June Jests is drawing to a close here on my blog. I hope you have enjoyed hearing from these talented humor authors as much as I have. My last interview is with author Maggie Thom.
 
Thanks for participating in June Jests, Maggie. Why don't you start by telling us how you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?

I make the characters as real to life as possible, so that when they use humor it’s appropriate for who that character is. It generally occurs naturally but I do make sure that it’s tastefully done and at the right moment. I make the humor part of the character and part of the situation - so friends will rib each other about the situations they find themselves in, they will use it as a way to cope with something, to get out of something, they will use it to deflect another character’s attention from something, they will use it when in an uncomfortable situation, etc. 

In Tainted Waters, Samantha is being chased and finds herself trapped on an elderly woman’s balcony. Sam gets the bright idea to attract the attention of the police in the area by making a car’s alarm go off. So she starts throwing this old lady’s china - cups & saucers - at a car in the parking lot. Unfortunately, she’s a really bad aim. Wouldn’t that be fun to do though?

Why do you like to incorporate humor into your stories?

I love humor and I think it brings another depth to a story and to the characters. It makes them more real and easier to connect with for the reader. I also use it to break up some of the intensity of the story. And I use it when it feels right for that person. And because I can do things in my books I’d never do in real life.

In Tainted Waters, Sam is really headstrong but can’t seem to settle down into any specific job, so when she gets fired as a reporter, a job she actually likes, she throws a cup of cold coffee into her bosses face. She acts first and thinks later, which is exactly her character. Besides who hasn’t had a boss they’ve thought about doing this to?


Do you think humor can be incorporated into any genre, or are there genres in which it doesn’t work?

I do actually. As long as it is something that fits the character and fits the situation, I think it can work. A few types of books that it can be a bit more challenging is when something horrific happens or horror stories but I still think it can be done and done well. It’s all about how and where it’s placed so that it doesn’t come across cheesy or way out of context. I love even a touch of humor in any book no matter the genre. I think it is such a gift when others can make us smile or laugh.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing humor?

Humor is a very subjective thing – what one person likes, another won’t. It’s also about the timing of when it’s delivered and that it be in good taste. It has to feel natural. I write suspense thrillers so it’s about where the humor is placed so as not to break up the intensity too much that the reader loses touch with the main character.

 
So true! And now for some THIS or THAT:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Big Bang Theory?

I love the Big Bang Theory. I’m a huge fan. I love their sense of humor.

Bugs Bunny or Woody Woodpecker?

Woody Woodpecker – who can forget that:

Huh huh huh hahuh
huh huh huh hahuh
huh huh huh hahuh
huh huh huh huh huh

It makes me smile every time

Knock, knock jokes or Dirty Limericks?

Knock, Knock jokes

Garfield or Peanuts?

Tough choice but have to go with Garfield overall, who doesn’t love that sarcasm


I'm a sarcasm fan as well! And now, here's more about Maggie's novel, Tainted Waters:


He didn’t commit suicide but who’s going to believe her...

Frustrated at being fired from her latest job and overwhelmed by her consolatory family, Sam decides to move to the family’s cabin at the lake. A place she hasn’t been since her dad committed suicide there, twenty years before. Or did he? Snooping is something she’s good at but someone seems to be taking offense to her looking too closely at what has been happening at the lake. What she discovers is shocking. Now she must uncover what’s real and what’s not. All that she learned growing up, may be false.

 Keegan, who has recently moved to the area to finish his latest book, is also trying to find out if his grandfather, who’d passed away ten years before, died of natural causes or was murdered? The descendants of the four families, who own the land around the lagoon, are dying off.

Since Sam and Keegan are the only ones questioning the deaths, they find themselves working together to seek the truth. Are people being murdered? Who would benefit from their deaths? Why would there be barricades and armed guards at the north end of the lake? To stay alive, Sam and Keegan must find the answers and convince others, before more people are killed... including them.

Book of the Year 2013 - Suspense and Thriller Turning the Pages Magazine

"Thom’s book was like one of my Nana’s triple layered chocolate cakes, impossible to walk away from... The plot’s seamless, twisting turns and the tension-building exploits kept me flipping the pages..." Author Jeanne Marie

Amazon: http://amzn.to/183Jtz1

Follow these links to connect with Maggie Thom

www.maggiethom.com

www.facebook.com/authormaggiethom

www.twitter.com/maggiethom2

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6549592.Maggie_Thom

google +:  https://plus.google.com/102887579832939598896/posts

https://pinterest.com/maggiethom2/

June Jests is still going strong here on my blog! Today Colleen Myers, author of the upcoming novel, Must Remember, is my guest.


So glad you could stop by, Colleen. Tell us, what is your favorite style of comedy?

My favorite type of humor would be dry/sarcastic humor or gutter humor because anything can be made funnier by sex!  Sex and love and romance should be fun, playful and engaging. That is what I aim for in my books. 

How do you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?

I think every novel has a little bit of the author in it. I take the funniest things that every happened to me and even through the stories I have heard and weed em in there a little at a time. The most common way I add humor is through dialogue and internal monologue, description. 

 What is the most challenging aspect of writing humor? 

Quite honestly, it is making sure that everyone gets that what you are saying is HUMOR and not meant seriously, With some topics, that can be difficult to get across the page to the reader.

Which of your characters cracks you up the most & why?

Right now, I just finished the second book and am aiming for the third book in my upcoming Trilogy, MUST REMEMBER.  It is all first person past POV so most of my humor and observation is through my MC, Beta and I really love her. She is spunky, passionate and idealistic. I loved writing her.


Sounds like fun! Now some THIS or THAT:
 
Knock, knock jokes or Dirty Limericks? 
The dirtier the better! Although a good Your Momma joke is never amiss.
 
Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Big Bang Theory? 
BOTH! Please don't make me choose between Peralta or Sheldon. Please.

Spit takes or Banana Peels? 
Banananana!

Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy?
Three Stooges. 

Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry?
Dave Barry

 Much Ado About Nothing or A Midsummer Night’s Dream? 
“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
 
Silly animal videos or cute kid videos?
Animal videos, to be more specific, kitten videos. They are so darn cute!
 
Garfield or Peanuts?
Garfield. I love me some lasagna.
 
Bugs Bunny or Woody Woodpecker?
Bugs Bunny. "Gee, ain't I a stinker?"
  
Janet Evanovich or Judy Blume?
Janet Evanovich all the way. One for the Money... The book, not the movie.

Thanks so much for being my guest today, Colleen. Be sure to watch for Colleen's first novel, Must Remember, coming Nov 2nd, 2015


For more from Colleen, visit:
www.csmyersmusings.com
Thoughtful, Sexy, Fun

Is your side aching yet? Only a few more humor author interviews to go here on my blog. Today author Ute Carbone is my special guest.

Tell us, Ute, why do you like to incorporate humor into your stories?

Probably because I love to laugh and if I can make a reader laugh, I'm a happy camper. The comedies I write are  full of quirky characters that do things that are just a little crazy. But even the more serious things I write, will sometimes have a lighter moment, a joke or a funny line delivered by a character. Humor can break up tension and it can also make a character more appealing. 

How do you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?

It's all real. :)  I love funny stuff and collect quirky stories that I'll sometimes put into the comedies. Mostly, though, it's a matter of perspective, of finding the humor in a situation and you can find humor in just about anything if you look for it.

Tell us about one of the funniest scenes from your book & where you drew inspiration for it.

 The one readers have liked is the whale scene in The P-Town Queen, in which the authorities blow up a dead whale rotting on the beach. The scene is based on something that really happened (you can't make this stuff up) back in the 1970s, when civil engineers did actually blow up a whale on a beach in Oregon. 

While I was writing P-Town, a friend sent me the link to a video of the incident. It was one so funny I had tears in my eyes after watching it. Since my main character was a shark researcher, it was pretty easy to incorporate the scene into the book. I modified it some, and made the situation even worse than it had been in real life—though quite honestly, you couldn't much improve on it.

Which of your characters cracks you up the most & why?

I love 'em all. My favorite is probably Gran Lila from Confessions of the Sausage Queen. She's a margarita drinking, cookie eating octogenarian who is not afraid to wear stilettos and won't take 'no' for an answer. 

And now for some THIS or THAT:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Big Bang Theory?

I love the Big Bang Theory. I know all the words to Soft Kitty.  

Spit takes or Banana Peels?

Give me a good spit take, because it usually follows something really stupid.

Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry?

Dave. He once wrote about blowing up pop tarts in a toaster and I used this in The P-Town Queen. I am eternally grateful for his pioneering research. Also, he's one of the funniest writers ever.

Janet Evanovich or Judy Blume?

Janet. The Stephanie Plum books are laugh out loud funny. 


Here's more about Ute's novel, Sausage Queen...

Bill Ludowski, owner of the town’s largest employer - Bill’s Big and Tasty Sausage- dies whilst he and Mandy Minhouser’s grandmother Lila Rose were doing their best Adam and Eve imitation under the hydrangea bushes.  That Gran and Big Bill had an affair that began around the same time as World War II is a secret that everyone in Kassenburg knows. But a new secret is about to be revealed. Big Bill has bequeathed the sausage factory to Lila, with Mandy as CEO.

 Mandy doesn’t know squat about the sausage biz and Bill’s grandson Hughes, the factory’s CFO, does everything in his power to close the Big and Tasty. But Mandy has the one thing that Hughes doesn’t-- family and friends willing to put themselves on the line to save the factory. With hope, faith and a whole lot of luck, Mandy and company might manage to do just that.

About the author:


Ute (who pronounces her name Oo-tah) Carbone is an award winning author of women’s fiction, comedy, and romance. 
She and her husband live in New Hampshire, where she spends her days walking, eating chocolate and dreaming up stories.  

More Books and Stories by Ute Carbone:

Blueberry Truth

The P-Town Queen

Afterglow

Searching for Superman

Sweet Lenora

The Lilac Hour

To The Wind

Dancing in the White Room

All Things Returned

Confessions of the Sausage Queen

The Whisper of Time

The Tender Bonds


For more about Ute and her books, Please Visit:

Web page:  http://www.utecarbone.com/

Blog  http://www.utecarbone.com/inside-the-writers-garret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ute-Carbone/234417796596443

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wildwords2

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5114798.Ute_Carbone

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ute-Carbone/e/B005G7U8RM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/utecarbone/

Sign up for her newsletter--

Letters from the Garret  http://eepurl.com/YCbMz

June Jests continue here on my blog. (Clown noses and squirting corsages are optional.) Today, Olga Godim is my guest.

Thanks, Audra, for inviting me to your blog.

Any time, Olga. So tell us, when was the last time you laughed out loud while reading? Tell us about the book & what struck you as funny.

It was probably Jennifer Crusie’s first book Manhunting. I reread it recently. I love Crusie’s novels (she writes romantic comedy) and periodically go on a rereading spree. Why is this book funny? Hard to say. It has vivid characters, witty dialog, and wonderfully absurd situations. When I read it, it felt as if the author enjoyed writing it as much as I enjoyed reading it. It felt as if we laughed together.

Do you think humor can be incorporated into any genre, or are there genres in which it doesn’t work?

I think humor can be used with any literary genre. Even more, humor enhances any genre. There are funny sci-fi and fantasy stories, humorous mysteries and hilarious romances. Only boring fiction can’t be humorous – by definition.

Who is your favorite humor author & why?

I can’t really name one favorite humor writer but I can tell you a few of my favorite writers who use humor in their stories. Jennifer Crusie – I already mentioned her – is a romance writer. Terry Pratchett – many of his Discworld fantasy novels are hilarious. Lois McMaster Bujold – some of her sci-fi books about Miles Vorkosigan, especially The Warrior’s Apprentice, are hysterical. And then there is Georgette Heyer. She also wrote romances, and a number of them are side-splittingly funny.  

How do you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?

I have a collection of urban fantasy short stories written with humor. All the stories are united by the same protagonists, a young modern witch Darya and her familiar, squirrel Beatrice. Beatrice is telepathic – she talks to Darya in her head. How could I write about an intelligent, telepathic squirrel without humor?

I don’t write hysterical funny, more like irony. I want my readers to smile or grin or chuckle. For example, in the beginning of one story, Darya dyes her hair blond. She likes her new look, but Beatrice disagrees and says so. She considers blond hair detrimental to one’s mental abilities. When later in the story, Darya does something stupid with her magic, Beatrice is not shy to point it out. Of course, she blames the newly-dyed blond hair.

And yes, real life often inspires me. Some time ago, my daughter dyed her hair blond. Then she did something stupid... and she didn’t need magic or a telepathic squirrel to poke fun at herself. I borrowed some of her expressions for this story.     

Another example of life inspiring humorous fiction would be one of my magic realism stories. Several years ago, I was upset about my lack of publishing success. I was making dinner and pouring my grievances aloud into the kitchen sink while I peeled potatoes and cut chicken. I was alone in the house, so nobody could hear and ridicule me. Then I thought: why don’t I channel my frustration into a more creative outlet and write a story about it. What could happen if I added a fantasy element? Maybe my protagonist would complain to her kitchen sink, turn on the water, and a water sprite would splash out from the tap? Maybe the water sprite would start talking to her? Maybe it could offer her help to find a publisher in exchange for... what? What would a water sprite want in exchange? And how would a water sprite go about finding a publisher for my heroine? So the story was born and published by a magazine a few months later. It’s available for free now on my wattpad page: http://www.wattpad.com/story/19762859-trading-wishes

And now for some THIS or THAT questions:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Big Bang Theory?

Big Bang Theory

Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry?

Neither. Jon Stewart

Much Ado About Nothing or A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Much Ado About Nothing

Silly animal videos or cute kid videos?

Neither. TED Talks. Some of them are marvelously witty

Thanks for being a good sport today, Olga. For more information about Olga and her books visit:

Website and blog:      http://olgagodim.wordpress.com 
Twitter:                       https://twitter.com/OlgaGodim 
Smashwords:                         https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/OlgaGodim1 
BookLikes:                 http://olgagodim.booklikes.com/

And to Buy the book:

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/423740  
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Squirrel-Magic-stories-Olga-Godim-ebook/dp/B00JNFG750/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397367918&sr=8-2&keywords=olga+godim

The LOLs continue on my blog this month as I interview authors who incorporate humor into their novels. Today Nicholas Andrews is my guest.

Thanks for stopping by, Nicholas. Tell us, when was the last time you laughed out loud while reading? Tell us about the book & what struck you as funny.

I recently reread Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman after hearing news of Pratchett's unfortunate passing. The book has too many good lines to mention, but I've only read it twice, and the part that stuck with me from the first time I read it over a decade ago was the running gag throughout the book about Crowley only listening to Queen songs when in his car, because "all tapes left in a car for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums."

Do you think humor can be incorporated into any genre, or are there genres in which it doesn’t work?

I don't think there are genres in which it wouldn't work, but depending on the type of story the author wants to tell, it may not work. Even if it's a super serious story, some incorporated humor could be useful to break the tension and help humanize characters a bit. But even then, putting it in an inappropriate spot can destroy a scene. 

How do you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?

I've always drawn inspiration from real life, to the point that I can incorporate a lot of inside jokes that no one but me is going to get. For example, in Babyface Fire, Loebo, Seren and Bleg are getting ready to leave in the morning for their trip to another town, and Seren and Bleg mention they didn't wake up until a few minutes ago because the promoter was at the inn they were staying at and he doesn't allow any roosters. No one but a very select group would get that. 

A more accessible example would be from The Adventure Tournament. One night at work, one of the maintenance guys was waxing a section of the floor. There was always a lot of ribbing going on between co-workers, so I dubbed that section his "waxhole" and kept asking him when he was going to stop playing with it throughout the night. It cracked him up, so when I got home I had the realization that if it was that funny, I should try and put it in my novel. So there's a scene where the characters are trying to figure something out at the university library. They're there for a long time, and a character named Fosher starts to get bored and begins playing with the melted wax in the candle holder on their table by poking holes in it. So one of his teammates smacks him in the head and tells him "Stop fingering your waxhole and pay attention!" I guess no laugh is too cheap for me.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing humor?

For me, sitting down to write it. The reason I've only had two books in The Adventurers series so far is that, though I don't have a bipolar disorder, my personality does lean that way, and I switch between funny and serious on a dime. When serious or bad things are happening in life, it's a struggle to sit down and try to be funny. Luckily most of my humor comes from the characters and flows naturally once I get going. I often find myself having to rein in the humor in my more serious works, because often something funny will come into mind on the spot as I'm writing just out of the relationship between the characters and their situation. Luckily, The Adventurers books aren't one story broken up into parts, but each novel is a standalone. So it's a series that I can drop and pick back up whenever I have the inspiration without worrying about having to get the next installment out to keep readers hooked on an ongoing story.

And now, some This or That:

Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry?

Dave Barry, though I feel like I should say Erma since she was born in my hometown. But my dad introduced me to Barry, and I've always found him very funny. I was a big fan of the sitcom Dave's World back when it was on.

Garfield or Peanuts?

That's a tough one, because I grew up with both of them. I remember checking out a book from the library that had old Garfield comics from way back when he still had his original "fat cat" design. And I had a book that was a Snoopy-themed collection of Peanuts comics. I always wondered what would happen if Snoopy fought Garfield inside a Steel Cage. I'll go with Garfield, because he won the coin flip.

Bugs Bunny or Woody Woodpecker?

Woody always seemed a little too one-note, and I don't find annoying laughs funny. I find them annoying. So I have to go with Bugs. It also helps him that he has a whole universe of Looney Tunes characters to play off of. By the way, if anyone wants to know about an odd connection between Bugs and Woody, look up the Angry Video Game Nerd's Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle video on YouTube (but not if cursing and scatological humor offends you). 

Janet Evanovich or Judy Blume?

Never read Evanovich, so Judy Blume all the way. The Fudge series were some of the books of my childhood. Fun fact: a character in Babyface Fire, Alyssa Blume (and by extension the rest of House Blume), was named as an homage to Judy.

Books by Nicholas Andrews:

The Adventure Tournament ~

With the kingdom of Bolognia under attack by independent forces of random malcontents, it's time to send out the army to deal with these troublemakers, right? No, first there's money to be made! Send out the adventurers, those rogues who wander the countryside in search of fame and treasure, and take up all the good seats at the local pubs. Then, organize brackets, stage it for the public's entertainment, offer a prize and call it The Adventure Tournament. 

Remy Fairwyn is a ne'er-do-well academic who really wants to become an adventurer. When he hears of the tournament, he jumps at the opportunity, only to find himself out of the frying pan and in the fire. Add ingredients like corrupt organizations, professional wrestlers, narcoleptic thieves, drama kings and malfunctioning magical minutiae, and his venture quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. 

As the competition heats up, Remy discovers that the tournament itself could be putting the kingdom in danger, and it's up to him to uncover the truth before destruction consumes all he holds dear.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LFYPZK
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-adventure-tournament-nicholas-andrews/1104704320?ean=2940148857907
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-adventure-tournament/id896907750?mt=11
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-adventure-tournament
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/385636
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=mmsxBgAAQBAJ

Babyface Fire ~

All Loebo wants in life is to lead the best team of adventurers in the kingdom, get filthy rich, and marry the prettiest lady he's ever met. Is that so much to ask? 

But when Loebo and the Chosen Squad set out to rescue his love from her overprotective father, he finds out a bounty has been placed on his head, courtesy of his own grandmother! 

While the Squad tries to unravel this mystery, Loebo comes across a wrestler-turned-adventurer named Bleg, who agrees to protect Loebo from the bounty hunters. But first, Bleg is hired to escort a young woman named Seren to her new job at OWW, Bolognia's premier wrestling league. As Bleg confronts a bitter past with the company's powers-that-be, Loebo finds himself the focal point of the biggest wrestling storyline of the year.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F23WOMM
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/babyface-fire-nicholas-andrews/1116865071?ean=2940148518624
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/babyface-fire-adventurers/id891373536?mt=11
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/babyface-fire
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/444579
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=0KgzBgAAQBAJ

For more about Nicholas Andrews, visit:
http://www.authornicholasandrews.com
http://www.facebook.com/NicholasRAndrews
http://www.twitter.com/nykkochet

Writer’s block is like being constipated. You know what you need to do, but it just won’t come out. Nearly a third of the way through the final book of my fantasy trilogy and my writing bowels were bound up like a kid who eats nothing but Wonder Bread and American cheese.

I tried editing what I’d already written. Nothing stirred. I tried reading the dictionary for inspiration. Not helpful. I tried reading other people’s novels. It just made me jealous. If there was an over-the-counter cure for writer’s block, I wasn’t finding it. It was time to consult a doctor.

I said to myself, Nora Roberts writes a new book every thirty seconds. What’s she feeding her muse? Turns out, when you are that successful, you can pay for a room full of staffers to serve you prunes twenty-four seven. Wasn’t going to happen at my income bracket.

So then I wondered, what would Steven King do? Take a job as a winter caretaker for a haunted hotel? Those creepy twins would definitely make me poop my pants, but I decided switching careers in order to isolate myself wasn’t practical for me right then.

The writing doctors weren’t helping. I decided it was time to get to the heart of the matter. What was causing my blockage?

At first, my blockage was caused by exhaustion. It takes mental energy to write, and time to daydream. I went back to work teaching full time after 11 years. I love working with kindergartners, but those little vampires will suck the energy right out of you. At a certain point I just set my writing aside, with plans to come back to it when I had the energy to focus my eyes on my computer screen.

After the second book in the series was published and school was out, my plan was to sleep. Sleep until my eyes popped open and I had the energy to push on through until the creativity was advancing again.

Unfortunately, in June, my youngest was diagnosed with cancer. For several months, being alone with my thoughts did not lead to writing, it lead to worry and fear about my child.

But no matter what life throws at us, we are who we are. I am a writer, and trying to give it up wouldn’t work. If I didn’t let my creativity out, I might eventually explode. So, once I had settled in to cancer mom life, I pulled up my rough draft and tried to peck away at it.

I eked out a sentence here, did a little editing there. I sometimes managed a whole scene, or even a rough chapter. And finally, during a two week break from treatments, I was writing again. Like a batch of grainy bran muffins, my characters entered in and started to move their stories along. I outlined several chapters, added to previous scenes, wrote a few new ones.

I still have many potentially constipating challenges ahead of me, but I know that even if I become blocked again, it will eventually pass.

I’m still working on that third book – but in the meantime, read the first two!

September is hoppin’ here on my blog. I’ve been invited to join some blog hops & so I thought I’d get in on the fun. This week, author Elizabeth Fountain has invited me to participate in the ‘Meet my characters’ Blog hop. I’ll be answering some character related questions about my latest novel, Abomination…

1) What is the name of your character?  Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Princess Willow has a gift for debate. She is a fan of satin, lace, and getting her own way. She is the strong-willed daughter of Watcher and Benaiah, the King and Queen of Forest End, which is a fictional land from my fantasy series.

2) When and where is the story set?

The story is set in a medieval style fantasy world called Anthelion, where everyone is blessed with one special gift. Most gifts are mundane; for instance, one might be a talented cook or seamstress. Some people, however, have powerful, supernatural abilities. These are the people about whom legends are told.

3) What should we know about your character?

Willow may be a bit of a brat, but she is also clever and as the child of prophecy, she has the ability to change the world.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

In the beginning of the book, Willow is kidnapped by an enemy kingdom. She finds herself in a strange land in the company of a young man who is nearly impervious to her gifts of persuasion.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

Six year old Willow would very much like to fulfill her role in the prophecy already so she can get back home to her riding lessons.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

This book is called Abomination. Here are some reviews that will tell you a bit more…
http://authoreverleigh.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html
http://myaddictionisreading.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html http://www.lilacreviews.com/book-reviews/review-abomination/ 
http://pratr.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/abomination-by-audra-middleton/ 
http://texasbooknook13.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html
http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/09/abomination-by-audra-middleton.html

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

This book is now available on Amazon and iBookstore as an ebook or paperback.

And next week (Sept. 16) you’re invited to check out the following author's “Meet My Characters” responses…

Kenneth Schultz - "I like to make things and writing allows me to create whole worlds, the people in these worlds, and challenges to confront my people. Writing also lets me explore issues facing mankind, like the impact on civilization of the exhaustion of fossil fuels. Sci Fi is my favorite genre and fits well with my background in engineering, science, and economics. I presently make my home on Washington's picturesque Olympic Peninsula."
LINKS: www.kennethdschultz.com
                  www.facebook.com/KennethDSchultz

Stay tuned Sept. 28 for my part in Linda Ulleseit's Back to School Blog Hop!