Today, I have pleasure in hosting Candace Knoebel during her Embracing The Flames Tour. She took time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Please make her feel welcome by commenting on this post, or asking your own questions!
Embracing the Flames Blurb:
The Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the
watch of the Draconta. That is, until the betrayal of a Fate. Now everything is
about to change.
Aurora Megalos accepted
her destiny without blinking-even if it meant succumbing to her dragon side.
Deemed the Progeny, she left the ordinary life she knew and has done everything
in her power to learn the ways of her new realm and what it means to be part
dragon. But when her mentor, Astral, suddenly disappears, she is forced to take
the reins.
With war on the brink,
she sets out on an epic journey to not only find her mentor, but to stop her
Arch Enemy, Zordon, from obtaining the Stone of Immortality. But what she
discovers about him along the way is far worse than she could’ve ever imagined.
She will be tested and pushed to the limit. Lives will be lost, love will be
questioned, and a battle will begin.
Author Bio:
Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy. Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013.
Candace Knoebel dreamed of being a dancer ever since she could remember. With a love of all things art, she saw herself moving to New York and pursuing her passion as an artist. But all that changed on October 10th, 2002 when she met the love of her life. Her dreams diverged and after marrying her high school sweetheart and having two beautiful children, she realized she missed her creative side. Through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, she built a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.
Author Links:
Author Interview:
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be
a writer?
Back in 2009.
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
Between three to five months depending what is
going on in my personal life at the time.
3. What do you think makes a great story?
Relatable characters and a climax that you
didn’t see coming.
4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
Crazy lol. I have two little ones, plus I
babysit an infant, so I squeeze in writing and promoting in between all of
that.
5. How do you balance family and writing?
5. How do you balance family and writing?
Very carefully. It’s definitely not easy,
especially considering I have two little ones. They require lots of love and
attention and I enjoy spending my time with them so I put most of my writing in
during naps and after bedtime.
6. Where do you get your information or
ideas for your books?
My head and Google. If I need to know something
factual I Google it, but mostly I make it up. That’s one of the perks of
writing in the fantasy genre.
7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book/s?
7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book/s?
That I can actually do it. I’ve written an
entire trilogy, start to finish, with everything wrapped up. I still have a
hard time calling myself an author with two published and two on the way.
8. How many books have you written? Which is
your favourite?
Four so far. My favorite would be the fourth
only because it is a brand new project so the newness of it gets my adrenaline
going. It’s a whole new world to discover. The title is Starfall. It will fall under paranormal romance genre...I think.
9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
Some are, yes. You have to start somewhere and
you pull from life experience when writing. For the most part.
10. Do you have a favourite place you love to
write?
In my living room. It’s the only place I can
write right now lol.
11. How hard is it to get published?
11. How hard is it to get published?
Very hard. Competition is fierce and you have
to be on your A game when writing your query letters. Know who you are writing
to and what you are writing about.
12. What do your family and friends think about your books?
12. What do your family and friends think about your books?
They love them. I have a great support system
inside of my family and friends. I am very blessed. My mom told me after she
finished reading my second novel the other day that she couldn’t believe she
gave birth to someone with such an imagination lol.
13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Too many things to put down. But a few of them
include watching movies with my husband, playing with my kids, swimming, going
out just to get out of the house, painting. Whatever strikes me in the moment
really.
14. Do you have any suggestions to help
aspiring writers better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they?
Just remember that there is always room for improvement, and
everyone has to start somewhere. Don’t
take criticism personally, just try to learn from it. Don’t give up no matter
what. Opinions shouldn’t sway your dreams. And keep reading.
15. As a child, what did you want to do when
you grew up?
I wanted to be a dancer (I trained for 15
years) living in New York and scraping my way through school. Then I met my
husband (at 15) and fell madly in love. A farmer boy and a city girl type
romance lol.
16. What are your favourite books and which
authors inspire you?
The
Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games, Twilight, Black Dagger
Brotherhood series, The Great Gatsby,
Jane Eyre, The Catcher in the Rye...ect. They all inspire me.
17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published?
17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published?
Do learn who you are submitting to and don’t
just expect them to roll the red carpet out for you. Also, keep in mind that it
may not even have anything to do with your writing if you are rejected. It
could be a cold going through their office, that time of the month, an intern
who read it first... you have to keep trying no matter what.
And if that doesn’t work, self-publishing is
all the rage right now. Just make sure you do your research before jumping into
that. Create a platform. Get a blog and Facebook page. Venture out into the
writer world.
18. What are you working on now?
Starfall, which will be a paranormal series. Not sure how many books yet though. I am very amped about this project.
18. What are you working on now?
Starfall, which will be a paranormal series. Not sure how many books yet though. I am very amped about this project.
Thank you, Candace for taking the time to speak to me!
Book 1 in the Born in Flames trilogy
Red mirrored scales race up my arms as
the haze of pain blurs my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I
scream. It is then that the realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am
of a dying race. I am dragon.
Aurora
Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of adulthood, thought finding her
past would curb the sting of being an outcast. Having no memories of the time
before she awoke on her foster mother’s doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness
inside her to be filled. With her fellow orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her
side, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. But something powerful
stirred within her that she couldn’t explain. Something wanted out.
In the
dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases everything she’s ever
known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two paths. Return to her true
home to protect a dying race against a growing evil, or stay hidden in the
safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a vengeful Arch Enemy
stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of time; a decision must
be made. What would you choose?
Links for purchase:
Book 2 in the Born in Flames
trilogy
The
Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the watch of the Draconta. That
is, until the betrayal of a Fate. Now everything is about to change.
Aurora Megalos accepted her destiny without
blinking-even if it meant succumbing to her dragon side. Deemed the Progeny,
she left the ordinary life she knew and has done everything in her power to
learn the ways of her new realm and what it means to be part dragon. But when
her mentor, Astral, suddenly disappears, she is forced to take the reins.
With war on the brink, she sets out on an epic
journey to not only find her mentor, but to stop her Arch Enemy, Zordon, from
obtaining the Stone of Immortality. But what she discovers about him along the
way is far worse than she could’ve ever imagined. She will be tested and pushed
to the limit. Lives will be lost, love will be questioned, and a battle will
begin.
Will be
available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KOBO, and 48fourteen.com
as of 07/17/2013.
Follow the Blog Tour Here!
Great post and interview Lynn! Thank you.
ReplyDelete