Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Author Interview: Samantha Young

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance...

It’s bad enough feeling different among the human crowd, but feeling different among wolves?

No one said returning to her pack would be easy, especially after ten years without them, but seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is unprepared for the realities of the transition. Raised in a world where kids aren’t scared by bedtime tales of the bogeyman but by the real life threat of enemy supernaturals who might come creeping into their community to kill them in their sleep, Caia is used to the darkness; she’s used to the mystery and the intrigue of the ancient underworld war she’s bound to by chance of birth. What she’s having trouble with are pack members treating her with wary suspicion, the Elders tucking secrets behind their backs out of her sightline, and her young Alpha, Lucien, distracting her, with a dangerous attraction, from her decision to uncover the truth.

But as the saying goes ‘the truth will out’ and when it does, Caia will only have so long to prepare herself before the war comes pounding on their door threatening to destroy the safe, secret lives of the wolves… and the girl they protect.


Both your adult and young adult series' have all had huge success! How does that feel?  Do you enjoy writing for adults and young adults equally or do you prefer one over the other?

It’s been surreal and utterly wonderful to see readers respond to my books in both genres. Each genre has something that I love that the other doesn’t, so it’s hard to say if I like one more so than the other since I like them for such different reasons. For adult contemporary, I love getting my teeth into
character development. Characterization drives contemporary romance, so it’s a challenge to make sure the characters are layered, complicated but relatable enough to carry the story on their shoulders. With young adult urban fantasy it’s fun getting to revert to a teenager, but also wonderful to world
build and really stretch the imagination.

You're a New York Times bestselling author!  So many people dream of reaching that kind of status, does it still feel surreal?  When you hit the list for the first time what was it like?  Was there a celebratory dance?

Surreal is an understatement. It was my dream to become a NYT bestseller and I don’t really come from a place where dreams come true very often. It was a really emotional thing for me. There was shocked silence followed by maybe an unintentional profanity or two… followed by a happy dance and champagne.

What's your best advice for someone that wants to be a writer?

Keep writing. It’s the simplest advice but the best. The more you write the more you come to understand yourself as a writer – your style, your voice. Equally important is to put your work out there – whether through sites like Wattpad, or through friends, beta readers, blogging. Feedback helps you become a better writer and prepares you for that day you’re ready to either send your manuscript to an agent or self-publish.

You've said a huge part of your life also revolves around music and you incorporate that with your writing.  Any musical influences at the moment?  Favorite bands that are inspiring you currently?

Bastille. I’m pretty much playing him constantly at the moment.

Name three things you loved about writing The Tale of Lunarmorte series.

Writing the action sequences. The banter between Jaeden and Ryder.  Developing the sense of community between the characters.

What's in your reading pile right now?  Any favorites you'd recommend or steer us clear of?

I’m reading Inescapable by Amy Bartol. I definitely recommend!

What's it been like to self-publish your work?  Are there any advantages do you think?  If so, what do you think is the biggest?

It’s been amazing to self-publish and definitely a heck of a lot of work. The advantages to self-publishing is that you have complete control over it and the process e.g. editing, cover art, marketing etc. The disadvantage is that you carry that weight entirely by yourself. It’s also difficult to get our paperback into stores if you self-publish. Moreover, it’s much harder and very expensive to distribute foreign editions of your work. I think the biggest advantage though is controlling the price and longevity. With trade publishing, there can be a shelf-life. Your book can go out of print. With self-publishing it can’t unless you want it to.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?  And if you could only bring three things with you, what would they be and why?

Two words. Sugar Beach. I’d take my kindle, bikini and stationery.

About the Author:
 
 
Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads
 

**Thanks so much again Samantha for stopping by the blog, and for all of you readers and fans out there, if you haven't had the chance to catch up on each of her fabulous YA series, check out any of the links above for more information so that you can get caught up!

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails