Joining
me today is author, Joanne Efendi
Tell my readers a little about yourself.
I grew up in sunny Queensland in Australia and
currently reside on the Sunshine Coast with my husband and two sons. I love to
read and have always had a passion for writing. I am a former radio announcer
and journalist, and currently work in my other passion of teaching children the
vital life saving skill of learn to swim. In my spare time I like to drink
coffee with my friends and train and compete in triathlons (very badly)
Q: Can you tell our readers a little about your
writing? What genres do you enjoy writing?
I
like to write in first person. I find this easier, as when I am writing, I am
the character. It's how I get into the head of my main character. I
particularly like to write Young Adult, in the sub genre Paranormal Romance.
It's what I've always loved reading. However, I am currently trying my hand at
a New Adult manuscript. In saying that, I can feel a slight bit of Paranormal
beginning to creep in.
Q: Do you write on a schedule or when the Muse
decides?
A
little bit of both. I do try to write a little bit every night. If I don't feel
an inspiration, I try to read back and edit some work from previous nights,
that way the story is staying fresh in my mind, and the characters remain
familiar to me. I write on my iPad, so I will always have it with me in case
inspiration comes and I need to put it down.
Q:
Can you tell us about your writing process, for example, do you write an
outline first?
I
basically come up with an idea and will write a short synopsis of how the story
starts and ends, with a basic plot in between. But that is it. I like the story
to develop as I write. Sometimes I might write a chapter or two that is close
to the climax before I even have my two love interests meeting. For example a
novella I've started writing I wrote the first chapter, and then proceeded to
write the last chapter of the last page. Somehow it all just manages to fit
together. Kind of like a jigsaw puzzle.
Q: What qualities do you instill in your heroes?
I
love romance! I love the idea of the girl needing to be rescued by her handsome
prince. She needs to be strong, but incomplete, and he will help her grow.
Q.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee!
Skinny latte please.
Q.
Beach or countryside?
Beach.
I've always lived near the beach, even if I don't always swim there, it's nice
to go down early evening and have a coffee in summer.
Q.
Do you write about the places you know or prefer to take your readers to exotic
places?
A
bit of both.
Q:
Where do you get your inspiration?
Inspiration
comes to me a variety of ways: Music; life experiences; dreams; my current
emotions.
Q:
Would you change anything in your life to make writing easier.
Delete
Facebook! I am obsessed with it. Also, not to work. I would love to be able to
write full time and make a living from it. One day. But hey, dreams do come
true.
Q:
We have all suffered submission rejections. How do you cope? Do you have any
advice to other writers on coping with rejection?
I
have faith in myself as an author and a storyteller. I just keep writing, and
with each new paragraph and new page, I improve. I actually chose to self pub
my first novel, before waiting for those inevitable rejections letters, but I
will keep sending new submissions away to publishing houses. Perseverance and
continuing to write and improve on my craft is one way I cope.
Q:
What do you like to read and who are your favourite authors?
I
will read anything that has a great storyline and great charatcters. I'm not
particually fussy, but I do love JK Rowling. She is the ultimate storyteller.
Q:
Do you write one novel at a time or do you move between works in progress?
With
Illuminated Darkness, I only wrote it at the time, but now that I have
published it, I am currently writing three manuscripts at the same time. I
switch between the three depending on my mood, and where my head space is. All
three are completely different from each other.
Q:
Do you have times when the Muse is away on holiday?
Never.
Q.
What motivates you to write?
I
have a very active imagination. I've always loved to write, but it's only been
in the past 6 years that I've actually started to write some of the stories and
fantasy's going around inside my head.
Q.
What advice would you give to unpublished authors approaching an e publisher?
Have
a good synopsis and cover letter.
Q:
Is there anything you would like to share with us about upcoming releases?
All
of work is currently in progress. I'm hoping to finish my New Adult/Contempory
manuscript by June. I'm undecided at this stage whether I will self pub again.
Q:
Can you tell us a little about your
current novel? What inspired you to write this story?
Illuminated
Darkness is a YA Paranormal Romance that took me three years to write. As it
was my first one, I wanted to make sure it was perfect. It actually started out
a lot different to how it ended up. Originally it was meant to be a Paranormal
Romance for adults, but as I progressed I found my female lead changing so I
had to go and scrap it and restart. I was inspired to write it after I sick of
reading books I wasn't happy with, so I wrote a book that I wanted to read.
Blurb:
Almost 18 year old Ashlyn Pierce
thought she had her life on track. She has an awesome after school job, a
boyfriend she loves, the promise of a college scholarship and she has finally
moved away from her abusive alcoholic mother. Life is great! That is until her
boyfriend dumps her for her best friend and she meets Wren, a mysterious
college guy that claims he knows her through her ex. His stories just don't add
up, but she can't deny her obvious attraction to him, until he reveals her be a
voodoo deity and he is her protector. Under the threat of voodoo priests
wanting her dead, Ashlyn must learn to develop her new powers. Can she learn to
control her powers without losing herself, but most importantly, without losing
Wren? MORE: Ashlyn is a typical teenager struggling to find her place in life
as she nears adulthood. She craves balance and stability in her life following
a traumatic upbringing and aims to please everyone, always steering away from
confrontation. Five days away from her 18th birthday she is awaiting the return
of her college boyfriend from Europe when he suddenly texts her and breaks up
with her. From that moment Ashlyn's life begins to change from the vision she
had planned for her future. She meets Wren on a night out with her sister to
take her mind off her break-up. As she gets to know him better, she finds
herself falling in love with him and is stunned when he eventually reveals
himself to be her vampire protector. He tells her she is a descendent from the
loogaroo, a Haitian vampire that has Voodoo dark magic powers. She finds
herself struggling to deal with her feelings for Wren whilst battling with the
change in herself, all the while being hunted down by voodoo priests for her
voodoo power. Illuminated Darkness is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance set in Miami,
Florida and is a work of fiction that has its base in Haitian Voodoo mythology.
Excerpt:
Opening my eyes, I found him looking
directly at me and once again his stare and his mesmerizing eyes transfixed me.
They were so black I couldn't make out the pupils from the iris, but despite
their lack of color, they displayed unlimited depths of emotion. Moments
before, they were alive with anger, but now I could see the concern he felt for
me reflecting back from the black pools.
“I shall take you home myself. But,
yes, first I will find your sister and inform her. Please wait here, I will
return as soon as I speak with her.” He
moved to get out of the booth. “Not that I think you can go anywhere without me
anyway.” His mouth broke into a smile and lit up his whole face.
My breath caught in my throat and
once again the butterflies in my stomach lurched into action. I watched him
walk to the dance floor looking for Ally. The crowd of people parted as he
walked through. For someone with such a tall athletic build, he moved with
fluid grace. Every woman he passed on the dance floor looked him up and down,
enthralled by him. Seems he had that effect on everyone, not just me. He seemed
oblivious to the attention he drew, looking only for Ally. Once he found her, he
leaned down to her ear to deliver his message. After he had finished talking to
her, they looked over at me and Ally waved, blew me a kiss and gave me two
thumbs up, signaling she was okay with me leaving with him.
The stranger made his way back to
me, his gaze never wavering from my position, almost like he was watching over
me, protecting me. He held out his hand to me when he reached the booth.
“Are you ready, Ashlyn? I shall make
sure you get home safely.”
Buy
Link: http://www.amazon.com.au/Illuminated-Darkness-Joanne-Efendi-ebook/dp/B00HPLRC80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393139122&sr=8-1&keywords=joanne+efe
Author’s
links: http://justanotherselfpublishedauthor.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook:
Illuminated Darkness by Joanne Efendi
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