August 29, 2012

Interview with Heather Beck + Giveaway

I'm happy to be hosting fellow Canadian, Heather Beck, on Book Labyrinth today. Heather's newest book, Whispers in the Shadows, was released in January, and it features volumes 5-9 of her Legends Unleashed series.

Heather was lovely enough to answer some questions of mine, as well as offer up some eBooks to give away.

Fall in love, if you dare…

Inside these pages are jilted ghosts who seek revenge, a sexy tour guide with deadly secrets, cunning mermen who emerge from the ocean, a magical forest where love truly can last for eternity, and a new breed of men who are too good to be true.

Filled with chills, twists and boundless passion, Whispers In The Shadows explores the beauty of love along with its darker side.


Interview

Besides writing novels, you are also a screenwriter. Do you prefer one over the other, and what are their similarities and differences?

I love writing novels and screenplays equally. Both writing mediums must have a solid story, well-developed characters and great dialogue, but that’s where the similarities end. With novels, a writer can be much more descriptive and delve deep into character’s thoughts. However, with screenwriting, you must “show, not tell” so a writer has many more limitations. Also, formatting is very different; scripts definitely have a stricter format to follow.

What is your favourite genre to write?

That’s a tough question because I write many genres for several age groups. I’m probably best known for writing scary stories for kids such as The Horror Diaries series. I’ve been writing these creepy, imaginative and suspenseful stories for ten years now and am flabbergasted by the positive response from readers and television producers (it’s in development for a TV series). I also write a lot of contemporary coming-of-age stories for young adults. Lately, I’ve been making my young adult books more literary in an attempt to push the boundaries of genre expectation. This is best exemplified by my work in the Syren Signature Series. Additionally, I write paranormal romances for adults. These stories, found in the Legends Unleashed series, are concerned with emotional and physical emancipation – essentially transcending the ordinary to find a beautiful life. The protagonist is always a strong woman who finds romance with an extraordinary man. Legends Unleashed is definitely an escapist series inspired by imagination and boundless possibilities. So, to finally answer your question, I can’t choose just one favourite genre!

Do you have a favourite character that you've written?

My favourite characters I’ve created are Forrester and Ariel from my TV series, Harbor Boys. Forrester is undoubtedly flawed but strives very hard to overcome the less than stellar circumstances he was born into. He is strong, both physically and mentally, ruggedly handsome and possesses a rational foresight that aids him when he’s inevitably put into difficult situations. I admire these traits and find Forrester to be an extremely multifaceted and interesting character to develop and write. Since he’s an avid outdoorsman, his hobbies include hiking and fishing – he’s definitely a manly man! As for Ariel, she’s a very strong character who knows what she wants and won’t settle for anything else. This attitude extends to everything in her life, so she’s an extremely passionate person. Additionally, I liken Ariel to a siren because she is a natural beauty who has a seductive essence. Forrester and Ariel are lovers whose relationship is constantly being tested by external forces such as other people and difficult situations. As I continue to develop Ariel throughout the series, I want to show a side of her which isn’t so pretty. Then I want to uncover the truth of how that came to be. Also, I want Forrester to become less shielded with his feelings.

What has self-publishing been like? Do you have any tips or advice for writers looking to self-publish?

I’ve actually found publishing my books under my businesses, Treasure Cove Books, Syren Books and Diamond Dust Books to be very fulfilling and successful. It’s great to have complete creative control over every aspect of your book, but it requires a lot of effort and hard work. Besides producing an industry-standard book in various formats, self-publishers have to know about distribution, marketing and a multitude of legal requirements such as obtaining an ISBN, CIP or ASIN and filing taxes as a business entity (if publishing under an imprint). To be honest, my first eight books were published by small but traditional presses, and if it wasn’t for my experiences working with them as well as a few other publishers, I doubt my business ventures would have been this successful. I get a lot of e-mails from aspiring authors who want advice on self-publishing and my answer is always the same – thoroughly research the publishing industry and then send query letters for your polished manuscript to legit agents and publishers.

What are 3 random facts about you that you’d like to share?

- I have an affinity with animals. I’ve even trained some chipmunks at my cottage to do cute tricks!
- One of my goals is to swim with dolphins in the wild.
- I’m seriously addicted to the outdoors. I love the woods and beaches.

What are some of your favourite recent YA novels?

I have a ton of projects, both books and screenplays, in various stages of development so, unfortunately, I don’t have the time for recreational reading at the moment. However, as a huge fan of paranormal romances, there are many books being published right now that I’d love to read, especially anything involving mermaids. Also, I love Pretty Little Liars. All the characters are so well-developed and the plot seems intriguingly endless. I admit I’ve only seen the TV series, but it’s very addictive!


GIVEAWAY

1 winner will win PDF copies of each of the following books (please note that these are some of Heather's paranormal romance titles, and are not YA):


I'm keeping things simple for this one: please fill out this form to enter the giveaway.

- Open internationally
- Giveaway runs until September 5 at midnight
- Winner will be chosen using random.org & their email address will be given to Heather who will provide the eBooks


Thanks so much for stopping by, Heather! It's awesome how many genres you've written in, and I love how in depth your answers were. =)

2 comments:

  1. She trained chipmunks? Goodness, I shall hire her to train my rabbit. Just kidding. Heather sounds like a busy person I doubt she'd have time for that. Great interview, Ashley!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment; I appreciate each one!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...