As part of the month-long Something Wicked Returns event, I'm featuring a paranormal book today called Bound by Prophecy, which you can find out about and enter to win a copy of below. The author, Melissa Wright, was super nice to let me interview her for this.
Author Interview
Hello Melissa! I want to welcome you today as part of my stop for the
Something Wicked Returns Blog Tour.
I read your book, Bound by Prophecy (Descendants #1), back in May (You can see my 4.5 star review here, as well as a short excerpt) and loved it! I know this is the second series you have written and both have
been about individuals who possess magic. What made you want to write about
magical characters who live in a contemporary, human world or in other words, in
the Urban Fantasy genre?
Thanks for having me, Tressa!
When I was first inspired to write the Frey Saga, I don't believe I even
stopped to consider the genre. There was no question it would be anything other
than magic and fantasy. And while it was incredibly enjoyable to create a world
with its own rules and endow the characters with different abilities, there was
something missing for me in that pre-technology era. I kept thinking how much
fun those powers would be in a more current setting, and the draw of that new
story was too much to ignore. After all, some of my favorite reads are the ones
with characters you relate to and a world you feel like you can get lost in
because it is so similar to your own. That's what Bound by Prophecy was for me,
and the moment I put those first few ideas on paper, Aern and Emily were born.
I think that’s one thing that worked for me in Bound by Prophecy. The way the plot moves and the
characters felt realistic to me. There was also quite a bit of grit, meaning
their lives weren’t perfect, their path wasn’t easy, and the characters aren’t
perfect. Were the characters and their situation based off of anything specific
or someone specific?
Well, I grew up with three brothers, so there was always that sense of an ambush
waiting around every corner. lol I think a bit of that kind of personal
experience and the personalities of people you've known go into every author's
writing, but for the most part I don't do it intentionally. I wanted the
characters to be real and I knew if that's the kind of thing you'd lived with
your whole life, you'd have no choice but to learn to deal with it. I felt like
Emily should be able to take care of herself and that both she and Aern should
face their respective situations as regular people would.
One thing that I pointed out in my review was about the history behind these
powers that the characters possess. I wanted to know more about how they came
about and how they work and fit in this world. Will that be explained more in
the following books? Can you give us any insight on that without spoiling
anything?
I had planned on touching on the histories of the power and Emily and Brianna's
heritage in the second book, but I received a lot of similar feedback, so I've
actually added even more information in the new story line. That's one thing I
love about being able to interact with readers, because as the author, I know
those details, everything is lined out in my head. But hearing what you're more
interested in gives me an opportunity to share that not just in interview
settings, but in the stories - Emily and Brianna's actual world. I had a little
fun with it, but I can't share much without spoiling book two.
I guess I’ll just have to read it to find out then. ;) I can't wait to see the cover!!!
That pushes me towards another question and something I hadn't really thought of before. Do you feel reviews influence your writing, especially in the middle of a series?
That pushes me towards another question and something I hadn't really thought of before. Do you feel reviews influence your writing, especially in the middle of a series?
In the past, no. I'll be the first to admit that I used to be a bit more
reckless with my stories, and even considered killing off main characters fair
play. But I've learned a lot since then, and I'm not just writing for myself
anymore. I've read those books, and it hurts when someone chops up Prince
Charming right after he confesses his undying love. I'm not going to say I would
change a plot for a fan, but I definitely consider how my choices affect the
reader more. And it's probably not so much with reviews, but when I receive
several emails from people who loved the story and needed to know more, it feels
great to be able to share that.
I can handle some characters dying, but definitely not the main ones,
especially if I love them. I got a little worried in this one towards the end.
Now if I really dislike them. . . that might be a different story. I can think
of a few characters in books right now that I wouldn’t mind coming to a tragic
end, *coughs* (Morgan). ;) Realistically, in some types of stories, everyone
just can’t survive. Of course that doesn’t mean I like it.
Will we be introduced to any new characters in the next book or just get to
know more about the ones we’ve already met?
The second book is told from Brianna's point of view, and focuses mainly on her
part in the prophecy. We'll learn about her past, what the visions are like, and
why she should be worried (so hard to keep this spoiler free). There will of
course be scenes with Aern and Emily, as well as Brendan, Wesley, and Morgan,
but Logan becomes a major player in this one. Only a few new background
characters are introduced, but it still feels like a different world
because we are seeing it through Brianna's eyes.
Are you planning on this being a trilogy or will there be more books than
that, like you have in the Frey Saga?
Right now, I'm thinking it will go to three, but sometimes a character or story
line will grab you and you have no choice but to add another. I really love
these characters and the pace of the stories, so it's probably going to be a
hard series to let go.
In one sentence, tell us why should we read Bound by
Prophecy?
It's a fast-paced new adult paranormal fantasy with a male lead in a bad
situation.
You know, I didn’t even realize this was NA, but now that I think about it the characters aren’t in high school, so it would be NA. I’ve kind of been staying away from that genre since I prefer my books clean (little to no language and no sex). I consider Bound pretty clean, so that makes me even more happy. I don’t know if your characters will cross over my clean line. I’m hoping not, because then I can recommend the whole series to everyone, including my nieces. :)
I always called it YA, but people kept telling me they were NA because of their ages. I do think NA scares people because it's new and because most of the books in that category are angsty or dirty. But I'm glad they are finally making some adjustments because Young Adult was so misleading. I have a thirteen year old niece and her parents assumed (not being readers) that the all encompassing YA genre was safe, but she had some stuff I recognized as definitely not. Toddler to Teen is a bit broad, and while I don't think they'll ever be able to rate them like movies and video games, it would be nice to know if they were junior high age or meant for adults who read YA.
I think you'll always be safe with my characters because my mom reads my books. lol Actually, I get embarrassed when I proof read my own kissing scenes. It's terrible. When you're writing, you don't realize how it comes across, it just seems like something the character would say or do. But when I hear my own audiobooks performed, I cringe at every curse word. But I do try and keep things fairly clean.
What is something unique about you that we may not know (and you don’t mind
sharing)?
I used to race a dirt track car.
That is very dangerously awesome! :) What are your five most favorite books?
My favorites shift constantly, but right now I'd say Sense and
Sensibility by Jane Austen, Watership Down by Richard Adams,
Driving Mr. Dead by Molly Harper, The Scorpio Races by Maggie
Stiefvater, and Hounded by Kevin Hearne.
What made you want to be an author?
I fell into writing a bit by accident, actually. I've always been creative; constantly painting, drawing, making something, so when I wrote Frey, I didn't see it as a career path. It was probably around the end of the second book that I realized this was something I didn't want to live without. So, technically, I was already an author by the time I realized that's what I wanted to be. It's not a bad feeling to have ;)
What is the worst and best part of being one?
Sometimes the stories and characters are a bit like your children after a while. You love them and you want other people to love them, but it's very hard to put them out there. It's the hardest thing, but it's also the best thing, because you get to share it with other people who sometimes love them just as much as you. Nothing feels better than that.
Where do you do most of your writing?
I used to write on iPhone, iPad, note pads, whatever was handy, but now it's a bit more disciplined. I do almost all of my writing at a desk, which I'm a bit obsessive about keeping clean (which is probably just a distraction). I've found I'm more productive with set hours and the same keyboard/monitor screen every time.
Any favorite snacks when you’re writing?
It's hard to snack while typing, but I enjoy getting up every now and again to
rummage through the cabinets. I'll grab handful of almonds or those cheddar jack
cheese cubes and decide I need to go back and rephrase my last paragraph. Mostly
it just feels good to get out of the chair every once and a while to move your
legs and blink your eyes.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I think I'd just like to say thank you. I'm about to release my fifth novel
(eighth title counting the short stories and omnibus) and it feels absolutely
amazing. It's been awesome to know that there are readers who care about what
I'm doing and bloggers hard at work to share the love. I appreciate every one of
you and hope the new book lives up to your expectations.
Thank you, Melissa, for a great interview! You can stop by anytime. I'm definitely looking forward to getting my hands on that second book! You can add her second book, Shifting Fate, to your TBR on Goodreads here.
Bound by Prophecy
(Descendants #1)
by Melissa Wright
by Melissa Wright
YA/NA Paranormal
April 2013 by Createspace
Summary
What he really wants, is for things to go back to normal. But now he’s kidnapped a girl, and his brother’s men are after him. His only hope is to join with the Division, but they have plans of their own, and it’s the last thing Aern is willing to do.
Emily just wants her sister back. She doesn't care about the prophecy, or realize what’s at stake. But when she goes after Aern, the truth of the matter uncoils, and Brianna isn't the only one who’s in danger.
Suddenly, they’re at the center of a secret war, and unless they can work together, they’ll both have a sacrifice too big to make.
About the Author
Melissa Wright is the author of the Frey Saga and the upcoming Descendants series. Melissa spends her time working on novels, but when not writing she can be found on goodreads and pinterest.
You can find Melissa here:
Giveaway
Melissa is giving away:
1 - A copy of the first book in this series or a pre-order of the second book (in paperback if a US winner and ebook if an international winner).
2 - Some swag for one US entrant.
All my usual requirements apply. Please use the rafflecopter below.
Ends 10/31/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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