Author Interview & Giveaway: @Skye_Malone and Awaken #ya #paranormal

Hello, lovelies!

I'm very excited to have had the opportunity to ask the fabulous Skye Malone a few questions recently. Skye's new release, Awaken (Book One of the Awakened Fate series), hit stores just a few days ago, and looks like such a good read.

I'd like to stop here and give Skye a HUGE apology. This interview was intended to post on the 7th. With everything going on here, I completely forgot. I'm so sorry!

To make it up to everyone, I will be personally gifting two copies of Awaken (Kindle or Nook). All you have to do to win is tweet the link to this post (make sure you @AKMorgen so I see it!) or leave a comment on the post. I'll pick two random winners on Friday. 

Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski’s plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend’s hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time.

But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which ‘normal’ doesn't even begin to apply.

Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend’s stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own.

It was supposed to be a vacation. It’s turning out to be a whole lot more. 

Please tell us about yourself in fifty words or less.

I’m a fantasy author who looks for magic everywhere – I think I’m incapable of writing a story without it! I live in Illinois but want to travel the world, and I adore sushi, white chocolate, and all things coffee and tea.

What can readers expect from Awaken?

Mermaids, excitement, adventure, and the beginnings of a rather complicated love triangle that will continue through the rest of the series. The plot oscillates between the ocean and the land, and nothing (and in many cases, no one) is ever quite what it seems.

What is the most nerve wracking part of a new release for you?

That moment right before I hit ‘Publish’, when all I can think is: “Oh God, here we go… I hope readers like it!”

That said, however, the nerve-wracking bit takes a far second place to how much I enjoy releases overall. Publishing a book means I finally have something to show the world after the work I’ve put in!

What's been the single most empowering piece of advice you've gotten when it comes to writing?

That’s a difficult question for me! So much of the advice that I’ve received over the years has influenced me; it’s hard to pinpoint one idea that made more of an impact than the others. Lately, however, I’ve been reminding myself of Neil Gaiman’s quote from his work, Instructions. “Trust your story.” It’s about fairy tales, but it resonates with me for writing in terms of trusting where the story leads and what the characters say about that path. It’s good advice, even if it’s not explicitly about writing.

What's been your most challenging writing moment to date?

I guess my answer to this is sort of like my answer to Question #4: There’ve been so many little challenges – even ones that didn’t seem so little at the time – that it’s hard to pinpoint one over the others. Rejections were hard, cruel comments about my writing or stories themselves were hard, disrespect by others was hard… but the thing is, overcoming those challenges and deciding to continue on with writing in spite of them make me proud. They give me something to draw on (in a “Hey, I beat that; I can do this too” sort of way), and those experiences make my stories and characters richer.

What's the worst thing you've ever written? The best?

Not sure on either account, honestly. I’ve learned something from everything I’ve written, so I’m grateful for all of it.

What draws you to fantasy as a reader? As a writer?

I love the idea of a world beyond what we see in front of us, beyond simply ‘the known’. I love the idea that the fantastic could be here and be real, and that people could be capable of so much more than what we think possible. Fantasy gives me the chance to explore that, both as a reader and a writer.

What does a perfect day entail for you?

Me and my laptop, with the words pouring out and the stories ordering themselves into beautiful shapes inside my head. Tea and coffee are undoubtedly also involved.

In high school you were most likely to ….

Be the one with her nose in a book, missing everything happening around her!

You're stuck on an island... what 3 books would you kill to have with you?

Wow, that’s hard too! Only three books… yikes. I’d love to have Blue Girl by Charles de Lint with me. Wicked by Gregory Maguire as well. And then probably The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers, to remind me it’s possible to get off of islands (even if in mostly fantastical ways)!

Do you share any traits or characteristics with your heroine, Chloe?

Hmm…maybe subtle ones. Her thoughts on bookstores are very similar to my own, and her love of the ocean is in some way like mine. Oh, and we both have green eyes. J

Where else can we find you?

Lots of places! Come visit me at any of the following:

My blog: www.skyemalone.com

Twitter: @skye_malone

Google Plus: http://plus.google.com/+SkyeMaloneAuthor

Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorskyemalone

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/skyemalone

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/skyemalone

Tumblr: http://skyemalone.tumblr.com/

Thank you so much for interviewing me and hosting me on your blog today, A.K.! J

About the Author: 

Skye Malone is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, which means she spends most of her time not-quite-convinced that the things she imagines couldn’t actually exist.

Born and raised in central Illinois, she hopes someday to travel the world – though in the meantime she’ll take any story that whisks her off to a place where the fantastic lives inside the everyday. She loves strong and passionate characters, complex villains, and satisfying endings that stay with you long after the book is done. An inveterate writer, she can’t go a day without getting her hands on a keyboard, and can usually be found typing away while she listens to all the adventures unfolding in her head.

Skye also writes YA urban fantasy as Megan Joel Peterson and is the author of The Children and the Blood trilogy. 

Don't forget to comment on or tweet this post for your chance to win a copy of Awaken! Don't want to wait for the giveaway to dive in to Chloe's story?

Awaken is only 99 cents and is now available at Amazon (Kindle,Paperback), Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords. You can also add Awaken to your Goodreads list here.

xoxo,

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon | Barnes and Noble | KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million.