Author Interview: Jaime Guerard

WOW! WOW WOW WOW! I'm SO super duper ooper pleased to bring to you Jaime Guerard today. SO pleased, in fact, that I'm nervously sweating as I sweep down the last wrinkles in the pink dress my assistant put me in this morning.

*whispers* Okay, here she comes!!!  *resumes super professional face*


Me: Hi, Jaime! It’s so good to have you here. *Pats the plush red chair* Do you like my chairs? I’m kinda known for the luxury here. *Props chin on hand* So tell me. The buzz is that Awaken published on March 31^st, is this correct?

Jaime: Hi Megan! Thank you so much for having me here today! Yes, Awaken was published on March 31^st.

Me: I have on secret authority this book is pretty awesome. Could you share with us just a little bit about your main character Breanna and how she came to be?

Jaime: Awe, thank you Megan! Breanna is a normal high school teen who one day has something strange happen to her. A vision appears before her and shows her an event that (Bre thinks) could happen to people she knows.

When the idea for this novel came to me (back in October 2008) I knew right away who Breanna Davis was as a character. I saw her perfectly: she was a strong independent person because of what she had to face in the novel, she was the girl next door but had this confidence that you trusted her with the people in her life. However, Breanna faces what I think everyone faces in life. She has struggles with relationships, family stresses and questions herself; ‘am I good enough’. I think Bre could relate to many people who read this series.

I also knew what her name was immediately. I named her Breanna (aka: Bre) because that was the name I was going to name my daughter (if I had one). Since I had three boys and was content with my family I knew that my main character had to be Bre.

Me: Wow, very cool. Is this book a stand alone, or a part of a series? How many books?

Jaime: Awaken is a series and there will be three books in all.

Me: Could you share with us a snippet of Bre’s adventures, maybe a teaser?

Jaime: I would love to!

Austin shut and locked the door while I stood out in the open, chills prickled down my neck. I didn’t move my head, only my eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. I came up with nothing. The wind picked up a little, sending tiny strands of hair in my face, startling me. In the silence of the night, with only the wind rustling through the trees, my mind was running away from me. I couldn't break away from this fear of the unknown.

Austin put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in tight. The house was about fifty feet away and the further we got from the truck, the more hurried I became, speeding up, trying to get out of this unprotected forest and into an enclosed building where I hoped to feel a little bit safer. Austin locked me to his side. I would’ve run if I could, but I didn't want to separate myself from him, not out here.

“I don’t see anything,” Austin tried to reassure me.

Then a crack came from our left, making us both jump and stop suddenly. Austin squeezed me tighter.

Breathing heavily, I whispered, “I know you heard that.”

“Yep,” he whispered back. He stood still, frozen like me, either waiting to hear something that would explain it, or for another sound that might send us bolting to the house. The row of cars parked along the driveway made it difficult to see into the forest.

“Do you see anything now?” I asked.

“No,” he whispered.

I looked up into the trees and there they were again, those two white eyes staring down at us.

Me: HOLY CRAP, JAIME!!! I have goose bumps. GOOSE BUMPS all over my body. Ahem. Let me gather my bearings… *commands a straight face* As I do with all author interviews, I like to ask the (dun-dun-dun) question about marketing. What are your plans for marketing this book?

Jaime: There are a lot of different things you can do for marketing: giveaways, blogging, giving your potential readers teasers and sneak peeks. I’ve done all of that. However, I believe the way that I will gather my readers is by word of mouth. So far it’s going great and I’m truly amazed by what my readers are saying. I love every one of you and thank you so much for your excitement and helping me spread the word!

Me: That’s great advice, Jaime! *pockets information* I heard you re-did your cover. Is this true? And why did you change it?

Jaime: Yes, I did change the cover before I published. The first cover idea I felt like it didn’t capture my story the way I hoped it would. And this has nothing to do with the cover artist at all because my cover artist is amazing! I just felt like it needed to go a different way. So I went back to my cover artist and between the two of us came up with the perfect cover! I’m in love with my cover and I feel like it really does capture what the book is about.

Me: Wow, Jaime. I, too, am so captured by the new cover. It stands out, grabs me and really reels me in. I’m really excited for Awaken! Bre sounds like an awesome girl. I look forward to reading all about her and this “dream” boy.

Jaime: Thank you Megan. I’m so grateful that you had me here today! And thank all of you who took the time to get to know me better. For all of you who pick up my novel and read it…I thank you! 

Me: *snaps her fingers* Assistant! Assistant! I need water!!! STAT!

Find Awaken on Amazon and B&N!!


Find Jaime on her Site, Facebook, or Twitter!! 

Author Interview with Allie Brennan

Hi All!! I apologize for severely ignoring my blogging duties lately. I have been drowning in edits.

BUT - Good news! 

Bitter Angel is now sparkling and comes out in THREE WEEKS. Cue the EEEEEKS!!!!!!

Now that edits are done, I am excited to bring you a really cool interview with THEE talented and beautiful Allie Brennan.

_______________

Me: Hi Allie! So happy to have you here today. *adjusts microphone* Okay, everyone can hear you now. So I thought I’d get started by bringing up your sweetly awesome book, Tight Knit. I really couldn’t get enough of Talia and Lachlan.Your book brought out the fuzzies and made my stomach swim with butterflies.

I’m assuming you knit as well. When did you start knitting, and how did you come up with the idea for this beautiful book?

Allie: *picks up mic and taps* Just double checking.

Ha, funny story. Or not funny… it depends on who’s looking at it! But my mom taught me how to knit during one of the MANY times I tried to quit smoking and just needed something to do with my hands. I started again after that (but have quit for good now! YAY!) and subsequently stopped knitting. My mom knits, and my Nana (who this story was inspired by) knit and crocheted. A lot of my knitting talk came from memories of them or from my wonderful Beta reader Olivia who knits and corrected some of my jargon!

Me: That's AWESOME that you have officially quit smoking, and so sweet that you got to share this with your Nana. That must've been really special.

Share with us a little of your story on how and why you decided to self-publish.

Allie: I used to have that mentality that only people who ‘couldn’t make it’ in publishing self-published… *hangs head and mumbles apologies* But then I went to my first (and tiny) writing conference that was run by a wonderful woman who publishes both self and traditional. She writes across a spectrum of genres by a few different names AND she used to own her own Publishing House with her husband. She advocated for self publishing and challenged my beliefs of writing and publishing. It was then that I realized my beliefs were based on stigma and hearsay… I hated that, I never thought I was one of those people… Anyway, this led me on a little (and by little I mean massively huge and time consuming) research project on Self Publishing. Well, I fell in love. It was a slow burning enemies-to-friends-to-lovers kind of love. I thought LONG and hard about it. I weighed every option and I fretted over it, because I’m a fretter (Talia and I have a lot in common). In the end I decided just to write… Once I was done the book I’d decide what to do with it (I decided to shelve that book because it sucked). Then I wrote Tight Knit.

I still try to work that way. I still want to try my hand at an agent and trad house and all that fun stuff but I love being in control. More than anything I LOVE LOVE LOVE the people I’ve met along this journey.

Me: I agree, Allie. I love the people I've met. I truly feel that regardless of my level of success with my book, I am a very happy and satisfied girl to have such a wealth of amazing people surrounding me. 

Are you happy with your decision so far?

Allie: Couldn’t be happier!

Me: Did you start designing covers before or after the writing thing?

Allie: After, it happened by accident. I’m a Graphic Designer in the Production department of my local newspaper. With my schooling I just figured I could design my own cover and save some money. Well I guess people liked it… and here I am.

Me: I see your book is doing wonderfully on Amazon. Everyone hates to talk promotions, I know I do. I’m not a competitive girl, but I’m curious. How much have you done for self-promotions so far? What are your thoughts on self-promoting? And what are your plans for future promotions on books?

Allie: I’m the same as you, not competitive. I really didn’t do much. About two weeks after Tight Knit came out I did a week long blog thing and then put it up for sale for a couple days. I’m so blah when it comes to stuff like that! I like to focus more on meeting people and building legitimate long lasting relationships with readers and writers. I think that goes a long way. People can tell when you pander to them. I don’t like it, so I try not to do it. I’m not an in-your-face kind of person. I just stuck to the blog and twitter and talked to people.

Me: You are I are so alike, Allie! I can't be fake with people. I hate begging for likes on Facebook and posting my book everywhere. I would so much rather meet people, and have my stories spread by word of mouth because people genuinely enjoy them. 

Another curiosity – what’s it like to be your own cover artist? Do your own covers take longer, or do they tend to come together more quickly because you have the idea already in your head?

Allie: It depends. I was just idly sifting through iStock when I saw the pic I used for Tight Knit. My jaw just about unhinged it was so perfect. I knew I wanted the frost and I played A LOT with that and font before I decided and even then I changed it a couple weeks before release. That’s the upside AND the downside to doing your own covers.

The covers for my HOLLOWAY FARMS series all fell together so fast and so perfectly but I am still tweaking them a little.

The cover for BREATHE FOR ME is driving me nuts. It’s not right. I can’t make it right. I have become so emotionally invested in it that I hired an designer to take it out of my hands completely before I go crazy. Plus it will be nice to be able to have that cover excitement that I can’t experience doing my own. I’ll be waiting by my email ready to gasp and declare my everlasting love to the designer.

Sooooo, as you can tell, it’s a range of feelings!

Me: Completely understand. And I'm EAGERLY awaiting the release of these new books. Needless to say, I think your writing is beautiful, and has instantly become a favorite of mine. 

Being your own cover artist, how do you do your cover reveals?

Allie: I don’t. I don’t do traditional cover reveals. There is not a lot of ceremony behind anything I do. I just kind of do my thing and love it when people come along for the ride!

 Me: Share with us a little about your next project.

Allie: My next project is a 3(maybe 4) book series called HOLLOWAY FARMS. Graceland Holloway is the youngest and only girl in a family of 4 siblings. Her mother left when she was a baby and it has caused her some emotional scarring and a lack of female influence. Gracie doesn’t believe in love but she believes in memories and she’s been collecting them. She works very hard to manipulate and sculpt the world around her to create these ‘perfect memories’. The next on her list is losing her virginity, but not to some immature boy at her school. Gracie finds the perfect prospect in Bentley, the amazingly handsome and secretive farm hand. What Gracie doesn’t realize though, is that manipulation has it’s price and there’s no such thing as perfection, especially when it’s her own feelings she’s trying to control.

 Me: Sounds awesome, Allie. I can't wait!! Thanks again for stopping by today. It's nice having company once in a while (ensures the house gets cleaned. Ha! Kidding). But I truly do look forward to future stories!! Good luck!

Allie: Thanks so much for the questions, Megan! That was fun! *hands back mic and hugs you awkwardly because I suck at goodbyes*

Me: *accepts awkward hug* My pleasure! Come back anytime :)

If you haven't already checked out Tight Knit, you can buy on Amazon HERE.

Author Interview: Lisa Harley

Lisa Harely is a writer BESTIE of mine. I don't keep that secret. In honor of her official DESTINED TO CHANGE release, which is TODAY, Valentine's Day, I am interviewing her. Right here. Right now.

(((drum roll)))

PLEASE WELCOME - Okay, this is silly.

Me: Lisa, it’s nice to have you here. *stands to shake lofty author’s hand*

Lisa: Happy to be here, Megan. 

Me: Please have a seat. *points to plush red chair*

Thank you for coming today. So, I’ve read your book, and I must say, I loved it.

Lisa: Aw, Megan…that makes me smile.  Thanks…

Me: I was captivated with Lorelai’s story. It broke my heart and made me swoon. Let’s discuss the swoons first.

Lisa: Yay, I love swoons!

Me: There are three men in your story. How did each of them come to you? Did they come fully formed or did they reveal themselves slowly?

Lisa: I have had these characters and this story in my head for years.  I just never took the time to write it down. Declan and Cade were so easy for me to write. They were always on my mind.  I felt like I really knew them. Jaxon took some work.  A good friend of mine told me I was having a hard time writing him because he was my dream man…and it’s hard to create your dream man. I have to agree with her.  I knew guys like Declan and Cade, but I could only dream of one like Jaxon…swoon.

Me: As you were writing it, did you crush harder on one of your men? Or did they all receive equal author love? 

Lisa: They all received equal author love…but one of them…whew, he totally makes me swoon. (Hmm, I wonder which one?) 
  
Me: Is it true you already have a fan club for one of your men?

Lisa: Yes, that rumor is true.  Cade has his own Facebook fan club: Cade’s Cuties.

Me: Okay, now let’s discuss the novel in its entirety. Did you know the endgame from the beginning, or did the characters surprise you? 

Lisa: Actually, I wrote the last chapter right after I finished the first chapter.  I always knew where I wanted the characters to go, but they definitely surprised me a few times along the way.

Me: Were there moments when you wondered whether your characters were going to rebel against your wishes?

Lisa: You’ve read the book…you know one of my characters definitely has a mind of his own.  That man tried to rebel at every turn…but I reeled him in. J
 
Me: What was the most fun process of writing this book?
 
Lisa: Um, finishing it? lol  Honestly, the entire process was fun. Some of it was really scary and made me super nervous.  I am so thankful to have met so many awesome people while I was working on this book that helped me through all of that. (One of those people is sitting across from me in a plush red chair.)

Me: Aww *blushes* Why thank you. I will take credit for that. I hear there is a second book in the works. But I have on personal authority that we cannot discuss this second book quite yet, because (obviously) it would give very important details away. Do you have an estimated release date for book two?

Lisa: I hope to release Destined to Succeed in July 2013.
 
Me: I also hear there are going to be some new men in this book. How many exactly? And how hot are they on a scale of 1-10.
 
Lisa: DTS will center around five men.  Five very hot, super sexy men.  I would definitely rate them all at a 10 on the hotness scale.  Ya’ll will definitely swoon over these guys.

Me: Finally, would you like to share some pictures of your men?


Lisa: Here ya go!

Me: WOW, Lisa! You weren't kidding about the hotties!! And Lorelai, what a cutie! Thanks again for coming! And congrats on your release. Have a safe trip back :)

Lisa: Thanks for having me Megan…I had a blast spending the morning with you.  

Find Destined to Change on Amazon
Find Lisa Harley on her Site or Facebook