Interview with Sara Humphreys and Giveaway - October 14, 2011

Please welcome Sara Humphreys to The Qwillery as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge interviews.

TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Sara:  I like to create a soundtrack for each book I’m writing and play it when I’m plotting out ideas. I can’t really play the music when I write because I find it too difficult to concentrate but before I get started it gives me great inspiration. For example, I’ve got Amy Petty’s music on every single Amoveo Legend soundtrack and I ended up using one of her songs for each of the book trailers. I adore her music and you should check it out on her website www.amypetty.com or you can find her stuff on itunes.

TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Sara:  I am a huge fan of Christine Feehan, Terry Spear, Carolyn Brown, Judi Fennel, Lori Handeland, and Olivia Cunning…just to name a few. The truth is that there are many, many other authors I love to read and my tbr pile is growing by the second. My biggest influences have been Christine Feehan and Lori Handeland because their novels were the first paranormal romance novels I read—and I was hooked instantly.

TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Sara:  I start every book as a pantser and just kind of let things go where the characters take me but by the time I hit the halfway mark I evolve into a plotter. Now that I have deadlines to meet, I don’t have time to diddle around and I have to get things done. I find that too much pantsing slows down my process.

TQ:  Describe Unleashed (The The Amoveo Legend 1) in 140 characters or less.

Sara:  Malcolm a dream walking telepathic shape-shifter has finally found his mate Samantha and she's a hybrid. Just 1 problem. She doesn't know it.

TQ:  What inspired you to write Unleashed?

Sara:  I’ve always loved shape-shifters and the idea of having one true life mate is especially romantic. As an avid reader of paranormal romance, I wanted to create a world that other paranormal romance junkies could fall in love with. My goal was to create an entirely new race of shape-shifters and build a world that readers could get lost in.

TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Unleashed?

Sara:  I researched wolves and golden eagles so that I could bring some of their real-life traits into the world of the Amoveo. I watched several you tube videos of golden eagles in flight so that I could capture that realistically for the reader and hopefully it worked. I’ve been researching the location for over twenty years. Unleashed is set in Westerly, RI and my family has a beach house there. Several of the locations mentioned are real places within Westerly. I love that town.

TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Sara:  Samantha was most definitely the easiest probably because her character is the most like me and Nonie was easy too because she’s based on both of my grandmothers. I think that the villain was the most challenging because it’s not easy to get into the head of someone hateful and violent. It can be a little scary to let that darkness into your own mind and allow it to flourish so that the character can come to life.

TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Unleashed?

Sara:  My favorite scene is the diner scene. Malcolm senses Samantha is in trouble and he drops everything to go to her and be of assistance if she needs it. It makes me smile every time I think about it…but probably not for the reason you may be thinking. I don’t want to say anymore…I’ll just say it’s my personal fave.

TQ:  How many books are planned for The Amoveo Legend series?

Sara:  There are currently five books planned for the series. Untouched will be out in April 2012 and Untamed is slated for November 2012. The fourth and fifth books in the series will be released in 2013 and I’m having a blast putting it all together.

TQ:  What's next?

Sara:  I’ve got a blog tour running through October and we’ve got lots of books we’re giving away, thanks to Sourcebooks. You can find the full list on my blog.

http://amoveoromanceseries.blogspot.com/p/october-blog-tour-for-unleashed.html

Additionally, I’m in the middle of my brick & mortar book tour—10 cities in 8 weeks. You can find the full list of cities and dates on my blog or website.

http://amoveoromanceseries.blogspot.com/p/fall-2011-book-tour-dates.html

http://www.sarahumphreys.com/events.php

Dream on….

TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.


About  Unleashed

Unleashed

Amoveo Legend 1
Sourcebooks Casanblanca,October 1, 2011

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you’d ever imagined…

Samantha Logan’s childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans…but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she’s one of them…

And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way…

Get swept away into Sara Humphreys’s glorious world and breathtaking love story…

Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million

About Sara

Sara Humphreys has been attracted to the fantasies of science fiction, paranormal, and romance since her adolescence when she had a mad crush on Captain Kirk. An actress and teacher, Sara lives in New York with her husband, who is very considerate of her double life, and four amazing boys. For more information, please visit www.sarahumphreys.com.

Sara's Links

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter


The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Unleashed from The Qwillery.

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

What is your favorite type of shifter? 

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)  Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)  Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)  Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Friday October 21, 2011. Void where prohibited by law. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*