AUTHOR INTERVIEW - MEGAN CURD

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? 

Hi there! My name is Megan Curd. I was born in Fairborn, Ohio, and I currently reside outside Lexington, Kentucky. My town isn’t even on Google Maps. I live in the boonies. 

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be? 

No, actually I went to college to be a cross-cultural missionary. I lived in South America for the better part of six months one year, and absolutely loved it. However, I ended up getting married and having my son, so moving to South America has been put on hold for the time being…but you never know what the future holds…(I keep hoping to get my husband and son down to Ecuador for a visit one of these days!)

How long have you been writing, and who or what inspired you to write? 

I’ve been writing since December of 2009. My good friend and landlord at the time told me I should try my hand at writing. I was in college at the time studying for finals…so taking a break from studying and writing a novel seemed like a perfectly acceptable use of my time. J My first novel, BRIDGER, was born that month, and I’ve continued to learn the craft of writing ever since.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series? 

I do! Steel Lily’s sequel, Iron Pendulum, is being prepped right now. I’m hoping to have it released by Christmas, if the writing gods permit. 

Do you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite? 

That’s a tough one, because each one has a special part of my heart. I think Steel Lily is my favorite, just because of how much I’ve poured into it. However, Bridger will always be my first foray into this writing world, and I love the world that Levi has in Forbidden. Can I say all of them?

Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite? 

That’s another tough question! I think my favorite character of all time is either Jaxon from Steel Lily or Ethan from Forbidden. Both are snarky, opinionated guys. I must have a thing for those type of men, lol.
(Jaxon was one of my favourite characters in Steel Lily! along with Avery of course)

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair? 

I don’t have a specific routine, but I would much prefer to get out of the house and go to a local café (preferably not something like Starbucks or Caribou, something that is locally run…for some reason their atmosphere fuels my mojo more haha). I definitely need music, though. My headphones and music are staples in my backpack when I head to go write!

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books? 

Sometimes names just pop in my head. Other times I ask my friends if I may borrow their names. I always ask permission before I borrow someone’s name that I know, though…and they’re always good guys, haha. At least…that’s what my friends think… ;) As for places, Steel Lily is a mix between Detroit (it fit the feel of the book…no reason otherwise) and Minneapolis/St. Paul (I used to live there). I generally stick to places I know if I can, but that’s not a hard and fast rule. If I can get enough information of a place to make it feel real in the book, it’s fair game. 

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you? 

Ha…mayyyybe. Maybe not. Okay, Reese from the Bridger series is definitely based on my best guy friend from college. He knows it, and we regularly discuss what his character is up to. I try to keep Reese as true to my friend as possible. Otherwise, certain characters may have mannerisms of friends, but no one is definitely a certain character, if that makes sense. As for events that happened to me…I promise if I ever wrote my story, readers would say it wasn’t believable. J It’s better left told around a fire with friends.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

I know people say to not read reviews…but I do.  It’s a bit like someone saying, “Oh gosh, don’t look at that (insert event/crazy clothed person/etc.)!” Of course you have to look then, right? However, I NEVER reply to reviews, whether they’re good or bad. I might privately thank someone for a positive review, but I feel that once I hit the publish button, my books aren’t my own anymore. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, and I have to be ready to take reviews of all kinds. To be honest, I read a lot of the reviews of Bridger, took into account the constructive criticism I received, then applied it to the sequel, Traitor. I love growing and learning and honing my craft, so I’ll take any constructive reviews and apply them to my next book. I appreciate the time that someone took to review my book, no matter what the outcome of that review.

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books? 

Sometimes the titles are before the book. Sometimes they come to me in the middle of the book. Steel Lily had a title before the first word was written; I just had this feel to my idea and knew the title would fit. One of my best friends actually titled the sequel, again before a single word was written. Bridger’s title came in the middle of writing it. It really just depends.

As for cover designs, I have dabbled with a lot of different people for my books’ covers, but Regina Wamba of Mae I Design designed the cover for Steel Lily, and I will NEVER change from her now, so long as she’ll design my covers. Her work is phenomenal. She’s already agreed to design Iron Pendulum’s cover, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with. The woman is a genius.
(Oh WOW I am certainly looking forward to Iron Pendulum! Don't forget to give me a shout when you want reviewers!)

What do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby?

Okay, so I have to admit, I have a weird hobby. I collect Starbucks coffee mugs. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I have a collection of over 100 coffee mugs from all over the world. They’re all the same design, but they’re different colors and each one has a different image from that place. I pick a different one each morning/night when I sit down to write. So maybe that’s a routine I have to write, too. Ha! But I love them…and they’re slowly overtaking my cabinets. J I think my favorite ones right now are Utah, Costa Rica, and Cairo, but each and every one has a special memory as to how I obtained it. I’m a nerd like that.

Otherwise, I love spending time with my son and husband, as well as my friends. I love to play Call of Duty with my brother and friends on the xBox when I can, I crochet, and I LOVE to snowboard. I had the opportunity to go to Italy and Switzerland over a spring break one year and snowboard. It was one of my favorite trips I’ve ever taken.

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback) 

I’m switching between a couple different books, but right now I’m reading WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks (eBook), THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING by The Indie Voice (eBook), DESCENDED BY BLOOD by Angeline Kace (eBook), and INESCAPABLE by Amy Bartol (paperback). I swap between them depending on my mood, but I very much prefer my Kindle…although Amy autographed my Inescapable at UtopYA this year, so I’ll take an autographed book over my Kindle. 

Did you read a lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life? 

I read all the time in school. I love reading. I was in as many English classes as I could get into. Somewhere, there is short story I wrote for a creative writing class I took my senior year of high school floating around. I’m kind of terrified it’ll resurface.

Are there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them? 

Mindy Ruiz. Her book isn’t out yet…but please…just…WOWZA. Just get ready. The woman has mad skills and will knock your socks off.

If you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with? 

J.K. Rowling, because the woman is an all-around genius! I might fangirl and scare her to death if I ever got to eat dinner with her. Dan Brown, because the man is the master of cliffhanger chapter endings. I can’t tell you how many times that man’s books have kept me up with “just one more chapter”. Finally, I’d pick Suzanne Collins. She is just a phenomenal world builder. I’d love to pick her brain and see her process.

Where can readers follow you?

Your Website? www.megancurd.com

Your Facebook Page? www.facebook.com/authormegancurd

Your Goodreads Author Page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4904383.Megan_Curd

Your Twitter Details? @MeganCurd