The Cover Contessa: Author Interview Thursday: Welcome Thea Atikison! @TheaAtkinson

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Author Interview Thursday: Welcome Thea Atikison! @TheaAtkinson

Welcome to Author Interview Thursday hosted by the Never Too Old for YA and NA Books group on Goodreads.

Today we welcome Thea Atkison!

She has the power to change the world; he was born to destroy it.

Drug-addicted Theda has a unique gift that might have been useful in a world that believed in something. Not in New Earth. Using her gift now that the god has come and gone is the one thing punishable by death, and Theda isn't the kind of girl to take too many chances. There are just two things that matter to her: tricking out her gift so she can eat, and blissing out on her drug of choice so she can forget the past--not exactly in that order.

It's the craving for a fix that gets her into the worst trouble when a rugged bounty hunter as damaged as she is discovers her secret. Now she is on a new quest for survival -- one where the very handsome and enigmatic man who hunts her down becomes the person she must trust.

In a gritty, post-apocalyptic world, where any notion of god has been abandoned, humankind must look within for redemption.

Welcome Thea!

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else?

It only occurred to me when my best friend decided to be a writer. At the time, I had no idea it 'was' something. I think that was grade 5. We both entered a writing contest put on by the school and our radio station and she won. I pretty much assumed after that I didn't have the talent and gave up for a long while...about six years, then started again because I enjoyed it.

How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?

A full length, litfic novel takes me a year, but I'm getting faster, letting myself play more. Now it takes about 3 months before it's ready for the edit.

How do you come up with themes for your stories?

That suggests multiple themes, and that I have a choice. Grin. My theme is always around redemption of some sort.

Do you have a schedule of when you write?

Nope. Just 2000 words per day

How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?

Ba...laance? LOL. I guess I suck at that.

What elements do you think make a great story line?

The character has to be damaged in some way for me to be compelled forward. There has to be something he/she is striving to get through whether they know it or not. Best for me if most of the characters are damaged, and they 'save' each other. Past that, I love odd things. One day I'll write something with voodoo in it. That would be fun.

What was the hardest thing about writing a book?

The middle third. Seriously. it's a huge hump for me.

How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?

Hmmm. About 11 full length. My favorite is Anomaly. I have a soft spot for the main character, J. I think that novel stretched my skills and my sense of empathy. I think it delivered what I'd hoped for it: for a character to find comfort in his own skin.

Do you have a favorite character?

Two, actually. J from Anomaly and Cai from my Witches of Etlantium series.

Where do you write?

Wherever I can.

When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took?

My agent could never truly find the right niche for my novels. She said they were always out of reach of a pure market. Self publishing allowed me to write what I wanted and worry less about shelf space

Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?

Yes. They are ecstatically proud of me. But I have an awesome family.

What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?

Photography, baking, graphic design.

What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write?

Alice Munro. She is amazing. She catches nuances of character that just stun me.

Do you have any go to people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta reading and such?

Sort of. My daughter can find my BS, my close friend reminds me not to get too dark, and my hubby pushes me towards the edge. A great combination for me.

Are you working on anything now?

YES! The 4th novella in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic series called Theta Waves. It's a little bit dark, a little bit steamy, and maybe a little bit sacrilegious. I'm having a ton of fun with it.

Thanks for stopping by today, Thea! Great to have you here!

Thea writes what she calls left-of-mainstream fiction at her desk in Nova Scotia with her black lab at her feet and miniature gargoyles to protect her space and the muse. No matter what the genre, it's always slightly off kilter from the regular (mainstream) offering.

She has been an editor, a freelancer, and a teacher, but fiction is her passion. She now blogs and writes and twitters. Not necessarily in that order.

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