FEATURED AUTHOR: ANDREA PEARSON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Nicole Williams is an Arete—a fourth child with magical abilities — yet no matter how hard she tries, she can’t channel her power. In fact, she seems to be the only student at Katon University who fails at magic.

This doesn’t stop her from competing to be included on a university-led expedition to Arches National Park. She is determined to show everyone, but mostly herself, that she does belong. Yet, to qualify for the trip, she must produce at least a speck of Wind magic, and that appears to be impossible.

Nicole turns to her best friend, Lizzie, for help, along with fellow student Austin Young, who is considered by all a magical rarity. He also happens to be the hottest guy on campus and just might be interested in her.

As the competition progresses, Nicole wonders if she’s making the right choice — especially when she learns that the strange fossils they’ll be studying in Arches might not be as dead as everyone thinks.

INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA PEARSON

Andrea, how did you get started writing, and when did you become an “author?”
Back in 2008, I finished my very first book — a middle-grade fantasy called The Key of Kilenya. It’s a story that had developed over the years, ever since I was a child and played games with my brother. It developed into a six-book series. By the end of 2009, I was picked up by an agent who landed me a contract with one of the Big Five. Exciting as that was, I couldn’t get over the feeling that I’d end up regretting the choice if I signed with them. I turned down the contract, much to the chagrin of my agent (and trad-pubbed author friends). Over the next year or so, as I tried to figure out where I needed to go that would serve my books best, I ultimately decided to self-publish. It’s been wonderful.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
The flow of creativity. Basically, when I get into a scene and lose myself in the characters, their thoughts and dilemmas, and feel like I’m actually there. It’s pretty exciting.

What books do you currently have published?
The Kilenya Series, a six-book middle grade fantasy series
The Katon University series, a five-book YA fantasy series
Bezza’s Book of Enchantments, an illustrated chapter book
The Kilenya Romances, a three-novella teen romance series

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
Don’t market until you have several books available. While waiting, aim to increase reviews on books you’ve published and newsletter subscribers. Don’t be afraid to give away a free eBook to anyone who’s interested in joining the newsletter list. Once you have several books available, with multiple reviews each (Verified Purchase reviews), then start slow and see which websites work the best, one at a time. Ask other authors for their favorite websites to promote with and try those out. Don’t let yourself get discouraged when downloads don’t happen immediately or when popular promoting sites say no – it’ll only derail you from doing what’s most important: writing more books. And having fun while writing those books.

How long have you been a writer?
I was a technical writer for several years before switching to fiction. Technical, including: writing knowledge base articles for the computer industry and legal documents for attorneys, etc. I’ve only been a fiction writer since 2008. I absolutely love it.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I have a love/hate relationship with it and pretty much all social-networking sites. Facebook has been very beneficial as a way to keep up with old friends, family, readers, and other authors, but I’ve found, especially recently, that a lot of people abuse their ability to comment and are frequently unkind to other people. I don’t spend a lot of time on Facebook for this reason — I’d rather be writing or spending time with my husband and daughter instead of trying not to get mad on a friend’s behalf at a rude comment someone made.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Dairy products, meat, my Kindle, and my family. (Was that cheating?)

A little. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I’m an extrovert. It’s toned down a bit since college and since becoming a writer, but I enjoy being with people, speaking, and making others laugh.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Nachos, buttered popcorn (air popped, not the kind they serve at theaters), water . . . and a little bit of something sweet to counter the warm salty.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“The greater the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly.” – Thomas Payne

What would your main characters say about you?
Probably that I hate them. Mainly because I inflict so much pain on them and don’t allow them to enjoy the simple pleasures of life very often. Hey – I write fantasy and soft horror. Readers don’t want simple pleasures, they want excitement.


Have you ever been to a fortune teller? What did she tell you?
I’ve never been to an “actual” fortune teller, but I did have a friend for a few years who believed she had been given gifts from God to tell people their past lives. She said I’d previously been a dog and had been married to her dog. She truly believed this. I never knew if I should be offended or amused.


Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
My grandpa, who has since passed on. He was a full-time author, with more than 50 books published (many of which he ghost wrote and never told anyone the titles of). He wrote thousands of essays and was a keynote speaker at colleges and universities across the country. He passed away when I was 17, long before I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wish I’d taken the opportunity to talk to him about his books and writing career. It would be nice now that I’m also an author to get pointers from him and to hear what he thinks of the current state of publishing.


What's your relationship with your cell phone?
An interesting one. I have several Twitter accounts of “big” people in the publishing industry set up to come straight to my phone as text messages. This helps me keep up with all the big news in the publishing world. So, I love my phone for this reason. I also love listening to author podcasts while on my stationary bike, playing games.


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
I’ve always aimed for at least eight, especially while in college or pregnant. I don’t handle less than that very well, and find I’m much more productive when I get plenty of sleep. Plus, I have Epstein Barr and get really sick with horrible flare-ups when I’m not sticking to eight hours of sleep on a regular schedule.


What are you working on now?
Another YA fantasy series, along with a romance series. I’m really enjoying both. The fantasy series is a combination of my Kilenya and Katon University series – the characters team up to fight “bad guys” and monsters. The romance series is based in a fictional town called Cobblestone in Nevada, near Reno and Carson City. I need to pick one of these and focus on it, but for now, it’s been enjoyable jumping back and forth.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Cake

Laptop or desktop? Laptop

Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray

Emailing or texting? Texting

Indoors or outdoors? Both – depending on the weather. Usually outdoors.

Tea: sweet or unsweet? Sweet.

Plane, train, or automobile? Plane!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Pearson graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor of science degree in Communications Disorders. She is the author of many full-length novels (the Kilenya Series and Katon University series), and several novellas. Writing is the chocolate of her life - it is, in fact, the only thing she ever craves. Being with her family and close friends is where she's happiest, and she loves thunderstorms, the ocean, hiking, public speaking, painting, and traveling.

Connect with Andrea:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  | Twitter  | Goodreads

iTunes  |  Kobo  |  Nook  |  Smashwords  

Tess talks with Wicked Hunger's Vanessa Roth

In August, Delsheree Gladden, author of the YA urban fantasy Wicked Hunger, sent Zander Roth to talk with Tess, and today Tess is happy to talk with Zander's sister, Vanessa Roth.

About the book:

Vanessa and Zander Roth are good at lying. They have to be when they are hiding a deadly secret. Day after day, they struggle to rein in their uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering in order to live normal lives. Things only get worse when Ivy Guerra appears with her pink-striped hair and secrets. The vicious hunger Ivy inspires is frightening, not to mention suspicious.

Vanessa’s instincts are rarely wrong, so when they tell her that Ivy’s appearance is a sign of bad things to come, she listens. She becomes determined to expose Ivy’s secrets. Vanessa tries to warn her brother, but Zander is too enamored with Ivy to pay attention to her conspiracy theories.

One of them is right about Ivy … but if they lose control of their hunger, it won’t matter who is right and who is wrong. One little slip, and they’ll all be dead.

About the character:

Vanessa Roth really tries to follow the rules her grandmother has put in place, because she knows it means keeping her secret safe, but it’s not easy. More often than not, her temper, emotions, or hunger land her in a whole mess of trouble.

Tess talks with Vanessa Roth

Vanessa, how did you first meet DelSheree?

If I remember right, DelSheree was visiting Albuquerque for some kind of dental hygiene test. It seems like that’s all she was doing around that time. Anyway, I probably would have walked right by, but her daughter tripped and skinned her knee. Poor kid had forgotten her glasses again and didn’t see the curb. My hunger responded—-don’t worry, I didn’t attack the poor girl—-but my response caught DelSheree’s attention.

Want to dish about DelSheree?

As much as I enjoyed working with DelSheree, she tends to be a little forgetful. If she doesn’t put it in her phone with an alarm to remind her, shell space it out. Her life has been a little crazy, though, with school, job hunting, and family, so I understood and just sent a lot of reminders.

Did you ever think that your life would end up being in a book?

Oh, I pretty much knew someone would right my story from early on. I just expected it to be in the newspaper, under the crime blotter. Being the heroine of our story never crossed my mind.

Tell us about your favorite scene in Wicked Hunger.

I don’t want to give away too much, but under the bleachers after the football game. That is the first glimmer of hope that I can be honest with Ketchup about what I am and not have him run away.

Sounds intriguing. Did you have a hard time convincing DelSheree to write any particular scenes for you?

There is a scene where I’m working with Noah at his house that we had some arguments about. DelSheree wanted it to go one way, but I knew what direction it was really supposed to go.

I'm telling you, we have to be forceful with our authors sometimes. What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?

Controlling my hunger is always a high priority, so you’ll usually find me doing ballet or practicing Jeet Kune Do.

If you could rewrite anything in Wicked Hunger, what would it be?

If I could rewrite anything, it would be before the book started when my brother Zander nearly killed Ketchup and ruined my chances of being with him.

Ketchup. I love that name. Do you think he knows Pickle? Never mind. Back to the topic. Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?

Zander is one of the most pigheaded, frustrating people I know, but he’s my brother and I still love him. Ivy, that girl rubbed me wrong from the second I saw her stupid pink hair. Noah is so sweet and normal. Being around him makes me believe I can actually have that one day. Oscar, well, he’s certifiably nuts, but sometimes I still think he’s the sanest of anyone I know. And Ketchup…I better not say anything about Ketchup or I’ll jinx myself.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

Disappear with Ketchup, and NO I won’t tell you where we’d go or what we’d be doing. 



Gotcha. What impression do you make on people when they first meet you?

When I first meet people, they generally think I’m weird and moody. I’m generally just trying not to kill them.

How about after they've known you for a while?

Not many people stick around to get to know me, but the few who do realize I’m actually a pretty nice person—minus the hunger issues—and I love music and dancing. 



What's the worst thing that's happened in your life? What did you learn from it?

Both of my parents were murdered, and it taught me that protecting my family comes before anything else, including personal relationships.

Wow. That's horrible. You must have some good friends to get you through something like that. Tell us about your best friend.

My best friend is Laney. She never stops talking, falls off her shoes on a regular basis, and makes me laugh when I really need someone to pull me out of my dark thoughts. 



What are you most afraid of?

Losing the people I love. 



What’s the best trait DelSheree has given you? What’s the worst?

That would probably be the same trait for both. Passion. I am a very passionate person when it comes to protecting my friends and family, but it tends to put me in hot water fairly often as well. 



How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?

Pretty uncertain, actually. I know that there are some big, scary events on the horizon, but I can’t pinpoint what they are or who is going to set them in motion. I’ve had to put my life in the hands of someone I don’t trust at all and that scares me more than I can tell you.

What aspect of DelSheree’s writing style do you like best?

DelSheree always manages to capture the emotion of a scene just the way I remember it happening. She makes people feel what I felt so they really understand my story.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?

I’d have to go with AnnaSophia Robb. She seems tough info to take on my life!

Describe the town where you live.

I live in Albuquerque, NM. It’s big enough for us to hide in, but secluded enough that we won’t draw a ton of attention if something goes wrong.

Describe an average day in your life.

I’ve got school, like most normal kids, but along with classes to suffer through, I have to deal with keeping my hunger in check. There are dozens of kids at school that my hunger wants to make a snack out of, so it can get tricky trying to dodge all of them. After school I try to feed my hunger through the physical pain hours of dance practice gives me. When all else fails, Zander and I can always use each other to keep our hunger in check.

What's next? Will you encourage DelSheree to write a sequel?

I have been hounding her daily to finish the next book! She’s almost halfway through it, but I’ll keep on her until it’s complete and ready to land on the editor’s desk. Readers are already asking for the next book!

That's terrific! Tell DelSheree to let us know when the next book comes out.

About the author:

DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually teaching yoga, coaching gymnastics, reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, and The Destroyer Trilogy. DelSheree's newest series, the SomeOne Wicked This Way Come series, follows Vanessa and Zander Roth, siblings with an uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering that will either gain them limitless power or lead them to their deaths.

Connect with DelSheree:
Website | Blog | Facebook: DelSheree | Facebook: The Destroyer Trilogy | Facebook: Twin Souls Saga | Twitter | Goodreads: author | Goodreads: book | Wattpad

Buy the book:
Amzaon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Interview With Superhero Princess Zara Roy'al

Zara Roy’al is a blonde, beautiful, and sarcastic superhero princess. She is your typical fairy tale princess, awaiting her prince charming, except for one thing: she's been cursed with super powers. She's also the main character in Superhero Princess and the Curse of the Rainbow Fairy, Natasha House's YA fantasy novel.

About the book:

You'd think flying fast, being strong, and the ability to attract small, fuzzy creatures would be awesome right? Wrong! Join Zara as she fights zombie carrots, evil mermaids, and dragons with attitudes. Everything changes when a new boy named Gunner enrolls in her school. He accepts her for who she is, which Zara has never encountered. Suddenly, magical eggs from various monsters around the kingdom start to go missing. It's up to Zara to discover who is stealing these monster eggs and why.

Hello, Zara. It's nice to have you here. I've never met a super hero princess. How did you first meet your writer? 
I met my writer at a garage sale. She was just sitting there bored out of her mind when I nearly tripped over her.

Did you ever think that your life would end up being in a book? 
Well, when monsters attack you, you have super powers, and are pretty much fairytale material you kind of expect that.

Oh. Well, yeah, I guess you do. Tell us about your favorite scene in the book. 
I’d have to say when I rescued Cupcake from that evil tux-wearing mouse. The fact that she wanted to kill me was rough, but in the end having a rainbow-licking pet is pretty awesome!

I guess it would be. Did you have a hard time convincing your author to write any particular scenes for you?  Not really. She loves being crazy and silly with the way she writes.

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere? 
I really enjoy rescuing people, even though half the time they get slimed by a monster.  Still, it’s pretty awesome when you pull someone out of the hands of a five hundred pound octopus who looks like your science teacher.

That would be awesome. If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?  Ugh…some of my encounters with Gunner. He’s hot.

Ooooh. Nice. Tell the truth. What do you think of your other fellow characters? 
I hate Annabelle. I guess everyone knows that if they’ve read my story.  She’s the devil’s spawn. Okay, okay, so she’s not that bad. If she’d only ease up a little bit at school, that’d be nice!

Do have any secret aspirations that your author doesn’t know about? 
To have a boyfriend would be nice. Hint, hint.

Pay attention, Natasha. She wants Gunner! If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do? 
I would spend the whole day at the beach, drinking coffee, and doing absolutely nothing.



What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? How about after they've known you for a while? 
Eh..my first impression usually evolves monsters, so people tend to run in terror from me.  After people get to know me, if they stick around long enough, I think they’d find an all right girl.



What's the worst thing that's happened in your life? What did you learn from it? 
Being cursed by that dang fairy. I was just all cute and stuff in my cradle, why the heck would she curse me? I learned that I can use what she meant for evil and turn it around for good.

Sounds...um...good. Tell us about your best friend. 
Cupcake is the cutest thing on the planet.  She always knows how to make me feel better.  She’s got my back when I’m fighting some evil blob of some kind.



Bleck. I hate evil blobs. I'll bet it's nice to have Cupcake around. What are you most afraid of? 
Never getting married or making a real friend.



I hear you. What’s the best trait your author has given you? My humor. I love being sarcastic, I think it’s what helps me cope with life. 

What’s the worst?
The worst would be this curse!



Of course. What do you like best about your dad?
The best thing I love about my dad is his crazy sense of humor. It’s so cheesy. 

Least?
My least favorite thing would be his smelly feet!



Ewww. How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change? (Other than your dad's stinky feet.) 
I think my life is pretty good. I’m handling the whole cursed thing all right. I think if I could change anything I would change the monster attraction. It’d be nice to go to a birthday party without a monster showing up and wrecking it.

I'll bet. What aspect of your author’s writing style do you like best? 
Her sense of humor.

If your story were a movie, who would play you? 
Oh wow…um, probably Hayden Leslie Panettiere.  I’m not really sure.

Describe the town where you live. 
There are dragons, castles, monsters, and of course a school.  It’s a pretty nice place, despite the crazy stuff that goes on there. 

Describe an average day in your life. 
I wake up, get ready to go, look out the window, fight a monster or two, go to school, fight another monster, and come home. Usually coffee is involved somewhere.

I can certainly see where coffee might be needed with days like that. Will you encourage your author to write a sequel?
Yes!

Thanks for talking with us, Zara. Oh look, there's another monster to fight. I'll let you get to it. For an interview with author Natasha House, scroll down.

Find Natasha:
Blog
Facebook page
Goodreads author page
Twitter

Taste Excerpt

Kate is offering a free eBook to one lucky winner. Leave a comment for a chance to win.

From the back cover:

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

 

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn't realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

And now, an excerpt from Taste, by Kate Evangelista:

I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts.  I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.

“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.

He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.

I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me.

“Human,” he whispered.

He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.

Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.

“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.

He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.

Footsteps retreated behind me.

Luka reached out again.

It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.

“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.

I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”

“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.

From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off.

Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me.

“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.

I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.

“Phoenix.”

I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.

“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”

“I don’t think so.”

Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”

“I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”

There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.

“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.

Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”

Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.

Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?

“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.

Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.

Luka nodded once.

Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.

Meet the author:
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. She is the author of Taste, Reaping Me Softly, Til Death, and Impulse. To learn more about Kate, please visit her website or follow her on Twitter, or scroll down to read an interview with her.