Title: OUR DARK STARS
Author: Audrey
Grey and Krystal Wade
Pub. Date: March 6,
2018
Publisher: Blaze
Publishing, LLC
Pages: 316
Formats: Paperback, eBook
While she sleeps, the whole universe changes.
Princess Talia Starchaser has it all. Wealth. Status. Adoring citizens. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to publicly betray her best friend, a companion mock she’s had since birth, setting events into motion that lead to the destruction of the humans, and the princess floating through space, a remnant of a time when humans ruled over droids.
One hundred years later, half-mock captain Will Perrault and his ragtag crew discover a device floating in space. When a very human Talia emerges from its depths, Will suspects she’s the key to buying his way back into the regiment he once commanded against the last remaining rebel humans—and the ruling mock queen’s good graces.
Both Talia and Will would rather get space-tossed than trust one another, but with the queen’s forces chasing them across the galaxy and the fate of both worlds hanging in the balance, they’ll forge the unlikeliest of alliances to survive.
Welcome to the Authors!
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
Yes, I always knew I wanted to
write books for a living. My parents talked me into getting more practical
degrees—I have a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, plus my R.N. license—but, in
the end, writing is what I was always meant to do!
How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish? Depends.
If I’m in a rush, I can finish a book in three months,
then another month for editing. But four to five months for a longer book.
How do you come up with themes for your stories?
The themes in my stories tend to come from my personal
beliefs, so they lend themselves naturally to the story without me usually
having to think about them.
Do you have a schedule of when you write?
So, I’m trying this new thing where I write when my kids
are in school. I’m not a morning person so forcing myself to be creative and/or
productive before noon is a daily struggle, but weekends now end up going to my
kids’ sports and social activities, and evenings are reserved for homework,
etc., so I have to use the time I have!
How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?
Balancing my home life with my writing is hard! There’s
always more work that needs to be done on the author side, but there’s also
cleaning, homework, laundry, etc. that needs to happen at my house. Not to
mention spending time with my family, which is really important to me. So I
just fit things in wherever I can. Like right now. I’m writing this interview
at 11:30pm, while watching Sneaky Pete season 2 after getting my kids to bed!
What elements do you think make a great story line?
I would say conflict, irony, and a need for change. Plus
some hot romance doesn’t hurt!
What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
Self-doubt is typically the hardest part of writing for
me. There’s always a better writer, a better story, a better plot, and as a
perfectionist I tend to skewer myself daily. So, that’s a struggle for me.
How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?
I’ve written five books (only three out currently) and
my favorite, by far, is an epic fantasy/Beauty and the Beast retelling that
won’t be released until early 2019.
Do you have a favorite character?
Hmm. I love Riser Thornbrook from my Shadow Fall series.
He’s dark, complicated, and deadly, how I like my men!
Where do you write?
I write all over my house! Typically, I like to
start at the desk in my office, then I move to my couch. Eventually I migrate
to my kitchen countertop.
When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took?
I realized when I first began my publishing journey that
I didn’t know enough about self-publishing to go that route. Now, though,
things have changed and I’m very familiar with the world. I’ll probably end up
hybrid, because I love the autonomy that comes with self-publishing, but some
genres do better with traditional publishing.
Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?
Funny you ask that! My twin sister is my beta reader and
she tells me if my books stink. So far, she’s liked all but one!
What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?
I love gardening and home improvement. I once repainted
my entire office, including the built-in bookshelves and trim. Anything that
lets me transform something is a good outlet for my creativity.
What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
Well, the best advice I was ever given was to write daily,
no matter how tired or uninspired I feel. Another great piece of advice is to
surround myself with cheerleaders who will also give me constructive criticism,
when needed. That’s a rare combination!
What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write?
So, as cliché as it sounds, I love George R. R. Martin.
His books came into my life at a particularly bad time, and his grasp on world
building and constructing complex, fully-realized worlds is beyond amazing. I
also love the book Watership Down, and Ian McEwan is another author that
inspires me with his beautiful words.
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?
My twin sister tells me if a story is worth pursuing or
not, and my editor, Krystal Dehaba, makes my stories shine!
Are you working on anything now?
I’m currently co-writing a Lora Croft meets vampires
series with a friend, and gearing up to finish off some of my other series!
Tell us 5 things that make you smile.
Kombucha, my kids, my four rescue dogs, Jennifer
Lawrence gifs, and my amazing PA, Amanda Steele.
Tell us 5 things that make you sad.
Shelter dog videos, an empty kombucha cup, having to
wait until 2019 for Game of Thrones, when my kids get hurt, and having to wake
up in the morning super early.
If you could travel anywhere in
the world to visit a place so you could use it as a background for a book,
where would it be?
Well, I’m currently co-writing a
book that starts out in Rome and then spans Europe, so I’m going with all of
Europe! I love the history and culture there that we don’t have in America.
Thank you so much for being here today!
Read my review of this awesome book here:
http://www.thecovercontessa.com/2018/03/blog-tour-our-darkest-stars-by-audrey.html
http://www.thecovercontessa.com/2018/03/blog-tour-our-darkest-stars-by-audrey.html
About Audrey:
Hi! I’m an award winning and USA
Today bestselling author of several books, including the Moonbeam Children’s
Award bronze finalist, SHADOW FALL. I live in the charming state of Oklahoma
with my crew: one husband, two little people, four mischievous dogs, and one
poor cat. You can usually find me hiding out in my office from said crew, surrounded
by books and sipping kombucha while dreaming up wondrous worlds for my
characters to live in.
In between the chaos—What’s for
dinner? Stop pinching your sister! Homework! Dishes!— and my writing, I make
time for various projects. An admitted paintaholic, I’ve painted, sprayed or
transformed nearly every piece of my house at least once. I even painted my
husband’s beloved fabric chair. Oops!
I thrive on creation: starting from
an idea, a blank canvas, or perhaps an outdated room, and using my imagination
to create something new and emotionally engaging that’s all my own. But stories
have always been my first love. Weaving together complex worlds full of flawed,
conflicted characters allows me to express myself in a way I could never do
otherwise.
I started creating stories during the
sweltering Oklahoma summers spent laboring in my father’s wheat fields. Alone
and bored, I dreamed up wild fables of vampires (the Anne Rice kind), cave men,
and love-torn ghosts. By college my tales had grown more persistent, and I
started to actually write them down.
Now, fiction is my life, and I look
forward to sharing my characters and their stories with all of you.
About Krystal:
I’m happily married to the love of my
life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of
Virginia. We live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day I wake up to
find myself stuck in traffic trying to get there.
The horrid commute gives me plenty of
time to zone out and think about my characters in full, brilliant details (I’m
a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give me a way to forget about the
sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to me on the fifty mile trek into town
(I pick up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if
you don’t believe me).
I’ve been a part of organized
hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of my
oh-so-large life. When I’m not working, commuting, or chasing after my three
children (four if you count the man), you can usually find me outside talking
to my chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or
training my amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled
up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).
I hope you love my stories (or just
like them a little; that would be okay, too). And I hope that one day you find
your passion, because there’s nothing in life better than doing what you love
while surrounded by people you love.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
3/20/2018- Darque Dreamer
Reads- Review
3/23/2018- BookHounds- Interview
Week Two:
3/27/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Review
No comments:
Post a Comment