Farah Oomerbhoy

Farah Oomerbhoy is the international bestselling author of The Avalonia Chronicles. Her first book, The Last of the Firedrakes, was originally published on Wattpad where it gained over two million reads and a Watty Award. Since publication, The Last of the Firedrakes and book two The Rise of the Dawnstar have gone on to win numerous awards, including matching silver medals in IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. Wielding her master’s degree in English literature and her love of the fantastical, Farah spends her creative time crafting magical worlds for young adults. She lives with her family in Mumbai, India but can often be found checking closets for magic portals to Narnia.

Mar 05 2017

Interview with Author Kelly Martin

Today I’m pleased to welcome author Kelly Martin to the blog. I hope you enjoy getting to meet Kelly! Don’t forget to check out her new series, Dark Things.

1. What made you decide to start writing?

I’ve always loved writing, but I never started it professionally until I was 29. I had 3 small kids at the time (6,4, and 1), and it wasn’t easy to get to go places– or disappear inside my head. My husband bought me a laptop in August of 2011 and when I heard about Nanowrimo in September I figured I wanted to try to write a book. I’d always wanted to. At the end of November, I had the first draft of what eventually became my first published book. I haven’t looked back.

2. Your novels feature great supernatural twists with ghosts and demons. What is your favorite thing about supernatural stories?

I think they are just fun. My favorite TV shows are Buffy, Supernatural, Sleepy Hollow, things like that, so I’ve always been really big into supernatural things. Sometimes they show the most human of emotions when dealing with scary things (and sometimes even the scary things are misunderstood). I love how many different ways stories can go.

3. Can you share with us one of your adventures taking pictures of abandoned houses?

Abandoned house ‘hunting’ is my favorite thing to do (besides writing). It’s so much fun to drive around and find old houses, imagine their stories, take pictures…maybe someday catch a ghost in one of them 😉 I think one of the scariest stories I can tell is when I was way down in a hollow (like WAY down…I live in TN) and I found this really old abandoned house. I stopped to take a picture of it and just as I did, a gunshot rang out and echoed through the valley. Now, I’m not sure if that gunshot was for me…but I didn’t wait around to find out lol. Believe it or not, I have gone back down there, but I haven’t stopped at that house again.

4. If you could go on an adventure with one fictional character who would it be?

Abel from Dark and Deadly Things (I hope it isn’t rude to pick my own book). He has a certain quality about him that would be really nice to have around…if I knew it was being used (I know that’s totally vague).

Also, I’d love to go on an adventure with Eddie from Jennifer Donnelly’s These Shallow Graves. I do so love him.

And if I have to pick from way back (I realize I’m giving you three answers lol), I think it would have been fun to go on an adventure with Jonathan Harker from Bram Stoker’s Dracula…you know, at the beginning of the book 😉 Though I don’t think ‘fun’ is the word he’d use for it.

5. If you could make everyone read one book and one book only by an author other than yourself, what book would it be and why?

Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I’m reading it now for the first time. It is so good! A current book would be These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly. It was nothing like I expected, but oh so good!

6. What are your favorite ways to connect with readers?

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube…anywhere really. You can find all my links at my website: www.kellymartinbooks.com.

7. What is the best advice you would give to young writers?

I think the cliche thing to say is not to give up. And it is hard to hear– but it is true. Also, your first draft is in no way supposed to be perfect. It is a draft. Have fun with it. Everything can be fixed in editing. Don’t get so distracted or focused on the small things that you lose sight of finishing the story.

About the Author:

Kelly Martin writes paranormal, contemporary, historical, and YA fiction. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she’s not writing, she loves taking picture of abandoned houses, watching horror gamers on YouTube– even though she’s a huge wimp– and drinking decaf white chocolate mochas. She’s a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to paranormal TV shows. {Basically, she likes creepy stuff.} Her favorite characters are the very flawed ‘good guys’–and ‘bad guys’ who don’t know they are evil. She loves giving her readers books with unexpected twists and turns, but (here’s a hint) most of her books have the ending spelled out in the first chapter. See if you can figure it out. Visit her on her website.

About the Book:

Darkness is devious.

Now that Abel Hale and Elise Morgan have been forced to hunt ghosts for Silas Ford’s television show, things are about to get all kinds of freaky.

Their first case involves Shonda King, a mother in Kentucky whose friendly childhood ghost has turned into an adult nightmare. Shonda, terrified for the safety of her family, wants Abel and Elise to get rid of the ghost– by any means necessary.

Sarah, though, is much more powerful than Abel and Elise realize. She’s a doppelganger who can make herself into anyone– anything.

When you have as much baggage as Abel and Elise have, that is not a good thing.

Locked down for forty-eight hours, can Abel and Elise fight through all of Sarah’s tricks? Or will their two days of terror be enough to end their partnership– and their lives– forever?

Book 2 in the series:
Dark and Deadly Things (book 1)
Dark and Devious Things (book 2)
Dark and Dreadful Things (book 3– April 2017)

Buy on Amazon

Jan 27 2017

Feature in DNA India

I was honored to be featured in DNA India on January 18, 2017.

Oct 18 2016

Interview with Author Trish Cook

Today I’m pleased to welcome author Trish Cook to the blog. I hope you enjoy getting to meet Trish! Don’t forget to check out her book, Outward Blonde, out today on B&N.

1. What got you interested in writing?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, even as a little kid, and always did it for enjoyment. Once I graduated college, any time someone asked me what my biggest dream was, I’d always say “to write a book.” It took me a decade or so more to actually get started on that dream, but since then I’ve never looked back. Outward Blonde is the fifth YA book I’ve had published (and I’ve certainly written other ones that have never seen the light of day—I consider them my precious practice babies.)

2. What was your inspiration for Outward Blonde?

For Outward Blonde, the inspiration came from my publisher, Adaptive Books. They have a really unique way of approaching YA books: They take unmade film projects and ask YA writers to create novels based on them. Outward Blonde was originally a movie set to star Hilary Duff. Adaptive Books came to me with what they call a “spark page”—just the most basic outline of what the story is: A spoiled, rich New York girl gets in trouble and gets sent to wilderness camp. I never read the script for the movie that was never made. I just developed the story based off the spark page and had so much fun doing it.

3. Glam vs. Nature, which would you pick?

Both! I love putting on a cool outfit for a night out in the city, and I also love enjoying all the wildlife surrounding the river at rowing practice—heron, turtles, ducks, geese, deer, fox, beavers.

4. How did it feel releasing Outward Blonde into the wild vs. how it felt releasing your first book?

Less scary! Being that this is my fifth time around, I know what to expect (and what not to expect!) I think I had some crazy idea the first time around that my life would completely change after the release date. This time, I know we’ll have a bunch of fun at the launch party, and from there, hopefully, the book finds a receptive audience but I have to just let it happen and be happy with the results.

5. What is your favorite way to connect with readers?

I love when readers write me emails about how a book I’ve written has affected them. I can give them an extended answer and I love the exchange of ideas. I also love Twitter for short, witty conversation!

6. Do you have any other creative hobbies?

I’m kind of a secret crafter. Right now I’m embroidering shirts for the ladies in my boat at Head of the Charles. Shhhhh, don’t tell them, it’s a surprise. I also like to make iMovies after a trip or special event using pictures/videos we’ve taken during it and songs that remind me of it. Basically, I like to make things that make my friends happy/laugh/remember the good times we’ve had together.

7. What is one thing on your bucket list you’ve done, one thing you want to do but aren’t likely to, and one thing you know you will do but haven’t yet?

Two things on my bucket list that I’ve already checked off are running a marathon and seeing a concert at Red Rocks. Both amazing experiences! Something I’d love to do and hopefully will one day when I have enough time and resources is go on a bike trip somewhere exotic. I love the idea of seeing awesome new sights every day and getting a good workout in at the same time. Something I’d love to do but probably won’t—mostly because my regular travel companions would likely want to do this some other way—is to wander through Europe with just a backpack full of belongings, going from hostel to hostel, with no particular agenda. Just go wherever we feel like it on any given day, wherever the adventure takes us. (Basically, I guess I’d like to be a teenager again!)

8. What is your favorite thing about being an author?

My favorite thing about being an author is making things up as I go along and seeing where my characters take me in a story. It’s always a surprise to watch them grow and change. Where the brain comes up with these things is a mystery and it’s so cool to experience. And to be honest, I also love making my own hours and not having to adhere to a strict schedule.

9. What is the best advice you would give to young writers?

To all aspiring writers: Write. And keep on writing. And don’t let anyone make you stop. Share your writing with friends you trust, or find an online community. Writing is a lonely sport, but we do it to connect with others through words. So let someone see what you’re doing. You’ll get better because of it and find a sense of camaraderie too. Join clubs at school, like the newspaper or literary magazine, and share your talents with others. Be brave and submit your writing to contests. There are even summer programs and literary conferences that are like writing camps where you can go and bond with other creative people. Dream big. Why not? You never know what you can do unless you try. Trust that you know yourself well enough that you’re probably not going to grow out of whatever it is you dream of doing. If you’re scared—even more reason to give it a shot. That just means you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and that’s okay. Be brave. Start now.

10. What can readers be on the lookout for from you next?

I have this big idea I’m just starting to put on paper that was sparked by a crazy news story. It’s still very much at the fledgling idea stage so we’ll see if it works out!

About the Author:

Trish Cook is the author of four YA novels: So Lyrical, Overnight Sensation, Notes from the Blender, and A Really Awesome Mess. Her personal essays have appeared in Graze Literary Magazine and Spittoon, and she is currently completing her memoir, tentatively titled Bret Michaels at the Symphony. When she’s not writing, Trish is a runner, rower, music and pop culture fanatic. Visit her on her website.

About the Book:

Sixteen-year-old Lizzie Finkelstein is a hard-partying socialite who lives a charmed life with her mother in Manhattan. After a public drunken escapade results in both an arrest and an embarrassing viral video online, Lizzie’s parents stage a late night intervention. Lizzie finds herself whisked away to Utah to learn a lesson or two about taking responsibility at Camp Smiley, a wilderness survival program for troubled kids.

Camp Smiley is a far cry from Lizzie’s high society life in New York. Without her stable of luxury hair/makeup items, her teacup Pomeranian, contact with the outside world or access to social media, Lizzie must face the harsh conditions of the outdoors. Grouped with troubled campers in which she’s certain she has nothing in common (except Jack, who’s pretty hot), Lizzie must now learn to dig her own toilet in the woods and build a fire by rubbing two sticks together before the camp will ever let her go back to her former existence. She has a choice: get with the program, or get out of there.

Buy on B&N

Sep 19 2016

Quiz: How well do you know The Last of the Firedrakes?

Comment below with your score. Let’s see who knows The Last of the Firedrakes best!

Sep 11 2016

Interview with Author E.C. Myers

Today I’m pleased to welcome author E.C. Myers to the blog. I hope you enjoy getting to meet E.C.! Don’t forget to check out his books and the neat trailer for his latest release at the end of the post.

1. What made you decide to start writing?

I’ve wanted to write a novel since I was young because I’ve always been an avid reader; however, my early efforts (at age 13) were not promising. By the time I finished college, I thought I wanted to write screenplays—but I didn’t want to move to LA. So I started working on short stories, and eventually novels, figuring I can do that no matter where I live.

2. What is it like releasing your fourth novel vs. your first?

I’m less anxious about how it will be received because by now I have a better idea of the realities of publishing and how to manage my expectations. I’m still amazed that I get to do this for a living.

3. What was your inspiration for your SOS Thriller series?

The idea initially came from Adaptive Books and the unproduced screenplay on which The Silence of Six is loosely based, but as we developed the story and I began writing, my inspiration came directly from the headlines about government surveillance and internet privacy.

4. Your first book, Fair Coin, was a science fiction tale, was there a reason you decided to branch out into thrillers?

Primarily, I wanted to challenge myself, to see if I could write something outside of my comfort zone—and on a much tighter deadline than I had ever worked before. I think it’s always important to push yourself to try new things, and sometimes to “fail better,” if you want to grow as a writer and keep the work interesting.

5. Do you have a favorite genre to read? Is it the same as the genres you write in?

My favorite genres are still science fiction and fantasy and those are primarily young adult and middle grade. And these are also the genres I write in, though I have written contemporary fiction and would love to try more horror and maybe a mystery novel one day.

6. As a writer how to you juggle your other responsibilities to find time for your writing?

Um, poorly…? Though I have always been good about prioritizing writing, I’ve discovered that there actually are limits to how much I can squeeze into a day, and other demands in my life are not so flexible anymore and tend to push back against the writing. These days I have a full-time day job, a two-year-old, various needy pets, and a very busy spouse. Let’s just say I’m glad I made so much time before, and I look forward to having more time again one day. Writing is slow, but somehow I’m still producing stuff that’s getting published. I don’t sleep as much as I should.

7. What is your favorite thing about being an author?

Meeting and talking to readers and getting e-mails from them. I write because I want people to read my stories, and nothing beats interacting with people who enjoy your work. Social media is also great for connecting authors and readers, and I always try to respond when people reach out.

8. What is the best advice you would give to young writers?

Read. A lot. Read everything. And don’t think about writing, just write—and then revise, revise, revise.

9. What can readers be on the lookout for from you next?

I’m really excited about ReMade, a weekly YA science fiction series I’ve been co-writing for Serial Box, which is like “HBO for readers.” It’s debuting on September 14 at http://www.serialbox.com/serials/remade. Each story can be consumed in about 45 minutes like an episode of a TV drama (there are also well-produced audio versions if you prefer to listen rather than read), and they connect and build over the course of a season to tell a bigger story. I wrote three episodes for season one, and because I was intimidated by how amazing my co-writers are, I’ve been pushing myself to do what I think is some of my best work yet. And the project ties back to my original dream of writing for film and television! Readers can subscribe at the site to get new episodes as they are released every Wednesday, or they can buy episodes individually, and the first one is always free and already available online.

About the Author:

E.C. Myers is the author of the Andre Norton Award–winning Fair Coin and Quantum Coin, young adult science fiction novels published by Pyr, and the acclaimed young adult thriller The Silence of Six from Adaptive Books. Connect with him on his website, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr.

About the Book:

After being a key figure in the exposing of government corruption, Max Stein has spent a quiet semester abroad in Paris, studying, staying off the Internet, and looking for his long-lost mother. But just as he is about to fly back to the United States for the holidays, trouble manages to find him once again.

Max receives a call from Penny, his on-again-off-again girlfriend who is part of the expert hacking duo DoubleThink. She wants him to meet with Ada Kiesler, a high-profile whistleblower hiding out at a foreign embassy in Berlin. Max has no interest in getting drawn into another corporate conspiracy. But when airport security suddenly detains him on suspicion of cyber-terrorism, he has little choice but to get involved. Soon Max and Penny are tangling with a new group of shadowy figures who are determined to control how the world shares its information. And some figures from Max’s past resurface, including his own mother, whose life has mirrored his own in more ways than he’d realized.

In this action-packed follow up to The Silence of Six, Max and his hacker friends must fight to expose a corrupt corporation that has been systematically taking control of the Internet.

Buy on B&N

Farah Oomerbhoy

I was honored to be featured in DNA India on January 18, 2017.

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