There is so much information about you and your book on your site! Wow! That’s amazing! Song lists and character descriptions and a FAQ on the book. Can you tell us something about you that isn’t on your site, fellow lover of orange? LOL!
Well thank you! :- ) And orange is probably the coolest color around. ;- ) Anyway, ummm I’m so
completely boring. LOL I have a huge bucket list I take very seriously. Right now I’m working on the “Visit all 50 States” part. I’m up to 26. I’m crossing off 3 more next month. :- ) Oh, and I consider myself the worst author ever. I’m not a very good “reader”. I mean, I can read, I just prefer movies over books . . . Don’t throw stones. LOL I’m getting better though! I’ve read a few different series now besides the Twilight books. Don’t hate me . . . LOL
I know this book was inspired by the view out your sister’s kitchen window, but where did your mind go? How did you come up with a plot based off a beautiful day?
Well, I was going through a Twilight/I-really-need-an-Edward-Cullen-in-my-life phase at the time. LOL So as I stared out the window, I started thinking about how wonderful it’d be if there was a vampire or a paranormal hottie, period, out there just for ME. LOL The actual plot wasn’t really born that day. I can’t really explain it, but it was just this overwhelming feeling of all kinds of emotions mixed in one.
After reading the Twilight books, I wanted to write again. I had been an avid writer before, but I went through a slump. And that day triggered something in my brain and I knew I had something brewing, I just couldn’t put the jumbled mess in my head together yet. The plot worked itself out over a few weeks or months. I can’t really remember how long, but I know I’d come home from work all the time with my purse stuffed with napkins, pieces of cardboard, paper, etc. with ideas, themes, plot points, names, quotes, all sorts of different things that started stringing the story together. Eventually, I researched the place and character names I wanted and began writing the first chapter. Maybe I should change my website to say the actual plot wasn’t really born by looking out my sister’s window, it was the feeling of the story that was born. LOL
Is there a reason you choose addition as a theme?
Addition? Unless there’s a mathematical theme I don’t know about I’m going to assume you meant
addiction. LOL ;- )
LOL! I did! Dang you, auto-correct! *raises fist* LMAO! So what made you choose addiction as a theme?
Well, I didn’t want the main character to have a picture perfect life. I wanted a LOT to be wrong with her. Taking away her parents was one thing, but I wanted her to have something so bad in her life in the beginning of the book that when it ends, she’s almost unrecognizable. To me, the main theme of Supernova is Evania’s self-growth. And her overcoming a drug addiction, to me, builds her character so much. P.S. No, I didn’t add an addiction because I had or have one. LOL ;- ) My own mother started reading it and as soon as she got to that part she said, “Crystal, is there something you want to tell me?” LOL
What inspired these characters?
No one and nothing, honestly. LOL I’m probably the worst interviewee you ever had. LOL I don’t
know, I mean, I knew how I wanted them to be. I wanted Evania to be strong deep down, but still be
tremendously flawed. Desmond, I tried to make MY kind of perfect. ;- )
What was your favorite part of the research to create this book?
Definitely the location. I knew I wanted it to take place in one of the New England states. I had never been to any at the time I started writing it, but from pictures, movies, etc. they always looked beautiful. So I got on Wikipedia and started with small towns in Maine. When I got to Vermont and found Jamaica, I fell hard for it, BUT I kept looking. I only got to New Hampshire when I stopped and decided Jamaica, Vermont was the place for Supernova.
The town is small, less than 1,000 people, but so full of life. I found out everything I could about the place. I frequented their website, http://jamaicavt.com/ waaaaay too many times. LOL I loved Jamaica before, but when I actually visited, I fell IN love. The people are the kindest, warmest, sweetest people you’ll ever meet. The town is surrounded by beautiful scenery. It even smelled amazing! LOL I could go on forever about Jamaica. I’ve been there four times now and am planning on going back in September.
I’m actually friends with a few people on Facebook from Jamaica, and their local coffee shop will be selling a few copies of Supernova. AND their library is now carrying a copy as well. :- ) The last time I was there, they were still recovering from the floods brought on by Hurricane Irene. In Jamaica alone, homes, a small bridge, an entire road, and their main bridge was washed away. Instead of waiting for assistance, the citizens of Jamaica got to work the next day, rebuilding the small bridge to the park and road. The camaraderie was and still is amazing. See, I told you I could go on forever about Jamaica. ;- )
I see you mentioned a sequel. Is there anything you can tell us without giving away the plot?
Absolutely! Evania is no longer in “Guardian training”. We follow her through her first, real battle with Adversaries and countless others along the way. BUT I wanted chaos to ensue in this book, so I had to add some trouble for the relationship between Evania and Desmond. Also, I touched on this slightly in Supernova, but in the second book, Evania’s Equal comes out of the woodwork and this girl is a real piece of work. PLUS, there’s a traitor among them…. Cue the creepy music. LOL
P.S. It’s called Tsunami and it’s due to come out May 23rd, 2012.
Where can readers purchase your book? (I may have already done that, but share with the class.)
On my website, www.thesupernovasaga.com, under the purchase page I have links for how to buy it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and a few Amazon sites abroad. :- )
May we read an excerpt from the book and can you provide it here?
And just like that, the deal was done. Guy removed his arm and walked faster ahead of me. I slowed my pace, searching for any onlookers. With no eyes around, I did a one-eighty. My feet weren’t getting me back fast enough so I picked up speed. I didn’t realize how far Guy and I had walked. As I passed the café, I peered around the street. No one was even outside. My car was still too far away, and I needed one.
Pulling out the sandwich bag, I pinched it between my fingers. I didn’t notice I did this as I walked by the creepy alley.
“What’d ya got there?” an eerie voice asked from the shadow of the alley.
I jumped, dropping the pill. Peering into the darkness, I saw nothing. I was closer to the shadows than I thought.
“Whoops. Didn’t mean to scare ya,” the voice said, followed by a sinister cackle.
I knew I needed to move, but I’d forgotten how to walk. A pill was needed in my system to think straight, but I couldn’t pull the bag out again. Out of the darkness came a black boot, old and torn.
“You’ll share, won’t you, girlie?”
I swallowed hard. No one was around to help. Guy had to be blocks away.
“N-no. No I won’t.”
“Wrong answer.”
Another boot came forward, landing the shadowy man in front of me. I forgot how to breathe. His hair was a mix of gray and black, thin and matted, down to his shoulders. His skin was hidden by dirt and grime in every crevice. Tattered clothes covered his bony body. He didn’t smile, but I saw his teeth, or lack thereof, from his snarls. His eyes were the most frightening feature about him, wide and dark. I couldn’t make out a specific color. Terror engulfed every part of me.
“Come here!”
His scarred hand came down hard on my shoulder as he yanked me into the obscurity of the alley. The man pulled me all the way to the center of the alley. I tried releasing his grip, but he held tight.
“Hel-” He threw me against the side of the dumpster, cutting my plea short. Maybe he wasn’t as bony as I thought.
The impact knocked the wind out of me, taking me off my feet. When I peeked up, he was standing over me with a small shape coming out of his hand. The light color glistened in what little moonlight there was shining into the torturous alley. A small whimper fell from my lips as I realized what the object was, a silver blade.
I was going to be murdered in an alley for buying drugs. Of all the ways I thought I’d meet my doom, the horrible scenario never crossed my mind. What a sick and twisted way to get what I wanted.
“Give it to me,” he demanded.
The situation aside, withdrawal was still wreaking havoc in my body. My hands quivered, and I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know which was worse, contemplating giving him the drugs or asking him if I could keep just one.
His knife rose with me as I stood, the blade inches away from my heart. That’s when I felt it, salvation. My heart felt lighter as the love from one of my parents took hold of the fear. One of them was with me, closer than usual. I felt the presence right behind me. I’d even felt breathing on the back of my neck. A tiny bit of fear fled my body.
Then, I felt something different. As I gaped into his black eyes, the rest of my fear vanished. If I let
myself look away, I’m sure I could’ve seen the terror I had floating away like vapor from my body. I
didn’t feel nothing. It was definitely something, something I’d never felt before.
Freedom. . . Unbound and unrestrained. The monster had come out. It’s what I’d felt clawing beneath my skin. Drugs weren’t holding it back anymore. It was alive; it was here, and it had been provoked.
My hands formed into fists, and my loose legs tightened into a combat stance. I felt my eyes widen and my lip curl. Adrenaline flowed through my veins and boiled in my mouth. My body felt as if it was about to explode. Tension streamed through my muscles, as my head lowered slightly, but my eyes never left his. It wasn’t the reaction he expected. It wasn’t the reaction I expected.
“What’s this? You’re going to fight me?” A loud and boisterous laugh spilled from his disgusting
mouth. “Bring it on, baby.”
He rearranged his legs into his own messy stance. I’d raised my fists in front of me and took a step
forward. The knife had to go, but I didn’t know how to fight or what I was doing. Pure instinct I didn’t know I had surged through me. I’d taken a few karate lessons when I was a kid and learned to throw a nice punch and spin kick. The kick was my favorite. Putting all my weight on my left foot, I spun through the air. My foot landed against his hand, knocking the blade to the ground. Perfect!
He was too stunned to react, so I took the advantage. I flew forward, kicking the knife under the
dumpster. I pushed him hard into the brick wall. A right hook powered its way from my brain, down my arm, and through my fist, landing on his face. It didn’t knock him to the ground, only toppled him to the side. Using my left elbow, I struck the side of his head.
His arms went over his head while his knees curled into a fetal position. “All right! All right! Keep your damn pills!”
I backed up two steps, getting a good look at the quivering mess. A smile escaped my lips. I jogged out of the alley, happy there wasn’t a single soul on the street. No one would’ve seen the incident go down.
Starting the engine, I headed toward Jamaica. My hands wobbled, and my heart felt on fire, but it didn’t seem like the withdrawal. Adrenaline still flowed through me in high gear. It was after I passed the Brattleboro limit I started thinking about what happened.
There was something inside me, and it’s been waiting to be released. It was a relief to know I knew
myself better than I thought, but where did it come from? Before my parents died, I never felt that way.
There wasn’t a bottled up creature inside me. Was it born the day they died? Growing and feeding on my grief, like a small baby who needed nurturing? Had to be it.
I beamed and realized I felt amazing. I still missed my parents, but it didn’t consume my heart like usual. I felt like a real person again, one who could experience life and live without the solitude. For the first time in close to four years, I felt hope.
It wasn’t until I was almost home, that I realized I hadn’t taken a pill.
Where can your readers connect with you on the web?
My main webpage - www.thesupernovasaga.com
Facebook fanpage - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Supernova-Saga/180936018622508
Facebook author page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Crystal-Ward/137343939695785
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/crystaldward
