Saturday, June 29, 2013

Author Interview – Angela Day

at 6:30 AM

Who or what influenced your writing over the years? My English teachers were a huge inspiration and help, and most of the friends I’ve surrounded myself with are avid readers and creative minds. I can’t overstate how important they were in the process as inspirations for characters, alpha readers, writing critics, and support.

What made you want to be a writer? Writing. I loved doing it, I loved seeing the stories unfolding around me and thinking about how I would portray them, and there are no people more amazing than those who can create whole worlds for you to dive into.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? The overwhelming odds of being successful. There are thousands of books written and published every year- how do you get yours noticed? Not giving up after rejection is important. Finding people who believe in your work as much as you do helps more than anything else.

Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it? Normally I’m a discovery writer, but I thought I’d try outlining.  I outlined this whole book and discovered what an incredibly useful tool it was, and also that all my hesitancies about outlining were pointless. It wasn’t limiting, it wasn’t dry, and it did help a great deal. I also learned that I don’t have to stick to my outline when I don’t want to!

Do you intend to make writing a career? This is the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to do, so yes, I hope this becomes my career, my profession, and my day job.

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it? Curing writer’s block can be as easy as going for a long walk, or for me, a run. Physical activity does marvelous things for the brain, and my favorite tactic is to read through my story just before I leave, and then let it simmer in the back of my mind while I run. What does my main character want? I’m at point D and I’m really excited to get to point H, but I don’t know what needs to happen at E, F, and G to get me there. Well, what could happen? Do I really need E,F, and G, or can I skip one? What did I like about my story to begin with? By the time I get back, I almost always have something more I can write for my manuscript. It doesn’t have to be written chronologically. Some of the best stories aren’t.

How did you come up with the title? The title comes from one of the lines of the book. The main character feels very isolated and he’s told that “The darkest lie we’re ever told is that we are alone.”

Can you tell us about your main character? Thane is a 15 year old introvert who just wants to be invisible. His feelings of loneliness and isolation separate him from everyone around him, and all he wants is to get through the next three years of high school and disappear.

How important do you think villains are in a story? They are at least as important as your main character, sometimes more! A good villain makes or breaks a story. You have to understand why the villain wants what they want and who they are, so that as you reveal it throughout the story it matters to the reader. And remember, the villain doesn’t think they’re the “bad guy.” Actor Willem Dafoe is credited as saying it didn’t make a difference whether he played the hero or the villain, because “everybody thinks they are righteous.”

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Genre – New Adult Urban Fantasy

Rating – PG

More details about the author

Connect with Angela Day on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://awriterbyday.com/

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