Monday Muse: Jimmy Skoog -- Believe

Another one from Jimmy!

Feature Friday: Ava Dellaira

Ava Dellaira is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago. She believes this book began when she bought her second album ever—Nivana’s In Utero—which she listened to on repeat while filling the pages of her journal. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California, where she works in the film industry and is writing her second novel.

Interview:

A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?

Ava:
Write what matters to you, and be open to discovering it along the way. Be open to showing up at the page and finding out what’s there. Maybe there will be a lot of days where it feels like nothing. But eventually, you will stumble upon a line. A moment. A scene. And maybe many days later, another. First drafts always need work. Most of the time, 2nd and 3rd and 4th ones do, too. When I look back at the beginning stages of Love Letters, it doesn’t read like something that would necessarily turn into a novel. It wasn’t “good” right away. But it was something that I knew I would keep working on. Through all of our insecurities, it can be a challenge to find faith in what we are doing. But when you are writing something you feel you have to write, you’ll keep coming back no matter what. Know that when you speak, it matters. Keep speaking. Someone will hear you.

A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?

Ava:
That’s a hard one, because there are so many books that I adore! Beloved stories speak to our hearts in distinct ways at certain times, and I often feel that I’ve discovered a book at just the moment that I need it. Here are some that have meant a lot to me over the past few years: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, This is How you Lose Her by Junot Diaz, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Welcome to the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Geoff Ryman wrote a gorgeous novel called Was and I am always eager to spread the word about it. It weaves together magical realism and historical fiction to tell three intersecting narratives surrounding the Wizard of Oz. I first read it in college, and the book awakened my interest in some of the themes that eventually inspired Love Letters. I am also a lover of poetry. A couple of my favorite books include: The Dream Songs by John Berryman, Elizabeth Bishop’s Collected Poems, and X by James Galvin, who was one of my teachers at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. 

A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Love Letters to the Dead?

Ava:
I had gotten a job working for Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and after I mustered the courage to show him some of my writing, he suggested that I try writing a novel. The title of the book – Love Letters to the Dead – popped into my head that same night as I was driving home from work, along with the concept of a girl who writes to famous dead people as a way of processing personal grief. I had been interested in popular culture for some time, especially the way that it can provide a sense of belonging for people who may feel otherwise isolated. I had lost my own mother a few years before I started writing Love Letters, and just as writing letters helps Laurel to process her grief over her sister, writing this book also helped me to heal.

A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Love Letters to the Dead?  What were they and how did you fix them?

Ava:
Yes, many snags! I was lucky to have some wonderful readers, and then to have an amazing editor who helped me in identifying and reworking some weak spots in the narrative. One example of a change that came out of a suggestion from my editor is the time frame in which the book takes place. The story used to extend beyond Laurel’s first year of high school and into the following summer, whereas now it concludes at the end of Laurel’s school year. The last third of the book had felt a bit too meandering and protracted, and condensing the time frame helped me to create a more climactic ending.

A.L.:
Which one of the characters in Love Letters to the Dead is your favorite and why?

Ava:
I truly love all of the characters in the book. I feel closest to Laurel—while the book is definitely a work of fiction, I drew upon some of my own memories and emotions in creating her character. Laurel’s friends Hannah and Tristan were two of my other favorite characters to write. They both jumped off the page quite vividly for me, and as I got to know them, they surprised me along the way. They each have their own struggles, but at the same time they offer insight and wisdom to Laurel. Laurel’s Aunt Amy, who is based on my own Aunt (who passed away when I was in middle school), is another one of my favorite characters.

A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?

Ava:
I’d wanted to be a writer ever since I was about 12 (and I have the stacks upon stacks of middle and high school journals to prove it!), but I’d never actually imagined I would write a novel. I took creative writing classes in college and then went on to get my MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. After graduating from Iowa (and realizing I’d need to find a way to make a living) I moved to Los Angeles with screenwriting aspirations, which is when I had the good fortune to start working for Stephen Chbosky.

After I got the idea for Love Letters, I began writing on the weekends and after work (often staying up way too late). It was never easy, but in some ways it came to me more naturally than any writing had before. It took me about a year to finish the very first draft. I then sent it to some friends and used their feedback to start editing. It was about another 9 months before I found my agent, Richard Florest. After I did some further rewriting, we eventually sold the book to my editor, Joy Peskin at FSG. And that’s when the hardest work began! Joy asked some incisive questions that lead me to face some of the most difficult parts of Laurel’s emotional journey, and also to make some “kill your darlings” kind of cuts. I finished the final draft about three years after I’d started it.

A.L.:
What are you working on now?  Sequel?  Something new?

Ava:
I tend to stay pretty quiet about the things I am working on until I feel ready to let them out, but I will say that now that Love Letters is in the world, I am definitely getting excited about a second book!

A.L.:
Would you ever leave film entirely for novels?

Ava:
For me, working in film and writing novels are wonderfully complimentary—I have learned things from each that informs the other. For example, my work in film, and especially in the editing room of the The Perks of Being a Wallflower, helped me a lot when I was in the early editing stages of Love Letters. I began to imagine how the book might work as a film, and that helped me to shape the story. So, I wouldn’t say never, but for now I feel happy and lucky to have the opportunity to work in both mediums.

A.L.:
How much of your own relationship to your sister influenced Laurel and May in Love Letters to the Dead?

Ava:
I adore my younger sister and our bond was definitely a huge inspiration in writing Laurel and May’s. Our relationship influenced Laurel and May’s in specific ways – for example, the childhood fairy games that Laurel and May play in the book are similar to games that my sister and I played as kids—and also in the more abstract sense that I was able to draw upon the experience of having a sister to whom I am very close.

A.L.:
What was it like staying in the same place as Kurt Vonnegut?  Did you soak up some creative juice?

Ava:
It was amazing! I can’t say that I was able to absorb any of Vonnegut’s brilliance, but being in a place with such a rich writing history was truly inspiring. Overall the Iowa Writers’ Workshop was wonderful—I learned so much from my teachers and from the other students there that I have carried with me.

The Giveaway:
Ava is giving away a copy of LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD. (US)

Love Letters to the Dead:  It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.




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Monday Muse: Charlotte Martin -- The Dance

A special thanks to Susan for turning me on to Charlotte Martin who, to me, sounds like a combination of Tori Amos and Eliza Rickman.

Feature Friday: Danielle Paige

Danielle lives in NY. Before turning to YA, she worked in television & was nominated for several Daytime Emmy's. Dorothy Must Die is her first novel.

Interview:
A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?

Danielle:
That there are so many opportunities out there. You just have to do the work first. And to really not box yourself into one genre or one thing. I started out in realistic fiction (if you can call soaps realistic) and ended up in Oz. I think you don't really know what you can do until you are doing it!

A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?

Danielle: 
It changes. There are too many to choose from. I love the classics, like Austen and Dickens and Faulkner. As for YA, just finished Marissa Meyer's Cress which I was just in awe of. She is my retelling goddess!

A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Dorothy Must Die?

Danielle: 
Total Oz fan. I have seen the movie a million times and read the Baum books.

A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Dorothy Must Die?

Danielle:
What were they and how did you fix them? I really got into the groove of this big, action packed Oz world, but I had to remind myself to make time for the quieter moments so we can really see who Amy is. And I have an amazing editor, Bennett Madison. he's an expert on Oz and really great at letting me spout the kitchen sink at him until it works.

A.L.:
Which one of the characters in Dorothy Must Die is your favorite and why?

Danielle: 
I love them all. It depends on who I am writing that day. OF course, I love Amy because she is my hero. But right now. I'm digging into the Lion a bit and his corner of Oz and I'm loving him.

A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?

Danielle:
Growing up I wanted to be a journalist. In college I discovered I wanted to write scripts and took an internship at a soap. My first writing job was actually for Guiding Light, a CBS soap.  But soaps were becoming extinct (5 were cancelled!) I wrote a tv pilot for MTV(sold, but not produced), but discovered how much I loved writing for teens. So I set my sights on YA. And now, Dorothy!

A.L.:
What are you working on now?  Sequel?  Something new?

Danielle: 
Sequel to Dorothy, it's a trilogy!

A.L.:
What drew you toward The Wizard of Oz as a realm for retellings?

Danielle: 
I love Oz.I felt like there was another story there. I feel so lucky to be able to tell it and to have people reading it.

A.L.:
Do you prefer television or writing?

Danielle: 
It’s all writing. It’s all storytelling. I have been lucky enough to have gotten to to both! There is something really cool about seeing your name in the credits on tv and watching something you wrote come to life. But to know that people are cracking open your book and imagining a new Oz, is just the best.

A.L.:
Do you worry that readers who love Dorothy will be offended that you've turned her into a "bad guy" figure?

Danielle: 
I hope they pick up the book and see what I did and fall in love-to-hate with her like I did while writing her.

The Giveaway:
Danielle is giving away a signed hardcover of DOROTHY MUST DIE. US only.

Dorothy Must Die: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

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How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter).  US.  I will contact the winner via email.

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Monday Muse: Kellee Maize: Dancing with Lightning

So, let's just remind everyone that squeaky wheels get the grease. I had no idea that this artist existed, until she messaged me on twitter and was like: I wanna be a muse. And low, I listen to her work and love her. Besides that, this song and video are now on the Anansi Chamber Music list -- which happens to be the music list for my upcoming book, NEXIS. You'll understand why when you read it!  Thanks so Kellee for speaking up!

Feature Friday: Elizabeth Fama

ELIZABETH FAMA is the YA author most recently of Plus One, an alternate-history thriller set in contemporary Chicago. Her other books include Monstrous Beauty, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection and an Odyssey honor winner, and Overboard, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a society of Midland Authors honor book, and a nominee for five state awards. A graduate of the University of Chicago, where she earned a B.A. in biology and an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. in economics, she lives with (and cannot live without) her boisterous, creative family in Chicago.

Interview:

A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?

Elizabeth:
I love Barbara Kingsolver's advice: "Learn as much as you can about the world itself. That means not just writing courses, [but] other courses. Probably I would say learn about science. There are very few fiction writers who know about biology, physics, environmental chemistry, and there’s a great need for science in the literary world."

And then I'd add that you should read challenging adult prose and poetry, so that you get a feel for how to use beautiful language unconventionally.

A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?

Elizabeth:
In the young-adult realm, I think Megan Whalen Turner's Thief  series is my favorite, and it's because she trusts her readers to be smart. Nothing--absolutely nothing--is "explicated," as my editor would say. Turner shows subtle interactions between characters and knows you'll understand.

A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Plus One?

Elizabeth:
I got the idea for Plus One when I drove my daughter to see a friend after surgery at 10 PM. The roads were clear, the street lights were timed, and we got to the hospital in twelve minutes instead of the thirty-five it would have taken during the day. As I waited for her in the car, on a dark, quiet street in front of Northwestern Memorial, I thought, "Why do we all try to live at the same time during the day? Why don't we spread the resources around the clock?" And then I started thinking, "What if we had to live at night? What health consequences would there be? Who would decide which shifts we were assigned to? What would it mean for rights and liberties?"

A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Plus One?  What were they and how did you fix them?

Elizabeth:
The only snags were the usual: paralyzing fear that what I'm writing isn't going to resonate with any readers. I got over it the way I always do--by realizing that for the moment, I was the only reader who mattered.

A.L.:
Which one of the characters in Plus One is your favorite and why?

Elizabeth:
Sol is unlike anyone I've ever met before. She's passionately devoted to the people she loves, to the point of recklessness. It was both tumultuous and freeing to write in her voice.

A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?

Elizabeth:
I've had a long journey as an author. I majored in Biology in college, intending to go to medical school. Then I switched gears and went to graduate school in economics, where I got an MBA and PhD. I secretly started dabbling in writing picture books and then a middle-grade novel (when I should have been writing my dissertation). I quickly knew that I loved writing, but I had no training--I wasn't even well-read, because of all the science and math courses I took in school. I also have a big family (four kids), and "writing in my spare time" was barely possible when they were young. So you can see that I feel like I'm both an aged veteran and a newbie! I've been practicing for two decades, learning and growing slowly, which is why I only have three books out so far--fewer than some hotshot twenty-somethings.

A.L.:
What are you working on now?  Sequel?  Something new?

Elizabeth:
Plus One is a standalone, but I wrote a short story on Tor.com called "Noma Girl" that's a prequel companion piece. After I finish promoting Plus One, I'll go back to two projects: I'm slowly researching a young-adult historical fiction novel, and I'm writing a YA realistic contemporary about four boys and a dead body. No love interest this time!

A.L.:
Do you find it annoying that your husband's books sell better than yours?

Elizabeth:
Haha! My husband's finance textbook is still doing amazingly well in terms of royalties, a dozen years later. But each of my advances for Monstrous Beauty and Plus One did finally match his. (Now to try to earn out, which he did in his first year!)

A.L.:
When did you start playing tennis?

Elizabeth:
I started when I was about nine years old. My mom was clever: she signed me up for a summer tennis camp, and when I hated the first day, she told me "I've already paid for the first week ahead of time, just finish the week." I knew I could stick out a few days more. At the end of the week I didn't hate it anymore, I was ambivalent. "Let's try one more week, then," she suggested. In week-long increments, I grew quite fond of it! Tennis is a sport that only starts to reward you after you acquire some basic skills. I think she understood that.

A.L.:
Did you choose to write YA because you have young adult children or for a different reason?  (Obviously, we'd like to know what that reason is).

Elizabeth:
I do love it that my work is being pitched to teens, because I think books can change how you think when you're young. That said, the difference between YA and adult fiction is a lot more fluid lately. Adults are starting to realize that they enjoy the plot drive that they find in some YA literature. It's rare to find books for teens that are navel-gazing or pretentious. Kids wont' stand for it.

The Giveaway:
A hardcover from book depository (INT).

Plus One: Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.

Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece—a day dweller, or Ray—she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.

Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.




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How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). INTERNATIONAL.  I will contact the winner via email.

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Come see me and many fabulous other authors at Authors After Dark this year!

Authors After Dark is coming QUICKLY and OMG this year is going to be INSANE!

As always AAD is about the readers, and the amount of awesome we have put together for you this year, you would be INSANE not to attend….

First, our amazing Master of Ceremonies is none other than Alexandra Ivy! She will be doing a cool little event to celebrate your favorite gargoyle, Levet on Friday! Wanna know more? Check out the FB group where Alex will be talking about the awesome that she has going on!

Torquere and authors BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot will be Sponsoring our Welcome event, the Midnight Rodeo… And it looks like We will have some VERY COOL goodies and… Riding… happening… *SNICKER*

How about Parties? This year we have a special event called the Leather and Lace Ball! Curious? We thought so! Take a ride on the wild side and let your inhibitions fly with five New York Times Bestselling Authors of erotic romance. Cuffs and corsets encouraged.

With:

J. Kenner, Liliana Hart, Carly Phillips, Janelle Denison, Jasinda Wilder and Lorelei James

The ladies will be talking more about this on the FB group starting soon!

New for 2014 is the Paranormal Party! Join over 20 Paranormal authors who will be giving away goodies, some books and hanging out with you to snack and chat! Wanna know what authors are involved? You will have to join the FB group to see!

And of course, we have the amazing Masquerade Ball! This year it’s the SINS AND VIRTUES BALL! Are you a sin or a virtue? Join us for a wild costumed event! Prizes for the best costumes, including a 200$ gift certificate to Lori Ann Costumes!

Your Sins and Virtues Sponsors:

Sin Lust
Boone Brux
Opal Carew

Sin Pride
BA Tortuga
Andrew Grey

Sin Envy
Stella Price
TJ Michaels

Sin Gluttony
Desiree Holt
Saranna DeWylde

Sin Greed
Ann Mayburn
Heather Long

Sin Sloth
Lizzie T. Leaf
Julie Morgan

Sin Wrath
Stacey Kennedy
Marianne Morea

Virtue Charity
Kerry Adrienne
Trista Ann

Virtue Chastity
Jenn LeBlanc
Annabel Jospeh

Virtue Humility
Milly Taiden
Donna McDonald

Virtue Kindness
CJ Ellisson
Alexandra Ivy

Virtue Temprance
J. Kenner
Sidney

Virtue Diligence
Denise Grover Swank
Jenna McCormick

Virtue Patience
Lousia Bacio
Kallypso masters

And if THAT isn’t enough awesome that will be going on… This year we have an amazing off site costumed event… the Ladies on the Green event sponsored by the AAD Anachronistic Society! This will be an hour and a Half on the famous GREEN in Charlotte (a half block from the hotel). It will be a Costumed event (though Costumes are not required they are encouraged!) to celebrate Gothic, Victorian, steampunk dark historical literature! Your hosts will be: Sahara Kelly, Amanda McIntyre, Leanna Renee Hieber, A.L. Davroe and S.A. Price. Prizes and readings will happen, as well as photo ops!

And NEVER forget the Amazing Open bar with Mel Schroeder and friends! They have SO MUCH awesome set up for you just before the Bookies… you do NOT wanna miss that!

Getting excited yet? How about some info on the AWESOME mini events we have going on? Ready?

On Wed. Night,  Join Sasha White and Joey W. Hill for a wild party and Q&A, Also, the Blind Date Book Party will be open to start your con right! (If you have never done a BDBP, you are MISSING out! You need to attend, Get your blind date book, find the author that wrote it, and hang out with them!)

Thursday?  Panels up the wazoo, and the Bookie Awards----- goodies and books to be given out! The hangout with The GNO girls lead by CJ Ellisson and Boone Brux for some crazy fun! And if that wasn’t enough?  Readings and a Blogger Sleepover party as well!

Friday? More panels, a games carnival with Nina Gooden and Pals, Name that Author with Cat Johnson, and some other fun surprises!

Saturday? A few panels, the Big ass booksigning with 100 authors,  the Cowboy Stampede party, the Readers Mad Tea Party with Hildie McQueen, An after the bookies event with a special publisher sponsor, And Jess Michaels’ Birthday extravaganza!

SEE? SO MUCH AWESOME! All the authors that are involved with parties will be talking about their involvement on the FB group, so join up and get ready to rock.

Oh? You say you’re not registered for AAD yet? You need to be! All registrants get put in the hat for the welcome party prizes, and these prizes are AMAZING! Breakfast with authors, Booze and Books, side trips to Carrowwinds…. We have a minimum of 90 special prizes…. So…

You need to rock this con! And as if this wasn’t enough…. AAD will be giving away something really awesome to registrants…. Wanna know what?

How about 5 VIP registrations for THE NOVEL EXPERIENCE 2015 in LAS VEGAS? YES… 5!

And…

How about this… If we hit 100 more registrations from TODAY April 10^th to June 10^th, we will give away 2 AAD registrations for 2015…  2!!!!! So get registered, get your room and get ready for one HELL of an amazing year with us!

 JOIN US! WE CANT WAIT TO HANGOUT WITH YOU!

AAD REGISTRATION

Monday Muse: Abney Park -- The Circus at the End of the World

What happens when you stick two of my favorite things in the whole world together? This song and this video.

Feature Friday: Micah Caida

Micah Caida is the melding of two voices, two personalities and two minds, which often turns up the strangest ideas.  Micah enjoys exploring how different characters react and deal with similar situations.  Life is often filled with the unexpected – both good and bad.  While creating the Red Moon series, Micah hit upon a very unusual “what if” that exploded into an epic story filled with teenagers who face impossible odds, but are the only ones who can save the world from itself. 
www.micahcaida.com
https://twitter.com/micahcaida

Interview 2 -- On Music:

A.L.:
If you could pick out your own theme song what would it be and why?

Micah:
Picking just one theme song for “me” is sort of like picking just one favorite book or movie. I like constant entertainment, which is one reason I love writing. That’s why when I work on a story I’m entertaining me first.  If I had to pick a type of music for a theme song, it would be a fused creation of new wave that has a Latino slant, like something by Johannes Linstead. I grew up in Tampa, Florida where I was surrounded by Cuban guitarists.  It’s timeless and a distinctive sound that you recognize in the first few notes.

A.L.:
Is there a genre/style of music that you think best fits your writing style?

Micah:
Not really. I have a very eclectic ear.  When writing, I may be listening to Maroon 5 one day, then Earl Klugh or Ray Lynch (jazz) the next day and The Beatles on another day, then country music the next.  It depends on my frame of mind.  For example, if I’m writing a fight scene, I might be playing Stand Up And Fight by Turisas.   That would probably be the theme song for the Red Moon trilogy, because every teen in the series has to decide what is worth standing up and fighting for when the odds are against them.

A.L.:
What about Rayen, your main character in the Red Moon trilogy?  Can you pick out a theme song for her and why?  Would she have a different theme song in book two?

Micah:
Rayen’s character is what’s driving me to the finish of the Red Moon trilogy, and makes me want to finish Book 3 as soon as possible. Watching her fight and struggle is heartbreaking at times, and I can’t wait for readers to find out what happens.  When I think of Rayen, I hear Love Somebody by Maroon 5.  It’s a haunting, yet energetic, melody and I can hear those words in her mind when I’m in her point of view.   “I really want to love somebody…”  Deep down inside, she has a yearning to belong to someone and not just continue living literally from minute to minute.  Her music is different for each story and I can’t tell you what her song is for TIME LOCK (the last book in the trilogy) without giving away a spoiler.

A.L.:
If you could learn one instrument, what would it be and why?

Micah:
I would play the guitar.  My mother could play and I gave it a shot. I have a very nice guitar, but I was also an artist and you have to abuse your fingers to play the music I was interested in. When it came to a choice between the two, I wasn’t dedicated enough to play seriously.  I do love to strum on occasion, but it’s not in me to work that hard to learn when I’ll never play the music that is capable of moving me.   I can sit for hours and listen to a gifted guitarist.

A.L.:
If, for some terrible reason, you could only pick one song to survive the devastation of mankind what song would it be and why?

Micah:
One song to hear over and over and over, huh?  It would not have words and based on what I’ve told you above it would be Johannes Linstead or Ottmar Liebert – that’s a tough one. If I had to choose, it would be Kiss The Earth by Johannes Linstead. I could listen to that nonstop and never get tired of it.

A.L.:
Do you like to listen to music when you write?  What kind?  Was there a particular music list for when you wrote the Red Moon trilogy?  If so, will you share it with us?

Micah:
I feel like the house is empty if no music is playing.   I didn’t write a playlist, but this is the one I listened to while writing Time Return (don’t forget, I warned you it would be eclectic):

Hopeless Wanderer – Mumford & Sons
Demons – Imagine Dragons
Love Somebody – Maroon 5
For Roach – Jimmie Spheeris (very old)
Out Of My Head – Theory Of A Deadman
Gotta Be Somebody – NickelBack
Breathe – Johannes Linstead
Stand Up And Fight – Turisas.
I Am The Mercury – Jimmie Spheeris
See You Again – Carrie Underwood

The Giveaway:
Micah will give TWO winners a choice of either TIME TRAP or TIME RETURN.  (in case the winner hasn't read the first book--they are definitely best read in order)--signed paperbacks to Continental US only.

Time Return:  In this coming of age debut trilogy, USA Today Micah Caida turns dystopian young adult fiction on its ear with a breathtakingly fresh science fiction, fantasy story that is as much a thriller as it is a romantic tale.

Her Time. His Time. No Time
Rayen promised to return, Gabby must return, and Tony can’t return. 

Three teenage friends are connected by a shared secret that forces a decision with consequences no one expects. When Rayen arrives on the Red Moon sphere again, she finds shocking changes. Her arrival causes more upheaval and danger for the MystiK children, creating a heart wrenching challenge for Callan who must choose between duty and holding onto the one girl he can’t have. But walking away is harder than he expects when a new MystiK male in the sphere is poised to take Callan’s place. Under threat of attack from an unexpected enemy, Rayen and Callan must put their personal feelings aside to unite a village in chaos. 

Choices backfire, trust is forfeit and alliances shift as elements of the Damian Prophecy begin to fall into place and the time of reckoning is closer than anyone expected.

Books in Correct reading order:
Time Trap—Book 1  (Available now)
Time Return—Book 2  (Available now)
Time Lock—Book 3  (June 2014)

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