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creativelitlover · 7 years

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Hi readers, hope your having a super awesome day! I have enjoyed OBSESSING over The Ending Series so much, and who’d of thought just a little tag in a fan art piece, by yours truly, started the on going blog posts and art work. Not forgetting how amazing team Lindsey has been…. hopefully I didn’t get on their nerves to much with the constant tags 😊 I have loved every second of it, and The Ending Series will always have a place in my heart and on my TOP shelf!

I was invited to join a VIP reader group, and I was over the moon! Lindsey Pogue has been great, we have spoken over social media which I then asked if I could do a feature Author Interview for my blog and they said yes!!

I seriously can’t get enough of this series!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Anyway that’s enough about me let’s meet the Authors to this AMAZING series……

The Ending Series- Question time 😉

1. I’m an emotional wreck when reading and quite often find my eyes blurring with stray tears….the ending series got me good! Real good!! What was the first book that made you cry?

LP: I honestly can’t remember the first book that made me cry, but I can tell you that I cry a lot. I even cry while I’m writing gut-wrenching parts of a story or while I’m watching sappy commercials. When I read Me Before You, I got teary-eyed, but when I watched the movie, knowing what would happen, I bawled my eyes out.

LF: It’s so amazing when we hear that our books create a strong emotional reaction in readers, especially because we had strong emotional connections to the characters as we were writing their stories. I usually have a moment or two during each project where I tear up during the first draft phase, and it’s no different for me when I’m reading other people’s books. The last one to make me cry was the beta version of Sarah Lyons Fleming’s Peripeteia, but the first book to make me cry…hmmmm. I’m certain that plenty of books made me cry when I was younger, but the first book I can vividly remember crying while reading was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was in tenth grade, I think, and I was outright ugly crying during that scene in the Department of Mysteries when Sirius, well, you know…

2. I can feel rather overwhelmed when my creativity is flowing and sometimes writing really does exhaust me, so I’d love to know… Does writing energise you or exhaust you?

LP: I think it depends on where I’m at in the writing process. If I have a deadline, it’s exhausting because I can’t let my mind rest. If I’m chilling and flowing with a glass of bubbles, lovin’ life, it’s energizing and I don’t want to stop.

LF: Both! I definitely reach a done point during days when I’m writing for the full day, and if I’ve been pushing out books back-to-back, I generally need to take a loooong break (think, vacation) after the second or third book. That being said, during each project, I seem to reach a point where the story is snowballing, and I can’t seem to get it out quickly enough. It’s all I can think about. It’s in my dreams. I don’t want to watch or read anything. I don’t want to see people. I become obsessed with the story, and that feeling is intoxicating.

3. I personally love series! Particularly The Ending Series hehe, and love delving deep into the characters lives…. Do you prefer to read series or stand-alone? And why? LP: Generally, I like a good series. I feel like you can get to know characters so much more and it’s satisfying to be able to hold on to them a bit longer than a standalone allows (Pride and Prejudice, for example). BUT, I read standalones just as much and bear them no ill-will. Haha.

LF: I have a strong preference for series, especially long series. I love it when the characters start to feel like real people to me, and that usually doesn’t happen after just a single book—at least, not for me.

4. We all know mine! 😉 Do you have a favourite book/series? LP: I wish I read more for pleasure these days, but I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. I’m lucky if I get in my book club book in a month (sad, I know). I do a lot of beta reading, as well, so I stumble across some amazing series that way. I can tell you that I used to be obsessed with J.R. Ward’s Blackdagger Brotherhood and I nearly peed my pants with glee when Blay and Quinn got their own book. Sigh.

LF: My all-time favorite series is Kim Harrison’s Hollows series, starting off with Dead Witch Walking, but I have many other near-favorites ranging from Urban to Epic Fantasy to Paranormal or Time Travel Romance to Dystopian and beyond.

5. I’d love to know…. Do you prefer to read or write romance?

LP: I enjoy writing it, but I LOVE reading it more, I think. It’s less stressful and I can sit back and enjoy the ride. J

LF: Um…both? I love the surprise of reading stories with a strong romantic plot or subplot, but I have to admit that writing the romantic subplot is one of my favorite parts of each project. And there’s nothing better than a slow-burn, long build-up romance, which is what I’ve got going on in my Urban Fantasy series, the Kat Dubois Chronicles. I’m several books in, and things are finally starting to happen with the main character and her intended love interest. This next book’s going to be pretty fun to write… 😉

6. I’m writing my first novel and I’m not looking forward to editing it…. Did you edit a lot from The Ending series? If so, was it hard to take parts out of your beloved story? LP: We edited After The Ending SO much it’s crazy. We changed the tense, we took out chapters and scenes and emails—added text messages…the list goes on. Revising has good and bad connotations for me. It’s daunting in that you need to be able to admit that your first draft was crap. That’s just the way it works. But when you revise it, you get to focus on making it better instead of just getting it down on paper. You get to add in the fun details and focus on the characters more than the story, if that makes sense. It does free you mind a bit to know you will be coming back to each word (many times), so writing, “his eyes looked like (something)” helps you keep going when you’re flowing and you can fill in the particulars later J

LF: I love editing and revising! I think that embracing that phase has really helped to free up my imagination during the outlining and first draft writing phases of each project, to the degree that those first drafts end up being better and requiring less revising. It’s a win-win! But yes, for the first couple books, it was hard to cut parts, but we did. We cut entire scenes, even resequencing one of the books altogether. But in the end, that book is so much better than it was originally, and when I read it, I can’t even remember what we wrote originally. For me, the cutting of lines, scenes, and even entire characters has gotten much easier with each consecutive project, but it wasn’t easy, at first.

7. I’ve yet to come up with an actual way to choose characters names…. But how did you select names for your characters from The Ending series? LP: Because we started off writing a blog, we didn’t think about names the way he should have (Camille, Clara, Cece, Cam). We got a lot of flack for not switching them up enough and making it confusing for readers. Now, names are SO important to me. In my Saratoga Falls Love Story, Nothing But Trouble, I had THE perfect name in my head for Colton Hayes’ character—that was his identity. But when beta readers got ahold of the manuscript, there was concern because of an actor named Colton Haynes and that was distracting them while reading. I had to change my Colton’s last name and it was SO hard to do.

LF: Funny you should ask that! I think our method (or lack there of) for choosing character names early on in the creation of The Ending Series is one of the things we would do differently, if given the chance (Jason, Jake, Jack…). Now, I make sure that few, if any, names start with the same first letter, and pay attention to (and try to avoid) names that rhyme, as well.

8. What was the hardest scene to write? LP: Hmmm…shootout scenes are always difficult for me—Into The Fire, in the center of town, outside the Colony, and in Before The Dawn with the final showdown, if you know what I mean. It’s often hard for me to wrap my head around “strategic” ways to kill people, fight each other, etc.

LF: Those final few scenes in the last book of The Ending Series were pretty tough. We wanted to make sure we delivered on everything we’d promised throughout the series, and we ended up heavily revising the ending—cutting one scene entirely and bulking up another quite a bit. I’m super happy with how it all wrapped up, but it wasn’t easy getting there. In another series, I had a scene where I literally wrote my character into a bathroom, trapping her in there with no way out. It took me a week or two to figure my way out of that one, and now I think it’s one of the most memorable scenes in that book.

9. Did you have to set yourself writing goals? Is that the best way to get things finished…. as I struggle to juggle writing and family life. LP: Yes. My entire day is planned around writing. I write for two(+) hours in the morning, then go to my day job. On my full writing days, I try to write for at least half the day and use the second half for the marketing and the business side of it (there’s A LOT to do all the time). If I’m on a deadline, I’ll set word counts per day or week.

LF: I write first thing in the morning, Monday through Friday. No social media, no checking stats and sales. And absolutely no emails. I walk the dogs, make my tea, then cuddle up with the cats and my laptop and settle in to write. I stop at lunch and spend the afternoon doing more business-y things. That schedule works for me, but each person is different. The only absolute is that you have to get butt-in-seat time. Figure out what motivates you, what you need to do to hold yourself accountable, and get your butt in that seat. 🙂

10. If you could spend time with a character from your book…. who would it be and what would you do?? LP: Normally, I would say Harper. But, today, I’m feeling like it would be Jake. It’s hilarious to think about. I have NO clue what I would say or do, especially since he’s the strong silent type. **Cue the crickets and awkward silence** I could pick is brain about spin-off series stuff, though J

LF: From The Ending Series? I’d have to say Jason… *blushes*

11. What genre do you prefer to write? And would you consider writing in another genre? LP: I always say that writing, for me, is like Skittles—I want to taste (write) the rainbow. I write multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, contemporary new adult, historical fiction, alternative history… all with a splash of romance. I love myself a good love story, so you’ll always find that in my books.

LF: I’m pretty happy with anything in the Science Fiction or Fantasy realm. I’m writing Urban Fantasy right now, but I’ve also finished up a Paranormal Romance/Time Travel series and a Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian series (obviously). One genre I’ve yet to tackle but would like to one day is Space Opera, and I’d also like to try my hand and Epic Fantasy.

12. What is your method when creating first thoughts of your writing and ideas? LP: Honestly, I need to bounce ideas off of people, so I generally come up with a basic story outline and ideas, then I go have drinks with my friend(s) and they give me feedback. It also helps get me exciting about starting something new, which can be daunting at times. I’m a verbal processer, for sure.

LF: I go for walks. Lots and lots of walks. I listen to audiobooks I’ve already read/listened to, usually books in the genre I’m currently writing, and just sort of zone out, letting my thoughts wander through the potential story. I usually do that for a few days, jotting down ideas in a notebook, before actually attempting an outline.

13. Do you have a favourite place and time to write?

LP: Once I get my office fixed up, I will hopefully never want to leave, though right now, I would take the couch to my office (in disarray, though that’s where I sit now). As far as a time to write, I’m currently trying to train my brain to write in the morning. I like to write in the evening when things are quiet and chill, but after work is always crazy and cuts into my writing time. Mornings are more conducive to my crazy life, at least while I have a day job.

LF: Morning, sitting on the couch in my office with a cup of tea and a cat or two.

14. Do you write everyday?

LP: If I have a draft to write, then yes, at least Monday – Friday. Weekends, sometimes. If I’m revising/editing/plotting, I’ll use my writing time in the mornings to do that (or answer interview questions J)

LF: Sort of. I either outline, write, revise, or on the very rare occasion, beta read during my morning block. And I take weekends off. I didn’t use to, and I found I was draining my creative energy faster that I could replenish it. Now, I’ve found a good, healthy balance.

15. What else do we have to look forward to from you both?

LP: Now that Dust and Shadow is finished (or in the final round of editing), I will dive into the 3rd book in my Saratoga Falls Love Stories, Told You So. I’m excited to change things up a bit. Creating a new world for Dust and Shadow was exhausting. Revisiting the Saratoga Falls crew will be like hanging out with old friends. (LF can speak to the Ending Series goodies coming up.)

LF: Well, we’ve got one more project planned for The Ending Series proper—World After: A Collection of Stories. It’s companion book, World Before, comes out on July 31. We have a spinoff project planned, as well, but that’s farther off. Otherwise, I’m currently writing Soul Eater, the fourth book in my Urban Fantasy series, the Kat Dubois Chronicles, and I plan on writing at least two more books in that series before starting something else new.

How amazing are these guys!!!

Hope you have enjoyed getting to know these two fab Authors because I have!!

Have a slideshow of my fan inspired work ☺️✌️

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Happy reading guys 😊

Author Interview ❤️ Hi readers, hope your having a super awesome day! I have enjoyed OBSESSING over The Ending Series so much, and who'd of thought just a little tag in a fan art piece, by yours truly, started the on going blog posts and art work.

#aftertheending #amazing #amreading #blogger #bookreview #excited #intothefire #lindseyfairleigh #lindseypogue #outoftheashes #romance #theendingseries #books #reading #review

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