Mia Jo has welcomed me on her blog today to share my book release,
but first congratulations, Mia Jo, on your release of Other Than! It’s such an exciting feeling to let your novel out
into the world. Mia Jo and I critiqued together as part of the RWA fantasy chapter’s
Mudpuddle group, and now how fun is it that we have releases so close together?
I’m excited to share some highlights of my writing process
for Passages, my science fiction
romance, and my writing in general.
1. Tell us a little bit about how you came to
write Passages.
I had a dream about a fellow on the run who
was trying to help his grandmother along with him. Then, she fell and couldn’t
continue. She was telling him how to help her, but the words came out confused
in that way things do in dreams. He should let her pass, but she wouldn’t be
dying, is what I understood, just changed, but the same. It would be a passage,
and the grandson would be helping her to make it. When I woke up, the word
‘passages’ was repeating in my head. I pretty much had the first scene of the
novel, and asked myself, what happens next?
Many storylines boiled up from that one
question, but the one that stuck was this fellow would be lost without his
grandmother, because he has amnesia.
2. Is this the hero, then? What about your
heroine?
He is. It took me a long time to work out
Quinn’s backstory and his reason for being on this alien planet, which means
it’s revealed to the reader in pieces, too. In the meantime, Eve, the heroine,
had a very clear story—she died during the Great Pestilence. Yes, died, and was
given a second chance to use her emphatic gifts of an electorg—a human with
electronic implants—to help others. Eve’s first life helps her fit into her
second as a community mediator with several other electorgs.
3. What genres do you write in? Why?
Everything I write is fantasy. My settings may
change—historical to contemporary to futuristic—but the story will always have
a thread of magic. Hand-in-hand with magic is mystery, every story has
something mysterious going on, and a happily ever after, of course!
That’s fantasy, mystery and romance, but I have a science
background and lifelong love of nature, which means my characters’ stories also
reflect their connections to nature and the land. There is no ‘book category’
for that, so I’ve made up my own: ‘fantasy tuned to the magic of the land.’
4. Do you believe writers are born to write or
learn to write?
I believe storytelling is innate—it’s how we
passed time around the fire, the kitchen table, the TV and, now, our monitors.
But one needs to learn the techniques to best present the story, and that’s
different for every person. A wealth of resources is available, in books,
online and in person. Two books I recommend are The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler and Save The Cat by Blake Snyder. The online writers forum I use is
CritiqueCircle.com
5. If you had one take
away piece of advice for writers, what would it be?
6. What is up next for you?
Thanks for having me, Mia!
Hi, Mia Jo here. I'm really excited about Passages'publication. I used to wait for Laurel to post chapters, so I could continue on the adventure in this story. I asked Laurel to share an excerpt, so you can see why I liked Passages.
Excerpt:
Eve shoved him aside and pulled me
against her. “Evard, you’re scaring him. Intimidating, threatening…don’t.”
Her reprimand hardly registered,
since it wasn’t for me. I had the woman pressed to my side. A first in my
fractured memory. Everything about her was soft and warm—her arm around my
waist, the swell of breast at my ribs, and the curve of hip against mine. Each
point of contact was duly noted and registered like a brand upon my brain.
Scents of leather, the musty books
and a hint of lilacs wafted to my nostrils. I couldn’t say how it happened, but
my arm lifted, draped around her shoulders and brought her even closer.
Her wide gray eyes snapped to mine.
Her lips parted around my name, and at the warmth of her breath, my muscles
tightened. “Evard is just excited.”
“Just excited!” He tugged at her
arm, cutting through my daze.
It was as he’d said earlier. She
knew both that I was startled by Evard’s gesture and that he meant no harm. Of
course, the signs were all there—expressions, intonations, physical cues—but
she’d “read” them instantly, eerily so, but not entirely out of the realm of
scientific believability.
“Evy, you don’t understand. He’s
living on Edge. This is so much more than exciting. An adventure in the
making—”
“No! No discussing it, not now.
Quinn, go shower.” She rotated neatly from under my arm and shoved the jumpsuit
to my chest. Her firm hand directed me to the door while she squabbled with
Evard to force him back to work.
I lingered to watch them, reveling
in the memory of Eve’s softness pressed to me. Eve had hugged me. Never mind
that she now focused on her run-mate, holding him by the chin and then the ear,
like he was a toddler whose attention she had to refocus from an unattainable
toy. I grinned at his predicament.
Follow the Passages Blog Tour to read more science
& fantasy tidbits!
Blurb:
“Find someone you can trust.”
For
decades, Eve and her fellow electorgs—part human, part machine—have worked on
the quiet planet of Aarde, beating back toxic spores that threaten to poison
the native people. When the new commander halts work right before a deadly
spore release, Eve frantically plots to protect the villagers she considers
friends and family.
On
the run after an ambush, Quinn holds a secret that nearly got him killed. If
only he knew what it was. Though the attack scrambled his memories, Quinn
is sure of one thing—he can’t trust the electorgs. But they know information he
desperately needs to puzzle out who wants him dead, and why.
With the fate of life on Aarde in the balance, the logic of
joining forces with Eve overrides Quinn’s fears…and erupts into an attraction
that could prove fatal for both of them.
Because the planet’s commander might just be Quinn himself.
Passages is on preorder & sale for .99 through February 5th.
Author bio:
Before kids, Laurel Wanrow studied and worked
as a naturalist—someone who leads wildflower walks and answers calls about the
snake that wandered into your garage. During a stint of homeschooling, she
turned her writing skills to fiction to share her love of the land, magical
characters and fantastical settings.
When not living in her fantasy worlds, Laurel
camps, hunts fossils and argues with her husband and two new adult kids over
whose turn it is to clean house. Though they live on the East Coast, a
cherished family cabin in the Colorado Rockies holds Laurel’s heart.
Find Laurel at:
Website: www.laurelwanrow.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurelwanrow
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/laurelwanrowauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/laurelwanrow/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/laurelwanrow
Below are the bloggers participating in the Blog Tour for Passages.
Each stop will have excerpts and tidbits about the science & fantasy, and a
chance to win the tour prizes: a $10 Amazon eGC or a sign paperback of Passages.
(Giveaway open to US/CAN)
Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway!
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