Wednesday 23 January 2013

Author Interview: Elisabeth Wheatley

Elisabeth Wheatley has written Fanged Princess, The Key Of Amatahns and The Secrets Of The Vanmars.


1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Elisabeth Wheatley and I proudly call the Texas Hill Country my part of the world.
 
2. Do you have a pen name?
I considered it, but no, I don't have one.
 
3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
My most recent book is Fanged Princess and it is the story of a teenage vampire trying to protect the love of her brother's life.
 
4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Oh, I have plans for many more books and yes, Fanged Princess is the opener to a novella series with many more installments in the works!
 
5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
The first "book" I ever wrote was an extremely cheesy piece of fan-fiction for my favorite picture book when I was five or six. I'm not sure what inspired me to write it, but it certainly started something.
 
6. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
Gladly! I give readers books for review at every opportunity.
 
7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
Well, for Fanged Princess, we wanted something Gothic that said "vampire," but not too cliche. After browsing through some images, we decided on the one that is now on the cover. I actually handled all the design, though my publisher took care of the design for my first book.
 
8. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have written?
I have to say my favorite belongs to Fanged Princess. (Sucker for all things purple.)
 
9. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?
I think I would like to go with a different cover image for my second book, The Secrets of the Vanmars. But what's done is done and I try not to obsess over details like that.
 
10. Would you have different book covers for different countries?
Right now the covers are all the same. But maybe one day!
 
11. How did you come up with the title for your book?
For my other series, the Argetallam Saga, coming up with titles has been relatively easy, but with Fanged Princess, I had more of a challenge. I wanted some hint as to the vampires in the story and I wanted to use something that no one else had. After much mixing and matching of different words that pertained to the story, I came up with Fanged Princess.
 
12. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
Right now there isn't anything I would change about Fanged Princess, but I have every confidence that in a few months I'll go back and read it and wonder "why did I write it like that?"
 
13. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
Yes, I do have a book trailer for all three of my novels. I think book trailers can be a great way to portray a book's "feel" with animations, music, and images. If done right, they can make people more excited than a cover or blurb alone could. (Like the trailer for Throne of Glass, that's the best one I've ever seen!)
 
14. What is your opinion on ARCs?
I've read a few ARCs for other authors and I think they can be excellent ways of starting "the buzz" whilst the novel is still in progress. But I think I'd prefer to read finished copies myself, simply because I'm picky.
 
15. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
Usually, I prefer paperbacks, but I've recently developed a fixation with free Kindle books and now I can't stop downloading them.
 
16. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
I am not self-published, though I am an indie. I am with a small press with only a few authors that provides the editorial and some of the design services, though I have absolutely nothing against the self-published authors and am quite a fan a many of them.
 
17. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
The only books I have ever read cover-to-cover more than once are the five in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet. The books could be read as stand-alones, but I completely and wholly adore that series.
 
18. Have you ever bought a specific edition of a book because of it’s cover? (For example a UK, US or Canadian version)
No. I tend to like the US covers better anyway.
 
19. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
Um...I plead the Fifth?
 
20. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Can I plead the Fifth again?
 
21. What is your favourite film based on a book?
That would be a tie between The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Inkheart, and John Carter. They are all such masterpieces!
 
22. What is your favourite book genre at the moment?
YA fantasy! It's been my favorite for years and I think I'll always have a tender place in my heart for the magical and sorcerous.
 
23. What books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?
Well, I'm dying to read the next books in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Mass and The Captive series by Erica Stevens. Other than that, there are far too many on my TBR to count!
 
24. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
Right now, I'm reading several books on my Kindle app. I just finished The Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti for a blog tour. It was pretty darn good!
 
25. If you could invite any four celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
Ooh! C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, and Lloyd Alexander. (Do you see a theme here?)
 
26. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
I really don't do good with advice. I would just say what everybody's been telling me--write now, edit later. (It's so hard to actually do it!)
 
27. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
Well, I train and show dogs, am a Celtic Thunder and general music enthusiast, and am in training to become chauffeur for my little brothers.
 
28. Where can your readers follow you?
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

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