I have a surprise for you!!

Hello, friends! So in case none of you could guess (which I think is just about everybody), I have a surprise to tell you!! What might it be?? you ask. Well, THERE’S NO REVIEW TODAY!!! Haha, you heard me right! I’m CRAAZY!! But seriously, instead, it’s an INTERVIEW!!! *cue singing angels* Yes, a break from reviews is good. Quite good.

And since I guess I forgot to mention… the interview is with: *drumroll* AUTHOR HAZEL WEST!!! Yep! And guess what (yeah, I’m making you do a lot of guessing today 😉 )?? She’s just releasing a new book; Blood Ties! And I have the honor of being apart of the blog tour, AND I GET THE FIRST POST (well, other then the introductory post….)!!! Yay! Make sure to check out the blog tour and the book here: like, right here (kudos to you, if you got the movie that that reference was loosely based on). Now, onto the interview!

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The Interview:

First question: writing, editing, or something in between?

It really depends on the story. Sometimes the writing just flows so well right off the bat and when that happens that is my favorite part, but I think I always love editing or revising the best, getting into the base idea of the story and crafting it to make it better and make sure the characters are coming across the way they should be.

Yes, a well-flowing story is awesome! 🙂

What is your favorite time period?

That’s a tough one, because I love to read and write about all kinds of time periods, but I think overall the 1800s whether it’s Victorian England or the American West I would like to time travel to that period if I could 🙂

Ooh, that’s cool! I’d just be thrilled if I could time-travel!

How long (from when you first picked up the pen, so-to-speak) did it take for you to write “Blood Ties”?

Blood Ties came a little slower than some and I actually wrote it in quite a lot of pieces. I ruminated on it and what the world would be like for almost a year before I started it and I think it took me about four or five months to finish all together (though that wasn’t just working on it exclusively either). Although some of the plot points, thanks to my annoying villain, didn’t get figured out until about the fourth draft!

In your writing journey, who has been the most encouraging and/or helpful?

My family has definitely been encouraging, my mum is always my first beta reader and my grandma not only reads my books but provides helpful tips. Apart from that my fellow writers keep me sane (or insane, which is better for writing) we all help each other when we get stuck.

How do you like to write: on a computer, or in a notebook (or something else)?

I will take notes in a notebook or will write by hand if I’m having a hard time getting a scene out, but mostly I use my laptop (his name is Spencer) because I can type much faster than I write by hand, even though I used to write everything by hand and then type it out, but that’s too tedious.

That’s what I do! Notebooks are nice ’cause they’re really portable, but computers are SO much easier…

Where do you get most of your inspiration from? (e.g. nature, books, family.)

I can literally get inspiration from anything. Mostly from other books and music but I also get a lot of inspiration from history and just people watching. I never know when a writing idea will strike!

Have you always loved to write (or at least liked it)?

I’ve always loved the idea of coming up with stories (and I have all my life) but I didn’t really start writing on my own until I was about nine or so. And have pretty much been doing so ever since.

Where do you hope your writing career will be, in, say, three-four years?

On a countrywide Tour (of Destruction) with my fellow authors because we’re going to be famous by then 😉

Ah, I see. Hopefully the destruction doesn’t come my way! 😛

And the final, most important question: what is your favorite snack?

Okay, this is a toss up between pretty much any fun-size candy bar selection and those Chex cereal things with the chocolate and peanut butter (which I call Pixie Pebbles when I make them) And of course, coffee as an accompaniment.

Cool! Well, thanks for letting me interview you! It was fun! 😀

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About the Book:

 In an Ireland that mixes high kings, faeries, and modern warriors who drive fast cars, Ciran, a descendant from the famous warrior Fionn Mac Cool, bands together with a company of young warriors from the legendary order of Na Fianna to go on a quest to recover their missing family members who were captured by the Goblins in a shaky peace between the two kingdoms. Ciran and his companions must figure out not only how they are going to rescue the prisoners, but how they are going to complete their mission without killing each other. Through trial and error, running battles, unexpected friendships, and daring escapes, Ciran and his company come face to face with the Goblin King himself in a final battle that will decide the fate of all involved and of Ireland itself.

The first book in a new series, Blood Ties takes the traditional Irish legends and puts a modern spin on them with a heavy helping of friendship and the love of family.

Title: Blood Ties (The Modern Tales of Na Fianna #1)

Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Alternate History

Purchase Links:

Createspace Paperback

Amazon Paperback

Kindle

Smashwords

About the Author:

Hazel West lives in Purgatory, er, Florida, with her books and her hedgehog Horatio. When she’s not writing, she’s reading other people’s books, studying folklore, or binge-watching something on Netflix—drinking coffee is also a given.

Links:

Blog: http://hazelwest.blogspot.com

Writing blog: http://talesfromamodernbard.blogspot.com

Twitter

Goodreads

Youtube Channel

Pintrest

And finally….

An Excerpt:

There was a moment when I couldn’t quite believe the fact I was grappling on the brink of a waterfall just like in an overblown action movie, but yet there I was and Keevan wasn’t far behind, still facing off with the same Goblin he had been before, who was pressing him hard. I couldn’t see where Tierney and Caitlin were because I was a bit too busy for that at the moment, but hoped they were not in as precarious a position as I was or worse.

There was a sudden yell and, forgoing all training I had ever had, I looked over with concern to see Keevan slipping off his rock and falling down with the rushing water, the Goblin he had been fighting going with him.

I would have screamed for him, even knowing it wouldn’t have done anything, but I was suddenly slammed in the face by the hilt of my opponent’s sword. I teetered back on the precipice but gained my balance just before I received another strike that knocked the sword out of my wet hand. I kicked out at the Goblin, but he caught my leg and I knew then, with horror, that this was it. He grinned, knowing as well, and I flailed my arms as he pressed me back. The only thing I could do now was take him with me, but I didn’t even get that chance.

“Have a nice swim, Finar,” the Goblin said with a jeer, before he let me go and I fell backwards.

It wouldn’t have been terrible, but for the fact that halfway down I slammed into the side of the cliff, smashing up my side, and by the time I hit the freezing water, well, I hardly remembered the impact enough to tell about it.