Promotion: PODs by Michelle Pickett

PODs
By Michelle Pickett

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul. 

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters. 

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life - a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

Available at Amazon.co.uk.

Author Interview: Michelle Pickett

Michelle Pickett has written PODs.

1. What is your name and where do you call home?

My name is Michelle Pickett. I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but I now reside in a small community outside Houston, Texas with my incredibly supportive husband, three school-aged children, a 125 pound “lap” dog and a very snooty cat.

2. Do you have a pen name?

No, I use my given name on all my writing.  Although, some books list me as Michelle K. Pickett while others leave out my middle initial. 

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?

My most recent book is a post-apocalyptic/dystopian/romance titled PODs and will release June 4^th.

A virus kills the population. Some people are chosen to live in the PODs to save mankind—there are zombies.

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

PODs is my debut young adult novel. It’s a post-apocalyptic/dystopian/romance. It was written as a stand-alone, but I recently signed a contract for the sequel titled, The Infected. PODs releases June 4^th, 2013 and The Infected releases November 2014.

5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?

My grandmother inspired me to read, which led to writing. I’ve always written, even if it was just in my journal. However, I didn’t start writing seriously until college. Then my writing was just for myself. I dreamed of having something published one day, but never could finish a book. It was quite sometime after college that I wrote my first full-length novel.

6. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?

The cover for PODs was designed by my editor and myself. We collaborated on it until we were both happy with the result.  After reading the book the reader will understand how perfect the cover is for the book. It couldn’t have been any better!

As for my next young adult novel, a paranormal romance titled Milayna, my editor and I also collaborated on it and she did an excellent job of capturing my vision. They are both fantastic covers and fit the books perfectly.

7. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?

No, I love them all. I’ve been very fortunate to have cover designers that take my feedback and work hard to make the cover as close to what I want as they can.

8. Do you have a playlist in mind for any of your books?

Yes, each of my books have playlists. They are located on my website (www.michelle-pickett.com). I also have some Youtube links that allow you to listen to some of the songs directly from my website, especially PODs and the sequel “The Infected.”

9. Did you listen to any particular songs whilst writing your books?

I do if the song relates to the scene. When I wrote the scene of Eva leaving her parents in PODs I listened to Avril Lavigne’s “I Miss You.”

10. How did you come up with the title for your book?

In PODs people are chosen to live in an underground habitat until the virus kills the population above and eventually dies itself. I just imagined them as being circular and the name PODs just jumped out at me. I had a really, really hard time trying to figure out what each letter would mean because I wanted the word POD to be an acronym.  The sequel’s title, The Infected, just fit the book so it also just fell into place without much effort from me.

My young adult paranormal romance the character came before the story and I knew her name was going to be Milayna so that became the titled of the first book in the trilogy. The second book’s title is tentatively Milayna’s Angel.  The third book doesn’t have a firm titled yet, however.

11. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?

My editor/publisher and I are currently working on an awesome book trailer. It is a live book trailer. In other words, it’s not just photos scrolling across the screen. An actor and voice over actor will be hired to do the scene and I think it is going to turn out awesome!

I happen to like book trailers and watch them when available for books I’m interested in. I know some people don’t care for them, but I love them. It’s just like watching a movie trailer in my opinion.

12. Do you have a “Dreamcast” in mind for any of your books?

No, but I do go to places like Istockphoto.com and find photos of people I think look like the character and use those as inspiration while I write.

13. What is your opinion of ARCs?

PODs is my first traditionally published book so it is the first book I’ve had ARCs for. My ARCs haven’t been sent out yet, but will be soon. It’s hard to give my opinion on them based on my books, but I do like reading them for other’s books.

14. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?

I don’t much care for audiobooks, but the other types I don’t have a preference. Although I love my Kindle Fire and do most of my reading on it, I do buy paperback books, especially those I’ve read and really enjoyed and know I’ll read again.

15. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?

I’ve read many books more than once including (but not limited to) Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Easy by Tammara Webber.

16. What is your favourite film based on a book?

Jaws, definitely. Of course, I think PODs would make an excellent movie, too. 

17. What is your favourite book genre at the moment?

Hmm, that’s a really hard question because I read and write across genres. But right now I’m really into young adult contemporary romance.

18. What books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?

Meradeth Houston’s The Chemistry of Fate, because I’ve read her writing before and loved it.

Jennifer E. Smith’s This is What Happy Looks Like, just because it sounded sweet.

Just about anything from Spencer Hill Press because they put out awesome books by very talented authors.

Rebecca Donovan’s Out Of Breath, because I’ve read the first two books in the trilogy and loved them. I want to see how it ends.

19. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulber

It’s a review ARC from Netgalley so it is an e-book.

20. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?

My advice for writers is simple: Write. Don’t stop. That is also the best advice I was given: Write every day and read, read, read. Don’t give up.

21. Where can your readers follow you?

Website: www.Michelle-Pickett.com

Email: Michelle@Michelle-Pickett.com

Blog: www.Michelle-Pickett.com/blog

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/michellepickettauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/michelle_kp

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/michelle-pickett

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michellepickett

PODs: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/PODs.html

Amazon US: http://amazon.com/author/michellepickett

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michelle-K.-Pickett/e/B008QWUA5O/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/michelleauthor/

Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. Bloggers play such an influential role in the success of an author and their books. I am so grateful that you were willing to take the time to interview me today!

Through My Letterbox! 11/05/13

Through My Letterbox is a meme that myself and my mum (from JeanzBookReadNReview) created to showcase the books that we receive and review on our sites. Our meme was inspired by In My Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren & Letterbox Love hosted by Narratively Speaking.

What came Through My Letterbox:

A few weeks ago, myself and my mum received a surprise package from Orbit, Little Brown & Atom containing The Queen Is Dead by Kate Locke . . . 

. . . the Shards & Ashes anthology, The Curve Of The Earth by Simon Morden . . .

. . . Intrusion by Ken Macleod and Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger!

Last week, myself and my mum received Screwed by Laurie Plissner for review from Merit Press, which we had seen just a few days before on Netgalley!

We also received The Student Cookbook for review from Barrie at PresentsForMen.co.uk!

We received Kite Spirit by Sita Brahmachari for review from Macmillan, which I read before I had time to do this post!

We also received an ARC of Survivor by James Phelan for review from Kensington Teen!

This week, myself and my mum received a lovely signed copy of Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson!

What books came through your letterbox?!

Promotion: Silent Symmetry by John B. Dutton

Silent Symmetry
By John B. Dutton

The Embodied glide through the busy streets of New York, uttering barely a sound.

Their eerie beauty comes from their perfect symmetry. Are they flawless humans, the epitome of evolution? Are they a genetically modified super-race? Are they extra-terrestrials? Once prep school student Kari Marriner becomes aware of their existence, she is driven to find the answer and finds herself ensnared in a web that reaches further than she could possibly have imagined.

Available at Amazon.co.uk.

Author Interview: John B. Dutton

John B. Dutton has written Silent Symmetry.

1. What is your name and where do you call home?

John Dutton, Montreal, Canada

2. Do you have a pen name?

JB Dutton for YA and children’s books, John B. Dutton for mainstream (adult) books.

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?

Silent Symmetry, a YA paranormal mystery love story set (mainly) in Manhattan. No vampires, no zombies, just…. the Embodied….

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

This is the first book in the Embodied trilogy. There may be other series featuring the Embodied, but this is likely to be the only one that involves teenager Kari Marriner.

5. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?

If a reader promises to write an honest, real review and post it on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Goodreads and the iBookstore, then I would definitely email them a free copy. This would be part of my marketing strategy until Silent Symmetry has a critical mass of reviews.

6. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?

I’m very fortunate to have a girlfriend who is also an Art Director. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. I’m fortunate to have a girlfriend. And she happens to be an Art Director, which is fortunate too. No, that sounds worse. Anyway… I used to be a Creative Director at an ad agency (the job that Don Draper does in Mad Men) so we collaborated on the idea for the cover and she did an amazing job of designing it. The cover wonderfully conveys the feeling of mystery, and if you look carefully you’ll see that the young woman in the photograph has a perfectly symmetrical face, as do the doodles that cover half her face. Both the symmetry and the doodles are elements in the book.

7. How did you come up with the title for your book?

Symmetry is more than just a key feature of the beings known as the Embodied, it also ties into a theme that will be explored more over the course of the other two books in the trilogy, Starley’s Rust and… the name of the third one is a secret! The Embodied can communicate without making a sound (no, it isn’t telepathy), and Silent Symmetry rolls off the tongue nicely. Plus, no one else has written a book with that title!

8. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?

No I don’t have one but I might make one if it seems worthwhile. I think if you can afford to spend the time and money on a trailer then it’s a great marketing tool. But it certainly isn’t as effective as a free sample on Amazon or elsewhere. Ultimately it’s the story, characters and writing that’s going to sell your book, not a video. Visibility is a different question. Does a trailer give you more visibility? Only if people see it. So if you then have to spend time “marketing the trailer”, is it time well spent? I’m not sure. If you’re Amanda Hocking and loads of readers are coming to your site anyway because they’re fans, then you’ve got a ready-made audience for your trailer, but if you simply post it on YouTube there’s no guarantee anyone will actually see it among the gazillion videos on there.

9. Are you a self-published / Indie author?

Yes, I am. I feel like it is now the best way to connect with readers.

10. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?

The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I read it when I was a young teenager and re-read it much later in life when I bought the collected HHGTTG books.

11. What books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?

Umbrella by Will Self. I loved Great Apes and often read his writing and interviews in the Guardian.

The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman – the cover is amazing, then I read the first page on Amazon and can hardly wait to finish reading the books I’m into at the moment so I can start it!

12. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?

Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) and The Better Angels of Our Nature (Steven Pinker) on Kindle, Eating Animals (Jonathan Safran Foer) in hardback and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz) in paperback.

13. If you could invite any four celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?

Shakespeare (for his verbal wit and insight into the human condition), John Lennon (for his personal experiences and to sing us a song), Barack Obama (to get the real scoop on world politics), Emily Dickinson (she didn’t get out much).

14. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?

My advice would be to keep writing until you get really good at it. What you write hardly matters for the first 20,000 hours, but don’t confuse sitting in front of a computer or doing research with writing. Try to strike the right balance between planning what you’re writing and spontaneously creating it. When you’re stuck, don’t stare at the screen, go for a walk or a drive. Or just write any old thing. Anything is better than nothing!

I write screenplays too, and there’s a ton of amazing advice on a site called Wordplay (http://www.wordplayer.com/) by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Even though it’s specifically about screenwriting, much of it applies to any kind of narrative or dramatic writing.

15. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?

Football. Playing, watching, and teaching my son.

16. Where can your readers follow you?

Blog: www.johnbdutton.wordpress.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/johnbduttonauthor

Goodreads author page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/6949191.J_B_Dutton

Twitter: @JohnBDutton

Google+: JohnBDutton

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/johnbdutton

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JohnBDutton

Kindle Users Forum UK: http://www.kuforum.co.uk/kindleusersforum/user-12168.html

Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

May 2013's New Releases!

Myself and my mum (from JeanzBookReadNReview) have decided to use this feature each month to spotlight some books, whether they be "Mainstream" or "Indie", that have caught our eye!

Half Lives 

By Sara Grant

Half Lives will be released on the 2nd of May.

Present day: Icie is a typical high school teenager - until disaster strikes and her parents send her to find shelter inside a mountain near Las Vegas.

The future: Beckett lives on The Mountain - a sacred place devoted to the Great I AM. He must soon become the leader of his people. But Beckett is forced to break one of the sacred laws, and when the Great I AM does not strike him down, Beckett finds himself starting to question his beliefs. 

As Beckett investigates The Mountain's history, Icie's story is revealed - along with the terrifying truth of what lies at the heart of The Mountain.

Coda
By Emma Trevayne 

Coda will be released on the 7th of May.

Ever since he was a young boy, music has coursed through the veins of eighteen year old Anthem - the Corp has certainly seen to that. By encoding music with addictive and mind altering elements, the Corp holds control over all citizens, particularly conduits like Anthem, whose life energy feeds the main power in the Grid.

Anthem finds hope and comfort in the twin siblings he cares for, even as he watches the life drain slowly and painfully from his father. Escape is found in his underground rock band, where music sounds free, clear, and unencoded deep in an abandoned basement. But when a band member dies suspiciously from a tracking overdose, Anthem knows that his time has suddenly become limited. Revolution all but sings in the air, and Anthem cannot help but answer the call with the chords of choice and free will. But will the girl he loves help or hinder him?

Beauty 
By Nancy Ohlin

Beauty will be released on the 7th of May.

Looks to kill for...

Ana is nothing like her glamorous mother, Queen Veda, whose hair is black as ravens and whose lips are red as roses. Alas, Queen Veda loathes anyone whose beauty dares to rival her own including her daughter.

And despite Ana’s attempts to be plain to earn her mother’s affection,
she’s sent away to the kingdom’s exclusive boarding school.

At the Academy, Ana is devastated when her only friend abandons her for the popular girls. Isolated and alone, Ana resolves to look like a true princess to earn the acceptance she desires.

But when she uncovers the dangerous secret that makes all of the girls at the Academy so gorgeous, just how far will Ana go to fit in?

Icons
By Margaret Stohl 

Icons will be released on the 7th of May.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

The S Word
By Chelsea Pitcher

The S Word will be released on the 7th of May.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High - and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

The Disgrace Of Kitty Grey
By Mary Hooper

The Disgrace Of Kitty Grey will be released on the 9th of May.

Kitty is living a happy, carefree life as a dairymaid in the countryside. The grand family she is employed by looks after her well, and she loves her trade, caring for the gentle cows and working in the cool, calm dairy.

And then, of course, there is Will, the river man who she thinks is very fond of her, and indeed she is of him.

Surely he will ask her to marry him soon? Then one day disaster strikes: Will disappears. Kitty is first worried and then furious. She fears that Will has only been leading her on all this time, and has now gone to London to make his fortune, forgetting about her completely. 

So when Kitty is asked to go to London to pick up a copy of Pride and Prejudice, the latest novel by the very fashionable Jane Austen, Kitty leaps at the chance to track down Will. But Kitty has no idea how vast London is, and how careful she must be. It is barely a moment before eagle eyed pickpockets have spotted the country born and bred Kitty and relieved her of her money and belongings. Dauntingly fast, she has lost her only means of returning home and must face the terrifying prospect of stealing in order to survive - and of being named a thief.

Kite Spirit
By Sita Brahmachari 

Kite Spirit will be released on the 9th of May.

When Kite's best friend commits suicide, Kite's world falls apart. Overwhelmed by grief and confusion, yet unable to shed a tear, she leaves London to spend the summer in the countryside. 

Six weeks away is supposed to heal her broken spirit, but Kite feels immune to the natural beauty around her. She misses Dawn with a pain that is physical, yet she is furious with her too. If only she could speak to her one last time and find out what drove her friend to take such a terrible step.

Swans & Klons
By Nora Olsen 

Swans & Klons will be released on the 14th of May.

What does it take to survive in a world built on lies?

Sixteen year old Rubric loves her pampered life in the Academy dormitory. She’s dating Salmon Jo, a brilliant and unpredictable girl. In their all-female world, non human slaves called Klons do all the work. But when Rubric and Salmon Jo break into the laboratory where human and Klon babies are grown in vats, they uncover a terrifying secret that tears their idyllic world apart.

Their friends won’t believe them, and their teachers won’t help them. The Doctors who rule Society want to silence Rubric and Salmon Jo. The two girls must flee for their lives. As they face the unthinkable, the only thing they have left to believe in is their love for each other.

Transcendence
By C.J. Omololu 

Transcendence will be released on the 21st of May.

When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.

As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet - an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Thousand Words
By Jennifer Brown

Thousand Words will be released on the 21st of May.

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself - sans swimsuit - to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send." 

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone - until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo - and didn't look. 

The Book Of Broken Hearts

By Sarah Ockler

The Book Of Broken Hearts will be released on the 21st of May.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath - with candles and a contract and everything - to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle - which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away - no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Goddess 

By Josephine Angelini

Goddess will be released on the 28th of May.

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

Have any of May 2013's New Releases caught your eye?

Promotion: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Zenn Scarlett
By Christian Schoon

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.

But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.

Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be.

Available at Amazon.co.uk.

Author Interview: Christian Schoon

Christian Schoon has written Zenn Scarlett.

1. What is your name and where do you call home?

I’m Christian Schoon and I live in the heart of the heartland in a 170-year-old Victorian farmhouse in Iowa.

2. Do you have a pen name?

No, I just call him Pen. Or sometimes, “Yo, ink-for-brains.” (gee, bet nobody thought of THIS sort of quip before, huh?)

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?

Book title:  Zenn Scarlett

20 words:

Zenn is a novice exoveterinarian specializing in healing big gnarly alien creatures at a training cloister on a dystopian Mars.   

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

 Yes, I signed a two-book deal with my publisher, Strange Chemistry Books. And yes again, the sequel to Zenn Scarlett will follow her continuing adventures as a novice exovet -- who gets caught up in an interplanetary web of intrigue, betrayal and thrilling encounters with more exotic alien animals.

5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?

The inspiration for Zenn Scarlett and her determination to become an exovet working with dangerous-but-fascinating alien life forms grew out of my involvement with several animal welfare organizations that I volunteer with. In addition to fostering abused or neglected horses on my farm, I’ve also lent a hand in the rescue and/or re-habilitation of black bears, cougars, coyotes, Burmese pythons, American alligators and lots of other critters. As far as length of time I’ve been writing, I’ve done that since high school (lots of reeeeally bad poetry…sorry about that, Mrs. Spease…).

6. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?

My editor at Strange Chemistry handles all the requests for ARCs or other review copies of my books. Keeps me safely outa the loop…

7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?

The gorgeous, celestial cover art for Zenn Scarlett was hatched by my editor and the insanely creative art-elves at the “Argh! Oxford” design group at their sprawling high-tech campus over there in the green and pleasant British Isles...

8. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have written?

That would be Zenn Scarlett. I mean, I couldn’t have conjured up a better looking Zenn if I’d had access to Bill Gates’s massive, underground ReplicaSynthroidaSoft android-cloning factory. Oh… was that supposed to be secret? Oops.

9. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?

I do not mess about with perfection.

10. Do you have a playlist in mind for any of your books?  

The later work of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has the right otherworldly kind of vibe for Zenn.

11. Did you listen to any particular songs whilst writing your books?

Nope. I distract too easily, so don’t put the tunes on till I’m done for the day. Then I can crank it up. Gritty, swamp-stomp blues is usually just right.

12. Would you have different book covers for different countries?

In a perfect, highly-budgeted world? Sure.

13. How did you come up with the title for your book?

I wanted my heroine to have a name I enjoyed saying. Go ahead, try it. “Zenn Scarlett.” See what I mean?

14. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?

Gotta say I worked on it a long time to get it to where it is. And I’m good with where it finished up, but I think most authors will inevitably find SOMETHING to change every time they read through a book again. You know, a tweak here, a different character attribute there… but, overall I’m very pleased with Zenn.

15. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?

I’m ambivalent about book trailers. I wrote tons of movie trailers as an in-house copywriter at Disney, and then as a freelance copywriter working for various film studios in LA. So, I know the drill. I just don’t know how effective book trailers are as a medium to reach and influence readers; very different psychographic profile, pardon my French…. But who knows? Maybe I’ll put one together, fall in love with the format and change my mind.

16. Do you have a “Dreamcast” in mind for any of your books?

Zenn Scarlett: Lily Collins

Liam Tucker: Logan Lerman or Robbie Amell

Otha Scarlett: Liam Neeson, Harrison Ford

Fane Reth Fanesson: Steven Strait

Sister Hild: Tilda Swinton

17. What is your opinion of ARCs?

Pretty positive, seeing as they’re an essential tool of the publishing world right now.

18. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?

I’m fine with all of the above; if it’s a really hefty, doorstop-of-a-book, give me a paperback. But I’ve got no problem w/ reading on my trusty Kindle Fire.

19. Are you a self-published / Indie author?

I’m published through the molecular grace of the shiny new young adult imprint Strange Chemistry, cloven from the titanium husk of their brooding cyber-overlords, Angry Robot Books.

20. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?

Must admit I’m not a re-reader.

25. What is your favourite film based on a book?

Never Cry Wolf. It’s a masterpiece. Carroll Ballard is a genius. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a very close second.

26. What is your favourite book genre at the moment?

Science fiction is always good, but I also like to break it up with a decent Brit-lit spy thriller now and then.

27. What books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond, Shift by Kim Curran, Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings, The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Clarke, Katya’s World by Jonathan Howard, Broken by A E Rought, Pantomime by Laura Lam, The Holders by Julianna Scott, Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells, When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach. Hmmm… seems to be a pattern developing here…

28. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?

Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd – old school paperback; it’s that Brit-spy things. And Boyd is just such a comfortable, predictably excellent author to come back to again and again.

29. If you could invite any four celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?

Celebrities. They’re highly overrated…. Could I have dinner with a Siberian tiger, a wolverine, a dolphin and a silverback mountain gorilla instead?

30. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?

Best advice, and the advice I’d give: B.I.C. – butt in chair. Seriously. Sit down. Write. Tomorrow? Same thing. Repeat as necessary. That’s the secret. You heard it here first.

31. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?

Looking after the animals on my farm takes the place of an actual “hobby.” Tho, I do like building things with my hands, simply as an antidote to long hours at the keyboard. There’s a scale model of the International Space Station hanging over my desk… LOTS of parts, lemme tell ya.

31. Where can your readers follow you?

Blog: http://www.christianschoon.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zenn-Scarlett/329723773792797?ref=hl

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6550494.Christian_Schoon

Twitter: @cjschoon

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zenn-Scarlett-Christian-Schoon/dp/1908844558

Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!