CBL Feature Post :: Author Meet And Greet #1

"Ok. So I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I said I’d like to take part in the author meet-n-greet. I hate talking about myself. Like majorly. I’m happy to talk about writing or my book (which I’ll do both here in a sec), or the best city ever—it’s Austin, Texas, in case you were wondering—but talk about me? Ugh. BUT here I am. I’m doing it, because readers and bloggers (that would be y’all) are awesome." 

So, here we go. The facts:

Name: Heather Self

Rank: Wife, Mom, Daughter, Sister

Serial Number:   
"Ha! I don’t have one of these. I wasn’t in the military, but I was born in an Army hospital in Germany.

And honestly, that’s all y’all would have gotten if it wasn’t for the awesomeness that is cyberspace! I threw out the “ask me a question so I know what to write” plea on twitter & my Facebook page so…"

Writing habits?

"I TRY to write everyday but after a release I’ll usually take a break. Most of my writing is done at my kitchen table or in a coffee shop. I MUST have peanut butter M&Ms while editing, but snack on Godiva while writing. I LIVE off coffee."

Books you love?

"Oh my! So, so many! YA is definitely my fav category. I just finished Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi. *happy sigh* I lean towards PNR but Tammara Webber’s Between the Lines series started me on contemps. I still don’t read as many of those, but if she or Colleen Hoover writes it, I’m buying.

Others are Tiffany King, K.A. Tucker, M. Leighton,  Chelsea Fine, Addison Moore, Shelly Crane, Brodi Ashton, Veronica Roth, Elizabeth Norris, M.B. West, Jennifer Armentrout, Rae Carson, Leigh Bardugo, Jodi Meadows and SO MANY OTHERS!!!"

Hobbies other than writing?

"Reading, obviously. Some TV. LOVE going to the movies (I’m obsessing over Pitch Perfect right now). Is twitter a hobby? More a necessity really…"

• What helped you decide to self-pub your first book and how long did it take from making the decision to actual publishing?

"I knew I would self-pub from the beginning. Most of the books I read are indie so it was a natural progression for me to go straight to it. Plus, I’m a bit of a control freak, so the idea of relinquishing my story to multiple people was sooooo not going to happen. From day 1 of writing to pub day was 7 ½ months."

Eek. Ok. Random fun facts…

• I have a weird memory for certain 80s/90s TV theme shows. Golden Girls theme? I can sing it.

• I REALLY want to learn to play the cello.

• I auditioned for American Idol in 2006 and haven’t watched it since (the process was very illuminating).

• I celebrate my 15^th wedding anniversary this year 

• I would move to Ireland in a heartbeat!

• What was you inspiration behind the story line? 

"This is such a tricky question, especially since it comes with a confession of shorts. Confession: I was a major gamer up until I started writing (Max level  Night Elf Druid huzzah!) and my favorite NPCs (that’s non player character) were the dragons. They were wicked powerful and had both a humanoid and dragon form. the One sort of snowballed from there.

the Dark sprung from a twitter conversation in which people were shipping for either Chase or Kieran. I heard “I just don’t know Kieran well enough” many times during the conversation. The majority of this novella was written in a week."

the One Synopsis:

Stranded on Earth four thousand years they’ve waited for the arrival of the One: some to save her, others to kill her. With her birth, the ancient prophecy could at last be fulfilled and the doorway between the worlds would open. Those who know the prophecy believe this event occurred almost eighteen years ago, and now, they'll stop at nothing to find her.

Seventeen-year-old Eveline has lived her entire life on the move and she hates it. She knows her parents believe she’s the One, and they've done whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of those who want her dead. But Eveline isn't fully convinced that her parents' beliefs match her own. What she does believe is that Leadville, Colorado may be the chance she's been waiting for. The chance to be somewhere safe. The chance for her to make friends and have fun. The chance to finally date a guy. The chance to be a normal girl, at least as normal as possible for someone not human. 

add this book on goodreads 

the Dark (A Kin Series novella) Synopsis:

Mary Anne Moore doesn’t know what she is. She can’t explain why she has lived so long. 

Or why she never gets sick. 

Or why the dreams she has come true.

She has hidden herself as a lowly servant to the households of Dublin's English elite for decades, until the night that changes her life. Now her sole purpose is the child she never expected to have. She will do anything in her power to keep the black-eyed monsters from discovering him and turning him into one of them.

For Kieran Moore the dark is an ever-present parasite, waiting to devour his humanity. His mother’s love and the girl in his dreams has kept it at bay for years, but the more time that passes—the longer he has to wait for her—the  more it grows. When tragedy strikes, it is all he can do to keep from being consumed by the darkness that infects him. He must continue to hold on to the hope of peace her presence will bring him, because it’s not just his fate on the line, but that of the entire world.

**Note** This novella takes place both before, and concurrently with events that happen in the One. It is highly recommended the One be read first.

find this book on goodreads 

 

 

"Jane Austen. I know it's cliche, but she does witty banter better than almost anyone I can think of. Madeleine L'Engle. My favorite quote of hers is “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”  Then there are those today whose writing challenges me to be a better writer, like Rae Carson and Laini Taylor who build phenomenal worlds; Tammara, Colleen, and K.A. Tucker tackling difficult issues in ways that connect with people, and so many others. I think no matter the book I read, I'm always being influenced and learning something, both what not to do and how I can improve."

"Right now I'm hitting book two in The Portal Trilogy, the Key, and hope to have it out by early spring. I'm also playing with a  YA contemp, and a New Adult PNR. They both have series potential, but I'll have to see once I spend more time in those worlds if they go any further than one book."

Thank you to the authors who are so very interested in participating in my weekly Meet & Greet feature. If you are an author and would like to be the topic of our next Meet & Greet, just email me with your information. ---> Please set the subject of the email as "Author Meet & Greet" so it doesn't get lost in my indox. The ONLY requirements is that your genre is romance related. It can be adult, contemporary, paranormal, erotic, YA, fantasy, whatever - as long as you write tales about LOVE :) You can message me from here

Want to know anything else from Author Heather Self? Simply comment below with your questions :)