- What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? Thanks for inviting me to your blog, Jeanz! My name is Beth Elisa Harris. I was born in Ontario, California and now reside in the San Diego area. Aside from a four year stint in Washington State, I’m a California girl.
- What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say? Vision is the story of Layla Stone, a Clear with powerful psychic abilities who is haunted by her ancestry and pursued by bad people seeking to exploit her gifts for evil.
- Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series? Vision is the first of a three-part series. I am writing the sequel Sight as we speak. It’s going to be an emotional roller coaster for readers.
- How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write? I started writing very early and I was a nerd about it. Instead of participating in school activities, I spent most of my time writing and drawing. Writing stories, for me, is a natural state. I made a living writing for others and it wasn’t fulfilling.
- Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you? Vision takes place mostly in the UK and the mysterious island referred to in the book trailer is Colonsay off the coast of Scotland. Layla and I both have ancestors from there. I also believe strongly in our sixth sense, our gut, the place that gives us those directional ‘feelings’ so I expanded on that. Also, I made Layla tall with curly hair like me. Poetic justice!
- Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing? Yes, and there are too many to mention! Okay, I’ll choose three: JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, Toni Morrison.
- Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback? I have not yet but will convert to e-book’s eventually. Until then, I do love old school hardbacks and paperbacks are fine too.
- What is your favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once? There is no way to answer. I get asked this question often and I just can’t pinpoint one. I don’t generally re-read books I love either because there’s always too much new stuff to read, and I tend to be forward moving.
- Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer? They transfer well with the right screenwriter and director. You will never have all the details in books carry over to movies. Off the top of my head, I think Ron Howard did a great job with The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. For the most part the Harry Potter movies were done well, considering they had to cut out anything not Harry-centric. Recently, off the top of my head, I thought they messed up the first Twilight.
- What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback) I just finished Graveminder by Melissa Marr. (Read my 5-star write up on Goodreads). Started Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting. I love The Body Finder series. Both hardbacks from the library.
- Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be? This is something authors agonize over. Vision was a long, difficult labor. I had the concept down but experimented with different iterations before settling on one. Setting up a series is tricky. You need to think ahead and analyze cause and effect. Many of my readers would hate if I changed anything, because they (thankfully) loved everything about the story, so that’s all that matters. Writing the sequel has been much more linear.
- What do you think about book trailers? They’re great fun! I love the one for my book and can’t wait to brew up the next one. I enjoy seeing how authors represent their books in video form.
- What piece of advice would you give to a new writer? Read and write and read and write. You can’t be a great writer if you’re not a diligent reader. Once you know your genre, become a student of that genre. Writers should sweat over words and sentences, polishing and refining until they shine. A finished book or story takes time, and editing takes longer than writing so don’t rush. Most important, if you want to be a published author, don’t let anyone or anything get in your way or discourage you. Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Outliers submits evidence that it takes about ten-thousand hours before you master something. Successful people put the time in. And write daily!
Beth Elisa Harris
YA Author - Vision (series), Flyers
Published by: eInteractive Media
LCCN: 2011904385
BISAC: Juvenille Fiction/Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Web site: http://bethelisaharris.blogspot.com
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Goodreads Author Page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4731730.Beth_Elisa_Harris
Goodreads Author Page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4731730.Beth_Elisa_Harris
Thankyou for taking the time out of your busy writing schedule to do this interview.
Click on the following link for a chance to win a copy of the book from Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/13988-vision
MY BLOG OFFER IS A chance to win a signed bookmark leave a comment below with a valid email address so I can contact you for a postal address, apologies this giveaway is only for UK residents! (sorry trying to keep my expenses down )There are 2 bookmarks up for grabs!! Offer starts now, winners drawn 10th September! Due to such a slow response to this giveaway the end date will be extended until 17th September, Come on folks its a lovely bookmark, am I the only one that loves bookmarks?
thanks for the giveaway!
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Emma
I'd like a bookmark!
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-Tara