Interview with Best-Selling author Alyson Noel!

Interview with Alyson Noel. Original link can be found HERE


Interview with Alyson Noel!

I am proud to present my first guest, Alyson Noel. Her upcoming release SHADOWLAND will hit stores on Tuesday, November 17th! Be sure to pick up a copy. If you haven't already started to read The Immortal series, you're missing out!

Martha: Welcome, Alyson! Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. It is an honor to have you as my first guest. Let's start with the first question.

What made you start writing books?

Alyson: The moment I finished reading Judy Blume’s ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET back in sixth grade, I knew I wanted to be a writer too. I’d always been an avid reader, but Judy Blume’s books were the first I’d read that addressed the kind of issues I could relate to, and I knew someday I wanted to write like that too.So I started writing really dreadful poetry in junior high, and short stories in high school, but mostly I just talked about writing until the tragic events of 9/11 when I was working as a flight attendant in New York City and thought a career change might be in order! That’s when I dusted off a short story I’d written long ago, and turned it into what ultimately became my debut novel, FAKING 19.

Martha: Please tell us about your latest book SHADOWLAND.

Alyson: At the start of SHADOWLAND Damen and Ever travel to Summerland in search of an antidote to reverse a powerful poison that turns their touch lethal. But instead of the cure they seek, they find something far more sinister: the truth about their existence and the fate lying in wait of an immortal’s soul.

As Damen fights to save them from the Shadowland, Ever turns to magick, hoping to break Damen’s curse. Along the way she encounters the mysterious Jude Knight, and finds herself drawn to him in a way that will test her love for Damen like never before . . .

Martha: Do you believe in crossing over?

Alyson: I do believe that some sort of energy survives long after the body is gone, yes.

Martha: Would you mind sharing your experience when your first book was accepted?

Alyson: Well, my route to publishing wasn’t the usual one, and the truth is, in the beginning I was so incredibly green and naïve I didn’t query any agents, I just went straight to the publishers and received a slew of rejection letters in return. Though the good news was that most of them said they’d love to see it again if I was willing to revise. So I set out to do just that, enrolling in an online writing class to try to figure out what I was doing wrong, and it was through a fellow student in that class that I met my first agent, who told me to read STORY by Robert Mckee to get a handle on some of my structure problems, and then revise my manuscript accordingly. So I took the next three weeks to do just that, then I sent it back to him, he signed me, and a few months after it went out on submission I was offered a two-book deal with St. Martin’s Press, and I’ve been writing for them ever since!

Martha: Where do you get the inspiration from for your books?

Alyson: I steal from my own life all of the time. Like Alex, the protagonist in my debut novel, FAKING 19, I was pretty lost my senior year of high school too. Like Rio in ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS, I know what it’s like to be the new girl in school and have all the other girls instantly hate you. Like Hailey in FLY ME TO THE MOON, I was also a NYC based flight attendant. Like Colby in CRUEL SUMMER, I lived on a Greek island for several years. And like Ever in THE IMMORTALS series, I know what it’s like to lose the people you love and to question the meaning of everything.

Martha: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Alyson: This is a really tough business, if I’d had any idea what I was getting into I may not have tried! That said, writers write, it’s what we do, and in the end, perseverance is key. Rejections are a given, the one thing you can count on. And even after you’re published they still come in from Hollywood, foreign publishers, reviewers etc, so it’s important to learn early on to not take them personal and to just keep on keeping on—it’s the only way. And never forget it only takes one “Yes!” to get you where you want to go!

Martha: Where can readers find out more about you and your writing?

Alyson:

They can find me on my websites:http://www.alysonnoel.com/http://www.immortalsseries.com/

Myblogs:http://www.alysonnoel.com/blog.htmlhttp://teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com/http://www.livingyourfive.com/My

Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/alysonnoel

My Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/ImmortalsSeries

Martha: Anything else you'd like to add?
Alyson: Thanks for the interview!!!

Interview with Martha Ramirez

Come by and visit HERE for an interview with Martha Ramirez.

An interview with Michelle Sutton!

Writer's Block welcomes back Michelle Sutton!

Cindy: My, you've been busy since your first book, It's Not About Me, came out (Sept. 2008). Briefly describe that work and the newest ones, It's Not About Him (released Sept. 2009) and It's Not About Her (to be released Sept. 2010):

Michelle: It's Not About Me is the story of a young high school graduate whose future is demolished by a senseless attack. She learns what true love is when two brothers who claim to have her best interests in mind vie for her attention to win her heart.

It's Not About Him continues the series when a young woman who was raped while passed out at a party in book 1 finds herself in a crisis pregnancy. Her friends won't help her get an abortion and when she finds Christ she decides to place her baby for adoption.

The second book is about her journey in that regard and her developing love relationship with a young man who offers to marry her so she'll keep her baby.

It's Not About Her is the story of the young man who doesn't get the girl in book 1 and who nearly destroys his life in book 2. He gets the third book all to himself.

Cindy: You've also got seven other projects in the works in addition to Danger at the Door (released Aug 2009). We'll begin with that one. Briefly describe the story:

Michelle: Danger at the Door is a romantic suspense with comedic elements built around miscommunication. The hero speaks very little English and while befriending a woman who is afraid to leave her home, he slowly wins her trust. However, there is a man stalking her and she doesn't know who to trust so she feels safer at home. She just feels like someone is watching her and worries that she is losing her mind.

Cindy: First Impressions is scheduled for release in January 2010. And what is it about?

Michelle: I call this my Tombstone story. It's a cowboy romance about a female captain in the Army who is shy and not getting any younger so she decides to play the role of a saloon girl in the town on her free time so she can get more comfortable around men and learn to flirt. She is terrible at it, though, but it does lead to a relationship with a man from her past. Only he doesn't remember her, so she's decided to either resurrect those old memories in him or create new ones. The problem is that he is so "into" her that he starts to backslide and then everything between them starts falling apart.

Cindy: Are all of your works (published and works in progress) Young Adult or do you also write in other genres?

Michelle: Only the "It's Not About…" books are YA. The rest are contemporary romance, women's fiction, or romantic suspense.

Cindy: You have two teenage sons. When do you find the time to write?

Michelle: Whenever I can. Lately I have more time since I've resigned as Editor-in Chief-of the online magazine that used to take up a lot of my free time.

Cindy: Does your family influence your writing or story ideas in any way?

Michelle: Not really. Most of the characters are based on people outside of my immediate or even extended family.

Cindy: Where can we learn more about you?

Michelle: On my blog or website. http://www.michellesutton.net or http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com

Cindy: Where can your books be purchased?

Michelle: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com, the Desert Breeze publishing site, and other online sites. Plus they can be ordered in most bookstores (my YA books).

Cindy: How can we get a signed copy of one of your books?

Michelle: I can autograph a sticker and send it to people to put in their book. I prefer that to selling the few books I have stashed for promo purposes.

Cindy: What is your goal behind your stories; what do you hope the reader gets from them?

Michelle: I hope my readers get a better understanding of true faith and what it means to have a personal relationship with the living God. I also want my readers to see how God uses everything for His ultimate glory.

Welcome back, Donetta Garman!

Cindy: The Length of a Dream... what's it about?

Donetta: "The Length of a Dream" is an inspirational historical novel set in the time period right after the end of the civil war. The story takes place in a small frontier town in Colorado.

When a man named Joshua rides into the little western town of Uptop and meets Hannah Fain Mullins, the woman at the well, the community is in for a big change. Meanwhile, Hannah's husband, Flint, has been captured by Indians and as he makes his way home and survives many adventures, he rediscovers his faith in God. The story follows the lives of these frontier men and women as they fight to survive the harsh realities of the west, while exploring the length of their dreams.

Cindy: How did you come up with the idea for the story?

Donetta: I have always had an active imagination, but my inspiration came from the story in the Bible about the woman at the well.

Cindy: What are you working on now and when do you expect to have it completed?

Donetta: I'm not sure when I will have my next book completed. I am hoping for spring 2010. I am writing the sequel to my first book, "Growing Up Ugly" and it is titled "Up By the Bootstraps".

I have also started a book to follow "The Length of a Dream" titled, "Up by the Bootstraps.

There is also a children's book and book of devotions in the works!

Cindy: You're writing a column for Crossmap.com now. How did that come about?

Donetta: One of the authors suggested I try writing a bit of encouragement for them and the editor said she liked my idea.

Cindy: What inspires you to write?

Donetta: Everything. Leaves falling, a sunrise, a child's giggle; music, reading other people's work, everything.

Cindy: What one thing do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read The Length of a Dream?

Donetta: The knowledge that God is in control.

Cindy: How did you get started in writing?

Donetta: I have written down my thoughts, stories, poem and feelings for as long as I can remember. It was the process I used for healing.

Cindy: Where might we learn more about you and your work?

Donetta: Readers can visit my website at http://www.growingupugly.com for more information and links.

Cindy: Where can your books be purchased?

Donetta: Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Books-a-Million and most other brick and mortar book stores. If they are not in stock, they can order them. Or locally, there are many stores that carry the book. Otherwise, they can contact me via my website and I will be glad to send them one.

Cindy: Do you offer signed copies and if so, how can one get a copy signed by you?

Donetta: My address and information is on my website. I would be glad to sign and mail a book to a reader. Also, I have been doing women's retreats, book signings and other events and I have my books at those events.

If you are a fan, feel free to ask me in person. Chances are there are several riding around in the trunk of my car.

Thank you, Cindy, for the opportunity to chat with you and thank you readers and fans for reading my work. I feel blessed and honored.