Interview and Giveaway with Amy Lignor

Welcome Amy Lignor, a fantastic author. I’m very happy to have her on my blog today. She has even agreed to give away an e-book copy of her book, which I will add more about after the interview. I came into contact with Amy when she asked me to read and review her book, Until Next Time which was a fantastic read. You can find the review by clicking here. I have since greatly enjoyed talking with Amy and am really excited to be doing an interview with her.

I hope everyone enjoys this interview and will check out Until Next Time if you haven’t already.

Christie: Welcome Amy! Thank you for joining me today for an interview.  Please tell us a little about yourself.

Amy: I was raised on books - literally :).  My Mom was a career librarian, so while all the kids were going to the movies or hanging out on the sports field, I was in the library surrounded by my absolute favorite things in the whole world! 

I’ve been writing since I was thirteen-years-old, and my Freshman Social Studies teacher was actually the first one to tell me that I should be a writer as a career, after I wrote an essay about Rasputin.

I come from the East, which is where I began in the publishing industry, and currently I live in the warm, dry air of New Mexico. I came here to study a book I was putting together on Billy the Kid, believe it or not, and stayed because I loved the fact that there was absolutely no snow. :)

Christie: It sounds like you had a great childhood. It is very awesome that the teacher encouraged you to become a writer. It would be cool if they saw your book and saw they were right! Amen to no snow!

Christie: Your New book Until Next Time, which is also the first book in the Angel Chronicles series is about angels. What made you decide to write about Angels?

Amy: Actually it all came about when I was thirteen. I lost my grandfather and I was truly heartbroken. I began to think about where he went and whether or not, if there were such a thing as angels, why they would possibly come down into a place that was so filled with pain, death, heartache, etc. I dreamed about Matt when I was going through this time period; not a ‘romantic’ dream, just a boy who showed me around a large library where we sat and talked a great deal. He wanted to be a part of this world and, I guess you could call this an ‘imaginary friend,’ helped me through one of the toughest times in my life. When my father passed away too early about ten years ago, Matt and the dreams returned, and I suddenly knew that it was time to tell his and Emily’s story.

Christie: That is very personal. I’m glad you found a way to deal with the grief that ended up creating a great story. Thank you for sharing the story with us, that must have been hard with it being so personal.

Christie: Did you base any of your characters off of real people?

Amy:  There are a few characters ‘up there’ that I based on my grandfather and my father - two extremely wise men who had the biggest hearts imaginable. Emily is based a great deal on how I felt at that time, and how to face the world while trying to still hold on to that ‘faith’ she has in her partner.

Christie: Matt and Emily were supposed to be soul mates but fate took them on a different course when they were sent down to earth.  This changes things between them, will they be pushed back together in the future?

Amy:  The true core of each book is Emily and Matt’s friendship, love, work and the decisions that have to be made between them. Although Emily is the one with a ‘human’ romance in Until Next Time, she is also the one who wants to be ‘home;’ whereas Matt actually likes to be free and living on Earth. There are twists and turns coming up for the angel/warrior team - and Emily and Matt have more than a few surprises when it comes to their friendship and love. So, the upside is, readers will not know the conclusion until the actual conclusion. LOL.

Christie: that sounds great! I can’t wait for these twists and turns.

Christie: Will Jason show up again in future books?

Amy: Yes, Jason will return, as will Charles and Faith - just not in the same ‘form’ as readers think.

Christie: that makes me very happy!

Christie: What made you start writing? Was there a specific author that inspired you to write yourself.

Amy: I have so many favorite authors it’s almost impossible to name them all. Each genre has its own ‘masters.’ Writing was a very personal thing at the beginning of my life, but I have fallen in love with many authors who’ve helped me along the way. From the classics of Austen and Poe to the modern stories, such as Rowling and Koontz, literature is one of the most amazing things - to me - that this world has to offer.

Christie: Do you have a favorite Angel?

Amy: In the book, Matt is my favorite. He is the warrior and thinks with his heart and his deep passion for life, freedom and the job he has to do. Emily has it a lot harder. As an angel, she doesn’t have one ‘job’ to do; she has to find a way to balance everything and it’s far more stressful on her. In the ‘personal’ world, I love Gabriel. He was written in a specific way that blends fun and humor with the fact that he could teach a warrior how to be the ‘best of the best.’ He’s like an older brother.

Christie: Is there anything you can tell us about the next book? Some awesome detail to hold me over until it comes out more specifically.

Amy: Let’s say that the next book has more of a focus on Matt this time around, and they will be living in a very ‘gilded’ time period that was based on wealth, greed, and a nation that was just about to grow into THE one that everyone wanted to come to in order to find their chance at a ‘golden’ life.

Christie: I look forward to finding out more about Matt!

Christie: What is your writing style? Do you have any advice for other writers?

Amy: My writing style is a combination of research (I love history and I want to make sure that locales, time periods, buildings, etc., are all correct); plus the ability to just let go with the imagination. I really can’t do an ‘outline’ before writing and then simply follow along. Twists and turns come up, characters change - so I never hold myself to one thing. Not to mention I get so ‘deeply embedded’ in the story that I  feel like I’m the narrator telling ‘their’ story, and I’m just along for the ride.

Advice…do NOT give up. I started my company, The Write Companion, a while back because I was tired of seeing writers give up because of a rejection letter. There will be many…and you have to be able to solidify your backbone, KNOW that you are right, and keep right on going. A rejection letter just brings you closer to the eventual acceptance.

Christie: I can’t do outlines either I totally agree with you. You just can’t always know where the story and characters will take you.

That is great advice and very admirable. The writing world is a tough one.

Christie: is there anything I didn’t think of to ask that you would like to tell us?

Amy: LOL.  I actually just want to thank the readers and the bloggers, as well as everyone who got so into the book thus far that they’ve made Team Jason and Team Matt buttons. J I am beyond proud of these characters, and it’s nice to see the ‘winged ones’ edging out the ‘fanged ones’ every once in a while. I hope everyone gets on board with Emily & Matt and follows them even further to see exactly how they turn out!

Christie: Thank you again Amy for joining me for this interview. I hope to have you on my blog again in the future. I had a fantastic time talking with you.

Amy: Anytime!  Thank you for having me!

About Amy: Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico. (From Amy's blog)

 

GIVEAWAY:

One person can win a copy of Until Next Time by Amy Lignor. Open Internationally and you must be a follower of my blog to win. To enter, fill out the rafflecopter form below. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

You can also buy a copy of Until Next Time and support the author now from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.



 

Interview with Rod Tyson and Giveaway

Everyone give a warm welcome to my special guest, Rod Tyson. Rod is the author of Curse of Ancient Shadows, a new debut novel. Rod is a pleasure to talk to and his book is pretty awesome too. You can 

read my review of Curse of Ancient Shadows here, if you haven’t already.

GIVEAWAY: Rod is also being very generous and giving away THREE e-book copes of Curse of Ancient Shadows. To enter fill out the rafflecopter form after the interview. The winners must be a follower of my blog to win and will get a choice of which format that would like to receive.

Christie: Welcome Rod, thank you for joining me on my blog and being my first author interview. Tell me a little about yourself.

Rod: Hi Christie. I live in windswept Suffolk, in the UK, with my wife, daughter and a nameless moggy, in a little tin shack out on the lonely marshes. I have a finely honed nose for cheap red wine and when I’m not writing novels (which takes up a lot of my time) I repair and maintain computers.

Christie: wow sounds like you keep busy!

Christie: How long have you been writing, what made you start?

Rod: I started writing my first young adult fantasy novel, Curse of Ancient Shadows, around sixteen months ago.  The ideas for the world rattled around in the ether for years, but life was just too hectic to allow me to start developing the idea fully. I finally decided to cut back my hours at work to avoid stress, and hey presto, started writing all my ideas down.  The sense of fulfillment I gained has been priceless.

Christie: I’m glad you finally got the time to sit down and do it, it was a great book!

Christie: What was the inspiration for Curse of Ancient Shadows?

Rod:  My obsession with British legends and history played a large part. I spent a while on the road, searching  for a sense of magic in places where it might still exist. Places that left me feeling a sense of mystery and awe, like ruined castles, forlorn standing stones and ancient woodland. I wanted to capture some of that and set a fantasy adventure in a place that was a kind of distillation of all those things together. So I came up with the little town called the Hamblings, where much of the action in ‘Curse of Ancient Shadows’ takes place.

Christie: Legends can be quite fun! Everything you describe is the type of stuff that it a ton of fun to read about. You did great with using that in your book and I think all those aspects made it really great.

Christie: Were any of your characters based off of real life people?

Rod: Phillip, Cat Celeste's grandfather is entirely based upon my ‘larger than life’ father-in-law, who came over to the US after their family went through some terrible experiences in post-war Europe. He’s been an inspiration in my own life on more than one occasion and I feel privileged to know him.  Cat is also based on my wonderful, brave, stubborn and adventurous daughter.

Christie: It is great to have real life inspirations and people that mean that much to you.

Christie: Do you have a writing style or technique? Do you plan things out and know exactly where you want to go or do you just write and see where the story takes you?

Rod:  I plan rigorously, then watch from behind the couch as it all falls apart. As I pick up the pieces, some bits get thrown out and others that I didn’t expect start coming into focus. Along with this, I like to invent cool situations for my characters that look great in cinematic snippets inside my head, then try and tie them in with everything else I’ve written down. It sounds haphazard ‘cos it is, but I find it’s a great way to keep a story filled with exciting stuff that’ll keep the reader turning the page. As I work on the smooth transitions between these scenes I often encounter some more unexpected plot elements.

Christie: What was the hardest thing about publishing your book?

Rod: Admitting to myself that I’d finally finished it. I genuinely missed sharing adventures with Cat and the crew and finding out what was going to happen next. I soon got over that when I began plotting the sequel, which I’ve been working on for a while. That, and opening myself up to the irrational fear of ridicule among the online writing community. Of course it hasn’t been like that at all, and I’ve made so many great new friends who only have encouragement to offer. These days I try to pay it forward.

Christie: That is quite scary, I write myself and when I share my work with friends I’m always scared because it is personal and I don’t want them to hate it. Showing that to strangers can be even more difficult. I’m glad you have been welcomed into the community and made wonderful connections, I am also happy to have met you.

Christie: Do you have advice for unpublished writers who want to publish their book and get it out there?

Rod: Try not to lose sight of that fact you enjoy writing. Push yourself hard to write, but not so much that you lose that essential enthusiasm.

Christie: How did you come up with your cover art for your book?

Rod: I heard some good advice on how to make your book cover -  that you should portray something similar to the definitive scene in your story. The scene that sums up what your story is all about. To me, the scene in COAS right at the end, in the ‘Glum Murderers’ stone circle, did the job. The cover is a composite of public domain images, stock images that I purchased online for around twenty bucks and some photos I took myself years ago. I used Paint Shop Pro X2 Ultimate to chop, crop and add effects.

Christie: That is quite impressive. Not everyone would be that ambitious, I love that you were able to do it all yourself. Very creative and great job! I just began learning to use Photoshop myself and it is a lot of work.

Christie: What is your favorite book and favorite author? (You don’t count :-P)

Rod: All time faves? Has to be a toss up between Tolkien (LoTR) or HP Lovecraft and any collection of his Cthulhu mythos stories. I grew up with this stuff and it shows.

Christie: Is there anything you can tell your readers about the next book in the series? Something we can look forward to?

Rod: ‘The Orphan Stone’ is close to completion -  a dark fantasy that details the adventures of Hetty, during the rest of the summer immediately after COAS. It’s partially a character development, where she discovers more about her ability to see the spirits of dead folk, during a struggle against a vile and dangerous entity in a small English town. Also – COAS book 2 is in the pipe for this year – which means Cat Celeste’s adventures, and the search for her missing parents, will continue with the help of some old friends, and many new ones.

Christie: That is very cool that you are already doing an off spin to bring another character more into the light. I would love to know more about Hetty and her adventure. I will also be looking forward to the next book after COAS!

Christie:  What is your favorite and least favorite thing about your book?

Rod:
Favorite thing:  All the interesting people, places and events, and how they all tied together in a galloping plot.  I’m quite proud of the whole universe.
Least favorite thing: When folk unexpectedly ask me to sum up the story arc in a few words (usually at social gatherings), I find it really hard, because there are several different threads to the plot, and each one has depth, so I’m left looking slack jawed as I fumble for words. I’m learning the summary from Amazon off by heart to save me embarrassment.

Christie: Summarizing is never easy especially when it is in the moment and you want to make it sound awesome. Your book has a ton of amazing elements in it and I can see how that would be hard to give a quick description.

Christie: What does it mean to be an ex New-Age Traveler?

Rod: New Age travelers are difficult to quantify. They are folk who live on the road in buses or caravans, traveling around the UK (and to a lesser extent, Europe). They are not an ethnic group, come from all walks of life (I’ve met network engineers and lawyers!) and tend to be quite colorful people. They have a loose connection with Pagan/ Celtic interests and are regular attendees at ancient seasonal festivals and events like the summer solstice at Stone-Henge. Life on the road can be difficult at times, especially during the winter, but there is a close community which often pulls together. I loved traveling, but knew it would be difficult to raise a family that way, so made the choice to settle down.

Christie: Tell us about your interactive website, it looks pretty awesome.

Rod: Because I did all the work myself, the whole thing cost around $40. It’s a teaser insight into the story of Curse of Ancient Shadows, revealing the way the different elements fit together as the story grew. Had loads of fun working on it, especially writing and designing the graphics on the newspaper clippings.

Christie: That is awesome, again I’m very impressed and in awe. I can’t imagine doing all of that, I was going a bit crazy trying to figure out how to design a blog, doing what you did I would have probably lost my mind. HUGE kudos to you!

Christie: Thank you very much for doing this interview with me Rod! Is there anything else you would like to add?

Rod: Just a huge ‘Thank You’ to anyone who has ever taken an interest in any of my work (including this 

interview) and to you Christie for giving me this opportunity to make some new friends :).

Christie: Thank you again Rod for joining me on my boy today and also doing this great giveaway of  your book with me.

About Rod:

Lives in Suffolk, UK. Author of young adult books, miniature sculptor, computer engineer, road warrior, mega-dad, ex new-age traveler, web designer, artist. Likes: UFO's, ghosts, ancient history, fantasy, Chewy Chompkins, Mythology, Pookie Pies. Dislikes: Garlic, the Elder Sign, off-world cuisine, Yog-Sothoth (he owes me a tenner).

Find Rod at:

Blog | Interactive Website |  Twitter | Google+ | Facebook | Goodreads 

Purchase the e-book for only 99 Cents! For the Kindle








of The Nook