Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Sorry I haven't been around. I took a little vacation during which time
The Best Boyfriend in the World became
The Best Fiance in the World. I'll be telling you more tomorrow! In keeping with my Monday posts through June, 2014, I bring you another
UtopYA Con 2014 unofficial author interview. Yeah to awesomeness! If you haven’t picked up your tickets for the event yet, click the name to grab yours today. It’s being held at the Millennium Maxwell House in Nashville, Tennessee. We’re looking forward to meeting fans of YA and NA books!
Let’s get this party started! Snuggle down into your footed jammies (because it's freaking
cold!), relax on your couch, and meet author Casey L. Bond!
Jo: Welcome to the blog, Casey! Soooo good to have you here for this interview.
Casey: Thanks for having me, Jo!
Jo: I’m not gonna beat around the bush here, my readers want the juicy stuff and it doesn’t do to hold the red meat outside the cage when they’re feeling like tigers. Tell me about publishing with Tate Publishing. How did you get in, what you like, what challenges you’ve faced.
Casey: *Grins* As with most things in life, it’s a weird story. I wrote
Winter Shadows in the last trimester of my second pregnancy when I couldn’t sleep, edited it as best I could and sent it out into the world. Several agents replied that the story was interesting but not for them. My uncle bought my oldest daughter a children’s book at a signing near his home and sent it to her. He had included a bookmark from Tate Publishing, so I decided to check them out online. When it said they were open to submissions, I uploaded the manuscript and sent it away into cyber land. A month later, when I had forgotten about the submission, I received a phone call from their acquisitions department saying that they wanted the book in their 2013 catalog and would like to offer me a contract. After discussing with the hubs, we decided to go for it. The rest is history.
Tate designed the cover (with my direction), edited and is currently marketing the book along with me. Winter Shadows just released on 10.29.2013 so I haven’t even seen my sales yet (*ducks head*). They will send a report every quarter. Until then, I guess I’ll just keep chewing my nails. Everyone at Tate has been extremely nice and professional. I love the cover. A couple of challenges have arisen with working with Tate. One is that a few typos that apparently slipped through the cracks. Once Tate publishes, there’s no going back to correct those, so that’s a bummer. I’m a bit of a perfectionist :) Another, is that I can’t control my own pricing. I wish I had more say in my e-book price especially, but I have zero control over it. Sorry y’all :)
Jo: Well, congratulations! Sounds like an adventure! What’s the skinny on the book you have planned for Spring 2014? Title and blurb, please!!
Casey: *Smiles* Well, since you’re special, I’ll give ya a taste. It’s a YA Fantasy entitled Pariah. Here is the blurb, which is still subject to change….
Pariah
The New Covenant Series
by Casey L. Bond
What are the things that you need most in life—the things you crave? Solara longs for freedom. Having been raised under the Kingdom’s lock and key since the age of two, she wants to see the world. Upon turning seventeen and receiving no mark from the Lord, she believes freedom is finally within her grasp. Unfortunately, she is wrong. The Kingdom has been fooled. She is marked by an angel of light and one of the fallen dark ones. Solara is God’s chosen, and with her birth, the new covenant made with mankind is made manifest.
Solara doesn’t want to be the Chosen. She longs for love, strong enough to last a lifetime, and beyond. Riven loves her. But he is one of the fallen, prophesied to betray her. Can she trust him? Love him? Prophecy states that she is the key. The fate of humanity rests with her decision, as she holds the ability to open either the doors of Heaven or the gates of Hell upon the Earth.
But how can a normal girl, who has been raised with no knowledge of either side, make such a decision? And how can she turn away from finally tasting those things for which she has craved so long. Still rough :)
Jo: WOW. I can't wait! You must let me know when it comes out. I do enjoy my "special" status. *grin* Tell me about West Virginia. Did you grow up there? What do you love/hate about the area?
Casey: I grew up in Hurricane, WV and now live about seven miles away in Milton! I love the rugged beauty of the area. I’m an outdoors kind-of-girl and our state is amazing. I’ve traveled quite a bit and love our hills and mountains. We are a bit remote and it’s expensive to fly just about anywhere, but it’s worth it. As much as I enjoy seeing the world, I love coming home even more. In WV, every mile is a country mile.
Jo: I'm from Tennessee but grew up in Louisiana. I know know my marsh from my mountains anymore. WV is somewhere I intend to visit
soon. I see you have Pinterest boards dedicated to your books. What’s the reason behind that, what made you start, and how has it helped you?
Casey: Hello. My name is Casey. I’m a Pinterest addict. I’ve been pinning for a while now and looooove it. I have boards for each of my books and works under construction. There’s also a huge board for Writing Inspiration and y’all are more than welcome to follow along. When I write, I have an image in my head. Sometimes, I can find something similar on Pinterest and share my vision with readers. Pretty darn spectacular, if you ask me! :)
Jo: Oh my... You may need PA :P You wrote a review for I, Zombie recently. I have to say thank you (y’all can see it
here)!! It was an awesome review. What are your favorite genres to read and have you ever considered writing about those particular topics? Why/why not?
Casey: *giggles* Weeeeeeeeeeellll. I am quite eclectic in my reading tastes. I love dystopian. Winter Shadows fits that bill and I’m working on a new dystopian book that I am extremely excited about. I think it’s my best idea yet and I’m really thrilled about this one! I read a lot of YA and NA romance. Devil Creek falls in the NA category and I hope you all love it :) I also like paranormal, hot cowboys and highlanders, and anything sci-fi that is interesting…..think Mortal Instruments. I don’t know if I’ll branch out more one of these days. I just work on what inspires me at the time. I’m super stoked about the dystopian project I’m working on now (between edits of Pariah). Did I mention that? *grins*
Jo: I like all genres except autobiographies. Hey, can't be a hater. Hehe I read that you spent a summer studying in Europe. First of all, please share with my readers what your degree is in (I know this but they don’t). Then, tell us what your favorite place was that you visited while traipsing all over the country!
Casey: I graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in Criminal Justice (emphasis on Legal Studies) from Marshall University, home of The Thundering Herd! Who’s got a HERD on? Yep. I just said that. I lived in Lyon, France with a French family. They were spectacular and I loved them, by the way. I did attend school there at the Université Catholique de Lyon in French Language and Culture. In France, my friends and I traveled to Cannes, Nice, Monaco (yes, we went to the Monte Carlo Casino), Paris, and Annecy. I got to walk through lavender fields, go to amazing vineyards and walk through castles! We also went to Geneva, Switzerland and Rome, Italy. My favorite was old Paris. It was so breathtakingly beautiful. I want to take my family with me and go back sometime when the girls get bigger.
Jo: I'm left wondering if you'll ever write legal thrillers... *gets jealous of travels* One day, I'll get to see Stratford on Avon :) Quick, what’s your favorite drink?
Casey: Tie. Diet coke or Diet Sunkist. Nectars of the gods.
Jo: I can't do diet anything. The aspartame feels like fuzz in my mouth. LOL Favorite snack?
Casey: Chips & salsa.
Jo: YUM! I like Pace :) Now, I have to ask, why Christian Fiction for Winter Shadows? I haven’t read it yet (Casey sent me a signed copy! *sticks tongue out at readers*) but I intend to. It’s an interesting genre choice. What difficulties have you faced?
Casey: When I wrote the book, I never thought about the genre. The story just flowed. I didn’t make the book to be preachy at all. Claire, the main character is sheltered. She grew up in a small community with an overprotective, very devout father. She had been raised a Christian and had lost her faith after her mother died from cancer. But, her faith is only one part of Claire and the story itself. It’s a dystopian YA. The government declares a pandemic. Claire’s dad doesn’t buy it. He and some other families from their community decide to go ‘off the grid’ and live in a cave system in rural WV. It’s about survival. Claire finds her strength and fortitude. She battles with herself over feelings she harbors for her best friend Ethan and outsider Colin, who is a breath of fresh air. I hope ya like it :)
Jo: Makes sense. I'm sure I'll love it. Time for the alien question of the interview! UtopYA Con 2014 is centered around aliens, the general them being “Take Me to Your Reader” so I’ve been doing this with everyone. Do you believe aliens exist? Why/why not?
Casey: *Laughs* I’ve never seen one. But, who knows. It’s a big universe out there.
Jo: *nods sagely* Agreed. Do you ever say, “Bond, Casey Bond,” when introducing yourself to someone? If yes, what is the usual reaction? If no, why the heck not?
Casey: Heck yes! This is my married name, so I didn’t grow up being taunted with it. I’m using the heck out of that line !!!!
Jo: I freaking love that. How awesome! I see you married your high-school sweetheart (how sweet is that?). Tell us three of your favorite things about your husband.
Casey: He is extremely funny, somewhat quiet and an awesome dad!
Jo: He sounds great. Gotta love the humor! Now tell us about your featured book of the week! Why did you write it, what was the most difficult thing about getting it done, and were you nervous about publishing it?
Casey:
Devil Creek * ominous music * is a new adult romance set in my home state of WV. I wrote it because the characters in my head wouldn’t shut up. The most difficult thing about getting it done was finding time to do it. Two kiddos keep me busy. I write during nap and bedtime, but try to do a few things in between. Also, wading through the self-pubbing process feels like trudging through mud. I’m new to all this, so everything takes longer than it probably will in the future, when I get the hang of it all. I am nervous about this one. I’ve never written in this genre before, though I read a lot of NA. I love the book and hope you all will, too :)
Jo: I totally read it and I loved it! Y'all can see the review
here. Anything I didn’t ask that you wished I had?
Casey: What’s my favorite color? Teal. One weird thing about me? I hate to open biscuits from a pop-open can. It scares me and I flinch every dang time. :)
Jo: Those scare me, too! LOL! That’s all the time we have for today! Thanks for joining me here on the blog, Casey. This was fun. I hope I didn’t creep you out too much with my cyber stalking of your author self. I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA.
Casey: Stalk away, people. Stalk away. I can’t wait to meet you there, too! And, that goes for all my UtopYA peeps! Can’t wait to see y’all!
Okay, everyone, time for the skinny on Casey’s featured book of the week:
Title:
Devil Creek
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: NA Romance
Print Length: 185 Pages
Purchase Links:
Amazon Kindle $2.99
Synopsis: What is your greatest fear? For Aislin, it is the fear of being alone. She grew up in and out of foster care along with her brother, Declan. When he is killed by an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan, she leans on her brother's best friend, Gabriel. The two become inseparable.
When she catches her fiancée in bed with another girl? She isn’t even that upset. Mad as hell? Yes. As angry as she should be? No. That's the moment she realizes that she isn't in love with her fiancée. She is in love with her best friend, Gabriel. The only problem is that Gabe doesn't think he should cross the boundary between friend and lover with his dead best friend's sister. He wants her. He just doesn't want to want her. And, therein lies the problem.
After Aislin is attacked by a man she tried to love with her head in an attempt to heal her heart from rejection, she and Gabriel have one night of bliss together. Only one though. Gabriel gets spooked and runs. He is afraid. Afraid that Aislin will hate him for taking advantage of her vulnerability. Three years and nine months later, Gabe comes home to find Aislin with a dark-haired wanna-be rock star and a three year old little girl with familiar blue eyes. Seeing her with Jude, makes his blood boil. But does Gabriel deserve her? No. Does he want her? With every fiber of his being. He will do anything it takes to win her heart. He wants a place in her life and in the life of her daughter.
What is in the cards for Gabriel and Aislin? Can love survive without trust? Welcome to Devil Creek.
Thanks for hanging around the blog today and meeting author Casey L. Bond! While you’re still clicking from your purchase above, why not give her a follow on social media AND enter her great giveaway?
Facebook:
Author Casey Bond
Twitter:
@authorcaseybond
Pinterest:
CaseyB007
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Got questions? Ask them in the comments below!
Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
