Interview & Giveaway with Melissa Pearl

I'm so happy to welcome author Melissa Pearl to Book Labyrinth today. The second book of her Time Spirit trilogy, Black Blood, was released only a week ago, and you may recall that I reviewed the first book, Golden Blood, yesterday.

About Melissa:
I used to be a full time teacher (11-13 year olds) then I became a full time mother. During that time I also found my total passion for writing. Over the last ten years I have been studying the craft and putting myself out there.

My first trilogy is being self-published through Smashwords. First book to be released in November 2011.

I live in New Zealand with my husband and two sons.

Interview

If you had to describe the premise of Golden Blood in a tweet (140 characters or less), what would you say?
A time traveling teenager can't resist forbidden love, but her decision could be fatal. She must now fight for both her love and her life.

What was your biggest inspiration when writing Golden Blood?
I was initially inspired after reading the Twilight series. I really wanted to write a paranormal romance. I loved the idea of forbidden love, and a love that was made up of 'soul mate' material. I do believe that happens for some, that there is only one person they are ever meant to be with. Gemma and Harrison are just like that. I have always loved the idea of time travel and I really wanted to write something that didn't involve vampires, demons or angels. I hadn't seen anything to do with time travel and wanted to put something out there with a magical element like that.

Did you always know you wanted to write a trilogy (versus a standalone book) about Gemma and her family?
All my previous manuscripts have been stand alone books, so the idea of writing a trilogy was really fun for me. I wanted to try it. I like trilogies or series that are quite interwoven so I actually wrote this trilogy all in one go... like one massive book. After I had finished my initial drafts, I was able to go back and flesh out the stories a little more... make them three complete books with one huge story arc that covered the trilogy. My beta readers gave me so much awesome feedback that I actually went back and rewrote the first book entirely. It brought the whole trilogy to life and made the second two books even better... in my humble opinion :)

If you could go back in time and control where you were going, what place and time period would you go to and why?
That's a hard question. There are SO many to choose from. History fascinates me and the idea of seeing some of what's happened in the world unfold before my very eyes would be amazing. Here are a few quick ones though... Ancient Eygpt fascinates me. To see some of those amazing structures when they were new would be awesome. I love the idea of stepping into an old western and seeing what life was like for the pioneers who journeyed from the east coast over to the west. Imagine seeing those amazing plains in the middle of America - totally unpopulated. I know it was a really hard life, which is why I'd only just want to stop by for a visit :) I'd also love to skip through the 50s. I love the cars in that era and the cool clothes.. and I love the music! I think it'd be really fun to attend a high school in that era for a day... well Grease made it look interesting anyway :) Last, but not least - I'd love to visit some of those old castles in the middle ages and to go hunting on horseback with a bow and arrow. That'd be super cool.

Ooh nice answers! I'd love to come along to Egypt and Medieval times with you. ;)

Are you a fan of any other books, movies, or TV shows that involve time travel? If so, which ones?
I really enjoyed that movie, Timeline, when it came out and I LOVED the first three books of the Outlander series. There used to be a show on TV years ago, that I sometimes watched as a kid called Quantum Leap - I thought that was pretty cool. Also - the Narnia books. I know that's not exactly time travel, but it is stepping in and out of another world. I like that concept.

What are some of your favourite recent YA novels?
I just read Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and loved it. Having to wait until next year for the second book is torture!
What else? Forbidden by Megan Curd was really good. Die For Me by Amy Plum was an enjoyable read. I love anything by Simone Elkeles and I just recently stumbled across Ally Carter and her book Heist Society - it was like reading a teenage version of Oceans 11. Very fun. I'm looking forward to reading her second book in the series, Uncommon Criminals, when I can find the time :)

Giveaway!

Details:
- 3 winners will receive Smashwords codes from Melissa to download 'Golden Blood' in the format of their choice
- Open internationally
- Ends January 4, 2012 at midnight EST
- Winner will be chosen using random.org and then informed by email

To enter to win, please fill out this form.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Melissa!

Comments are very much appreciated.

You can visit Melissa at http://melissapearl.blogspot.com.