Thursday, November 14, 2013

{Author interview + Giveaway}: A MATTER OF TRUTH by Heather Lyons








A MATTER OF TRUTH Synopsis:

Not long ago, Chloe Lilywhite seemingly had it all: a prized spot on the Magicals’ Council as lead Creator, a loving fiancé and Connection, and a wealth of good friends. But the poised young woman she projected was nothing more than a façade. Her parents all but disowned her. Power plays and accusations of murder within the Council rocked her confidence. And most difficult of all, her secret, a secondary Connection to Jonah’s twin brother, Kellan, became painfully impossible to resist. Desperate to gain control over her rapidly unraveling existence, Chloe did the unthinkable: she ran away.

Now living and working in Alaska under an alias, Chloe is slowly discovering who she is and, more importantly, who she wants to be. But the more she tries to leave the Magical world behind, the harder it becomes to stay hidden. The Elders are back with a vengeance, and the stakes have never been higher. Chloe finally has to make a choice: embrace her pre-ordained Fate or pave her own way in the worlds. One thing’s for sure, though—she’s finally up for the challenge.



*This is a New Adult title, suitable for readers 18+*










Author Interview

Today I have for you a really awesome interview with Heather! We talk book covers, advise on her to go about publishing, and other things she's working on. Without further adieu lest's get started :) 

*ME* Let me just say that I love these covers! Did you have any kind of input on any of them?

*Heather* Thank you! I really love them, too. Yes, I did have some input—the designer I worked with, the very talented Carly Stevens (www.carlystevens.com), and I would talk about our visions for what the cover represented, but ultimately, she crafted how they look, along with hand drawn titles. What I love is the subtle symbolism towards the books’ themes she sticks into them, like the clouds, textures, and colors. 

**Interesting. This one, by the way, is my favorite cover out of the series ;)**

*ME* Tell us one thing that your readers would be surprised to know?

*Heather* About me or the books? What the heck, I’ll do both. Hmm . . . Okay, for me, readers may not know that I play the piano and have written a bunch of songs, including one that was recorded. As for the books . . . let’s see. Initially, Lizzie and Graham had a much larger arc throughout the series and were important secondary characters, but they’re story got trimmed down substantially. Maybe someday, I’ll share some of their deleted scenes!

**Oh how I wish I could play piano (sigh).**
**I hope that someday is very soon. I want more Lizzie and Graham!**

*ME* Throughout your journey as an author, have you made any author friends?


*Heather* Yes! The writing community is a wonderful, supportive thing, filled with lovely people.


*ME* Do you read any NA books? What are some of your all time favorite NA authors?


*Heather* I admit I read a lot of NA. A few standouts for me are Wait For You by Jennifer Armontrout (wait—J. Lynn) and The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorenson.

**I loved Wait for you too! Both Jennifer and Jessica are some of my favorite authors! We were meant to be friends :D**

*ME* What can you tell those want to publish a book and how to go about doing it?

*Heather* Well, the big thing is to write—write constantly. Write as often as you can. Focus on building sentences that speak to you, and ones that speak to others. Don’t just throw words at paper and hope they stick. Keep writing. Read a lot of books, especially ones in the genres you write in. Join a writing group and/or get some critique partners. Edit and revise your work. Read some more. Hire an excellent editor you can build a rapport with. Research the best ways to target your story toward readers. Keep writing. Keep reading. Build relationships within the writing community. Do not press publish until you’ve taken the time to make your story the best it can be. And then—keep writing.

**Note to self: KEEP WRITING**

*ME* While writing the Fate series, do you map out what's going to happen ahead of time?

*Heather* I actually wrote the first drafts of all the books at one fell swoop several years ago, so I know where it’s going and what’s going to happen. Granted, I threw out the entire third book and rewrote from the ground up (and that’s happening a lot with the fourth book, too), but I have the general idea of where I want to go.

That said, I’m horrible at storyboarding. I envy people who can do that, who take excellent notes and construct a map and work steadily toward fulfilling that vision. I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat of my pants kind of writer. I let my characters lead me where they want to go, even though they’ll end up where I want them.


*ME* Would you say that you believe in fate?

*Heather* Idealistically, I’d love to say yes. But I really, truly believe that life is what we make of it.


*ME* Other than the Fate series, are you working on anything new and can we get a teaser?

*Heather* Well, my agent has one of my stand-alone books right now, and I wish I could share that with you, because I adore that book to pieces. It’s a romance based on Greek mythology, and features some of my very favorite characters. As for other stories, I’ll be picking another non-Fate book to work on shortly.

***Can't blame a girl for trying ;)**


About Heather Lyons:

Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.


**GIVEAWAY**
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Schedule:

November 4th
Romance Addict-Review Only
The Phantom Paragrapher-Review Only

November 5th
The Book HookUp-Review Only
The Book Trollup-Review Only

November 6th
TSK TSK What To Read-Guest Post
Reading Rainblog-Review Only

November 7th

November 8th
Lovin Los Libros-Dream Cast
Living in a Bookworld-Author Interview

November 9th

November 10th

November 11th

November 12th

November 13th
Bound by Books-Excerpt
Shawna’s Survey-Top 10 List
Christie Palmer-Interview

November 14th
Once Upon A Twilight-Review Only
A Bookish Escape-Review Only

November 15th
The Road is You-Character Interview
The Last Chapter-Author Interview
Just Julie Blogging Books-Excerpt

November 16th

November 17th


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