Interviu cu o autoare: Megan Thomason + Giveaway

Aceasta zi ii este dedicata lui Megan Thomason, autoarea cartii Daynight. A fost foarte draguta si mi-a raspuns la intrebari SIII  mi-a trimis 2 carti si pentru voi. Thank you Megan! (detalii mai jos). Interviul este urmatorul:

1. Hello Megan! Thank you for granting me this interview. I’d like to talk first about your book, Daynight. How did this story come into being? 

Thanks for having me! I appreciate it! The story for daynight came about as I was hiking in one of the many canyons of San Diego on a particularly hot day, and I pondered what it would be like if things were so hot that there would be no choice but to switch days and nights. This was the impetus for Thera, the setting for most of daynight. I had fun researching all the various ways this would impact the Theran people–from differing lingo “daymares,” “daygowns, Monnight, Tuesnight, etc.”, to environmental (landscape, weather shifts). The Second Chance Institute, benevolent non-profit on Earth by day, and totalitarian ruler on Thera by night, and their messed up agendas and methods, are purely a figment of my twisted imagination and a result of contemplating what kind of entity would rule the night.

2.  What was the most challenging aspect of creating this character of Kira?

 The most challenging aspect of creating Kira is that she is not like me. If Kira was like me, she probably would have been dead within 24 hours of arriving on Thera. To survive the dystopian conditions set forth by The Second Chance Institute, I had to make Kira more rule-abiding and subservient than I would be. Whereas I wear my emotions on my face, Kira has mastered hiding her emotions behind a poker face and false smile. I’m very impulsive. Kira typically thinks (or over thinks) things through. Kira is fiercely loyal and often naive. I’m more jaded, distrustful, and might have used violence (or at least a strong verbal thrashing) on a couple of the characters had they pulled the same things with me. One characteristic of mine I did allow Kira to adopt is my sarcastic nature, though she uses it more in inner dialogue than her conversations with others.

3.  How did you approach the research needed for this book?

 I did quite a bit of research for daynight. Since Thera’s an inverse earth (land where sea and vice versa; direction of sun shifted) with extreme temperature variations and weather, I did a lot of research to see what the Therans would have to do to sustain life under the circumstances. I also heavily researched test subjects and focus groups to properly develop the SCI and their agendas with regard to the Second Chancers.

4.  What are your current/future projects? 

 I’m targeting a summer release for the sequel to daynight, arbitrate. In addition to the daynight series, I’m working on B*Lies, a story about a girl who makes the decision to run from her abusive father. If time permits, I’ll also do a re-write on the romantic comedy trilogy I wrote prior to daynight: the thin veil, the thin line, and thin skin. Although I love the stories and characters, I’d want to get the writing up to my current standards before publishing.

5.  If you had to be one of your protagonists, who would it be? 

 That’s a hard question! I’m not sure I want to be in any of their shoes :). I’m hoping this is a short-term obligation, because I am going to go with Jax Christo. In book one he’s a seemingly minor character, but in reality is very key to everything. He has a unique brand of doublespeak, a killer sense of humor, some very appealing talents, and well… I’ve always wanted to spend a day in a guy’s head to know what they really think about :). If it’s a permanent thing, I’d have to go with my main character from my unpublished trilogy, Lissy. She’s a lot like me.

6. Who are your favorite writers and why?

 Given how many books I have read, that’s a tough question. I like different things about different authors. Immersive world: J.R.R. Tolkien. Dialogue:Jane Eyre. Dystopia: Suzanne Collins, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. Fun contemporary: Jillian Dodd. Intense romance: S.C. Stephens and Tammara Webber. Drama: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Every author leaves an imprint.

7.  What was the book that most influenced your life — and why? 

 I have read thousands of books, so very difficult to pick one (The Hobbit, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Phantom Tollbooth, Pride and Prejudice, Hunger Games, Crime and Punishment, 1984 each were at various points in time). But, the book I’m probably re-read the most and has had the biggest impact on me is my scriptures. I learn something new every time I read them so, I’ll go with that. 

8. What are your 5 favorite books —and why?

 Hmmm… I never have been a great rule follower, so I’m going to fail to narrow this down to five. I’ve just read too many books, and over time different books have been my favorite. Some of these would include… Pride & Prejudice, Hunger Games, The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, Crime & Punishment, Anna Karenina, 1984, Brave New World, The Diary of a Young Girl, The Scarlet Letter, Of Mice & Men, and Lord of the Flies. My favorite 50+ reads (of 600+) of the past year can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3493195-my-favorite-books-of-2012, and my favorites of the last couple months would be The Sea of Tranquility, Vain, and The Breeders.

9. What is the greatest challenge you have faced in your career as an author?

I have two big challenges. The first is balancing promoting book 1 while trying to write book 2.The second is processing conflicting feedback.

 Balance: With self-publishing there is no ready staff to take care of the tedious work for you. Every form you fill out to list your book, every promotion you sign up for, author interview you do, or guest post you write takes time. It’s all worth it, because this is how you get exposure! But, this takes a lot of mental preparation, multitasking, and prioritizing. Many things require financial investment in addition to time. During my post Christmas promotion I didn’t sleep more than 2 hours a night for the entire week. And managing promoting one book while trying to write the next PLUS take care of a family… yikes. I still haven’t figured out a good balance that moves everything forward at a steady pace. It is definitely a work in progress.

 Feedback loop: I let a lot of people read early drafts of daynight to get feedback. What I got was conflicting feedback. The girls: more romance, less action. The guys: more action, less romance. The classic lovers: more deep symbolism. Some wanted more detail about Thera, some less. Oversimplified, but you get the idea. I quickly realized that I couldn’t please everyone and I had to go with the balance that felt right to me for telling the story and setting up for future books. So, now I try to look for common threads and address those issues, and realize that no matter what I do, not everyone will like my work. I don’t like every book I read, and so I can’t and don’t expect everyone to like mine.

10. Describe your writing room.

 I will write on my laptop anywhere… in my car while waiting in the pickup line for the kids’ schools (that is where I am writing this!), doctor appointments, sports games or at home. At home, I typically write on the couch in our family room or in our massage chair. Right now our family room is still sporting a Christmas theme. My daughter took it all out… and I’m waiting for her to put it all away. Her deadline is long past :).

11. Take us through a typical day in the life of Megan Thomason.

 I get up at 6:30, help my kids get ready for and then drive them to school (we don’t have school buses or public transportation where we live). Then I write, promote, or work on another project until it is time to pick them up. Occasionally, by necessity, I have appointments or errands to run. After school, I take kids to and from activities (sports, theatre, etc.). I read on my phone while doing any sort of waiting. Hopefully, in the evening I am able to make a homemade meal and spend some time with husband and kids, interspersed with more writing and/or reading. I am often up until 1 or 2am reading or writing.

GIVEAWAY

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Offtopic: In curand voi da startul unui alt concurs, dar as fi vrut ceva diferit. Ceva de creatie. Sau un mini maraton, in care, participand la mai multe mini sarcini (cu premii) veti fi inclusi intr-o tombola cu premii mai mari. Sau ceva de genu. Nu stiu. Idei?? Si cel mai important lucru: v-ati inscrie la un concurs de acest tip?