ASIN: B00AX5FOVC
Series: Elements Of Power
Publisher: Self/Indie
Pages/File size: 202pages/371KB
Formats Available: E-Book
BLURB from Goodreads
Is control over the elements a gift, or a curse?
Roxy thinks that she is in control of everything: with flames flaring at her fingertips and an equally fiery attitude, what more could she need? But then she meets Brae, a prince from a rival Realm, who turns her assumptions of superiority upside down.
Jasmine has none of Roxy’s confidence or intensity. But she does have a secret - and Brae - and she’s not going to give either up willingly.
Roxy thinks that she is in control of everything: with flames flaring at her fingertips and an equally fiery attitude, what more could she need? But then she meets Brae, a prince from a rival Realm, who turns her assumptions of superiority upside down.
Jasmine has none of Roxy’s confidence or intensity. But she does have a secret - and Brae - and she’s not going to give either up willingly.
A Little About The Author
(from Goodreads)
Heather James is a young-adult author who writes about heroines with amazing powers, heroes who will break your heart and fantasy realms that you will want to move to.
She works in the attendance office of a South-East London secondary school and spends her school holidays writing, reading, playing flag-American football and
What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
I'm
Heather James, I was born and live just outside of London in the UK.
Do
you work another job as well as your writing work?
Yes,
I work in an office in a secondary school, which provides a wealth of
inspiration and also gives me lots of holidays to write during.
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 debut novel
is called Fire. It is:
A YA fantasy
novel based around the four elements; read it if you like magic, feisty
heroines, action and romance.
Who
is your publisher? or do you self-publish?
Fire
is self-published. It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m really enjoying it so far.
How
long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to
finishing writing it?
It
varies considerably. Fire took a few years to finish. I’ve been working on
Water for almost a year now, but in the meantime I’ve written a first draft of
the series finale, Air, and a few chapters of another project.
Which
of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
I
think they’re getting easier – finishing Fire seemed like an impossible task
for a while, but I know now that I am capable of writing complete novels, so
long as I put the necessary work in.
What
can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
There
are two more novels to come out in the Elements of Power series, then my next
book will be more dystopian/sci-fi.
(Please let me know when the dystopian book is ready to be read.reviewed. Dystopian is my favourite genre)
(Please let me know when the dystopian book is ready to be read.reviewed. Dystopian is my favourite genre)
Where
do you get your book plot ideas from? What/Who is your inspiration?
I’ve
got my most recent ideas from the news – I’ve been watching a report and
thinking ‘why isn’t the world more like X’ and I’ve created an entire plot line
off the back of it.
Do
you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially
release them? ie. Your partner, children, friends,
reviewers you know?
Yes,
my parents are great for discussing plot issues with and for catching mistakes.
My sister is pretty much my target audience – I’m usually thinking about her
reactions as I write, so she always gets to read things first. And my friends,
who have supported me from the second I told them that I had written a novel.
Do
you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Absolutely.
As a debut author, it’s the best way of introducing people to my writing. I’m
always happy for people to contact me and ask for a review copy.
Do
you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I
read everything that is posted on goodreads and anything that bloggers let me
know they have posted. Even the critical ones: I’m a self-published author and
I know that my work isn’t flawless, so reading reviews which pick up on minor
mistakes helps me to fix them.
Would
you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about
your book/books?
No
– because everyone is entitled to their opinion, and something that one
reviewer really doesn’t like, will often be something that another loves;
particularly because the two protagonists in my work are very different. I’ve
noticed that readers often warm to one or the other and that completely shapes
their perspective of the novel! I did once read one review which was really
positive, but the reviewer had only given it one star, so I messaged them to
ask what they hadn’t liked, and they came straight back saying that the one
star was a mistake and changed it to five!
How
do you come up with characters’ names and place names in your books? Are
character names and place names decided after their creation? or do you pick a
character/place name and then invent them?
I
love names and whenever I come across an interesting one, I’ll make a note of
it to use when I next need a new character. My novel, Fire, is split into four
very different Realms and I have a spreadsheet which sorts names I like by the
Realm I believe they fit best with. Occasionally I’ll change someone’s name
part way through the story, if I don’t think that it fits their character.
Do
you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the
whole book or as you go along?
Usually
I will let them evolve as I write, then I will go back and change things from
the opening chapters if I need to. I always have a basic idea of what the
character will be like when I introduce them, but I base their personality off
of how they need to react in certain situations.
What
do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby?
I
play American Flag-Football whenever I get the time to and I also love to bake.
Every week, I help to run a Rainbows group, which is a youth club for 5-7 year
old girls.
What
are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook,
hardback or paperback)
I am currently reading Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. It is a paperback
which I was lucky enough to get signed by Meyer at her first International book
signing! I am therefore being very, very careful with it and not taking it out
of the house.
Did
you read a lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer
something newer in your life?
I
have always read books and written stories, from a young age. Books and stories
make up so much of the fabric of who I am; I would be utterly lost without
them.
Did
you have a favourite author as a child?
JK
Rowling. I love the Harry Potter books; I started reading them when I was 6 or
7 and Deathly Hallows came out when I was 14, so they had a huge presence in my
childhood. I’ve read each one so many times.
Is
there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just
couldn't finish?
I
have tried to read the Hobbit twice now and given up both times. For some
reason I just can’t get into it. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I’m intrigued
as to whether it will help me to enjoy the story.
Where
can readers follow you?
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/heatherjamesfire
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879785.Heather_James
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MakexBelieve
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/273346
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/makexbelieve/boards/
PURCHASE LINK
Oooh a signed copy of Scarlett! I am always super careful with my signed copies. I've only read Cinder so far but I loved it. Self publishing seems like so much work but at least you have the freedom to do things your way and you are getting your stuff out there. So nice that your parents support you and proof read. Good luck! Great interview!
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