YA Paranormal Romance
Date Published:
10/31/2013
Experience THE
BALLAD OF TAM LIN like you’ve never read it before…
It has been seven years
since Jeanette Sauderheim followed her best friend into Carver Hall Park...and
came out alone. Jeanette has never gotten over his mysterious disappearance nor
has she gone back into the park. While that traumatic night still haunts her,
Jeanette distracts herself by balancing her time between trying to pass
Spanish, hanging out with her friends, and reading the latest manga.
But, when
a promise to a friend drives her back into the park, she's forced to re-live
the memories of that night. Lost and confused, Jeanette crosses paths with
Tamrin, whose violent reaction to her provides yet another reason to avoid the
park.
Tamrin, a knight of the Summer Court, has been sent to Earth to guard a
garden of roses that hold special meaning to the queen of the Summer faeries.
When his distraction at meeting Jeanette leads to her picking one of the Summer
Queen’s roses, Tamrin vows to right his failure to do his duty.
However, the
equivalent of one of the queen’s roses is a human heart and Tamrin’s reluctance
to readily exact the sum from Jeanette sets in motion a spiral of love,
betrayal, and magic that could mean damnation for them both.
*This is an Upper
YA paranormal romance novel with NA and contemporary fantasy appeal.
Interview:
- Where
did you get the idea for the novel?
I’ve loved the Ballad of Tam Lin since
I was a kid, but I sort of forgot about it as I aged. However, I heard an amazing version of it
being sung by Tricky Pixie at Arisia (a sci-fi/fantasy convention). As soon as I heard it, I got the idea to
write a modern version of the ballad. I
knew that retellings had been written previously, so I made an effort to make
it different from those pieces. I bumped
the age of the main characters down, put the fae aspects into a preexisting
world that I had already written novels in, and made my main character part of
a number of difficult-to-write social groups.
This book is also unique in that, on one side, it’s a simple fantasy
book and can be taken that ways, but I also wrote it as a tool for teens and
adult to practice their analytical thinking.
I endeavored to write the novel as an honest portrayal of what people
can get themselves into and how they sometimes naturally react. It’s not a book that spoon feeds good choices
or healthy relationships, it’s a real choices book and I did that on
purpose. I want readers to be able to
find these things on their own, to be able to examine how these things might
also be in their own lives. The final
copy of FOR YOUR HEART has a letter from the author addressing this and I
provide discussion topics that I hope readers can use to help learn from the
real life situations in the book.
- Your
title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
Oh yeah, that title got changed. The original title for the novel was TAMRIN,
but when I gave it to my agent, she suggested a name change for it. I had a lot of trouble thinking of a title. I think I asked everyone and their fourth
cousin removed for ideas. Eventually, I
put up a poll for my readers to choose between a few of my top choices. Technically FOR YOUR HEART came in second
place, but it’s the one that spoke to me, so I went with that as the top
choice.
- Why
did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?
Honestly, I’ve tried writing a number
of different genres, but somehow the paranormal always seems to just weave
itself into what I’m writing. The
paranormal (as an aspect of fantasy) allows for the impossible to become
possible. It spices up life and pulls
the reader away from the monotony of life.
I love to work in the realm of both the impossible and infinite
possibility. I like to make unicorns
walk out of our childhood dreams, create imaginary friends, and perfect
lovers. I like to examine humanity
through the eyes of the alien beings that we know to be vampires and angels and
likewise, to find those creatures lurking in our own souls. It’s just fun, being able to make everything
you ever wanted come true and I don’t think I could write anything else.
- Since
becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
Every aspect of being an author is an
exciting victory. Every chapter
finished. Every novel completed. Finally getting an agent. Learning that your book is going to the board
at a publishing house. Getting the cover
for your novel. Finishing a panel at a
convention and knowing you did a good job.
Getting a good review. Parents
coming up to you and telling you that their children idolize you. Tiny exchanges on Twitter with fans who can’t
wait to read your new novel. Authors are
solitary creatures who measure their happiness and success in the little
victories; I eat it all up and hold each interaction close to my heart. I don’t think I could choose.
- What
book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?
I’m currently reading INK by Amanda Sun
and listening to an audiobook of THE HUNT from Andrew Fukuda. However, both have been on the back burner
since I moved.
- What
is your writing process?
Messy.
I’m a pantser, not a plotter. I’ll
start with a general concept, but no idea how to get from Point A to Point
B. I’ll write the end of the novel
before the beginning. I’ll write random
chapters here and there with no idea how they connect. I’m usually working on at least five projects
at once. I’m not that author who forces
herself to write a certain amount every day.
But, I have faith that when the time is right, the muse will connect the
dots. I only write when the muse speaks
because I can’t write for crap until she is ready. And when she does come? I let her ride me like a guardian angel on my
shoulder! I can be dry for months, then
randomly sit down and write for two days straight (no food or water or sleep)
and have a decent first draft of a novel at the end of it. It’s stressful and unreliable. I know this.
That’s just the way my muse and I roll.
- At
a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do
you come up with stuff to say?
It’s dependant on the situation. If it’s really busy and there’s a long line,
I’ll just sign my name. But, if I know
the person or am able to have a conversation with them, I’ll try to personalize
it. As for coming up with what to
say? Well…I’m an author. I should be able to come up with something to
write, right? At least, I hope so.
- What
is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I’ve castrated a pig. I’ll leave the where and when out of it, that
makes me seem more mysterious. *crazy laughs*
- How do you react to a bad review?
I’m a firm believer that
a writer is always learning how to be better.
While bad reviews upset me, I try my best to learn from them. If I look at the review from all angles and understand
where the reader is coming from, I try to tweek my approach next time
around. I write pretty edgy and dark
stuff, so I know that it won’t appeal to everyone, but I try to at least let
people understand where I’m coming from in my approach. That’s why the final copy of FOR YOUR HEART
will have a special letter from the author and discussion questions for certain
‘questionable content’ that about one in six readers will have problems with.
- How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
Technically, I didn’t
sell this one. I’m self pubbing because
I’ve had an agent and had a number of books go on submission with publishing
houses for years, but I have this unlucky habit of either writing just behind
the curve of popular books or writing books that are too similar to current
bestsellers and publishers aren’t willing to take a chance on them. In FOR YOUR HEART’s case, my agent chose not
to take it because she thought it was a little too dark and edgy for
traditional publishing. While I agree
that it’s dark and edgy and deals with issues in a different way than other YA
literature, I wanted to bring the story to readers anyway. So, I chose not to change it or try get it
published with a house, instead I wanted to see how readers received it in its
raw form. I’m very excited to see what
everyone has to say about it and I hope it opens up some promising dialogue.
A.L.
Davroe
Website: www.aldavroe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALDavroeFanPage
Twitter: @aldavroe
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