I first became aware of today’s featured author via the blog post sharing site Triberr. I’ve since became further acquainted with Feather Stone via her blog where she does a great deal to help promote and offer advice to fellow writers. In my book, that makes her a keeper. Enjoy!
1. Please provide a brief synopsis of your book.
The Guardian’s Wildchild is a novel of romantic suspense. Caught in a reckless attempt to stop Dark forces, Sidney Davenport, a young, rule breaking, spirited member of the secret paranormal community of Guardians, finds herself imprisoned on a naval ship and slated for execution. Her struggle with the unfamiliar emotions of fear and anger becomes even more complicated when she can no longer fight her attraction to the very man who has orders to perform her execution.
Captain Sam Waterhouse, a meticulous naval captain who’s suspected of treason, teeters on a precipice between Darkness and Light. When he receives an unusual prisoner, a paranormal journey begins to unravel his disciplined life. All the while, humanity is unknowingly at great risk when two Dark forces team up to acquire control of an elusive power. Sidney and Sam attempt to quiet their powerful feelings for each other, only to discover they can save each other, and in doing so, they might even save the world. Through stunning imagery, an intricate and adventurous plot, and a strong cast of characters, Feather Stone gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the future-a future that is chilling, yet full of hope.
2. Tell us a little bit about what motivates or inspires your writing.
Authors often begin writing a story by asking themselves, “What if …..” Then they take readers to a place no one has been before and, perhaps, wouldn’t without the author’s passionate drive to create something new. Artists of all mediums inspire humanity to experience a greater depth of possibilities, to dip into the realm of unlimited potential. Novels trigger the imagination of the reader, and a seed of creativity is planted. I believe that seed motivates the host to expand his/her horizons – and explore new options. I believe humanity has evolved by thinking, “What if …..”
Sidney Davenport: Known as Wildchild, detests rules, risks her life to keep her Guardian powers secret, and attempts to stop the evil woman known as Madame.
3. It’s hard to pick just one, but what do you consider your favorite novel and why?
You’re going to not believe me but my favorite books are not fiction novels. I love to read about the real life human adventures, particularly where the people are tested to their outer limits of tolerance, and then some. My favorite book is Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.
A book, fiction or nonfiction, must have characters that very nearly breathe on the reader’s face. They’re on the verge of being alive. They are believable, lovable, hated, feared – and they grow (for the better or worse) as the plot reaches the climax. There must by a dynamic interplay between the characters. And, I demand nothing less of myself while writing my books.
4. What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there?
I welcome friends, fans and critiques to my blog called Feather’s Passion. My focus is son everything about writing, from books, marketing challenges, offering contests to win my books, and the challenges of being a writer. Whatever I learn, I like to share it on my blog.
5. Are you traditionally published or self-published?
When The Guardian’s Wildchild manuscript was ready for publication, I was tempted to go the route of self-publish. I wanted to avoid those nasty rejection letters and a bruised ego. However, I anticipated it would require more of a business undertaking than I had time for. So I put my pride in my back pocket and went the route of traditionally published. I did receive three rejection letters and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I did some revisions and sent the manuscript off to Omnific Publishing. And, voila! The Guardian’s Wildchild is out there is living color – what an awesome cover!
Omnific was absolutely wonderful. The manuscript required editing and a front cover. The staff at Omnific kept me in the loop during the entire process. I was consulted on the development of the cover which just blew me away. It was so much fun.
Madame, a woman poised to become as omnipotent as a god once she discovers how to unleash the power of the sun crystals.
6. Can you offer one or two helpful tips for fellow writers when it comes to marketing and publicity?
Marketing – God help me, I thought I was dropped into hell when I started down that road. I was an on-line marketing idiot. Not anymore. I advise the following BEFORE you launch your book:
- Get comfortable with twitter, blogs, pinterest, facebook, etc.
- Develop a ‘friend’ base.
- Start talking about your book online
- Join author / blogger sites that you find interesting; get to know the host and visitors to that site.
- Interact, communicate, share ideas with other authors and readers.
- Be polite, respectful, supportive
- Have fun and reveal your fun or quirky side. Be you.
7. Describe your writing background.
Oh, dear, do I have to answer this? The truth is I didn’t have any training until after I started writing The Guardian’s Wildchild. I was writing just for the fun of it. Then I realized the story was worth doing well. I put the manuscript aside and registered for several courses at the University.
From their unseen island, the mystical Guardians watch humanity spiral down into madness and annihilation – if the crystals fall into the evil hands of Madame.
8. What does your drafting and/or editing process entail?
My writing style is pretty chaotic. Once an inspiration for the next paragraph is clear, then I’ll hit the keyboard. That may take several days or weeks. When the manuscript is complete, I go back to page one and rewrite. I may do two more rewrites. It’s like seeing a picture out of focus during the creative process. When I can see the story in perfect 3D, the writing is done.
9. What future projects can we look forward to?
Thank you for asking. My next novel, Forbidden, is amazing. Actually, I find it tremendously exciting as it takes place in the Middle East. I’ve had to do a ton of research and learn about Islam and the environment. The genre is suspense; sub genre is romance. I post excerpts on my blog called, “Snippet Sunday.” Check out my blog for more details.
Captain Sam Waterhouse, a meticulous naval captain, suspected of treason, teeters on a precipice between Darkness and Light – until he receives a bizarre prisoner who unravels his disciplined life.
10. Is there anything else you want your potential readers to know?
Interesting question. In both novels, the female heroine is an independent woman with special powers – much like myself. Most men are not attracted to the heroine as she gives no indication of needing or wanting them – except for the one man who is not intimidated by her powers.
You can connect with Feather Stone and her social sites via her blog.
The Guardian’s Wildchild can be purchased via Amazon or Barnes & Noble. All images and permission appear courtesy of Feather Stone.
Wow, Jeri. Wow, Feather. I feel like I’ve traveled somewhere by having read this post and the synopsis of Guardian’s Wildchild. When you talk about battling the forces of annihilation, I couldn’t help but see a parallel with President Obama battling (nonviolently) the forces that seek to dismantle the U.S. government. And I woke up this morning to headlines that told me he’d won the battle. — I’m not seeking to spark a political debate here, but to notice how our fictional worlds sparked by that “what if . . . ” question are not so very fictional. They are more like realities parallel to our own that we tap into via characters who almost breathe in our faces (great phrase).
Thanks too for your visit to Diamond-Cut Life. I always love hearing from you.
Hello everyone. I was travelling today and got delayed returning home from a bus trip. Nope, the travelling was just in the three dimensional plane, no pun on words. Thank you for visiting and commenting on my interview with Jeri. Characters – my favorite part of writing. They become real to me, so real that they continue to exist long after the story ends. And, I believe my readers might experience the same relationship after the last page is read. Blessings.
Feather sounds like my kind of author. I love this type of book. This one goes on my ‘want to read’ list. Thanks Jeri. 🙂
Hello Cheryl: Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope you and The Guardian’s Wildchild connect in your life’s journey. I also believe you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing the story. Blessings.
Wow, I love that kind of story line. I always see stories, books if you will, as a way to explore other realms or worlds. It’s as if I travel to this place without leaving my living room. From the discription this sounds like a book I would thoroughly enjoy.
Hello Susan: Our minds are fascinating. And I also believe our minds are very powerful. We can create exquisite beauty; we can heal; we can do anything if there’s enough passion behind the desire. Books are just one of many mediums that propel us to explore other dimensions. Music, art, dance has the potential to lift the veil from our minds – and we may discover we are truly unlimited spiritual beings. Blessings
I really enjoyed this interview! Thanks (both of you!). I noticed that the genre is romantic suspense but it is also a paranormal book. Very interesting. I’m always fascinated with the changing marketing in regards to genre listing. Anyway, LOVE paranormal anything (favorite to read and write). Had to jump right over and check out her blog, which is awesome! Stalking her on social media now. lol. Thanks!
Hello Beth: Thank you for stopping by and giving me a once over, LOL. While I was writing TGW I wasn’t defining what the story’s genre was. Heavens, it wasn’t even suppost to be any romance. But through the plot, action, and dialogue I was led (literally) that this is what they wanted. I didn’t even think of the story as paranormal as currently people immediately think of vampires and witches. Frankly, I’m not stuck on fitting my stories into any genre. I write the story as dictated to me by some disembodied entity sitting on my left shoulder. If I let my ego get involved, the entity shuts up and the inspirations end. I then obediently go back to where my ego got in the way (thinking this is how the story SHOULD be told), hit the delete key, and start again. I should give this entity a name, I suppost. Any suggestions? Blessings
The concept photos here are great. They give a good visual hook into the story.
Hi Jon: I started out needing to have photos in front of my while I write; and I continue with that practice in my second novel. I also write a bio of each character. All of this ensure the characters are clear in my mind as if they are people I know intimately. As a result, they remain true to their personality, faults, ambitions, strengths, etc. throughout the story. Blessings
This is great to hear from other writers! Especially about their process of writing to promoting a book!
Hello: Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I think each writer has a slightly unique approach to their writing style and how they manage their manuscript. There is one commonality. We are all nearly insanely passionate about writing. In fact, for me, perfecting my manuscript is more important than it being published. Sounds odd. Hmmm, (chuckling), that’s just me, I suppose. If I had agonized about the risk of getting published while I was writing, that pain would have had a negative impact on the final draft. I wrote for the pleasure. Blessing
I just want to thank Feather again today for such a wonderful interview and such thoughtful pictures and captions. Here’s to the wonder of “What if…”
Thank you so very much, Jeri, for this opportunity to meet your readers. I love talking about writing and the magic that happens when I let the process evolve naturally. There are rules to writing a good story; however, there are no rules to creating something that moves people to tears or laughter. Blessings to you.
Fascinating experience you have shared Feather. Interesting name.
I relate to the writing/editing process. Things are a little different as I understand between fiction and non-fiction. But your explanation brought out some similarities.
Thanks for introducing us to Feather Jeri.
Hello Patricia: Happy to meet another author. Over the years, every author I’ve met has helped me improve as a writer. And the support and encouragement from other authors has been a welcomed surprise. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Patricia. Blessings
Great storyline and sounds like an interesting read. I love books that are about the independent female heroine now add the special powers sounds like a good read to me. You picked a good one Jeri
My apologies for replying late. Thanks for your interest in my interview with Jeri. Developing strong characters is my favorite part of writing. There’s a delicate balance that an author needs to be conscious of – if the female character is too strong, reader may not be able to identify with the character. And yet, I believe the leading female character needs to be equal with her male counterpart. Both still need to be believably human – unless they’re not, LOL. Thanks for your comments, Arleen.
I absolutely loved Feather’s answer to your question on what motivates or inspires her writing. Great answer!
Oh and the book and blog sound good too 🙂
Hello Becc. Thank you for your comments. Authors in general, I believe, spend a lot of time living in their heads; perhaps like scientists and explorers. Always mentally searching for answers, sometimes searching for the question, too. Thanks for stopping by, Becc.
This sounds like a fun adventure. The kind of thing to read with hot chocolate and a fire over the Christmas holidays. I think I hear my Christmas stocking calling. 🙂
Hello Debra: Good luck with your Christmas wish list. I’d been hinting about wanting an ereader for the past two years. My brother finally took on the Santa role and surprised me with a new kindle. I feel like I’m back in with modern times. My book would suit any place to be read; especially cruising on the Pacific Ocean, where all of the action takes place in The Guardian’s Wildchild. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I really enjoy reading about strong heroines and the equally strong men who are not intimidated by them. Add in special powers and I’m in. I’ll have to add this to my oh-so-very-long list of wanna reads.
Hello Joagoda: I wonder if your ‘to read’ list is a long as mine. I’m so busy with marketing and writing, and family duties, there’s little time to read. Yes, it’s great to find a strong man who’s not intimidated by strong, and yet feminine, women. You know, I especially notice men who put on a pinkish shirt and wear it so well and confident their masculinity shines through anything. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Thanks Jeri for such a high-quality interview here! This book sounds like a great one and I’m going to check out Feather’s site too, as her posts sound interesting!
Hello Christy: Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Stay tuned to my sites as I’m inclined to give away ecopies of The Guardian’s Wildchild – just cause I love to make people happy. Blessings.