Beverly and Tamara: Welcome to SSLY. Thanks so much for joining us today. So first why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
— I’m much more boring in person than the characters in my books would suggest 🙂 I read too much, I’m easily addicted to TV shows, and I kind of wish life would randomly turn into a big musical.
Tamara: What do you HAVE to have when you are writing?
— I pretty much constantly like to have something to drink around me, so there’s usually coffee or a bottle of water within reach. I tend to also have my fan running to drown out other noises. Weird, right?
Beverly: When did you start to write, who influenced you?
— When I started writing books (I wrote song lyrics and verse a lot beforehand), I guess I had a combination of influences. The Division Chronicles are YA, which is a genre I started really reading within the last few years. I’d say the books I’ve read in that category were heavy influences, but another really big influence was the fantasy genre I’d already spent a good amount of time with. I kind of feel like I got my characters from reading YA and my battle strategies from reading fantasy. It worked out, somehow.
Tamara: What do you think are the qualities that make up a “hero”?
— Going above and beyond for something important. I don’t necessarily qualify a hero as someone who’s holding a weapon – though undoubtedly those people can be heroes. For me, your next door neighbor could be a hero given the right circumstances, if he’s willing to go out of his way to do the right thing.
Beverly: Can you describe your favorite character? And which of your books is he/she in? How do you come up with your characters?
— From another person’s book? Hmm… I’ve liked many in my day, so that’s a little complicated. One of my favorites is Patch from the Hush, Hush series (Becca Fitzpatrick). I absolutely adore him! For The Division Chronicles, I needed characters who had the genes of some mythical creatures – fairies, dragons, vampires, thunderbirds, etc. – so it was a process to figure out which ones I’d use. Once I narrowed down the species – I wanted an awesome power and a weird side effect for each group – a lot of the characters developed based on that.
Tamara: What are the hardest scenes for you to write? Suspense? Dialogue? And why?
— Battles can be annoying, because they’re so tedious. Everything has to flow together in such a compacted space, and there are only so many words you can say in place of “stab,” so ya know. I don’t know that those scenes are the hardest, but they can be major pains!
Beverly: What is your favorite scene in your favorite book?
— My favorite fiction book is Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. When the gods in the story lose believers, they decrease in power. Om has lost so many that he’s down to one, and he’s a one-eyed turtle. One of the most memorable scenes in the book is when he and his believer (Brutha) are standing in some kind of temple or shrine to a forgotten god – just a voice in the air without any tangible form – and Om gets a bit nervous, basically asking Brutha things like if he’s feeling alright, if he’s eating well. I don’t remember word for word, but it’s still an amusing situation.
Tamara: Who would you choose as your “book boyfriend/girlfriend”? From what book? Author?
— PATCH! Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick!
Tamara: What are your favorite types of heroines? Do you like the damsel in distress who needs saving or the kick-ass variety? Why?
— To be honest, I don’t necessarily have a preference. Like I said, a hero doesn’t have to be a warrior to me, and different characters suit the story in different ways. Eowyn, in my opinion, was a much more awesome character than Arwen in the LOTR movies, but I think Belle from Once Upon a Time might be equally interesting. I don’t necessarily see Belle going up against a witch king (admittedly she fought whatever Philip had been turned into, though more with wits than brawn), but she’s still a strong, noteworthy character in my mind. So whichever between the two fits the story and situation, and is done well.
Beverly: What was your worst date ever?
— I’ll probably post this on some media sites, so to spare said person the embarassment of going, “Oh no! That was me!” I’ll just pass. See how nice I am?!
Tamara: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you? (You have food, water, shelter, all the necessities, so nothing mundane)
— A working genie’s lamp to wish myself off the island, along with a well-stocked kindle and an equally well-stocked MP3 player to hold me over until whatever rescue the genie has in mind happens.
Tamara: What dream or goals have you yet to realize?
— You mean, besides discover that I can sprout fairy wings?
Beverly: What was your most embarrassing moment or the craziest thing you’ve done? C’mon dish!
— Hmm… I’m not sure that this qualifies as crazy, but I did once gallop on an imaginary horse through the food courts of three malls, a friend of mine galloping behind me and clapping. Very Monty Python, and for research purposes.
Tamara: If you were a color what would you be and why?
— Turquoise! Pretty, and a bit abnormal 🙂
Beverly: How do you know you’re in love?
— I fall a little in love every time I open a box of Krispy Kreme.
Beverly: Oh, I loooove Krispy Kreme too!
Tamara and Beverly: Okay. We are SSLY so we have to ask. Who loves you?
— My family, and a friend or two 🙂
Now for some quick fun questions:
Coffee or Tea? Coffee. I recently quit pop, and it’s become a staple in my day.
Tall, dark and handsome or Blond and buff? Tall, dark, and handsome, please. Nothing wrong with blond and buff, and it can be hot, but ya know.
Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla!!!
Blog/Main site: http://clsmithbooks.blogspot.com/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clsmithbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CLSmithBooks
Connie has a giveaway going on :
“//giveawaytools2.com/giveaway.php?sk=199887808”
In Your Wings
When Reeko – eldest prince of his realm – saw the battle in the distance, he ordered his fellow dragons to hurry toward the scene, determined to offer assistance to the fairy kingdom under attack. He had no way of knowing that, in doing so, he would seal his fate as the ruler of a new kingdom in the lands separating the two species with a fairy as his queen. A crown was one thing, but a fairy bride? The thought disgusted him, until she entered the banquet hall. With her beauty and the mischief sparkling in her eyes… Maybe this union wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Although the fairy princess knew Reeko would choose his bride that night, Kiara gave it little thought when she entered the room of the feast. Young, headstrong, and impish even by fairy standards, only a crazy man would select her from among her sisters. So when the prince made his decision – her – she’d been nothing short of stunned. She was to be a queen? A dragon’s bride? What worse hand could life have possibly dealt her?
SSLYblog 