JeanzBookReadNReview: AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - MADDY BARONE

Maddy Barone is the author of the After The Crash series. So far there are two books in the series, Sleeping With The Wolf, and Wolf's Glory.

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? I am Maddy Barone. I was born in Waukesha Wisconsin, USA, and I now live in Fargo North Dakota USA
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say? My latest book is Wolf's Glory, the 2nd book in my After the Crash series. Less than twenty words? Hm. Arrogant Alpha wolf chooses his mate, an independent plus-size goth who says not just no, but hell, no!
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series? I have 7 books planned in my series, which tells the stories of several women who survive a plane crash, only to find themselves fifty years in the future, after multiple nuclear attacks have decimated the population and made females rare and valuable. The third story, Tracking Tami, is currently with the publisher. I'm not quite sure when it will be out, but probably early in 2012.
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write? I started writing when I was in Junior High school. One writer who has inspired me is Sally Watson. She wrote young adult historicals in the '60s and '70s and is in fact still writing today. If you haven't read her, I urge you to find Lark, or Jade or The Hornet's Nest. Sally Watson is the reason I got a History degree. Excellent books!
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books? I try to be clever when I come up with titles, but the publisher has final say. The Art Director for the publisher assigns covers to one of the many artists they employ. Both my covers have been done by Lyn Taylor. I LOVE her style. I'm looking forward to seeing what she does for Tracking Tami.
Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback? For my very favorite keepers, I like hardback. For reading in the tub and to be able to lend a book to a friend, I like paperback. But I love the ease and convenience of ebooks.
What is your favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once? How can anyone pick just one? The Windflower by Laura London would rank right up there. Not so much for the hero and heroine, but for the relationships between the secondary characters.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer? Way back in high school in the late '70s I read a book called the Princess Bride. I LOVED it! (maybe that should have been my favorite in #7?) When I heard they were doing a movie, I cringed. But Rob Reiner got it right.
What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback) I am doing one of my regular re-reads of The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale. This is the second paperback copy I've worn out. I re-read several of her books every couple years or so. She writes beautifully.
Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be? I would add quite a bit of background to Sleeping With the Wolf. It is a novella at 42,000 words, but it could easily be a longer novel.
What piece of advice would you give to a new writer? Don't take rejection personally. I know that is more easily said than done. Our stories are part of us, so a rejection of our stories seem like rejection of US. But it's not. It's the book that is beign rejected, not YOU.
Do you or would you ever use a pen name? I do use a pen name. My legal name is an impossible-to-pronounce jumble of Italian vowels. I figured readers would be able to pronounce and spell Barone. I'm in a medieval re-creation group called the SCA, where I am known as Baroness Maria Maddalena da Monreale. That might be tricky to fit on a book cover, so I chose Maddy Barone instead. :)