Thursday, January 15, 2015

Author Interview, Heather Manning

First off, I'm sorry about taking SO long to blog again. If I knew it was going to take such a long time to get back to blogging, I would've said something. Probably. ;)
Anyways, I hope y'all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Today on the blog, I'm going to kick off our 2015 year of blogging with an Author interview with teenage author Heather Manning!

(What readers are saying):
“It was suspenseful and entertaining. I had a hard time putting it down. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys a fun romantic novel.”—MK, Amazon

“With such believable characters and a healthy dose of adventure, Swept to Sea is now one of my favorite books.”—CM, Amazon

“The high seas, pirates, storms, privateers, revenge and romance!”—Nate, Amazon

A thrilling debut novel!”—Leah, Goodreads
Author Photo:

Bio: Heather Manning is a young lady who loves to read--and write. She has won multiple competitions for her writing with "Nextgen Writers" and placed first in some writing contests with the "Go Teen Writers" blog and is a proud member of ACFW. She lives in Missouri where she attends high school, acts in community theatre, eats donuts and reads every Inspirational Historical Romance she can get her hands on.
She is proud to say that her first novel, Swept to Sea, was professionally published while she was only 16 years old.


(1)    What is your favorite part of being published?

I love hearing from my readers. I adore getting reviews and seeing what people thought as they read it. My favorite part has got to be knowing that other people read my work and hopefully enjoyed it.

(2)    What is the scariest part (to you) about being published?

Not knowing who could be reading my book. What if they hate it and therefore won’t like me? What if they will never give me another chance? That is the scariest part.

(3)    What was the most exciting part of your writing career so far? (besides getting the contract/s and your books. )

I’d have to say the most exciting part of my career has been being interviewed on local television twice. It was certainly fun and I would love to be able to do it again. There’s something exhilarating about being on TV and talking about something you love to a large audience.

(4)    Where did you get the idea for Swept To Sea?

I’ve always enjoyed love stories, and I have always enjoyed sea-fearing stories as well. Pirates of the Caribbean were some of my favorite movies and still are. I wanted to write a series about three best friends who find themselves in the Caribbean in the midst of pirates, and Swept to Sea began.

(5)    How long did it take, from when you started writing until you were offered a contract, to get published?

I started writing Swept to Sea at the end of eight grade, and I signed my contract before I started my junior year of high school. All in all, it took around four years to write and pursue publication for Swept to Sea.

(6)    How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a writer?

I was twelve or thirteen years old when I decided to be a writer.  My English teacher (who never handed out A pluses) gave me an A+ on my short story and right then I decided I wanted to do this forever.

(7)    Do you listen to music while you write? And if you do, can you give us a few names of them?

I sometimes do and I sometimes don’t. When I do, it is usually tunes from musicals like Violet or Godspell, or some more mainstream things like The Band Perry, Taylor Swift, or Maroon 5.

(8)    If you were a character in Swept To Sea who would you be? (Going by personality, not favorites. J)

Hmmm. As many people have told me after reading the book, I seem a lot like Eden. While I may have not intentionally modeled her after me, we seem to share many characteristics and personality quirks.

(9)    Are you planning on pursuing writing your entire life?

Yes, I definitely am. I love writing and do not plan to stop anytime soon.

(10) If you could choose one book to be made into a movie (and it wasn’t yours, and they would actually stick closely with the book) what book would it be?

Ah! So hard to choose. I would love to see Dracula made into an ACCURATE movie. So many movies have been made that are nothing like the book, and I want an accurate adaptation.


Book Cover:
Blurb: Lady Eden Trenton never wanted to leave her privileged existence in London—until her father invites a dangerous suitor into her life. Left with few options, Eden devises the best reprieve she can: escape. Chasing freedom, she stows away aboard a pirate ship, praying she will gain her independence in the colonies before she is discovered by the nefarious crew. 
Captain Caspian Archer has spent the last five years hardening his heart and searching to exact revenge for the event that tore his life to shreds. When he catches word that his enemy is residing in Jamaica, Caspian steers his ship toward the colonies in all haste. His plans soon change, however, when he discovers the young beauty hiding in his ship’s hold. 
Cut from the only lives they have known, Caspian and Eden are pulled together as each pursues a fresh hope upon the sea. 


 
(I tried to put a picture of Heather and a picture of her book cover, but I'm not sure it is working. Many apologizes.)

Make sure you stay connected with Heather Manning on her writing journey! You can like you Facebook page, read her blog, follow her on twitter, goodreads, and Pinterest! (and she has excellent taste in fashion on Pinterest. :) )
Thanks for stopping by, readers, and, Heather!

1 comment:

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