Michelle Hauck: Since Faithful is a sequel, much of what happens comes from the first book, Grudging. Truth be told, when Harper Voyager put in an offer for Grudging, I had nothing planned for any sequels because looking too far ahead can be a useless proposition. With the help of my agent, I did a quick scramble and wrote a five paragraph blurb with the conflict to confront all the leading characters and the larger plot arc. When it came time to write the manuscript that blurb was amazingly helpful. Since I had all the conflict spelled out, I could take those five paragraphs, fill in the details, and get 100,000 words out of it.
A: Did you always want to be a writer?
M: Not at all. The writing bug didn’t get me until maybe seven years ago. Before that I was relatively normal.
A: If could describe your book in five words, what five would you use?
M: Oh wow. There are so many way I could go with this. I’ve always been an emotion writer, though. I’m going to try and describe the emotions felt by the main characters in this book instead of looking at plots or themes.
Desperation. Loyalty. Family. Dedication. Hope.
A: What was the hardest part writing "Faithful"?
M: With any sequel, I think you have to walk a fine line of enough familiar material from the original book and bringing in settings, characters, and situations that are fresh and new. So making sure Faithful went to new places while staying true to the first book proved to be challenging.
A: What is your favorite thing about writing "Faithful"?
M: My favorite thing was getting to take the characters to another level. It can be hard to set aside characters you love—so it’s nice when you write a sequel and the characters are already established and even the setting has been described. You can jump right into the things that matter and get to business, digging deeper into the characters and pushing them harder.
A: Do you have any habits while writing? For example: a specific snack food you need to have or maybe music playing in the background.
M: I do always have music playing in the background. I can write just fine with songs and never notice the words, but if an announcer comes on or someone else starts talking, my concentration evaporates. I tend to stick with my playlists or Pandora for that reason.
I also always write at the kitchen table. For some reason, I like to be at the center of the house. Perhaps to keep an eye on what my kids are doing with all that food we buy every week because it sure keeps disappearing. Sometimes I have to check under the beds and in the shed to make sure they don’t have a dragon hidden.
A: What is your favorite thing to do when you aren't writing?
M: I love to read and take my dogs for walks. I probably watch too much tv. *hides shamefully* I’m a big Chicago Cubs fan. But I also spend a lot of time running contests to help writers find agents. You may have heard of some of them—Sun versus Snow, Query Kombat, and Nightmare on Query Street.
A: Disney Villain or Disney Princess/Prince?
M: It depends. I prefer the Disney Princesses from more recent times. Tangled is one of my favorite movies. I’d love to see a sequel of Tangled with the same characters. But in some of the older movies, I’d root for the villains because of all the syrupy sweetness of those princesses. That was too much back in the day when men were men and women waited to be rescued.
A: Do you know the Muffin Man?
M: The one on Drury Lane? I heard he got baked and the Gingerbread girl has taken over his social media. But you know how internet rumors go.
Check out Book One:
A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.
The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.
On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.
The Women of the Song.
But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.
A lyrical tale of honor and magic, Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints trilogy.
Title: GRUDGING
Author: Michelle Hauck
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse
Formats: eBook
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/7/2016- Books,Dreams,Life- Interview
11/8/2016- Bibliobibuli YA- Review
11/9/2016- Book in the Bag- Interview
11/10/2016- History from a Woman's Perspective- Review
11/11/2016- Marty Mayberry- Guest Post
Week Two:
11/14/2016- Book for Thought- Review
11/15/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Guest Post
11/16/2016- Always Me- Review
11/17/2016- Dazzled by Books- Interview
11/18/2016- The Autumn Bookshelf- Review
Giveaway:
2 winners will receive signed paperbacks of book 1, Grudging, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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