Melina from Mel's Projects Interviews Me

Melina from Mel's Projects (Click here now!!!!!) interviewed me and here is the interview!!! Enjoy!

Melina: Sum up one of your books in 25 words.

Me: I just did this actually for some book marks I am planning for A Guardian's Life: Like the mythical phoenix Kari shall rise from the ashes of death to defend mankind from the demons of hell!

Melina: What's the most challenging part of writing and publishing?

Me: With most of my books dates are important, so making sure my time line is historically accurate, and that research is the toughest part, that and the publishing aspect of it, covers are my challenge, I tend to go simple because simple draws me.

Melina: What series or books can we be expecting from you in the near future?

Me: A Guardian's Life series is my newest series the first book will come out in September. But the Katy Lily Series is my baby. I have a huge attachment to it because I first created her back in 1993 as a story I told my brother to help him sleep, thus that is why my main character is named Katy (a play on my nickname Kati) and her brother is Riley which is my brother's middle name. For anybody that knows me and reads my book will notice in Katy Lily there are many many tributes to my family. Book 2 will be in paperback in the fall and book 3 will be digital in the winter. I don't do many one offs at all, I am trying to think of one and my novella From an Unholy Union and my novella Unholy Creation are really the only ones, even my short stories tend to be series.

Melina: If one of your books was made into a movie, who could you see playing the leads?

Me: Lucifer in A Guardian's Series I based off Neil Patrick Harris, also Richard Solomon in Katy Lily, I totally see Neil Patrick Harris (see something here, he is one of my fave actors) but other than that I am not really good with actresses or actors, after I wrote Katy Lily's aunt for book 3 I saw the singer Pink playing her and Katherine Heigel would play Jane Hepburn and Lana Parrilla I pictured as Sandra, Katy Lily's adoptive mom. I also see Katy Perry playing one of my characters, but I don't want to give away who yet :)

Melina: What is your favourite book and series? Why?

Me: It is so hard to pick a favorite book or series because I read so much, but it keeps going back that I have a huge soft spot for Edgar Allan Poe and Jane Austen.

Melina: Choosing one of your books. Does that one book relate to anyone you know? How or why not?

Me: I don't have to pick one, my main heroine and heroes in all my story are based upon my parents. My dad and mom are some of the strongest people I know and have been through so much, and that strength, that character, I want my creations to be just a fraction of that, but I throw a bit of myself in for good measure.

Melina: Dream author to collaborate with?

Me: Honestly, I would want to work with an author whose work I loved and loves my work, and with some many new authors out there, it would be hard to pick just one. I have had an idea in the back of my head for awhile to get a few indie authors together and do a short story collection with a central theme of acceptance and tolerance.

Melina: As an author have you ever been asked by publishers to publish/work through them? If so who?

Me: I sent out my book before self publishing to a few publishers (one of which publishes under Disney) and they wanted me to change my work to a lighter mood and to change a few key things about my character. The other I won't name because it was one of the big 6 and people think I am crazy enough for turning them down. But I wasn't going to change my work as drastic as they wanted, I would have changed the age of my characters, there are other things that would completely change who my characters are and I won't do that

Melina: When did you first know you wanted to be an author/writer?

Me: I never thought of it as a viable career choice. I have created stories since I was 9, never really writing them down, they were all verbal for my brother. When I was in college I took a theater class and we had to write a play, after that I started writing more, but someone said something about one of my pieces I had written and I got really depressed about it so I stopped. In fact I never backed up any of the work I had done so when my old computer was hit by lighting I lost it all. But about 2 years ago I was sitting at my cousin's house and my brother reminded me of the stories I use to tell him about Katy Lily and he was like if J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyers can get published you for sure can. So I wrote it, and ended up self publishing it, thinking it would only be for family. I would have just left it at that, but in 2009 my dad passed away so suddenly and I knew life was to short not to do something that made me happy and writing makes me happy and each time someone says something negative about my writing I see it as a learning experience. And when someone says they loved it I do a little happy dance. Writing makes me happy it just took me a lot longer to figure that out than most.

Melina: Did anyone inspire you to write? And who?

Me: My dad inspires me to keep at it. I don't sell a lot, and to get an indie book out there is tough, but my dad, though he is not here with me, keeps inspiring me to write. He would have been my biggest fan. He told me I could do anything and so I will do what I want no matter what others say.

Melina: Favourite quotes

Me: Quotes! I love Edgar Allan Poe's Quote "All that we see or seem is nothing but a dream within a dream." And that quote makes so much sense to me for the Katy Lily Series because I know how it ends, others think it only has to deal with book 2 but there are many many surprises in store for my readers. "The hardest thing in this world... is to live in it." Buffy Season 5 The Gift is another one. I also say it is 5x5 a lot after watching Buffy. I also say it is all blue skies, which was made famous in Dollhouse. But other than that it depends how I am feeling at the time, but I tend to quote a lot of songs, more than people. Though I have a tendency to say As Long as I Owe You, You Will Never Be Broke, which my dad always said, he also would say About Normal when asked how he was... I do that too.