Hey everyone! I’m so excited to have Carys Jones, author of Sunkissed (Out Now) here for an interview today! Here’s the official Goodreads excerpt for the book:
Dawn Summers is dying. It’s 1853 and as the seventeen year old continues to fade away she has visions of the father she never knew, urging her to fight for her life.
In the small village of Fandova the only medical care is in the form of the mysterious Dr. Moralus who has a known penchant for bloodletting. Thomas, Dawn’s fiancé, is warned against inviting his intervention, but feels he has no choice, he pleads with the doctor to save Dawn’s life…whatever it takes.
Whatever it ‘takes’ has some consequences neither of them expected. Now, it’s a hunt to the death, with both Dawn and Thomas determined to win.
Hope you guys enjoy the interview!
Question: Describe your book in ten words or less. Go!
Answer: Love, death and the eternal bonds which bind two hearts…
Question: What scene do you most regret having to cut?
Answer: I was fortunate in that I wasn’t too heavily edited and most of the scenes I loved, I got to keep within the story.
Question: On the flip side, what was your favorite scene that got added during edits?
Answer: I didn’t add scenes as much, more extra details to help the story flow and feel more clear in places.
Question: Why did you decide to set Sunkissed in 1853? In what ways did it aid the story’s plot?
Answer: I set the first half of the book in 1853 to help establish the long standing history between the central characters of Thomas and Dawn. I felt like the reader first needed to know where they came from to fully understand where they end up.
Question: Vampires have been incredibly popular in young adult fiction. Why do you think that is? What makes Sunkissed stand out from other vampire novels?
Answer: The vampires in Sunkissed are classically gothic and sinister. They kill without remorse, can be burnt up by the sun and drink blood to remain strong and agile.
However, there is a twist in the tale which could ultimately bring about the end of humanity at the hands of vampires.
I like to think that Sunkissed offers a new, fresh perspective on the vampire genre whilst retaining the elements which made vampires so popular in the first place.
Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: I wrote a book which was set in the 1930s and I was very conscious about getting the dialogue to sound authentic so I spent a lot of time looking up 1930s slang, making a list of it all and then making sure I incorporated some of it in to what my characters were saying.
It was a pretty in-depth process overall but interesting to do and hopefully effective.
Question: Biggest writing quirk?
Answer: I plan all of my stories out in finite detail. Before I start on any project I have pages of notes describing each and every chapter and things rarely change from my initial notes. I always know exactly where a story or character is going before I’ve typed the first word.
And my notes are all stored in one dog eared notebook that has definitely seen better days but I just can’t bear to part with!
Question: What book are you currently reading?
Answer: In paperback I’m reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and on my Kindle I’ve just started The Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti
Question: What are your most anticipated books of 2014?
Answer: I’m admittedly a bit behind on new releases. The books in my TBR pile for this year include An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, A Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I can’t wait to delve in to them all as soon as I get the chance.
Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: I’ve got my next book, Prime Deception, being released on 7th April so I’m busy preparing for that. Also in the fall of 2014 I’ve got a big release with a YA publisher which I can’t discuss in too much detail yet but it’s all very exciting.
I love getting the opportunity to share my work with people and know I’m very fortunate to be able to do so.
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And now for the awesome giveaway, courtesy of Carys! ONE winner will win an eBook copy of Sunkissed in their choice of ePub, Mobi or PDF formats.
-Giveaway is INT since it’s an eBook.
-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.
-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.
-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway
*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.
With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!