Interview with Author Amanda Carlson

I'm so thrilled to have a new author with us today, Amanda Carlson.  Amanda is making quite a start with her series with the amazing Novella, Blooded.  (I loved this, and if you are curious about it, please check out my review!)

Please give a warm welcome for Amanda...

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M:  Welcome to the blog Amanda!


So glad you can join us today.  Congratulations on your new novella! You have to be excited to be making your debut into the booking world.


You are going to start us off with a Novella, to get to meet your main character, Jessica, and the world she lives in, then a Novel coming out in September. I think this is a wonderful idea to start us out with a novella then to the novels. Was this your plan for the series?

AC:  Originally no! I sold FULL BLOODED, along with the next two books in the series, to Orbit last summer, without thinking about a novella. But very quickly, especially as a debut author, I felt it was necessary to get a sample of my voice out there. My books are coming out in trade size, so giving readers a glimpse into my world, in a short story format, was an excellent way to get that without a big monetary commitment upfront. It was an absolute blast to write!! I’m so glad I did it. It really helped me flesh out Jessica’s past and get a deeper glimpse of where she came from. I’m so hoping readers connect with her and her story. It became a big, fun, juicy prologue to the series! So when the novel begins, it starts off with a BANG. (BTW, with the novella, you also get the first chapter of the novel included, so you get a sneak peak!)

M:  Can you tell us a little about the novella. I’ll have to have you back when your novel comes out, in September, to chat on it.

AC:  Sure! The novella starts out seven years prior to the books, in the only way it can—with Jessica fighting for her life. Jessica McClain is born the only female in an all male race. The only problem is, she’s not born a wolf. My wolves are a superstitious in the extreme, and issues begin to emerge immediately after her birth. A myth names Jessica something evil and generates years of fear and unease, making her a target her entire life. Once she turns eighteen, the wolves decide she is finally fair game. The scrapping gets dirty, so she’s forced to challenge her first wolf in a very public way. By making it a challenge, she defies her father and ultimately forces him to make a decision. She has decided she wants a life of her own off Compound—or no life at all.

M:  Jessica has to be one tough chick to live with all those men this long. Is there one thing Jessica enjoys doing?

AC:  Jessica enjoys surviving! Other than that, we don’t see much of her hobbies in this snippet of her life. But life on Compound has made her funny, sarcastic and someone who doesn’t take everything too seriously. I love that about her. Things start to move quickly in the beginning of FULL BLOODED, but what happens to her isn’t automatic. She’s as rattled as you would be and the reader gets to take the trip with her, experience it as she does. It’s a fun, action-packed ride.

M:  Okay, Some fun questions for you Amanda…

One question I ask all visitors… If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

AC:  Oooo, that’s a great question! I love traveling more than anything. My husband and I have a huge bucket list with places we want to visit all over the world. One place for sure: Bora Bora. Seriously, if I don’t get to stay in one of those rooms above the crystal clear water, I don’t think it will count this as a full life! But, honestly, I can only hope I’ll be so lucky someday. In addition, for all you travelers out there, one of my favorite destinations in the entire world is La Ropa Beach in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It’s a slice of heaven. If you can get there, you won’t be sorry.

M:  Tea or Coffee?

AC:  Coffee! Three cups in the morning (because that’s what’s left after hubby leaves), with a little bit of sweet and little bit of cream. I don’t do tea, except for an occasional Chai. I do love Chai, but maybe because it resembles flavored coffee?

M:  Favorite Color?

AC:  That’s a tough one. That’s also something my son is always asking. He is the king of “What’s your favorite…(fill in the blank)?” I think I’d have to say green. But not any green—a cool sagey kind of green. Kelly green is too shocking and lime green is just irritating, but there’s definitely something about green that always puts me in a good mood.

M:  Favorite Childhood Fictional Creature?

AC:  Not sure if you mean literary fictional creatures or just in general? There are so many! When I was young I loved Judy Blume & Paula Danziger, but graduated to Anne Rice pretty quickly. I loved Lestat and his tortured soul, so early on it was vampires. Anne Rice was my first hook into the genre, like many of you, and I couldn’t get enough. My earliest memories of enjoying fictional creatures, not in a book, was Saturday morning cartoons. I’m going to date myself here and give a shout out to the Krofft Supershow! Land of the Lost and the Sleezstaks were awesome. I have a shout to the Sleezstaks in another project I’m working on. They gave me a visceral reaction as a young child. Nothing better.

M:  Now as an adult what’s your Favorite Fictional Creature?

AC:  I’d have to say in general my favorite “creature” would be werewolves, which explains why I write about them. The ability to shift into something else—to become something else is exhilarating to me. Plus, they’re strong, hot blooded and attractive! That’s a perfect trifecta to me.

M:  Favorite word? (any word at all)

AC:  Kickass. A totally made up word by all accounts, but it’s in my style sheet as an official word, and every time I type it I smile. Can’t beat that.

M:  Amanda, thank you kindly for stopping by the blog. We really need to get together again when your novel is making its appearance in the world as well.

AC:  I look forward to stopping back by in September! And I hope you all enjoy the novella.

Thank you Amanda for joining us today!  I do wish you all the best with the Short Story, and your Novel to come.  (I CAN'T WAIT! for the novel after reading the Novella).  Here's wishing you all the best in words and pages!

And if you are curious as to how much I loved this novella, you can catch my review as well.

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.

Do make sure to check into Amanda, and say hello to her on different venues:

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