Interview & Giveaway! With Amanda Carlson

I'm THRILLED to have the wonderful Amanda Carlson back on the blog today.  It was amazing meeting her with her tour for Blooded, her novella, and now to have her back for her very first full fledged Novel, Full Blooded, tour!  Congrats on your release Amanda!

Now please welcome Amanda back to the blog.  Oh, and do stick around at the end for a giveaway!

M:  Amanda Carlson!  It is a pleasure to have you back to the blog again.  Thank you for joining us once again.  Now, I’ll say I’ve read Full Blooded and I HAVE TO HAVE Hot Blooded!  Like now!  Lol.  Really, I enjoyed the book thoroughly, and can’t wait for more of Jessica and crew.

AC:  Thanks so much for having me back! So happy to be here and SO happy you enjoyed the book. That’s music to my ears.

M:  Okay, let’s get to a few questions.  And I’ve thought up these questions after reading the book.  I only thought it was fair.  And sorry to say, no easy questions this round as you answered all those the first time. ;)

I have to ask which came first; the character or the world?

AC:  Character. Jessica came rushing into my brain fully formed mid-shift. She had a name, personality and a story to tell. The world unfolded once I immersed myself in the story.

M:  This supernatural world you have created focuses on werewolves, due to Jessica and her family.  I have to say I’m impressed and thrilled with the creation of it.  How did you set about creating this wonderful werewolf world with all its rules and lore?

AC:  Honestly, it was very organic. I wrote what made sense to me as the story progressed. It worked because Jessica was discovering her environment as she went, and I followed her lead. I loved that she had very little understanding of the supernatural community when she shifted. She’d been sheltered for most of her life and had been ordered to keep a low profile after she won her freedom off Compound.

M:  There is a lore believed by the werewolves that Jessica is possibly Cain’s daughter and will bring the fall of Pack with her.  There might be some truth to this lore?  Maybe?  But maybe not in the way others took it to be…  Will we get to learn more of this, or what the other sects think might happen, in Hot Blooded?

AC:  The Myth was a very tangible way to bring fear into the Pack early in Jessica’s life. The wolves were already restless when she was born, this drove that fear home. In Hot Blooded there’s definitely a lot of self discovery, along with some fun twists and turns. Jessica’s on a journey in more ways than one and the reader, as well as Jessica, finds out fairly quickly that everything is not how they thought it once was.

M:  By the end of the book the supernatural world is opening up to be larger than the werewolves.  There are different were-creatures along with witches/sorceresses, and so much more here.  Will we get a scoop on more of the different sects from Jessica’s blend of allies?

AC:  Most definitely! New players will be introduced along with LOTS of fun magical baddies. I really had a blast bringing interesting creatures into my world. My world is big. If it exists in any kind of mythology, it can exist in my world. This opens up the playing field to almost anything. *evil cackle*

M:  Oh this is so cool to hear there's an open playing field here, and hoping we'll get to see this world for some time to come.

M:  Do you have a scene that was more difficult than others to write?  For what reason?

AC:  In Full Blooded there wasn’t a particular scene that was most difficult, it was more my early writing style that needed the most work. In the beginning, as many new writers do, I included EVERYTHING and did a lot of over explaining. Finding my true voice and tightening the prose took a lot of work. That’s been the most difficult part to master, but it’s a labor of absolute love. I feel every author keeps learning and getting better, honing their skills with every word they write. My goal is for each book to read better than the last.

M:  You have loads of action scenes.  How did you prepare for writing these?  Did you take karate classes, or self defense classes to add to the knowledge?

AC:  LOL, no classes! I LOVE action. Writing it is tricky, but so much fun. While I write it plays out in my mind and I try to write it exactly how I see it, and then I go over it again and again. Writing sex actually takes me longer (word choices are trickier)!

M:  You’re story was non stop with situations and information.  You have found the perfect combination of how to share it with the reader and keep us flipping the pages.  Is there a thought process or motto you use when writing to keep the story non stop, to not get caught up in unimportant events or conversations?  (I’ve learned when in doubt, try to kill the character.  It adds action and brings out so much more in other characters.)

AC:  I don’t think about it in concrete terms. Most of the time I have my head down and make sure Jessica is in constant motion. The hardest scenes for me to write are the in between scenes. You need transitions, but I’m always bored writing them. I think that’s why you don’t see many, and when you do they’re on the short side. I had Jessica cook and clean up an entire dinner in one paragraph! The thrill of writing for me is in the action and movement of the story. I don’t want to wait around for much. Hot Blooded is a non-stop adventure, so I HAD to make sure I gave the reader a few places to rest and take a breath, LOL! But there aren’t many. It’s just my style.

M:  Well, for me, I love your style then. :)

M:  Right now you have an e-Novella, Blooded, and first novel, Full Blooded out.  Any word on Hot Blooded, book two yet? (yes, I’m gnawing at the bit to get it!)  And any word on future books with Jessica yet?

AC:  Hot Blooded is already in, written. I’m waiting on page proofs and it will be out this spring. I’m in the process of finishing Cold Blooded (and having SO MUCH FUN). It will hit shelves fall of 2013. There’s no word yet on more…but I’m hopeful if fans enjoy my world I’ll stick around a bit longer. Best way for that to happen is for readers to spread the word. Tell a friend, write a review, etc. The only way my publisher will want more books is if people buy them, so for a debut author, word of mouth is HUGE.

M:  We are soooo definitely going to have to keep the word spreading then. :) I know I want as much as you can offer us.

M:  I have all sorts of questions on the book!  I feel bad asking, but I am curious.  You don’t have to give straight answers, but just a tidbit would be nice. ;)

Will we learn what Rourke is?  You’ve given us tiny clues with the eyes and the claws, and even mention of his face starting to change, but no true definition.

AC:  Yes…eventually, LOL!

M:  Ahhh, I'm going to have to come up with a way to fish some little details out of you about Rourke... hmmm...

M:  Will Jessica be able to understand what’s happened with her and her wolf?  I know she is beyond the normal wolf/human connection like the male werewolves, but the tearing in her mind and the wall she built sound like amazing feats, and I’m curious.

AC:  Yes. In a broad sense. Lots of revelations in the beginning of Hot Blooded. She’ll have a lot on her plate, but I’m not going to string you along. You learn as much as she does, and then it’s up to her to put the pieces together. We get to watch it unfold as it’s happening to her. (Am I being an evil author now? Tantalizing you with tidbits *cackles* I’m not sharing any more!)

M:  Alright, I'm stocking up on colored sticky notes and hoping to figure it out. ;D And yes, you are very Eeeeevil Amanda!  LOL!

M:  Thank you Amanda for joining us and sharing more about your novel with us!

AC:  Thank you so much for having me back! I always love it here; you’re such a gracious hostess. I’m crossing my fingers you love Hot Blooded just as much as Full Blooded. I can’t wait to come back in the spring!

M:  So glad you have me on your calendar to return, I've got the calendar open for you!

M:  I wish you all the best in words and pages.  Look forward to having you back many times over in the future, as I’m hooked on the series now. 

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And if you are curious as to how much I loved the novella Blooded, you can catch my review as well.
My Review of Full Blooded is up today as well, if you want to see how much I loved it.

Would you like to purchase a copy of the Novella?  Is is available for the small price of $2.99, and so worth every penny and more.  You can find any format you need at Orbit Short Fiction.

Or purchase the Novella and Novel on Amazon, or any Book Seller.
     On Amazon:
          Blooded: A Jessica McClain Novella

          Full Blooded (Jessica McClain)

You can find Amanda on different venues:

   Website: http://www.amandacarlson.com/
   Twitter: @amandaCCarlson
   Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoramandacarlson
   Goodreads:  Amanda Carlson

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Now what you all have been waiting for!

GIVEAWAY!!

Amanda has graciously offered up a Personalized Signed ARC copy of Full Blooded to one lucky follower.

Ends Sept. 26, 2012 12:01 am EST

Open to US and Canada addresses.
(Must fill out Rafflecopter to enter, comments alone will not enter you)

a Rafflecopter giveaway