Author Spotlight: Ashley Stoyanoff

Kate: It's time for another installment of my author spotlight series! Today we're welcoming Ashley Stoyanoff, who's here to talk about her recently-released novel, The Soul's Mark: FOUND.

* cue music *

Welcome, Ashley! Tell me a little about your book.

Hi Kate, Thank you for having me!

The Soul’s Mark: FOUND takes a fresh look at soulmates.  Eighteen year old Amelia Caldwell has just moved to college when she realizes that her birthmark is more than what it seems.  She has been marked by a vampire’s soul. She is forced to unlock the painful memories of her past, and make life changing decisions.  Just when she thinks that life couldn’t possibly get any worse, Amelia’s reluctant meeting with a psychic reveals a prophecy that could ultimately change her entire life. 

"There is danger in your future. Many wish you harm and will seek to destroy you. The one you love most will be the cause of your death. But be warned he is also the only one who can save you. Revenge is for the weak. When the time comes you will need to forget the past and forgive those who have harmed you. Only then will you be able to forgive yourself. If you choose to be weak you will sacrifice those you love.” 

Kate: That sounds really intriguing!

Now, who's your favorite character in the book, besides the main character, and why is that character your favorite? What's your favorite scene?

This is a tuff one because I love all the characters, but I guess aside from Amelia and Mitchell, Eric would have to be my favorite.  He has a wicked sense of humor and a heart of gold. 

Kate: Did anything in particular inspire you or influence you when writing this book?

My biggest inspiration and influence would have to be my Mom.  If it wasn’t for her, I probably would have never finished The Soul’s Mark: FOUND.  When I got stuck on a plot twist or a character name or really anything I needed to talk through she was there. She encouraged me along the way, and her belief that I could write pushed me through all the bumps in the road.

Kate: She sounds like an awesome lady! 

What do you think is the hardest part of writing? The easiest?

For me, one of the hardest things about writing would have to be my crazy obsessive planning.  I create outline after outline after outline until the story is sound.  And then, once I’m happy with it, I’ll create another outline with new twists and turns. 

But all these outlines pay off because once I get to the actual writing the words come easily.  I know where the story is going and I can just let myself go and get lost in the characters and the plot.

Kate: Oooh, a plotter! I am a very dedicated plotter myself, although for me it's a fine balance, because too many outlines and I may not write the book. I have to find that sweet spot. Right now, I have sticky notes all over my computer serving as an outline of my current manuscript.

All right, enough about books! Tell me a little about yourself. What’s one fun or interesting fact about you that most people may not know?

Well, I live in Whitby, Ontario with my husband Jordan and two cats.  When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading.  I will read just about anything but my favorite would be romance with a supernatural twist.

One thing most people do not know about me is that I am a complete klutz.  I like to think that I hide it well.  Although, I’m not sure how interesting this is, but it shows how klutzy I am so I’ll tell you.   My legs are always covered in bruises because I walk into walls, drawers, doors, quite often.  I like to think that they jump out at me but the truth is I’m just a klutz. 

Kate: I run into walls, drawers, and doors a lot too! Its kind of hilarious and kind of sad. I always have a bruise on my leg SOMEWHERE. We must be kindred spirits that way.

Do you have any other projects or books you’re working on right now?

Currently, I am working on the second book in The Soul’s Mark series, called The Soul’s Mark: HUNTED.  The hundreds of outlines are done and I’m into the fun part now of the first draft. 

I am also working on something completely new, but at this point that’s all I can say. 

Kate: Well, best of luck with the new project (and the sequel!) Where can readers connect with you to learn more about The Soul's Mark series and your other projects?

Here are some ways you can talk to me:

Website: www.ashleystoyanoff.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AshleyStoyanoffTheSoulsMark Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/ashley_stoyanoff Email: ashley@ashleystoyanoff.com

Kate: Thanks so much for stopping by, Ashley! 

(You can buy Ashley's book here on Amazon!)

YOU GUYS.

I seriously love Goodreads.

I was just clicking around in some of the groups I hang out in, and I saw the monthly poll, this time for August's book of the month....and there was Frost!

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/68210-book-of-the-month-august-female-indie-author

Anyway, seeing my book on that list made my night. It's a little thing, but it's awesome. Thank you to everyone who's voted for me and my book. I appreciate it so, so much. Just being nominated is such a gift.

:) :) :)

Now, I must return to writing. I'm trying to finish the first draft of Frost's sequel TONIGHT.

My Problem With Library Books

So when it comes to books, my eyes are bigger than my, er, reading capacity.

So when I see a book that looks interesting, I usually put it on hold at my local library (unless it's a low priced indie book, or on sale, and then I buy it for my Kindle! I am a starving artist...). Unfortunately, I seem to be only drawn to books that have catastrophically huge waiting lists. 157 people are ahead of me, 266 people are ahead of me...a message informs me of my fate, and I resign myself to waiting another two months for the book. So I put more books on hold. I stagger the wait times. This book has 52 people waiting for it, that book has 75, and this other book has only 15. Should work out perfect, right?

But somehow, inevitably, they all become available AT THE SAME TIME.

Eek!

At first, it's kind of like Christmas. I ooh and ahh and stare and drool.

But then, I have to actually read all these books. I take them home and pile them beside my bed in my "reading basket."

And that's where it gets ugly.

You see, when I have a lot of books to read my ADD and procrastination skills and all sorts of other troublesome tendencies sort of kick in. I feel pressured. I feel anxious to finish them all. Somehow, this means I read slower. And then I get really busy. And then I get the urge to revisit my lonely current manuscript, because reading makes me feel like writing. And then, inevitably...

I log into my library account and see that I have fines. Massive fines, multiplying like rabbits!

My library actually now has a rule that you cannot check out more books if your fine is over $15, and I sometimes wonder if they made that rule because of me and my mom (I'm not the only one who suffers from this affliction of too many library books).

And it's a vicious cycle, because I have a reading addiction, ya'll.

The good news is that I am helping my local library stay in business...

* sigh *

A Week of Inspiration, Day 4: Other Books

This week I'm celebrating and exploring the idea of inspiration--where it comes from, and how it can be stirred to life. On Wednesday we looked at travel as a source of inspiration, and how that can feed a writer's stories. Today we look at...

4. Other Books

Nobody creates art in a vacuum, and every writer stands on the shoulders of the ones that came before them in one way or another. Books are one of the biggest ways that writers are inspired, because reading is how most writers became interested in writing in the first place, and they are the best way to learn the craft. Award-winning author John Green even calls reading the "only apprenticeship [writers] have."

All authors have influences. Maybe those influences were characters and the stories themselves, the way Lord of the Rings has been inspiring fantasy fiction for years now, or maybe just the way the book made the writer FEEL.

If you're feeling creatively dry, return to the things that you love most. Ask yourself, why do you love ______ so much? What is it about that book, movie, or show that captivates you, keeping you coming back for me? Study that, whatever it might be, and try to capture and mimic it in your own unique way.

Learn from the people who came before you, and then make something special and passion-inspiring of your own.

Win a copy of one of my books!

Cool news!! Danielle from Known to Read has chosen to feature me in the Indie Author June Blog Hop. I'm thrilled and honored!!

If you want to win a free copy of one of my books, head on over to her blog and enter!

Enter to win a free copy of The Curse Girl, Frost, or Once Upon a Beanstalk!

A Week of Inspiration, Day 3: Travel

This week I'm celebrating and exploring the idea of inspiration--where it comes from, and how it can be stirred to life. Yesterday we talked about memories, and how that can feed a writer's stories. Directly related to memories is...

3. Travel

Visiting a new place can ignite a plethora of ideas in the writer's head. New sights, new experiences, new accents and food and weather and architecture...all these things can spark stories. And it doesn't have to be some place fantastic and glamorous, like Paris or London. For me, simply stopping at an unfamiliar gas station can fill my head with inspiration. Last year, my husband and I were driving to Michigan for a family vacation, and gazing at all those miles of uninterrupted cornfields and barns and tractors--Americana at its most stereotypical--out in the middle of nowhere gave me the first flash of an awesome sci fi story that I'm dying to write someday.

Even just a simple change of scenery can be inspiring. Next time you travel, be sure to take a notebook, and scribble down everything you see, hear, taste, or smell that inspires an idea.

A Week of Inspiration, Day 2: Memories

This week I'm celebrating and exploring the idea of inspiration--where it comes from, and how it can be stirred to life. Yesterday we looked at music as a tool for inspiration. So if you're a writer wanting a tip or two about gaining inspiration for your work, or if you're a reader wondering about some of the ways authors craft the stories they tell, read on.

2. Memories

A childhood memory

Memories fascinate me. Why do we remember certain things about our childhood clearly, and not others? Some of my recollections are as faded as an old photograph, while others stand out as crisp and clear as if they'd happened yesterday. I often sift through my memories for inspiration when it comes to stories--memories of events, like weddings, funerals, or graduations. Memories of trips I took, doctor visits I had, surgeries I underwent.

These memories can be mined--not necessarily just for the facts and landscape of the events, although those are great, too--but for the sometimes startling emotions they dredged up. I write mainly fantasy, and while I've never lived in a snowy forest populated by monsters, I have been terrified, and while I've never been imprisoned on an old house and forced to break a curse, I have been in situations where I felt trapped, both literally and figuratively.

Sometimes memories inspire me as a reader, too, because certain books remind me of things in my own past--friendships, family, or old boyfriends in that sweet nostalgic way.

What memories inspire you?