Monday, July 2, 2012

INDIEpendence Day



To celebrate with The Indelibles for INDIEpendence Day I am going to highlight YA author Chelsea Cameron and her book NOCTURNAL.

I came across Chelsea's series like an good writer should, on Twitter. She is very active on #Indiechat and feeds my ego when I need it. Which is alot because I'm kind of needy, if you all haven't noticed.





Seventeen-year-old Ava-Claire Sullivan isn't one for doing the expected. Especially when she finds out her mother's cancer is terminal. After a crying session in the local cemetery where she's attacked by one strange guy and saved by another, she doesn't call the cops. Because those guys definitely weren't your average hooligans.

And the one who sort-of saved her? Well, he's odd. He doesn't seem to breathe or smile or have anything better to do than wait in the cemetery for Ava to come back, which she does. Morbid curiosity? Even after he warns her that he's dangerous, she can't stop wanting to see him, talk to him, be with him.

There's just something about Peter that provides a much-needed escape from her mother's diagnosis and her tenuous relationship with her father. Her best friends, Jamie and Texas, don't know what it's like to face death. Peter does; he already has. But a promise he made a long time ago could destroy both of them.


 Quick Twitter pitch desctiption of Nocturnal.

Girl with dying mother meets immortal boy who changes her view of life, and death. 

What inspired you to write this book?

It's going to sound really, really dumb, but I was watching TV and there was an ad for Desperate Housewives. They showed a character plucking an apple off a tree, and I had this image in my head of this guy with really black hair doing the same thing. That was my first visual of Peter, my immortal guy in Nocturnal. I knew he was not human, but it took a while to figure out what that meant. It's odd that I saw him first, and Ava came later, because the book is mostly from her POV. 

If this book were to be made into a movie who would you cast?

Okay, so my almost-perfect Ava is Lexi Ainsworth, who used to be on General Hospital. She has the wide-set eyes and oval face that Ava does. We'd just have to dye her hair black and give her some green contacts. For Ava's best friend Texas, my pick is Lauren Alaina. She's got the right sassitude, even if we'd have to tone down that southern accent. For Peter, I'm still searching. He's tough because he's half-Japanese, so I have to find someone with just the right look. If anyone finds someone who reminds them of Peter, please post it on my Facebook or message me on Twitter! I'd love some help finding him :) For Viktor, Peter's brother (my tall blond Russian), I picture a young Alexander Skarsgard. Yum.

Is there a soundtrack you have for this series?

I'm in the process of creating playlists for the book, so I don't have a complete playlist, but there are a few songs that are very significant. First is "Poison and Wine," by The Civil Wars. That is THE song for the entire series. The song is haunting and so heartbreakingly beautiful. Here are some of the lyrics:
I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back
The less I give the more I get back
Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don't have a choice but I still choose you
Oh I don't love you but I always will
Other songs include "Arms" by Christina Perri, "Everytime We Touch" covered by Patent Pending, and "Just A Kiss" by Lady Antebellum.

Why Indie?

Why not? It came down to two things, for me. One was control. I love the fact that I can design my own covers, hire my own editor, have the final say in how I market and how I brand myself as an author. My mother is a small business owner, and I always knew one day I would follow in her footsteps. I'm doing it as a writer.
The second reason is that I didn't want to have to wait forever to get my book out there. Even if I got an agent, even if I got a publisher, it would still be at least a year and more like two before my book would see the light of day. And then I would have to pray I'd earn out my advance, however small that would be. Being a traditionally-published author requires you to rely a lot on other people. I like relying on myself, even if it is a TON of work. I love it, and wouldn't change it for a second.

Favorite book, movie, and food.
I could never pick a favorite book, so I'l
l list a few: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel, The entire Harry Potter series, Pride and Prejudice, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor. My favorite movie is a tie between Gone With The Wind and Anne of Green Gables. Favorite food is easy! Red Velvet Cheesecake :) 

Words to live by?

It is always darkest before the dawn. It's a quote I say a lot in Nocturnal, and it's one my grandmother used to say. When I lost my dad to cancer six years ago, my mom wrote it on a piece of paper and had it taped next to the door. It really helped me get through that time.
Another, less serious piece of advice is from my dad: Anything worth having is worth working for. Anything that's truly worthwhile can't be easily obtained. It takes work to get what you want. That's my philosophy as an author.



And to celebrate our INDIEpendence day, I'm going to give away an ecopy of Nocturnal!
Chive on people and enter your name in the little rafflecopter doohickey to win!

And make sure to go back to The Indelibles homepage and check out the authors who are participating!

http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href= Rafflecopter giveaway

5 comments:

  1. Hi Magan. Purple is my favorite color, so I'm smitten by just the cover.

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  2. I love your explanation for Why Indie! Exactly - why not? Of course, there is more to it but that's a big part of it. :)

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  3. Loved this! And love the cover!!!!

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  4. Haha - I am literally listening to Poison & Wine as a I read this! Sounds like a great book.

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  5. Oooh, look at that cover. This book sounds right up my alley. Adding it to my TBR list.

    Happy 4th!

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