Heart of darkness

I always have a lot of fun writing fantasy. I love asking those 'what if' questions and building worlds around the answers.

For THE HALLOWED ONES, I was wondering who would be best-equipped to survive a large-scale disaster. It occurred to me that the Amish would be uniquely equipped to survive. They are incredibly self-sufficient and are not dependent upon things we take for granted in our world, things like electricity and cars.

I live not too far from a large Amish settlement. When I was a child, my parents would take me to visit, and I was fascinated by a world very different than the one I lived in. I'd see Amish girls my age over the fence and wonder what their lives were like.

2.      What did you always want to be? How do you decided to be a writer? At what age do you decided you want to be a writer?

I've always been scribbling, since I was old enough to hold a crayon. I didn't believe, until recently, that other people would want to read what I wrote. It's incredibly exciting to hear from folks who've enjoyed the stories I tell. 

I work at a library now. I have, at various times, worked in criminal justice, in information technology, and in government. Dreams change, but writing has always been with me.

3.      How do you keep on staying motivated? I know that to write a book it`s a really hard work,so how could you continue this work?

I do my best to keep a writing calendar and to commit to writing a certain number of words a day. Otherwise, I tend to procrastinate. If I don't set deadlines for myself, I would never finish a book.

4.      I know that THE HALLOWED ONES is a great story, so how do you decided you want to write fantasy? When did you begun to write this book? In what year did you begun and how long this book take to be write?

It took me a few months. I started on it during National Novel Writing month in 2010, which always serves as a kick in the pants to get moving on a project!

5.      THE HALLOWED ONES have extraordinary characters. Where do you start a book, with plot, characters or dialogue?

I'm a plotter. I like to have the skeleton of a story mapped out before I begin - the blank page scares me! If I have the bones of the story created, then the writing is just a matter of adding flesh to the skeleton.

6.      Where do you write? Do you write with music, or do you have something that help you to have imagination?

My favorite place to write is out on the patio, where I can hear the frogs and the crickets. I can't write very fast or well in front of the television.I have to really shut the door on distractions to get focus. I can't write very well in coffee shops or around other people.

7.      How was your life 13 years? Did you keep a diary? It was a special notebook or just an ordinary notebook? You decorated it, or you have draws in it? How was the cover?

I did keep lots of notebooks and diaries.  They were just ordinary spiral-bound notebooks, like the kind I had in school. But I kept them hidden in the bottom of a drawer and did decorate them with stickers.

8.      What books did you read between 12-18 years? What was your favorite?

I read all the fantasy books I could get my hands on. My all-time favorite is Robin McKinley's THE HERO AND THE CROWN. I read it when I was a pre-teen, and fell in love with fantasy ever after. It was the first book I'd read that had a female protagonist who slew her own dragons. I was hooked. I've read it at least a dozen times, and always see something new and brilliant in it.

9.      Do you like your new writer life? Is it beautiful, or how much did your life changed from the moment you published THE HALLOWED ONES?

Life is pretty much the same for me as it was before - I still have the same job, working at the library, and live in the same place. But I'm very proud and happy to see the book in print - that made all the difference.

10.  What advice do you have for teen writers?

Stick with it. I really suggest that writers try National Novel Writing Month at least once - it really develops the habit of writing every day.

11.  When is your birthday? And how old are you?

I am older than most pixies, but younger than most dragons.  ;-)

12.  What is your favorite quote?

"No matter where you go, there you are." It's from an old movie called THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI.

Thank you very much, you are incredible! What message do you have for your fans from Romania?

Thank you  so much for interviewing me, and I'm thrilled to have fans in Romania! It's been such a pleasure to meet you and your readers!

 Mi-am cumparat "Pe cuvant de spioana" impreuna cu revista Bravo Girl si am citit-o repede-repede. Eram foarte curioasa in privinta aventurilor lui Cammie, super spioana ce are rolul principal in poveste. Ei bine, nu am fost, din fericire, dezamagita, ba din contra, romanul mi s-a parut inca si mai bun decat "Daca ti-as spune ca te iubesc, ar trebui sa te omor".

    Cammie este un personaj ideal de roman pentru adolescenti. Timida, desteapta, descurcareata, totusi cu un iz de curaj si judecata, ea este un amestec intre tinerete si greutatea de a lua deciziile corecte. OK, mai pe scurt: un personaj foarte dulce, care prin naturaletea lui te face sa-l iubesti :)

    Dupa cum stiti, ea s-a despartit de Josh, primul ei iubit. Acum Academia Gallagher ascunde mai multe secrete ca niciodata, combinand furisatul pe culoare, trei fete care formeaza o exhipa imbatabila, dispozitive de ultima, daca nu chiar de generatii avansate, mult suspans si indragosteli, daca pot zice asa.
     Alaturi de Bex, Liz, si chiar si Macey, cu care se imprieteneste Cammie din ce in ce mai mult, descopera un proiect numit "Blackthorne". Ciudat, nu?

      Ele tot incearca sa afle, ce si cum, cine si ce, si fac asta prin modalitati faorte ingenioase. M-au uimi cunostintele fetelor, dar pana la urma, ele tot adolescente sunt, si duritatea si pericolul vietii de spion in devenire este mixat cu temerile si nesigurantei varstei de 16 ani.
      Cum sa va povestesc fara sa va spoiler-ez: Blackthorne, toata treaba cu el,o veti descoperi singuri. In anumite momente anticipam diverse intamplari, dar rareori se intampla ca mine. Concluzia: Ally C se pricepe sa surprinda
Operatiunea "Blackthorne" le va da peste cap, va surprinde audienta, si, ei bine, va fi o intriga superba.
       Si apoi, cand inevitabilul se produce si Cammie se intalneste din nou cu Josh si DeeDee, si apoi mai sunt o gramada de detalii...Offf, ce pot sa zic, merita. Mi s-a paut o continuare mult mai complexa, se vede evolutia personajelor, sunt surprinse in impostaze amuzante, sunt simpatice si te atasezi de ele.

     Secretele, dialogurile, profesorii, astea si toate celelalte dau un nou strat (al tortului cu etaje numit "Fetele Gallagher") caruia cireasa de pe tort il apropie de o caret superba.
      Mi-a placut. Punctul culninant a fost intr-adevar bun, mult mai reusit decat in romanul precedent. Ce sa mai tot lungim poveste, a meritat din plin 11 lei.

       V-o recomand daca aveti chef sa va relaxati cu ceva usor de citit, amuzant si plin de aventuri cu spioni si spioane. O poveste dulce si simpatica...

NOTA: 5.5

 Cat am fost plecata, desi blogul a luat o mica pauza, postasul nu! Pe langa faptul ca ma cam plictisesem la mare, ce sa zic, asta e, cand am venit am avut cateva surprize dragute.

Am primit o gramada de carti,dintre care mi-am cumparat una singura. Sa va arat:

De la Lexi George am primit o copie ARC a cartii "Demon hunting in the deep south" (Thank you sooo much Lexi! I already love this book)

Cartea ese cu autograf, pentru mine :) 

 De la editura Art, careia ii multumesc enorm pentru ocazia de a citi un roman atat de diferit si de interesant, am primit "Marele Nate" de Lincoln Pierce, pe care doar am rasfoit-o, ca si pare superba!
Mi-am cumparat impreuna cu revista Bravo Girl cartea "Pe cuvant de spioana", recenzia careia va aparea asta seara pe blog. Si care chiar a fost buna!

 Stiti ca va tot vorbeam de carti in franceza? Ei bine, am primit de la o prietena foarte apropiata urmatoarele:
  "La cliniwue de Docteur H" e un roman politist extraordinar de bun, care m-a intrigat inca de la inceput. Dupa ce recenzia lui va aparea pe blog, sper din tot sufletul sa dati si voi o sansa acestor  carti, daca nu o faceti deja.

Inca ceva. Doar cateva Swag-uri. De la Jennifer Haymore am primit urmatoarele:
Thnank you Jen! I love them! Really cool :)

 Iar acesta este premiul meu de pe blogul "Trepassing zone":
Ei bine, am ce citi, si ma apuc de indata de recenzat! Voi ce ati mai primit?