Megan Joel Peterson has written The Children And The Blood.
1. What is your name and where do you
call home?
My name is Megan Joel Peterson and I
live in central Illinois.
2. 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?
The Children and The Blood is the name
of my most recent book. And to sum it up, I would say: The Children and The Blood is a fast-paced urban fantasy
adventure filled with twists and turns till the very end.
3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is
this book part of a series?
The Children and The Blood is the first
book of a trilogy. Beyond that, I have plans for other fantasy books as well.
4. What or who inspired you to start
writing? And how long have you been writing?
I have loved to read since I was a
child, and told stories to my friends long before I ever put anything to paper.
But the first time I considered that writing could be my passion and my career
was eighth grade. I’ve been writing off and on ever since.
5. How did you come up with the cover?
Who designed the cover of your book?
My husband and I designed the cover of
this book. We came up with the idea through brainstorming sessions over the
course of a few months.
6. Did you listen to any particular
songs whilst writing your books?
Oh my goodness, I’ve listened to so many
great songs over the course of planning and writing this book! Even with just
my ‘favorites’, it’s hard to know where to begin. Linkin Park’s songs and
albums would have to be on the list, though, including their A Thousand Suns
album, “What I’ve Done” from Minutes to Midnight, “New Divide” from Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen, and “Numb” from Meteora. Other songs would have to be
“Injection” by Hans Zimmer from the Mission Impossible II soundtrack, “Comptine
D'un Autre Été: L'après Midi” by Yann Tiersen from Amelie, and “Song for Bob”
and “What Must Be Done” from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ soundtrack to The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
7. Would you have different book covers
for different countries?
I haven’t really considered this,
honestly. At the moment, I don’t and unless there was a good reason, I’m not
sure I would. But then, I haven’t heard arguments for or against doing so, and thus
I’m not really sure!
8. How did you come up with the title
for your book?
I was in the process of planning the
book, and the title just popped into my head one day. I considered it over the
course of many months, but nothing ever seemed to sum up the story the way this
title did.
9. Are you a self-published / Indie
author?
I’m self-published, yes.
10. Have you ever read a book more than
once? And if so what was it?
I’ve read many of the books I own more
than once. As a child, I read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card so many times
that the cover fell off the paperback! I love to reread books, because I’ve often
found scenes and descriptions that are so powerful to me on the second or third
or tenth reread of a book that didn’t quite hit me the same way the first time
through.
11. Have you ever read a book just based
on its cover?
I may pick up a book because of the
cover, but I don’t read it unless the description of the book catches me too. And
sometimes, I couldn’t care less about the cover (or even the description) if
the book comes recommended by a friend. A combination of these factors leads me
to a book, usually.
12. What book are you reading at the
moment? And in what format?
I’m reading The City and the City by
China Mieville and also A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens on my e-reader.
I seem to be on a ‘city’ theme right now, for some reason!
13. Do you have any advice for other
writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to
writing?
Don’t give up. If writing is your dream
and your passion, then it was given to you for a reason. Believe in that, and
not in what anyone else might say.
One of the best things I’ve read, though
it doesn’t necessarily relate solely to writing, was a quote by Carl G. Graves,
founder of Black Enterprise Magazine. It got me through many of the ups and downs
on the road to publication. He said: “We keep going back, stronger, not weaker,
because we will not allow rejection to beat us down. It will only strengthen
our resolve. To be successful there is no other way.” I love that quote.
14. Where can your readers follow you?
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
