Interview with YA Author Heather Lotto

Today YA author Heather Letto shares about her book, The Imparting, a YA dytopian novel.

How did you choose the title The Imparting?

This is the last book of the Ascension Series… Book 1—Impervious, Book 2—Implanted, sooooo…. The IMP’s have it!  But more than that, in this story the imparting is the way to freedom… or death. 

Although the Ascension Series is a post-apocalyptic non-religious read, it is also Christian fiction because of its allegorical nature to the gospel message.

Did you design the cover?

I helped in the design (chose the model, and put in my two cents) BUT, Anita Carroll (@race-point.com), Cover designer extraordinaire is the artist.

How would you describe the book to someone in a text message?

Wow! They’re being held prisoner, and they don’t even know it!

Who is your main character and what problem does she face?

Fran. Well, Actually Sarah-Frances Monde, but she goes by Fran.  Her problems are many. At first, it might appear that her main problem is procuring dinner and dodging the Impervious holographic security. Yet, her brother’s MIA, and both of her parents already gone, so when her mentor slides down the awful slope of the decline, avoiding the Beast takes precedence. And then there’s Pete… and the Council…

What might draw someone to your character?

Anyone who has dealt with death, abandonment, living on the fringe of society, had a crush, wanted an adventure, feared for their life, or wondered what might be on the other side would probably relate to Fran. Those who haven’t experienced those sorts of things, might just be enamored by Fran’s no-B.S., kick-butt attitude. She’s pretty cool.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young, (sigghhhhh) I wanted to be 1. An Olympic gymnast, 2. A flight attendant, 3. Janis Joplin. Yes… all at the same time.

Do you still want to be that?

Not really. I like who I am now. (Plus the above plan really sounds pretty exhausting!)

What’s the most times you’ve read a book and why?

I read Nicholas Spark’s A Walk to Remember three times! (And saw the movie twice!) Two of those three times I had forgotten I had read it already until a few chapters in. And then I was truly bummed, because I remembered what was going to happen. Then again, I did continue reading it.

What are three unusual things about you your readers might not know?

1.      While writing the final two books in the Ascension Series I was living in an R.V. travelling around the U.S.

2.      I cannot tolerate carpooling in a minivan or SUV. EVER.

3.      I’m a figure skater.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

When I was a tween, I travelled from Argentina to the U.S. in a single engine six-passenger airplane that my father piloted.

I sense a story here …

Travel and adventure were big in my home growing up. As a matter of fact, when I was in the sixth grade, my parents moved the entire family from 'burbs of Chicago to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a few years. For those unfamiliar with this country, Argentina sits on the Atlantic side of South America beneath the "belly" of Brazil. While living in the Southern Hemisphere, I lived a pretty normal life, going to school, hanging with friends, crushing on boys, etc. And during school breaks, we continued the tradition of family vacations. Yet, rather than Disney or the Grand Canyon, we had the beaches of Uruguay, the Andes Mountains of Chile and the Great Iguacu Falls bordering Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Good family fun, indeed. The biggest (and to date, the best) family trip we made, however, was when it was time to return 'home', and my father made the decision to pilot us back to the 'States' in his single engine, six-seater, Beachcraft  Bonanza airplane. This several-week journey took us through jungles to beaches and Amazonian villages to coastal mega-cities. Memories of walking on lily pads the size of car tires and dodging hairy tarantulas bigger than my fist compete with the visions of the exotic beaches of in Rio de Jainero and fancy buffets laden with tropical fruits, cheeses, yummy croissants, jellies and Dulce de Leche. I can still hear the hum of the outboard motor as we skipped along the Amazon river in a very 'rustic' boat with a local villager and the squeal of my mother as he dove in to 'swim with the piranhas.’ The faces of the Paraguayan women toting mammoth baskets of fruit on their heads makes me smile as much as the flock of  flamingos that graced our outdoor buffet. However, as tween, I can assure you, I also squabbled with my brother in the backseat of the plane when he took up more than his allotted space, or whined  "Can we land soon?"  (a lot). I mean, after all. I'm only human.

Favorite verse?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^a have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

What advice would you give a teen who wants to be a writer?

Work hard and be open to criticism. It’s how you grow.

~~~

November is BOOK PROMO MONTH for The Ascension Series! Impervious and Implanted have already had free download days, but they are both on sale for 0.99 for the rest of the month HERE 

 The Imparting will have a random FREE DOWNLOAD DAY within the next two weeks.

Watch for it on Facebook Fan page because it will be announced HERE 

AND

The Grand Prize Giveaway Drawing will be on November 30^th  HERE

(Soft cover, signed copies of the entire trilogy, SWAG-GALORE*, AND A $25 Amazon gift card)

*Swag includes buttons, bracelets, bookmarks & chocolate

Order all three books from amazon HERE 

Interview with YA author Julie Hall

Today we're talking with Julie Hall, author of the YA novel,  Life After: Huntress, and an adventure junkie. (More about that later)

How did you choose the title?

Well, the original title for the series was actually Life Ever After. Kind of a mash up of “Happily Ever After” and “The After Life.” I thought it was catchy and appropriate since it was a story about what happens to a girl after she dies and most of us think of people’s “ever afters” ending with death, not starting with it. Being a believer, I also believe that we will have an existence after death (even though my depiction of the afterlife in the book is not, and is not meant to be, Biblically accurate). That title will always have a little place in my heart. My publisher pushed to change the title to something different since they thought Life Ever After sounded a little too much like a fairy tale. Valid point! So the series title of Life After was decided on instead and the first book to be called Huntress to convey the action aspect of the story.

Genre?

Young Adult. *biting lip* If you want to talk about sub genre I would call it a Supernatural Young Adult Fiction book.

How would you describe the book to someone in a text message?

Fun question!!!!

“Dead face emoji, clouds emoji, sword emoji, fire emoji, dancing girl emoji, laughing face emoji, boy girl heart emoji, crying face emoji, devil emoji & dog emoji (I’d throw in that last one just because I like dogs). The End.”

I’m fairly confident any self-respecting teen would be able to understand exactly what the plot is from that message.

Who is your main character and what problem does he/she face?

My main character’s name is Audrey. She’s an eighteen-year-old girl who has just woken up in the afterlife without any memories of her actual life. If that isn’t hard enough, she’s assigned the job of hunting and fighting demons to protect the living for the rest of her existence. She quickly discovers this isn’t something she’s a natural at, after all, she’d rather be discussing her nail color then breaking them on angelic weapons. She also has to learn to work with her over achieving trainer, Logan, who is as attractive as he is annoying. She’s convinced that God has made a huge mistake with her assignment. Without the memories of a caring Father she also questions His love for her as well as her purpose in the afterlife.

What prompted you to write this book?

I wanted to write a Young Adult (YA) book with Christian aspects in it, but exciting enough to engage any reader. The YA genre in the Christian fiction market is practically non-existent. Lots of Christian bookstores don’t even have a YA section, but if you go into any secular bookstore you’ll see that YA books are booming right now. Like there’s been a serious explosion at Barnes and Noble and you can’t walk more than a few feet without running into a YA novel. Honestly, my book kind of straddles the fence of secular and Christian – being that God is an actual character in the novel, yet the version of the afterlife I’ve created isn’t theologically accurate. For that reason it does better online than in bookstores because booksellers can’t quite figure out where to shelve it. Ha! Oh well, readers are finding it anyway!

What did you bring to the book from your own life?

Without realizing it I brought a lot of my real life struggles to this book. In the middle of writing Huntress I came down with a debilitating chronic illness that left me bed ridden and full of brain fog for several years. In the middle of that my husband and I were going through the adoption process (which we started before I became ill). There were days I didn’t see much of a future past getting through the next hour. I had to stop writing at one point because I was unable to even type. My fingers were too swollen and ridden with arthritis to push the keys, and I was only in my 20s. It wasn’t until the book was completed and I went back and read through the whole draft that I realized my own hurt, frustration, and feeling of abandonment were woven into the story. Interestingly enough it was the sections that I wrote before I became ill that mirrored how I felt during the height of my illness.  

What makes your book stand out from other books like it?

I think what makes my book stand out from other books like it is that it’s more than just a clean YA read. And it’s also more than just a book full of the things I love to read in YA books such as a great adventure story, creative world building, supernatural elements, romance, and action. God’s love is woven into the Life After series, which is what makes it so much more than just a good read. You can read the book for pure enjoyment sake, but you’re also going to be taking something away from it that has deeper meaning as well.

What is one thing you learned from writing this book?

Ummmm, am I allowed to say how important editors are? Because seriously, none of us should be releasing anything without a good editor. I’m hesitate to even release these interview questions without an editor. I’m telling you, editors are worth their weight in gold!!!!!

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

This question is easy! I wanted to never grow up!

Do you still want to be that?

Yes! I still very much don’t want to ever grow up.

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I have a really hard time falling asleep, and so I used to make up stories in my head to pass the hours lying awake at night. Counting sheep does not work people! By the time I was in middle school the stories were pretty elaborate, and that’s about when I started to really get into reading for fun. I think that was when I started to think it would be really cool to be an author someday.

What’s the most times you’ve read a book and why? Title?

Honestly, unless it was a book for school I got assigned twice I don’t think I’ve ever read a book more than once. I remember too many of the details for it to be fun for me to re-read a book. I have gone back and read my favorite scene from books in the past, but never the whole thing. There are too many awesome unread books out there that are vying for my attention!

What are three unusual things about you your readers might not know?

Oh this is a super fun game! Hmmmm, let me think!

1.)    I took sword-fighting classes so I could more accurately write the fight scenes in my books. In my mind I was a rock star at it, however, I wouldn’t let my husband video any of the classes. On the off chance I had an over inflated view of myself, I didn’t want to shatter the illusion.

2.)    I think book signings are just about the most intimidating things on the face of the planet . . . besides wolverines.

3.)    I can legally officiate a wedding! That is for the next 11 months until my license expires. I just performed my first (and last) wedding for my best friend this month . . . you’d have to pay me A LOT of money to convince me to do another one.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

This was a tough question for me because I’m big into adventure and extreme sports. Some of my favorite things to do are snow boarding, rock climbing, bungee jumping, repelling down waterfalls, zip lining, dying my hair all sorts of different colors, and traveling all over the world.  But the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done was probably adopting my daughter. All the other things are momentary adventures, but bringing home my daughter is a lifetime adventure for my husband and me.

Do you have life philosophy? Favorite verse?

I actually have my favorite verse tattooed on my wrist (much to my mother’s disappointment). The verse is Hebrews 12:2 which reads “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorned it’s shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The short explanation is that it reminds me where I need to have my eyes fixed, who is the true author of our life stories, what Jesus did for us and where He is today.

What advice would you give a teen who wants to be a writer?

I’d tell them not to be scared to reach out to their favorite authors for advice. Yes, there may be some that never get back to you, but on the whole I’ve found that most authors love interacting with their readers and would be more than happy to give them advice on how to be a published writer one day.

Julie has two Goldendoodles, Coco and Bear.

You can connect with Julie and also buy her book on her website

You can find her author page HERE

Interview with Diana Sharples

Today Diana Sharples, author of Running Lean joins us on the blog and talks about her book, her motorcycle, her faith and her challenges.

Running Lean is my debut novel, published by Zondervan/Blink Books, and I wrote the book for high school-aged readers. The title is an automotive term, relating to the deficiency of fuel to air in a carburetor, but I gave it three definitions for the book, two being metaphors for a deficiency of calories in a person suffering with an eating disorder, and a deficiency of reliance on God during challenging times. 

The story focuses on a North Carolina farm boy, a kind of do-it-yourself guy, who tries to “fix” his girlfriend’s eating disorder. That … doesn’t work out so well for him. I did extensive research into eating disorders for the book so I could understand and convey both the struggles of the person who is suffering and the desperation of the people who love her. At it’s heart, however, Running Lean is a love story, and my boy Calvin is a down-to-earth hero my readers have told me they adore.

The story was originally part of another novel with an ensemble cast--a group of friends from one particular rural North Carolina high school. It became clear to me, though, that Stacey’s story demanded its own space and couldn't be contained within that broader context. It was too important. I’ve read other teen novels about anorexia and bulimia that I felt didn't convey the full scope of eating disorders, and really didn’t focus on how the characters’ loved ones dealt with it. For all the more than ten million men, women, and children who suffer with some kind of eating disorder in the United States alone, there are circles of family and friends who are desperate for answers. In my research, however, I found precious little information that helped those other people know how to react, how to help, how to cope. Thus, I decided that Running Lean would be Calvin’s story, and through it I might leave my readers on both sides with some hope.

I’ve always loved the cover, which was put together by the art department at Zondervan. We didn't know who the young model was, but her expression captures Stacey so well, and she looks very much like a drawing I did of Stacey two years before the book was published. 

It was a thrill for me after the book came out when the model’s mother found me on Facebook, so excited that we’d featured her daughter on the cover--and when could I come do a book signing in her city? Although we live in opposite corners of the country, I still hope that I can do that someday, and have that beautiful girl by my side signing the books as well.

About Diana

Growing up, I alternated between wanting to be a writer and an artist … and a drummer! I ended up pursuing all three. I played drums in several rock bands, and actually met my husband in one of those.

 For a while I focused my career ambitions on science fiction and fantasy illustration, and managed to win a few awards and have a few pieces published along the way. 

I earned a BFA with a focus on illustration and graphics. Yet even with my illustration, story-telling was my passion, and I loved putting story questions into my paintings. I ultimately came back to my first love with stories, writing for teens. Even when I was writing speculative fiction, my characters were always teens (or the elven equivalent of teens). 

When my daughter was eleven years old, I had an epiphany of sorts--a divine inspiration--and I started writing contemporary young adult fiction, so I might produce God-honoring stories about real-life teens. I’m not a theologian by any means, but the underlying themes of my stories explore how teens can live out their faith in a world that often tries to stifle it, or when taking other paths might seem like easier options. 

My stories aren't preachy, but look at real-life situations and how the characters might spiritually struggle with them. I'm currently working on a sequel to Running Lean, featuring Calvin’s two best friends and dirt bike riding buddies from the first book. (And yes, I should insert right here that I am an avid motorcycle rider! I actually own the same vintage motorcycle that Calvin rides in Running Lean, although I’d probably break a few bones if I tried to take that little bike off road. I love my Harley for getting some wind in my face.) 

In the new book, Flannery loves Tyler, but Tyler just wants to be friends, and every aspect of their relationship is challenged when Flannery's mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. Although the story focuses on how the diagnosis spills over into Flannery's life, her mother's “journey" is a very personal one for me, as I'm going through treatment right now. Like Running Lean, the story will end with hope, and it is my prayer that readers will not only enjoy the romantic tension between Flannery and Tyler, but come away encouraged and enlightened. Stay tuned!

You can find Diana's book at your local Christian bookstore or order it Online.

Have any questions for Diana? Post them in the comment section below.