Author Interview & Giveaway: Faith McKay
We are excited to welcome author, Faith McKay, to the nest today. Be sure to check out the giveaway details at the end of this post.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What made you decide to become a writer?
Faith: I know lots of people become writers, but I feel like this is just who I've always been. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized there was a choice, which actually led to a lot of self doubt. I suppose at that point I decided to become a writer because everything else I tried doing felt like a giant waste of time. There is a great quote about writing because it's the only thing that while you're doing it, you don't feel like you should be doing anything else. That's exactly how I feel.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Is Lacuna Valley a real place? If not, what was your inspiration for creating it?
Faith: I once lived in this very strange place where the clouds never moved, tumbleweed actually blew across the road, and I thought the whole place just seemed so surreal. Lacuna Valley isn't a real place, but I based it all off of this place where I once lived. So all of the little details in Lacuna Valley—the tourist town with the western theme, the hunters and the hippies everywhere, the rolling hills surrounding everywhere—are all things I saw in the world and borrowed for Lacuna Valley.
Faith: Because she has great taste in music! (Don't all teenagers believe their taste in music is the best?)
Samantha's relationship with her little sister is one of the most admirable things about her, and makes her more interesting for readers. Sam puts up with a lot of things in her life, but when things happen to her sister, Violet, Sam steps up. Her role as a big sister brings her out of her shell.
A lot of really difficult things happen throughout Prophecy Girl, and as a reader, you get to watch Sam struggle as she changes. That's my favorite thing about Sam when I read Prophecy Girl (and I have read it many, many times).
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Who is your favorite fictional character? Why?
Faith: Hermione Granger. I think she's a lot of people's favorite. I immediately related to her as a character with big hair who read a lot and had a difficult time relating to people. As the books progressed, she became this amazing and strong person who did the right thing even when it was really hard or scary. I'm always trying to be more like Hermione.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Are you a plotter? If so, what is your plotting process?
Faith: Every story is different, but, I often start a project by writing all of the scenes that I already have in my head. I then print those off and lay them out on a table. I write up some ideas for other scenes and add them to the table, and then try to fix them up into an order that makes sense. It's a lot like fitting together a puzzle.
So, really, I start off just writing without any plans, and then around the middle I have to go through and start making things make sense.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your favorite bird?
Faith: I love this question! I'm actually afraid of birds, but find them beautiful in a terrifying way. As long as they stay a room's length away from me, I love looking at them. When I was in Arizona I grew to love listening to them after waking up every morning hearing these beautiful birds talk to each other. I became a really big fan of the European Starling. They have pictures and recordings of their songs here. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/
This or That:
- Instagram or Twitter? Twitter!
- New or Old? Old... but really I'm into repurposed old stuff!
- Text or Phone Call? Text. Definitely text.
- Summer Fashion or Winter Fashion? Winter. I love scarves!
- The Chicken or The Egg? The Chicken.
About the Novel
Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.
Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?
While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?
About the Author
We have TWO eBook copies of Prophecy Girl up for grabs. The winner will be able to choose their preferred eBook reader format. Thank you, Faith, for providing the book for the giveaway. The giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY! In order to win you must:
* Be 13+ years old
* Fill out the Rafflecopter below
The giveaway runs from January 24-31. The winner will be contacted via email on February 1.
Oooh, thanks for the interview! I've never heard of Prophecy Girl and this giveaway is getting me really interested in it. The author also seems like a sweetheart, thanks so much for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI would like to win and read the book because it's so far out there, so different than the normal romance book I read on a daily average. Like to mix it up a bit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance
Julie
i love stories about the unknown and special powers!
ReplyDelete"Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?" - That right there is why I need to read PROPHECY GIRL. WOW!!
ReplyDelete