Today I host fellow Hydra author, Erin Danzer, who is celebrating the half-birthday of her novel, Into the Spiral.

 Among the days event is a rafflecopter giveaway. But first things first. I asked Erin to submit to a probing, fast hitting and intense interview. Well. At least it’s an interview. You be the judge of all the rest.

What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Remaining sane? We’re supposed to be sane when we write? LOL Seriously though, I think the one thing is to remember to leave the story on the page, though I have to admit that’s very hard to do at times. I almost think it’s impossible to remain sane while writing. I know I always lose a bit of my mind to the story when I’m in deep; even when I’m away from the computer, the story continues in my head and I’m constantly jotting down notes on any scrap of paper I can find. So, I have to say keeping pen and paper handy is a must when writing.

Have you ever read or seen yourself as a character in a book or movie?

A very interesting question. I don’t think I’ve ever been written into a book or a movie, but especially for books, if the writing is good enough, I imagine myself as the main character. I’ve also kind of wanted to be Selene from the Underworld series. She’s so bad ass!

What is the single most powerful challenge when it comes to writing fantasy novels?

For me, I would have to say it’s simply coming up with a story that hasn’t been done a million times before, coming up with that angle that will spark interest in readers. Also, I’m still working on world building, but that gets better with each book I write. I believe the setting and the spark are the two most important things in any novel.

What do you consider your biggest failure?

I really don’t know how to answer this. Some days it’s as simple as my ability to market myself. I’m horrible at saying, “hey, I wrote a book and it’s great. Won’t you read it?” Other days, the question is a lot more personal.

Has the dog ever eaten your manuscript?

No, since I don’t have a dog, but my cat has given my computer the evil eye on several occasions and I’m sure he would eat it if he could.

How much impact does your childhood have on your writing?

I believe my childhood has a big impact on my writing. I grew up in a great home with great parents and I’ve noticed it’s sometimes hard for me to give my characters absentee parents or something along those lines. I also draw from childhood experiences to shape my characters. I also see a lot of myself in my characters, especially Ronnie. Of course, Ronnie is still way cooler than I was at 15.

Are you jealous of other writers?

Is it bad if I say yes to this? As much as I try not to be, I do get jealous at times. I get jealous of their success and how blogs just seem to pick them up and holler “hey look, so-and-so has a new book! Go buy it today!” And readers flock to their author sites and spam facebook with their love for certain authors. I want all of that for myself. I just have to remember that it will come for me too, depending on how much work I put into it.

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

I only have one book out and it only has 3 reviews right now, so I’m not sure how I will react to a bad review. I would like to say I’ll suck it up, but really I think I will cry in a corner for a day and then suck it up and see what they really have to say. I know, depending on what the criticism is in a bad review, I can learn from it. But I also know it will hurt me when it comes.

Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist?

Oh yes, I think there are several. Lack of sleep and addiction to caffeine. Also, sore back and butt syndrome. And numb fingers. Those are just off the top of my head. Of course, there are plenty of ways to combat most of

these ailments. Also, there’s the hazard of people looking at you like you’ve lost your marbles because you talk about your characters as though they are real people with real lives. I get this one a lot.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I have to grow up? Well, then, when I grow up, I want to be a famous. I want to be one of those authors I talked about above, whose books get bought just because my name is on the cover. I want to write books that people fall in love with.

And I want to write full time with no “day job” to get in the way of my creative process. That’s what I want when I grow up.

********

About the book:

Fifteen-year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Lambert wants to get out from under her older brother’s shadow. When Ronnie gets a tattoo and then is struck by lightning, she suddenly finds herself able to see and hear things in shadows that don’t appear to others. Then Ronnie meets Gavin Clearwater, the hot new guy in all of her classes and finds out he can see and hear the same things she can.

Gavin tells her about the Spiral Defenders, a group of warriors that travels through space and time to defend the planets of the Spiral. After meeting the Commander of the Spiral Defenders and realizing his intentions might not be pure, Ronnie struggles between following her destiny to become a Spiral Defender and trying to regain the life she had before being struck by lightning.

Where can you buy the book? Let me show the ways: 

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Into-the-Spiral-ebook/dp/B00AA1O63Q/

AmazonUK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Into-the-Spiral-ebook/dp/B00AA1O63Q/

BarnesAndNobles:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-spiral-erin-danzer/1113880674?ean=2940015810189

Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260112

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/into-the-spiral/id585943326?mt=11&ls=1

Add it to your Goodreads TBR list! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16283279-into-the-spiral

About the Author:

Erin Danzer wrote her first book at 10-years-old for a Young Authors competition, where she was awarded an Honorable Mention and discovered a passion for the written word. She’s written several novels and short stories since that spark ignited. Into the Spiral is the first of a four book series. In addition to her novels, Erin writes a monthly short story serial, The Cassandra Serafin Chronicles, posting alternately on her blog and in Literary Lunes bi-monthly online magazine. Erin resides in Racine, Wisconsin, with her husband, two children, and their cat.  

Social Media Links

Website: http://erindanzer.com

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ErinDanzerYAAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/erindanzer

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3336797.Erin_Danzer