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ANDREA CREMER INTERVIEW AND BOOK GIVEAWAY

First I’m going to announce the winners of my big Thank You giveaway. The winners are:




KRISTEN LENZ



EMILY V




GIADA



EISEN

Congrats! E-mail me your addresses so I can send you your books.

Today I’m so excited to be interviewing Andrea Cremer. Her book, NIGHTSHADE, was released in 2010 and was on the New York Bestseller List. WOLFSBANE was just released July 26, 2011. I loved the world Andrea created in NIGHTSHADE and can’t wait to read WOLFSBANE.

Here’s a blurb of NIGHTSHADE from Goodreads:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

And a blurb of WOLFSBANE from Goodreads:

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended-Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer-one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack-and the man-she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Hi Andrea. Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m from a small town on the shores of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. I grew up roaming forests and inventing worlds full of mystery and magic. In addition to writing I’m a history professor at Macalester College and I currently live in Minnesota.

2. Calla is such a strong female character being the alpha of her pack. Yet, she has to learn to be submissive to Ren, the alpha male she’ll mate with. Then she finds a totally vulnerable side of herself when she meets Shay. And Ren is a completely alpha male yet has a gentler side when it comes to Calla. How did you nail your characters? Are there parts of you in Calla?

You never want to say that you hear voices, but when it comes to my characters I definitely hear them. My characters are unique individuals who often surprise me along the way. Ren is a great example as I discovered he had a lot more layers than I realized. Each of my characters is like that in one way or another. Calla and I have the same favorite book – Watership Down – and we both love black coffee. Otherwise I’m much more like Calla’s younger brother, Ansel who is a romantic idealist.

3. Okay, we won’t tell anyone your secret about the voices. I found the hierarchy you created in WOLFSBANE of the keepers (witches) and the guardians (wolves) who protected the keepers but who were ruled by them fascinating. How did you develop this? Is it based on any myths or totally something you imagined?

The world of Nightshade is completely imagined based on my passion for real wolves and my interest in the history of witchcraft.

4. You’ve got an awesome imagination. I read that you’ve never been to Vale, the setting of your book. And that you don’t like caves, another important place in your book. How did you create such a realistic setting not having been to where you’re writing about?

Though I haven’t been to Vail I have been to Colorado several times. Based on those experiences and lots and lots of time on Google Earth I was able to construct the world of Nightshade. Regarding caves – I’m horribly claustrophobic and am therefore terrified of caves. I channel that tension into the narrative.

5. NIGHTSHADE had a lot of plot twists and you ended in a cliffhanger which is unusual for a first book. Then it looks like the fast pace picks up again with Calla and the searchers that you only tell us a bit about in book one. Was this all plotted out before you started or did it come to you as you went?

I’m horrible at plotting, the structure stifles my writing process. I don’t write my books in chronological order but instead write scenes as they inspire me. Then I put all the pieces together to create the overarching narrative.

6. Do you have any tips from your own writing experiences about writing a trilogy?

When I start a trilogy I know the big picture of the story but it’s the details, twists and subplots that come together through the process of writing the books. I’d say you have to be sure the scope of your story is large enough to cover three books – don’t keep stretching things out simply for the sake of another book. Some stories need one book, others need six. Know your characters and your plot well enough to grasp the length you should be aiming for.

7. That’s great advice to have a sense of how many books you’ll need to tell your story. Tell us about your road to publication.

My writing career started literally by accident. I’d always loved writing, but I never thought it was something I could do professionally. In the summer of 2008 I was in a horseback riding accident that left me with a broken foot and orders to stay off my feet for twelve weeks. With nothing to do but sit I decided to try writing a novel – a dream I’d always had but had never given myself permission to try. As soon as I began writing I fell completely in love with the process and knew I wanted to make fiction writing a full-time part of my professional life. I knew nothing about the publishing world so I did research and learned about querying and finding an agent. I signed with InkWell Management in the spring of 2009 and we sold Nightshade to Penguin that summer.

8. I fell in love with writing the same way you did. I know you work full-time as a college history professor. When you’re teaching, how do you juggle writing, teaching, and now marketing? I work full-time too and am dying to know you handle it all.

Honestly I’m still figuring it out. I love teaching and right now I’m able to maintain balance between my many lives. It probably helps that I have dogs rather than children ;)

9. Before I wrote out your interview questions, I googled you and found lots of book reviews and interviews on other blogs. How did you so successfully get the word out when you were a debut author? Are you planning to market any differently for WOLFSBANE?

My publisher, Penguin, has been hugely supportive and did an amazing job with getting word out about the book with bloggers, reviewers and through the amazing Shadow Days campaign they did featuring Shay’s life at Rowan Estate prior to his meeting Calla. I also really enjoy Twitter and blogging – to me they are just other types of writing. I love connecting with readers, it’s so much fun!

10. What are you working on now?

I have three projects going on at the moment. I’m revising a prequel to Nightshade about the origins of the Witches’ War in the Middle Ages. I’m also working on my collaborative novel THE INVISBILITY CURSE with David Levithan. And finally I’m writing a new steampunk trilogy that I’m absolutely in love with.

Good luck Andrea. You can find Andrea at her website and her blog.

I’m giving away one copy of NIGHTSHADE. To enter the contest, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on July 23rd. I’ll announce the winner on July 25th. International entries are welcome.

Next week I’ll be interviewing an upcoming 6th grader who LOVES to read for my ASK THE EXPERT series. She’s Dustin Hansen’s daughter. He’s a follower and often shares tips for our Tuesday tips series. And it’s her BIRTHDAY next Monday. So be sure to stop by and wish her Happy Birthday.

On July 25th, I’ll be interviewing Amy Holder and giving away a copy of THE LIPSTICK LAWS. She has an amazing story about her road to publication that you won’t want to miss.

See you next Monday!

27 comments:

April X said...

Interesting interview :) I loved Nightshade, thanks for the opportunity to win :)

aprilxu2222@gmail.com

Lori M. Lee said...

A collab with David Levithan? CAN'T WAIT!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Thanks so much Andrea for joining us today.

Thanks Lori & April for stopping by.

Christine Fonseca said...

Awesome! Love the new digs!!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Great interview! I laughed at the part where Andrea says you never want to say you hear voices ... and yet we do. Love it! :)

Kristin Lenz said...

Another inspiring interview - thanks for sharing, Andrea. "I grew up roaming forests and inventing worlds full of mystery and magic." This really resonated with me, and I like how you've woven your love of nature into your stories.

And thank you Natalie - Yay, I won Delirium!

storyqueen said...

Andrea, your projects sound so interesting. You seem to be balancing everything amazingly well!

Can't wait to read the latest!

Shelley

Betsy said...

Great interview, this book sounds great, I'm always looking for new reads and this is most certainly going on my list.

Olga said...

Thank you so much for the chance to win such an amazing book! :)
FromOlya@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Natalie,
Great interview with lots of thoughtful questions. Besides process I am also very interested in how an author markets themselves.

Kiki Hamilton said...

Great interview! It's always so interesting to hear about another writer's process! Excited to read WOLFSBANE and I'd love to hear more about the steampunk project!!

Casey McCormick said...

Awesome interview! I love your trilogy advice, and your new projects all sound delicious!

Vivien said...

Loved the interview! I can't wait for more from Andrea!
GFC follower

Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

So excited to read this and yay for anything steampunk!

Nicole Zoltack said...

I so can't wait to read this and Andrea's other projects sound great too!

Books4Learning said...

Great interview!

Victoria Dixon said...

Hmmm. I've never seen anyone write quite like you do, though I definitely have "candy bar scenes" that write themselves out of order and I have to write toward them. I do love it when that happens, but I don't know that I could do a whole novel that way, let alone a series. Course, I've only done one book so far, so who knows how the next one will work? LOL Count me in for the draw. The world sounds fascinating and I'm a sucker for setting.

The Pen and Ink Blogspot said...

Great meeting an author I didn't about. If you have a moment head over for a bit of chocolate. http://bit.ly/p4uUo5

Barbara Watson said...

Andrea, your writing sounds intriguing (I also live in the Twin Cities). Thank you both for the insightful interview.

Martha Ramirez said...

Great interview! Nightshade sounds fascinating.

And how funny, Casey, I just started to read Anna and the French Kiss.:)

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Great interview! Andrea's book sound wonderful. I'll have to pick up a copy of them the next time I go to B & N. :)

A. K. Fotinos-Hoyer said...

Im definitely interested in reading this book now. Thanks for the chance to win!

TerryLynnJohnson said...

ooh, can't wait for that interview. I LOVED the LIPSTICK LAWS.
I also loved Nightshade! My stepdaughter ran off with French Kiss, so I'll have to wait for that one.

Fi-chan said...

thanks for the giveaway! and wow a collaborative novel with David Levithan! Can't wait :D

feeyonachan at gmail got com

Natasha Areena said...

Funny when Andrea said "It probably helps that I have dogs rather than children" haha.

Follower
thebookish96(at)gmail.com

Darcy said...

I never get tired of reading author interviews! Thanks!

Chen Yan Chang said...

Awesome interview and awesome giveaway :). Don't shoot me, but I still haven't read Nightshade!

jadedlittlegirlx [at] gmail [dot] com