Destined to Succeed - Lisa Harley | Character Interview - Suzanna Mallory

In Lisa Harley's Destined to Succeed Blog Tour, my Turkish blog is one of the stops, you can find my review and a character interview about the book in Turkish @ TugceninKitapligi, and here on T's Bookshelves the English translation. First here is our lovely interview with sweet Suzanna Mallory (AKA Suzy B.) Enjoy!!! 

Hi Suzanna, I know you are pretty busy with the little men and the ranch, but thank you for sparing us your time. Destined to Succeed has recently been published, but unfortunately my Turkish readers are not very familiar with neither the book nor Cade and yourself. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you for hosting! My name is Suzanna Mallory.  I'm from a really small town in Missouri.  I have a little girl named Isabella, who is the light of my life.  I grew up with Cade Walker...and well everything else you need to know about me you can find in Destined to Succeed. :)

Yes, I believe we have a real chance to know you better in Destined to Succeed. So let me ask you about your first encounter with Cade. You were nine years old when you walked down the hall of your new school, amd met Cade sitting there, what did you think when you noticed him first? 

I thought he had the most amazing eyes I'd ever seen.  They were like green ice...I'd never, nor have I since, seen anything like them. Oh, and I kinda realized he got in trouble a lot at school.  Why else would he be sitting out in the hall all alone?

We have mentioned your childhood days, so please tell us; what were three things you liked to do when you were a child?

Spending time with the Walker's was my all-time favorite thing to do.  Cade and I would play down at the pond, or Candy would teach me how to cook something or sew a little bit, and the Walker boys were just a blast to hang around with.

Ah! Yes, Walker boys... How was your relation with the other Walker boys, it sounded like you had a lot of brothers, how was it like growing up with all those handsome boys?

They were all like brothers to me.  My childhood would've been miserable without the Walker's. I thank God everyday for them...especially one of them. ;)

Yes especially one of them :) When did you first realize your relationship with Cade might change?

My relationship with Cade was always a little different than the relationship I shared with the other Walker boys.  Cade and I were always close.  I really thought we could only be friends, but I guess some things are just meant to be.

You were very close with Cade, why did you never confront him on what you heard?

Because I was a stupid teenager with a broken heart.  When I heard him say those things, it never entered my mind that he was talking about someone else.  It all made perfect sense to my emotional teenage self.

How did it feel when you thought Cade was in love with another woman, after so many years? Did you ever talk to him about Loralei?

At the time it was all happening, no, I didn't talk to him to much about her.  I was interested to know more about the type of woman she was, but I got most of that from an internet search.  I think deep down I knew that hearing Cade talk about her would hurt me too much, so I didn't ask much about her.  We have talked about her since then, and I understand it now.

What do you think it would be like if you ever told Cade that you loved him?

We told each other that all the time - we just said it more as friends. (or so we thought) I think we both knew every time we said those words to each other, we meant them with all our heart.  I wish things had been different, but I honestly believe that we had to go through everything to get to where we are right now.

You have to admit, you were both very very stubborn!! :) What is it you have never told anyone?

A lady never tells her deepest secrets...actually, my deepest secret came out in Destined to Succeed.  That secret was almost my undoing.  And I am so glad that it's finally off my chest.

The feeling is mutual, I thought we lost you there, for a bit. How is life going after a new Walker boy is in the family?

Oh my goodness...we could not be happier.  He just made everything perfect.  We feel like we really came full circle to become the family we always dreamed of.

Thank you so much Suzy Q and please send my love to Cade ;) and lots of kisses to those little ones... 
And here is a little surprise for you all;

A Playlist for Destined to Succeed... 

Interview With Brent Weeks

I had this interview with Brent Weeks, for my Turkish blog during a blog tour of The Way of Shadows...


Thank you for accepting my interview request, I know you are on a deadline, so I will try not to take too much of your time. I must say, I am not huge fantasy fan (or so I kept saying that and reading the genre over and over again) and still I am fascinated by The Way of Shadow, especially with the characters… It is your first published book in Turkey, so can you tell us a little about yourself? And how you came to be writer ( I heard that story is fairly direct :) )

Thank you for having me as your guest! It feels a little surreal to be doing this. I never imagined I would get to have one of my books published in Turkey! I think I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was thirteen years old, when I started my very first novel. I did, however, spend some time trying to convince myself to pursue a career that was actually practical. But I gave up on that and decided to do my best to get published while I was young, so that if I failed I could fail early rather than always wondering if I might have made it. I spent five years on a novel, starting when I was in college. I ended up having to throw it
away, and then I started writing The Way of Shadows when I was 25 years old. I worked odd jobs for a while, and then my wife supported me while I wrote full time. I was 30 when The Way of Shadows was finally published here in America.

The way of Shadows was your first book and a trilogy which all three of them were published consequently in three months. This was a little surprising for a debut author. What’s the story behind it?

After I finished The Way of Shadows, I knew that the smart thing to do while I was trying to get it published would be to write a book set in a different world. After all, it would be ridiculous to write Book 2 in a series if Book 1 never sold. And the book publishing industry is very, very slow. But I had a problem: I loved this story. I didn’t want to tell any other story. So I asked my wife what I should do, and she told me to follow my passion. So I did. I foolishly wrote Shadow’s Edge over the next two years. Then, figuring that I had already gambled everything on this anyway, I went ahead and wrote Beyond the Shadows. All the while, I
knew that if no publisher bought the Way of Shadows, I had wasted the last four years of my life.

But what seemed like a terrible idea turned out to be a brilliant one in disguise. Orbit launched all three books quickly, as you said, and fans loved the idea of not having to wait years in between books. There was only one downside: after I spent six years writing this trilogy, but got them published all within three months, I kept getting emails from fans, asking if I would publish three more books next year!

Without giving away too much, can you reveal what’s in store for the readers when they crack open the way of shadows and of course how did the idea come up? What was the starting point?

The Way of Shadows is primarily the story of Azoth, a young kid on the streets who wants nothing more than to not be afraid anymore. And when he sees Durzo Blint, the most masterful assassin of the age, he thinks that if he can be like that, he’ll never be afraid again. Of course, that’s just the beginning of Azoth’s problems.

It’s a story of love and betrayal and murder and violence and magic and redemption. It starts out pretty grim in the first 50 or so pages, but if you can handle that, I think you’ll like it a lot.

Now you have another series out there as well, Lightbringer. I don’t know when of if we are going to read this one anytime soon here (I sure will do), can you tell us a little about it? I have read that you used magical elements which are very unique, and I am curious.

Oh, I’d love to talk to you about Lightbringer! But seeing as my answers have already been very long, and Lightbringer won’t be coming to Turkey for some time, maybe I’ll just have to come back and visit again.

I am sure after five books under your belt, you have your own fan base now, but I am sure you were and probably still are a fan for someone out there. Who is your favourite author? In this genre and out of it?

The writer who hooked me in the first place and made me want to be a writer was Edgar Allan Poe. I love his mastery of language and envy it still. Of course, Tolkien was a formative influence. When I was young, I would read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, and then read some book at random from the fantasy section, think it was terrible, and go back and re-read The Lord of the Rings trilogy again. Now, however, I think is a wonderful time for fans of big fantasy books, from the darker stuff of George R. R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie and Richard Morgan to Peter Brett and Saladin Ahmed and N.K. Jemisin and Robin Hobb to Brandon Sanderson and Brian McClellan -- and those are just the ones that I’ve read in my own limited
reading time!

I am always fascinated about writer’s writing process, what’s it like for you? Do you outline or let the story take you to where it’s headed? And what’s your revision process like?

I do both, but the process is always messy and always different for each book. I tend to spend some time just coming up with cool ideas and fun snippets of dialogue and great action sequences. Then I map out the book as well as I can and at least figure out the big turning points of the plot. But then as I write heading toward those goals, I try to find the best path to get there. I usually have a very strong idea of what will happen at the end of the book, but here as I write my sixth book, I actually have two different possible ideas in mind for the end of book seven. Revision, then, is a huge part of the process, and I’m a writer who is willing to make deep cuts and significant changes to make my book be the best it can be. It’s always painful to have to throw away things that you’ve written that work decently well, but you should always be willing to do it if you can replace it with something that works brilliantly.

And of course, characters and world building. I suppose, one of the most time-consuming processes of writing epic fantasy is world building and complexity and depth of characters. (And I have to admit, you have some complexity in there, I was lost at times :)) what are a few of your favorite world aspects, favourite characters and what inspired them?

I compare myself a little bit to a literary magpie. Do you know this term? A magpie is a bird that likes to collect shiny things, so in their nests you can find the most outrageous and weird assortment of stuff: bits of mirror, bolts, pieces of foil and so forth. I like to do that with world history. I almost never steal characters wholesale from history, but probably my most egregious theft was in the side character Lantano Garuwashi, who is based significantly on the early 17th-century Japanese Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi is said to have killed 60 men in duels by the time he was 30 years old. In fact, he got so adept at fighting that he
came to believe that it wasn’t fair for him to fight an opponent sword-to-sword. So he would use a wooden practice sword against there fine steel. He was also the first person to ever even try to fight with a full-sized katana in both his left and right hands. (Sure, people do it all the time in the movies now, but actually being coordinated enough to make that left-hand sword a real threat is something very few people could do.) His sense of honor led him to only use two swords, however, when he was being attacked by more than one man at a time. Having read a few books about Musashi, how could I not include that?!

I also love to make magic systems that make sense, that seem like they could really work in the real world. And making deep characters is a special love of mine. I love to make characters who not only grow throughout one book, but through all three.

How did you life change after becoming a NYT bestselling author other than the title added
in front of your name?

Very slowly, at first. I guess at some times it’s a good thing that the publishing industry moves at a glacial pace. I noticed mainly that I got busier. And that my editor and agent started replying to my emails much more quickly! Really, it took a few years for my day-to- day life to change. I mean, a big part of my day is spent wrestling with words, and that isn’t going to change whether ten people buy my book or a million do.

But, eventually what happens is you get a second job, and that’s running all the business that you didn’t have before. I have a webpage now, and it needs to be updated frequently. I have twitter and Facebook and Google+. I have contracts to read. I have blog interviews to do. I go on book tours. I go to conventions. I make up contests to give away books. I then have to mail those books out to people. I get royalty statements that are incredibly complex and difficult to understand, and I need to understand them. Now I am very fortunate to have an assistant who helps me keep all these things straight. (She was the one who came and knocked on my door an hour ago and said, “Brent! You need to finish this interview!”)
But the biggest adjustment of all is probably that I have fans. This is a wonderful and curious thing. It’s also something I’d never dealt with before, so it comes with its own set of stresses. All in all, though, I have to say that I am living my dream, and even if filing personnel paperwork with the government wasn’t part of my original dream, being able to write and make a living at it is a huge privilege and a huge blessing. This is the only job I could have that I would be happy doing, so I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world to get to be doing it.

Do you know any Turkish writers? And of course what would you like to tell to your newest fans from Turkey?

Sadly, I don’t! For a long time, American pulishers didn’t look beyond our own borders for fantasy writers. They already get so many thousand submissions a year, I think they are just perpetually overwhelmed. In recent years, that has changed somewhat. Polish writer Andrezj Sakowski and French writer Pierre Pavel have both been published in English, but there still aren’t that many overseas authors translated here. Do you have any recommendations for me?

And I would like to tell my Turkish fans that I hope they love my books. I will write for them
the very best books I’m capable of writing and please blame all the errors on the translator!

Interview with J.A. Redmerski

Ok, here is an interview I had last month with Jessica for my Turkish Blog! As the sequeal to The Edge of Never has recently been revealed, I thought this might be interesting to read for her and the books' fans... Enjoy...

First of all, thank you for joining me for this interview. I am sure you have been asked several times, but as your novel The Edge of Never has not yet been published in Turkey, can you tell us a little about yourself and your book? 

Thanks for having me.  Well, my author name is J.A. but my first name is ‘Jessica’. I’m a mother to three wonderful and talented children and they live with me in Arkansas, United States. THE EDGE OF NEVER isn’t my first published book, but it was my first New Adult/Conremporary Romance title and I have to say that with its success and how much I enjoyed writing it, it will be hard for to go back to writing any other genre.

The twitter question happen to grow on me lately,  can you tell as about The Edge of Never in 140 characters ;) 

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett impulsively boards a Greyhound bus to start her life anew, and meets a man with a dark secret.

It is a book, you live and feel everything together with your characters. They are so vivid, easily lovable and relatable. They make you feel their pain and love. How did you manage that?

I’m glad you connected with Camryn and Andrew on that level! I honestly don’t know how I pulled that off, but I was so deeply invested in the characters and their journey that I didn’t think of anything else in  the six weeks it took me to write it. I think maybe because I was writing the story because it felt right rather than it being just another writing project, is why it felt real to readers.

As we are discussing the characters, although; it was a little confusing at times, I loved the two POV narration in the story. It made many things easier to understand. How did you decide on this structure? Oh, and of course, as we have two leads, which do you prefer the most; Camryn or Andrew?

I didn’t decide to use two POV’s until Andrew stepped on the bus. When he did, I just knew that like Camryn, I needed to give him his own voice in the story so that readers could relate to both of them on the same level and get insight into both of their minds. Which do I prefer? I can’t really answer that as I love them both equally and there is some of myself in each of their personalities. 

You are a self-published author, I must admit we don’t have that, much in Turkey yet, hope soon... How was your journey from writing to publishing?

The self-publishing journey has been great. Very difficult, but definitely rewarding! I’ve been writing since the age of thirteen, so I knew that I would be published someday even if I had to do it alone. And it has paid off because as of last month, THE EDGE OF NEVER was picked up by numerous foreign publishers, including Ephesus in Turkey! 

What is your writing process like, do you outline or figure it out on the way? And your writing style?

I never outline, but instead I just go along for the journey with the characters and see where they take me. As far as my writing style, I love to write in first-person POV because I feel like it’s more personal and the narration has a unique ‘voice’ that allows readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level. 

Can you tell us a little about your other books?

I’ve written a YA paranormal trilogy called The Darkwoods Trilogy about werewolves and a bizarre contemporary fantasy titled DIRTY EDEN and all of them are so very different from THE EDGE OF NEVER that some might wonder if the same author wrote them.  

You had a trilogy in paranormal romance, the darkwoods trilogy and a fantasy before The Edge of Never and now a totally different and a new genre, New Adult – I must admit, it is kind of my favourite these days. How different was that for you?

As I mentioned, after writing a few different genres, I have to say that I’m definitely leaning more towards New Adult and Contemporary Romance now. THE EDGE OF NEVER just came so natural to me and felt so right that I don’t know when I’ll ever write another paranormal or fantasy novel again.  

And what do you think about this newest addition to the genre pool? Do you think New Adult Genre is a step between YA and Adult books? Why do you think it is out there now?

I think New Adult primarily focuses on all of the firsts: first real job, first apartment, first real relationship. With NA, the stories are more daring, reckless and are about that self‐discovery phase. New Adult is more mature than Young Adult and not too Adult. It’s right there in the goldilocks zone.

It tried to appear in the pool of genres a few years ago (guess in 2009) but couldn’t get a perminent place then. But this time, it seems different, it has kind of exploded and almost every good book in the genre are hitting the bestseller lists. Why do you think it is different this time?

I don’t think anything about the stories or writing is different, but I think NA has finally proved it’s point. Like with anything new, it just takes a little while for it to catch on. But it does make me smile to know that New Adult is making a huge name for itself in the literary world primarly with the boost that successful self-published authors have given it. For the first time (I believe) it’s not a traditionally published author setting the bar for something new.  

I have read it in The Guardian as a genre for the readers between 14-35 ages. This is a serious age difference I must admit. Do you think a 14 year-old teen ( I believe it should be at least 17 with the language and subject in these books but anyway)   and a 35 year-old adult can get the same thing from the same book?

I’ve never heard of that age range for NA. NA is definitely  for readers of at least 17 because it tends to be more mature than something a 14-year-old should be reading. And I believe it’s not easy for any book to be enjoyable by 14 and 35-year-olds alike unless it’s Harry Potter or Twilight.  

And it seems like the genre is in the hands of indie/self-published authors lately. You are a self-published writer with a very good sample of the genre under your belt? So what do you think about this?

I think it’s a great honor! Like I said before, it’s primarily the self-published authors setting the stage for New Adult literature and I think that just gives us more credibility.  

It looks like we have another month or so to wait for your beautifully written, very emotional novel. What would you like to say to your future Turkish readers and fans? :) And what else should we expect from Jessica Redmerski in the future?

Well, first of all, I’m so happy that THE EDGE OF NEVER was picked up by a Turkish publisher. I hope to geta copy of that version!  I want to thank all of you who have already enjoyed the book because your enjoyment of it helped get it in the hands of a publisher over there! What to expect from me in the future? Definitely more New Adult  and Contemporary Romance fiction, but I’ll let my Turkish fans in on a little secret: I’m working on book two to THE EDGE OF NEVER right now, though I can’t say whether it’s a sequel, prequel or spinoff yet, but after I finish with that I’m going back into an exciting and daring novel I started a month ago and it’s considered Romantic Suspense. 

Thank you once again! 

And again, thanks so much for having me!:-D

Interview With Holly Stephens The Author of Second Rate Chances | Blog Tour

Holly Stephens is a new name for my readers, can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I'm 32 years old from Louisiana. I've been married for going on eight years and we have one little boy who is about to turn six. He's my world and he makes it nearly impossible for me to write LOL

I've been writing for about four years now but finally worked up the nerve to actually do something with my stories. I have a notebook full of ideas so hopefully I'll be around for a while. My day job consists of selling plumbing. I'm not joking. We're like interior designers for your kitchen and baths. You'd be surprised how serious some people take picking out a toilet.

On a side note, LSU Football is a religion in my house (even though I prefer baseball). Mardi Gras is a major holiday for us. I love everything Disney related and I hate clowns.

Much like y'all, I LOVE to read. I use to think I'd be lost without my iphone, but now I think if I were to lose my Nook I'd have a panic attack.

  

Your book is a new adult conteporary romance? Why this genre and what do you think about

the New adult hype? 

To be honest, when I started writing SRC I didn't write it to be new adult. I wrote it with the mindset that it was just contemporary romance. Not that I mind the new adult label. So when the cover/synopsis came out and people began talking about it, that's what it was labeled. When I sat and really thought about it, it made sense.

As for the new adult hype, I know a lot of authors/readers are one side or the other on their opinion. For me, I think it's a great addition. You have YA then you have CR. Why can't we have something that's in the middle? If there are people writing and people reading, does it really matter what a books labeled?

There is a strong subject behind the love story and happenings in your book that I don’t

want to reveal too much now. But how did the idea of this book come out, what was your

inspiration? 

Like all good ideas, this one started in the bathroom LOL Music is what drives me so as I was getting ready for work one morning, I had Pandora on and Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade came on. And that one line- This time I will fall for you, over again- really hit me. From there the idea started. A guy and a girl falling in love all over again- a second chance at love. Then I heard The Script's, For the First Time, and the song itself- this couple kind of seeing each other for the first time again just built to the story. I think that's when the amnesia idea came to me. I wanted them to have this second chance, this moment where they really see each other for the first time even though they've known each other for years.

And as it is all about second chances, do you believe in them? 

I think everyone deserves the notion of a second chance but you have to earn it. Does that make sense? Like, don't tell me you're going to change- show me. If I've seen that you're serious, that you're not just pulling my leg, then yeah I believe in them. But it's like that saying goes. Fool one once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

This is your first published book right? How does it feel to be a published author now?

It's surreal. A few weeks ago we were down in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and having dinner with a friend of my in-laws. HE asked what I did for a living and I automatically said, "I sell plumbing." Apparently that was the wrong answer for my husband and in-laws because they promptly said, "SHE'S AN AUTHOR!" LOL I was a little taken aback by their outburst because I'm not used to telling people that. To me it's my side job- one that I'm very proud of- but still. It's not my fulltime job. But regardless, it's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. It's like, I've been talking about doing this for so long and now I have!

And what changed in your life? Can you tell us a little about your journey from writing to publishing? 

Honestly nothing much as changed. I'm a little more stressed because now that I have one book out I have deadlines I want to meet for more books to come. And finding the time now to write those is proving impossible. Thankfully, my husband is a little more understanding now that I have one book out. He's more apt to take over a few household responsibilities while I sit down and write.

Sam and Lily were so natural and realistic together, it felt just right. And Chloe was so mean

and cold, I literaly felt it. =) How do you create your characters? Do you set a goal in the beginning of your story or find their place a long the way?

No, the goal was set at the beginning. I wanted Chloe to be that force you hated. I didn't want people to feel sorry for her. And Sam & Lil, given their history, they needed that natural ability about them. Same with their friends. Even though all this time has passed I wanted it to feel like- once the inital getting over what they were pissed about was out of the way- that they all had this great vibe between them. And her dad? Oh he was also a villian. I had this big powerful man who always gets what he wants in my head.

There is also Sam’s amnesia,you have put the details and behavior very believable out there. What type of research did you have to do? 

When I first started mapping this story out I googled amnesia and read about the different types. Dissosiative was the perfect diagnosis for him. It wasn't this long term condition and the patient only loses a minimum amount of time. It's not like reverted back to being a kid. But over time, the memories return. I knew the moment I wanted him to remember and how it was to happen so it was a perfect fit. But yeah, I spent weeks reading up on amnesia.

There are very sad moments along Sam and Lily’s story, was there a particular scene or

chapter, you had difficulty in putting into words?

A couple. The scene when they have the fight about Toby, that was hard for me to have him pretty much defend Chloe to Lil. It was hard to write because I love her so much and Sam? He's not a malicious person so for him to pretty much tell her that maybe he's got a stronger relationship with Chloe was hard.

What should we expect from Holly Stephens next? 

OH! A lot! LOL I have a packed schedule of things to come that I'm really excited about. Originally I had a book, Risque Business, that I had planned to release this summer but I've put that one on hold for the start of a new series I'm working on.

AND... there is a second, Second Rate Chances, book in the works. I had never imagined writing a second book for it but a source of inspiration struck and now I'm planning it all out. The only thing right now that I can tell you about it, is that it won't be Sam and Lil centered. They will be there but I'm going to focus on another character we've already met. 

Interview with Kiera Cass about her novel The Selection...

I had this interview with Kiera Cass last week during our Turkish book blog tour for The Selection. You can also find our dream casts for Team Maxon and Team Aspen... Enjoy!!!

The Selection is one of the most anticipated books in February here is in Turkey. I know it is not your first published book, but it is the first one here. So  can you tell us a little about yourself and your journey from writing to publishing and then tv series?

Well, I started writing as a personal form of therapy. I decided to give a character my problems and see how she dealt with them. It was a really helpful experience for me, not just because it cleared my head, but once I got into the habit of writing, stories just started coming. I live with characters in my head all the time!

I ended up self-publishing my first book, The Siren, then coming back to try the traditional route with The Selection. I found a wonderful agent and she got me my book deal. Now The Selection is going to be translated in at least a dozen different countries, including Turkey!

Here in the States, The CW is looking to make a TV adaptation of my book. They’re casting right now and will shoot in Hungary this spring. It still might not make it to air, so we’ll see what happens!

The Selection is like a fairy tale with dystopian elements.  It is different than many in the dystopian genre, not as dark to start with. It is quite refreshing, what was your inspiration? How did the story come about?

I was inspired by Esther from the Bible and Cinderella. I just wondered if Esther maybe liked the boy next door before she was shipped off to a palace that she was never coming home from, even if she wasn’t made queen. And Cinderella never asked for a prince. She asked for a night off. We assume these girls are happy because they got their man, but what if they weren’t? Their two stories merged in my head, and I knew I wanted to write about a girl who would get the attention of a prince, but she wouldn’t want it because she was already in love. And she would go through something she never actually wanted to in the process, which turned out to be the Selection. And that was it!

I read that you always create your character first. Who was the first one you have for The Selection? And who is your favorite, and of course why?

Once I had the idea for The Selection, America was in my head. The previous story I wrote, The Siren, was told by a young girl, too. I assumed they were similar and telling their stories would be exactly the same, but it wasn’t. Kahlen was hurt and wanted everyone to know about it; America was reserved and not as willing to hand over her story. I ended up having to write the book almost completely over again because I’d gotten her so wrong. I work hard to listen to my characters and be honest to what they tell me. I love them all, even the not-so-nice ones.

As we are talking about the characters, can I ask one for each? America, Aspen, and Prince Maxon? 

For America; what made you feel somethings more than friendship for Maxon? (well actually I suppose it is pretty impossible not to fall for him but anyway) 

Those feelings snuck up on me. I didn’t even know I liked him until he was making it clear he liked me, too. I suppose it’s that Maxon’s so generous and good. He surprised me.

For Maxon; what did you think when you first saw America?

Honestly, I didn’t know what to think. I wans’t even supposed to meet her yet! But she was different than what I was expecting, and I genuinely like that she’s herself no matter what.

For Aspen; What were you planning to tell America, if she let you, on the day she left for the palace?

I didn’t really have a plan. I just thought if I could get to her, maybe I could fix things. Sometimes I forget to think before I act... It doesn’t always work out for me.

Now one last question for all of you. What would you like to tell your Turkish readers/fans?

I just want to say that I hope you enjoy America’s story and have as much fun being in her world as I do!

Thank you for the opportunity and I hope you have a chance to visit Turkey sometime, in the near future… 

Team Maxon

Team Aspen

Interview with Leigh Bardugo - author of Shadow and Bone

Today we have Leigh Bardugo as our guest author, review to come here soon... 

I had this interview for my Turkish website but why not post it here as well :) So please enjoy!!!

As I have mentioned earlier, your book Shadow and Bone has recently been published in Turkey and getting quite popular pretty quickly these days. Can you tell us a little about yourself, your writing to publishing story as I have read in your bio that you are also a makeup artist? What made you decide to be a writer? 

I'm so happy to hear that people are enjoying Shadow and Bone. I always wanted to write fiction, but when I was working as a copywriter and a journalist, I never dedicated enough time to my own writing projects. Somehow transitioning to a career as a makeup artist seemed to change that. I came home tired but ready to write. And working in makeup was inspiring. Makeup artists get to create illusion and their own kind of magic every day. 

Your characters in the book are well developed, vivid and very relatable; not perfect and interesting, especially Alina. How did you create her? Did you have a goal in mind for her or any of other characters, in the beginning of your story? And if so, how much did you change her or others along the way? 

I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I didn't really have a goal in mind, but I'm not really interested in heroes who always make the right choices or villains who just spend all of their time being evil and scheming. No one is ever just one thing. I think the key to understanding both Mal and Alina was Keramzin, the orphanage where they grew up. Once I understood this part of their past, I had a much clearer idea of how the desire to belong and to find a home would impact both of them. 

Well this when the character topic is on, this question is inevitable for me, who is your favourite character and why? 

My favourite character actually appears for the first time in book 2, Siege and Storm. He's a privateer named Sturmhond and he was so much fun to write. Most of my characters spend a lot of time questioning themselves, but Sturmhond is pure confidence.  

As we are talking about characters, there is something else I am in awe! I am not much of a fantasy lover, especially when it comes to magic. But in your book, the magic has been so well hidden, well portrayed in the story and characters, looks very natural and realistic that I didn’t even think it was magic at all. Can you tell us about the magical powers and how/why you chose them? 

I always wondered what happens when you wave a wand or speak a curse? What is the actual, physical functionality of magic? The Small Science (the magical system in my book) is basically a magical version of molecular chemistry and the Grisha manipulate matter at its most fundamental levels. I think magic feels much more real when it's constrained by rules. 

Last question, can you tell us a little about the sequel? What should we expect? And of course, what would you like to tell your Turkish fans/readers? 

Lots of action, some new characters, and we'll be seeing a bit more of the world outside of Ravka's borders. And I'd just like to say that I'm so honored to have my book published in Turkey. I hope my Turkish readers enjoy the series and that one of these days I'll get to visit!   

I know that you are very busy these days, so thank you so much for sparing time! 

Interview With Kerry Wilkinson

Kerry Wilkinson, thank you for being with us today. You are being called an accidental author after your success in the series. How did all this happened? Can you tell us about your writing to publishing journey?

I always thought I was capable of doing something other than simply "having a job". When I turned 30, I figured it was about time I got on and actually tried, so I started writing...