Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Crystal Collier's Sea Monkey Author Interview!!


Hi everyone! The fun and energetic Crystal Collier is here at Tongue In Cheek today. So strap in for her Sea Monkey Author interview.

Bio: Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and a "friend" (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter



A.Q. - Thanks for agreeing to answer some interview questions about yourself and your new book.

Thank you for having me! (Cheese for you—and everyone else.)

A.Q. - So, what is your book about?

SOULLESS is book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy:

The Soulless are coming.

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

A.Q. - Can you share an interesting behind the scenes tidbit about your story?

It’s no secret there’s a wedding in this book. During the rewrites, it moved between 3 different places in the storyline: 1/3 the way through, 3/4 the way through, and 90% of the way through. Now the question, where do you think it stayed?

A.Q. – Oooh! I wonder!! Lol! What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Goodness, all of it? I love the rush of that new idea as it shoots into existence, the time spent editing drafts to clarify the vision, holding the completed book in my hands, the thrill of joy every time a reader contacts me to say how much they loved it.

A.Q. - Writing can be such an isolated enterprise. Yet, I’m sure there are people who have helped, guided or inspired you along the way to becoming a published author. Could you tell us about one of them and how they helped you?

My third grade teacher, Mrs. Turner, was a special kind of angel. She recognized the budding artist in me and encouraged it—through the written word especially. I’ll never forget her daily writing prompts or how she read each and responded individually, asking questions and pushing me toward expanding my ideas. 

A.Q. – Ahh, love those teachers. What are you working on now/next?

TIMELESS, the third book in the Maiden of Time Trilogy, along with BELLEZZA, a serial story about a vicious and deadly child bent on revenge.

Now for the S.A.T. portion of the interview:

Fill in the blank –
If I were a villain, I would have _3-foot tall talking pickle ninjas_ for minions to deliver my wrath because _1. They’re acerbic, and 2, who doesn’t want to see a talking pickle?  (And remember, sea monkeys are already spoken for. Mostly)


Sea Monkeys are to _acrylic paints_ as zombie stinkbugs are to _graphite_.


A.Q. - Please tell us where we can find out more about you and where we can buy your books.

Catch me on my blog, or find my books on Amazon.

A.Q. - Thanks again for stopping in! And all y'all out there, check out this awesome giveaway!



21 comments:

Pat Hatt said...

haha you'd get a lot of writing done with 3 foot pickle ninjas fighting all the battles

Julie Flanders said...

Ooh, the Bellezza story sounds creepy!! Glad to know you have more books coming, Crystal.
Hi, Ava! :)

Unknown said...

great blog, Ava! yay for Crystal! :) and yes I do this too, certain scenes in my MS get moved around so much!

Crystal Collier said...

Pat--Totally, right? I'm upping that wish to NEED. ;)

Julie! Aren't we always working on new things? =)

Beth--I'm glad you're so flexible. This was actually the first time I moved an entire scene so many times. They typically will get shifted around once, but three times? (And technically it was 4.)

Sherry Ellis said...

It sounds like your third grade teacher was awesome! I love teachers who inspire their students to greatness.

Ava Quinn said...

Hi Julie!! :D

Ava Quinn said...

Thanks, Beth! I'm glad you stopped by!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I really enjoyed Moonless. Soulless is on my TBR.

Chrys Fey said...

I can't wait to read the wedding scene! :D

Crystal Collier said...

Sherry--it's amazing the influence one person can have, eh?

Susan, YAY!! =)

Chrys--It's pretty epic.

Liz Blocker said...

Yes! The sea monkey interviews are always my favorites :) And the answers to the SAT portion never fail to disappoint. Crystal, you're hilarious (and so is Ava, but we knew that, of course ;) ) Congrats to you both on a great interview!

Melissa said...

Eek. Spammer. >.<

Loved the interview. :)

Ava Quinn said...

Thanks, Liz!! :D

Ava Quinn said...

Got 'em, Melissa! Thanks!

Carol Kilgore said...

Great to see Crystal here! Loved the interview :)

Ava Quinn said...

Thanks, Carol!

Unknown said...

I enjoyed the interview. Good luck with Soulless and writing Timeless (those are great titles, btw). :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sea Monkeys and acrylics...
That wedding date moved a lot. Sometimes they do that in real life as well!

Christine Rains said...

What a fun interview! And yeah, I'd like to see a talking pickle. :)

J Lenni Dorner said...

Great interview! I love when teachers have helped someone so much.

Stephanie Faris said...

Hmm...I'm guessing the wedding ended up either 3/4ths of the way through or 90%? Probably 90%!

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