pictured: Axe Murderer)

"Nurture your inner schizophrenic. When you have written a draft of your story and it’s time to revise, you have to be able to look at it with a cold eye and take the ax to it as needed. . .You’re actually not one person, but two: a dancer and an ax murderer. Love both of these people who live in your brain, but keep them apart."

In other words, allow yourself to be unfettered and creative during your first draft. Don't get into editor mode until it's time to edit.

This is brilliant advice.

So write away, my friends--and keep those axe murderers and dancers separate!

Other news!!

I was interviewed on Kindle Author a couple of days ago and forgot to post it before now. Check it out and maybe leave me a comment? I've also added it to the reviews and interviews tab.

Hope everybody has a happy and safe Halloween!

Behaving Like a Diva

Good morning, everybody!

Today I'm being featured as a guest poster on The Caffeinated Diva! You should definitely stop by to say hello, because you could win a copy of The Curse Girl. (Also I'd love it if you left a comment!) So if you'd like a free copy, or just want to see what I wrote about fairy tale retellings, definitely head over to check the post out.

You can also read her review of The Curse Girl here.

In other news, I am hoping to finish the secret book project I've been working on (instead of Darkdweller ... I know, bad Katie!) today. I was supposed to finish it last week, but I was out of town ... so it will be TODAY. #promises #maybe

I will have cover art and blurbs soon!

Interview on Kai Strand's blog Strands of Thought!

Hello, everyone, and happy Wednesday!

Author Kai Strand has interviewed me about The Curse Girl for her series Three Times a Charm, so head over and read/leave a comment if you'd like!

I'm also going to be announcing some news about upcoming books in the next few weeks if everything goes well. I've been hard at work, and it's been a long summer full of starts and stops, but I think I'm finally making good progress with Darkdweller (and some other projects that sort of came out of nowhere).

Anyway, have a lovely day everyone!

Author Interviews

I'm hoping to introduce a few new things around the blog, and one thing I thought would be fun--author interviews. I would LOVE to help you spread the word about your book.

So, if you're a fiction author (indie, traditional, small press, Big Six, WHATEVER) and you want to be interviewed on the Southern Scrawl blog, shoot me an email at katydid05(at)gmail(dot)com!

Interview on the QQQE!

If you haven't done so already, check out my interview with Matthew Rush on the QQQE!

Many thanks to Matthew and his readers for such lovely comments and helpful advice!

XOXO

~ Katie