Title: Dust
Author: Sarah Daltry
Release Date: 7th November 2014
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Who makes YOUR choices?
"I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw - parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming."
In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.
When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty.
But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed?
As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.
"I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw - parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming."
In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.
When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty.
But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed?
As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon UK
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
When did you first consider yourself as
a "writer"?
I don’t really consider myself a writer.
I don’t know why, and I don’t hold others up to my own standards, but for me, I
will not be a writer until I’m agented and until my books are in bookstores.
Again, I don’t see it that way for others, and it’s really a stupid thing as
I’ve read great books that don’t meet those two standards and tons that are
terrible that have, but I guess, for me personally, I would rather sell ten
books and see it at Barnes and Noble than be a bestseller by myself. Maybe I
just don’t think very highly of my own opinion.
How long does it usually take you to
write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Anywhere from a month to more than 10
years. I mean, clearly I am not writing nonstop for ten years, but I have stories
in various states of incompleteness from last week all the way through the late
1990’s. I would say, when focused and really writing nonstop, about five to
eight weeks for the full story and then usually at least a few more weeks for
the first edit/revision.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I really don’t know, because I write
bits and pieces of tons of ideas, but what ends up becoming something isn’t
really a formal process. Some stories demand to be told and others simmer. I
would say that my genres will likely range, but themes and stylistic tendencies
are similar. I wouldn’t expect to see romance out of me ever again, though.
Love stories and romantic elements, sure, but I like reality and I like
tackling the truth of life. Escapism is for other people, not me.
How long have you been writing?, and who
or what inspired you to write?
I’ve been writing my whole life, because
I didn’t have friends and storytelling was my outlet. However, for most of my
tween and teen years, I actually focused on poetry. I wrote a lot of poetry and lyrical prose. It
wasn’t until college that I began really writing longer prose works. My first
novel was completed during college, and then the full rewrite was done a few
years later, but that’s not published.
Do you read all the reviews of your
book/books?
Not anymore. They don’t benefit me in
any way, positive or negative. To be honest, I don’t read reviews of other
people’s books much, either, unless there is something in particular I wanted
to know about in the work. I tend to feel the same about reviews whether or not
they’re of my books or a game I played. If I love a movie and see a newspaper
give it a bad review because I feel the reviewer missed the point, I will rant
to my husband for hours. A person’s opinion on Catcher in the Rye, Cabin in the Woods, Bioshock, or the latest
episode of Supernatural is the same
as their opinion on my books. And if I disagree, I disagree vehemently. I’m
equally protective of the things I love, regardless of who created them.
What was the toughest/best review you
have ever had?
I found a couple of reviews really
offensive about my books, but they were just unnecessary. In one, a character
who was suicidal was called pathetic and worthless and the reviewer said she
wished he would kill himself so the book would end. To me, when you make broad
statements like that, you forget that it’s a book and you inadvertently make
sweeping generalizations about mental health or related concerns. I’m not a fan
of reviews that attack entire populations of people because a reader or writer
just didn’t connect.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change
their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
No, that’s ridiculous. Personally, I
just think writers should stop searching for reviews, and reviewers should stop
sending writers anything but reviews for books they love and then everyone
would be much happier.
How do you come up with characters names
and place names in your books?
The characters just name themselves and
tell me. It’s not a conscious decision. It’s why I can’t change character names
except in extenuating circumstances, because they are who they are.
Do you basic plot/plan for your book,
before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and
see where it takes the story?
I have no plan. I usually don’t even
know what the book is about until halfway through. I either have a vague
concept or a scene or a line of dialogue or a character in mind and then I go.
What do you think makes a book a really
good/bestseller ?
Well, honestly, I think those are
dramatically different things and rarely do they coincide. A really good book
is one that emotionally scars me, one that makes you forget you exist in your
world and makes you believe you are someone else, one that reminds you of how
beautiful words can be just because they exist as words. A bestseller is what
people buy.
What do you do to unwind and relax?Do
you have a hobby?
I play a ton of video games.
Have you ever based characters on people
you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
All of my books are truth and fiction
intermingled. Whether it’s contemporary realism or fantasy, they all draw from
the same internal world I inhabit, but only I know which parts are true and
which are made up.
Are there any hidden messages or morals
contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The
moral of this story is..")
I wouldn’t say they’re hidden, but I
think almost all of my stories are about similar themes – the idea that there
is no “normal,” that it’s okay to be yourself, and that the ways of the world
don’t always work for everyone.
What is your favourite book and Why?
Have you read it more than once?
That’s hard because I have many. My
favorites are Catcher in the Rye (read
several hundred times), The Sun Also
Rises (one and a half times), The
Book Thief (three times), Some Girls
Are (several times), The Lovely Bones
(more than ten times), Nineteen
Minutes (several times), and Neverwhere
(many, many times). Also the Harry
Potter and Mortal Instruments series,
both of which I’ve read a lot.
Do you think books transfer to movies
well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
No, they really don’t. I would say there
are a few exceptions, like Silver Linings
Playbook (I think I actually prefer the movie, to be honest), but most are
either solid adaptations that lose the soul of the story (like The Book Thief) or are just pure horror
to experience (The Lovely Bones).
Did you read a lot at school and write
lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life?
Yes, I read endlessly. I have been
reading literally as long as I remember. I don’t have many memories of
childhood, but the ones I do have are all about books.
Is there a book you know you will never
read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish?
I love books. I love all books. I hope I
finish The Brothers Karamazov someday,
because it’s amazing, but it’s intimidating, but I will read everything on the
planet with only one exception. I will not read the new trend in “romance” with
an emphasis on rape, bullying, kidnapping, and “dark” heroes. Rape and abuse
and sex trafficking and kidnapping are not sexy and, as far as I’m concerned,
have absolutely no place in romance. I love horror and I will read things that
are shocking, like Bret Easton Ellis, but not when you’re trying to make me
believe that the killer or abuser is anything but a villain.
Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
I do use a pen name, because I’m a
private person. I also don’t like to take credit for things. I don’t like being
recognized at work when I do something well. I just want to get things done,
hopefully well, and then be left alone to play Xbox. J
If you could invite three favourite
writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Hemingway, Lauren DeStefano, and Sylvia
Plath. It would likely be a depressing dinner, though, since Hemingway and
Plath killed themselves, and Lauren and I both have social anxiety!!
Where can
readers follow you?
Blog: http://sarahdaltry.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/sarahdaltrybooks
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7012679.Sarah_Daltry
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SarahDaltry
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sarahdaltrybook/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sarahdaltrybooks
Title: The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock
Author: Sarah Daltry
Release Date: December 2013
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An experimental
novella reimagining the main figure of TS Eliot’s classic poem of memory,
hopelessness, and loss in a contemporary setting. Approximately 20k words.
A man, bewildered by time and memory,
begins to lose touch with what is real and what he has imagined. Told in breaks
between memory and now, he narrates his emotions as he recalls the man he was,
the man he had hoped to be, and how he became the man he is.
“No one wants to
hear a lonely middle aged man talk about cities or memory. No one wants to know
that the world exists in a kaleidoscope of colors. For one man, indigo is life,
and he does not have time for the man for whom yellow is.”
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Title: Backward Compatible
Authors: Sarah Daltry & Pete Clark
Release Date: December 2013
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For fans of The Guild and Scott Pilgrim…
Not too long ago, in a town that, depending on your current location, is either not super far or actually quite close…
It is a time of chaotic hormones.
Two nerdy gents home for winter break have discovered a female gamer at a midnight release.
During the break, the gamer trio manages to reveal the game’s secret boss, a hidden enemy with enough power to destroy anything in its path.
Pursued by other gamers who want to be the first to beat this boss, George and Katie race to level up, and, in so doing, restore decency and sexual activity to their personal galaxy…
Two nerdy gents home for winter break have discovered a female gamer at a midnight release.
During the break, the gamer trio manages to reveal the game’s secret boss, a hidden enemy with enough power to destroy anything in its path.
Pursued by other gamers who want to be the first to beat this boss, George and Katie race to level up, and, in so doing, restore decency and sexual activity to their personal galaxy…
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