Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Blitz : Defy

Do you read the same kinds of books that you write? What authors have influenced you?

I have a fairly eclectic taste in books. I like a little bit of everything: Romance, mystery, suspense, and of course, I read a lot of young adult romance.
That said, my favorite genre is young adult. I read a good mix of both YA contemporary romance and paranormal romance.
Most of the books I’ve published to date have been YA contemporary romance. However, paranormal is by far my favorite. I love books that can pull you out of everyday life. I think paranormal romance does that in a way that no other genre can. There is just so much more an author can do with paranormal romance. They can really take the reader anywhere.
My favorite authors are Kim Harrison and Richelle Mead. I’ve read everything they’ve written. I’ve actually read several of their books twice. That’s not something I do often because my TBR pile (like everyone else’s) grows by the day. I believe that of all of the books I’ve read, these two authors have influenced me the most. I aspire to someday be as wonderful at world building and storytelling as these two amazing ladies are.

Defy by Amity Hope 

(Malice #3)
Publication date:
May 29th 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Goodreads: Click
Purchase: Amazon | B&N
Tristan and Samara have been best friends since they were kids. Somewhere along the way that friendship turned into something deeper. Sam knew Tristan better than anyone…but as it turned out, she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. Now that Tristan’s secrets are out—and he’s embraced his magic—there should be nothing standing in their way.
But in the small town of Granite Falls, where magic abounds, life is never simple.
The Council is out for revenge.
So is Tristan’s father.
Sam, Tristan, and their friends just might get swept away in an age-old magical battle. A battle where the “good guys” might not be so good.

* * Malice (book 1) is free and Avenge (book 2) is only .99 cents * *

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview Questions:

1) What made you decide to write the Malice series?
There are so many books out right now that are so similar. I wanted to come up with a completely unique storyline.

2) What made you choose to become a writer? Is it a long time passion?
Yes, writing is a longtime passion. I’ve been an avid reader my whole life. I started writing when I was in high school. I stopped writing for a bit when my kids were small. I had been working at a job where I was fortunate enough to have my summers off. I wrote Twisted (my debut novel) just for fun, over a summer vacation. I held onto it for a few years while I worked on other books. At the time, there was no such thing as self-publishing. Eventually e-readers came out and I decided to take a chance. I haven’t regretted it and only wish I’d self-published sooner.

3) Do you have a favorite place you like to write?
I’m easily distracted. I can only write at home, in my office. I do keep a notebook with me everywhere I go. I’m always jotting down ideas, scenes, or lines that come into my head.

4) Do you write an outline before you wrote Malice or did you skip the outline and jump into the full story? If you used an outline, did you find it easier to write your book or harder?
When writing I usually come up with my own version of an outline. I list out the chapters. From there I write down the ideas/scenes that have popped into my head. There ends up being a lot of cutting and pasting as I move chapters around. This method probably wouldn’t work for everybody but it has worked well for me. It’s a fluid approach and it’s easy to make changes as the story unfolds.

5) What are some of your favorite past times besides writing? I love to read, that’s probably a given. Both of my sons are in baseball and I spend a good chunk of spring and summer going to their games. In the winter we love to go to hockey games.

6) What do you hope readers will get out of reading the Malice trilogy?
A unique reading experience. There are so many books on the market right now and a lot of them are so similar. I wanted to take the storyline in a direction I hadn’t read about before.

7) Do you have a future book planned?
I am working on Burned, a romantic coming of age comedy. It is a spin-off from a book I wrote a while ago (Ditched).

Ten things you didn’t know about the author

1) We have a pet crayfish. His name is Dezmo. He was adopted from my son’s 4th grade science class.
2) When I was in middle school I used to sneak Stephen King books out of the public library (my mom would not have approved!). I would read them on the top bunk of my bunk bed, under the covers, with a flashlight so I wouldn’t wake my little sister. I used to scare myself senseless.
I don’t read Stephen King anymore. I’ve turned into a wimp.
3) I adore Jensen Ackles from Supernatural. Because how could you not?
4) I am not a crier. I hate crying. The first book that ever made me cry was Where the Red Fern Grows (in 5th grade). The only other book that has made me cry was Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. I blame that on the fact that I stayed up until 5AM to finish it. I was emotional and overly tired. (Actually, it was really just that good).
5) I love Dimitri Belikov. He’s my favorite book boyfriend. Hence the tears at the end of Shadow Kiss.
6) I don’t know a thing about cars but I’m fascinated by old cars. I love going to classic car shows. I dream of having a garage full of old, restored cars. Especially a pink and white ’57 Bel Air.
7) I’m a very questionable cook (just ask my poor children). However, I really love to bake. Especially bread. I don’t buy bread from the store anymore.
8) On the rare occasion that I have the house to myself for the weekend there’s a good chance I’ll end up watching Netflix. I love old episodes of Charmed, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries… (You get the picture).
9) I’ve had maybe half a dozen cats throughout my life. Every one of them has been a “rescued” cat. I currently have two—Princess Jellybean (a Siamese mix) and Sasha (a Maine Coon mix). We adopted them three years ago. My boys each picked out one and named them.
10) I love the Pretty Little Liars them song. It’s so catchy and yet so creepy. It goes through my head all the time. Mostly when I’m trying to concentrate on something else.

Amity lives in beautiful northern Minnesota with her two sons, two cats and their Rottweiler. 

She has a degree in elementary education and worked in that field for ten years before deciding to self-publish.

Her first self-published novel, Twisted, was listed by Amazon as a Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Book of 2012. It hit Amazon's Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance Best Sellers List in several countries. Truths and Dares held the #1 position on Amazon's Best Sellers in Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance eBooks in the UK.

If she's not writing, or spending time with her boys, she's most likely reading.

Next planned release:
Defy---MAY

Author links:

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