Friday, October 21, 2011

Our Next HOTSEAT author...Camilla Chafer!

MEOW!  Up in my hotseat today…EVERY WITCH WAY BUT WICKED Contributor and Author Camilla Chafer!

Camilla started out as a traditionally published author with non-fiction books, mostly in the education field, and has a background as a books editor for a publishing company. Prior to that she spent several years as a freelance journalist writing for the likes of The Independent, The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, woman&home, Easy Living, Scarlet.
Camilla caught the “indie” bug when her boyfriend asked what he could buy her as a gift when he went on a work trip to the US.  She asked for a Kindle and the rest is history!  With Amanda Hocking as her role model, Camilla went on to publish the “Magic” series that can be found on Amazon!

Before the interview begins, I want to take a moment to thank Nathan Fillion and PJ Haarsma for tweeting about the anthology! You guys are awesome!  the Best!

And now…Camilla in my hotseat! Ma-Row!

R:  Hello Camilla and welcome to my “hotseat”
C:  Hello and thank you for having me, Rocco.

R: My pleasure.  The paranormal genre has grown in the past 5 years. Why did you decide to write within this genre and how do you think your books stand out?
C: I really just wanted to write a book that I would enjoy reading. I’ve always found witchcraft very interesting and it has huge potential in the paranormal genre. I think one of the key elements of my Stella Mayweather series is that Stella isn’t a feeble woman waiting to be rescued by the paranormal heroes. Instead, she has her own power and has the potential to save herself. That’s not to say there aren’t a few hot guys to help her out!

R: You are also a journalist. Which do you prefer more, reporting or writing fiction and why?
C: At the moment I’m really enjoying fiction. Making your own world enables you to take poetic licence pretty far, and that’s something you just can’t do in journalism.

R: Do you think that being a reporter has helped to make you a better author?  If so, why?
C: Absolutely. It’s not just about having solid grammar, spelling and the ability to self-edit (I do work with an editor, too) but it’s a good grounding for research, formulating ideas and hitting deadlines, especially when they’re self-imposed.

R: What do you think would be the hardest or most challenging genre to write a novel in and why?
C: All genres have their challenges. I love reading crime and mystery fiction and I’m always impressed by an author that can pull off complicated plot that is plausible.


R: What has been the most challenging aspect in getting your indie books out there for people to read?
C: Definitely getting it noticed, especially in the early days. Doing book tours with a tour provider who specialized in paranormal book bloggers helped me reach out to bloggers and readers in my genre and I’d definitely do that again. As sales grew my book started to climb the Top 100 genre charts and that gave the book’s visibility a huge boost.

R: Do you have any information on upcoming works or events that you are able to share?
C: I’ve just taken part in a fantastic anthology called Every Witch Way But Wicked (you already know all about this, of course!). My contribution was a short story titled “The Trouble With Spells” featuring two minor characters, Seren and David, from the Stella books. They were such a nice couple to write about. I hope to revisit them! Right now I’m hard at work on the third book in the series which I aim to have out in December – there’s so much going on and I really surprised myself with a scene I wrote just yesterday!

R: What is one book on your shelf that you cannot wait to read (can either be a new or old favorite).
C: A timeless favourite of mine is Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword, about a young woman’s adventures in a fantasy land. I have a bunch on my Kindle waiting to be read.

R: Just for Fun:

Favorite:
TV Show?
The Big Bang Theory
Movie?
I’ve just seen Grown Ups. It made me laugh so hard.
Drink?
Hot chocolate
Food?
Pizza!
Hobby?
Crochet
Novel?
Sarah Addison Allen’s The Girl Who Chased The Moon
Cats or Dogs?
Dogs (but I have a cat) (R: ooh, nice save!)
Beach or Mountain?
Mountains, with lakes
Witches or Warlocks?
Witches
True Blood or Vampire Diaries?
Both!

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?
C: That I’m mad about rollercoasters – I ride them wherever I go.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done?
C: Probably publishing Illicit Magic was the most crazy-hopeful thing I ever did. As for just plain crazy, I think I need to get out more and do some mad stuff!

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?
C: I hope they will take away a little magic.

       R: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
      C: Thank you so much for all your support. Every time you buy a book, you make a          writer’s dream come true.


Thank you for this interview, Camilla!  Folks, you know the drill….get out there and get EVERY WITCH WAY BUT WICKED, and check out Camilla, too!


Link to Camilla on Amazon:


Next up: Terri Reid!

And study hard…there will be a quiz!


ROCCO
SCI FI BLOGGING CAT

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