Interview with Debut Author Elizabeth Mueller

As captain it is my great privilege to announce once again that our very own cove contributor Elizabeth Mueller has her first book coming out this fall. She's been roving the blogosphere and doing interviews all month, so we're pleased to have her back on board today to share a little bit about this thrilling moment in her career.

Hi Elizabeth! Congratulations on the upcoming publication of your debut novel, Darkspell. Tell me, do you have a publication date set?

I do! Look for Darkspell this fall.

How long have you been working on this book?

Probably a gross sum of a year to a year-and-a-half.

Can you tell us a little bit about the story?

Average girl Winter Sky falls in love with the boy from her dreams after he steals a forbidden kiss. Alex is the coven Stormhold’s seer and is sworn to protect her from the darkness that hunts her. Will she love him when she discovers his secret? Will love prove thicker than magic?

What's the juiciest, most fascinating thing about Darkspell? Tell us why we all want to read it.

Winter is sucked into a world where magic and evil roam—where the boy of her dreams belongs. The romance is sweet and alluring where danger lurks in every shadow, then there’s the shocking secret our heroine stumbles into. I’m not sure how I would handle such a thing if it happened to me, really.

What sparked the idea for this book?

It was a small prompt for Gail Carson Levine’s Writing Magic, on page 4, the 5th writing prompt down. Hint: you’ll find that within the first 30 pages of my book!

When did you first decide you wanted to write books?

When I was 11. I wrote my first epic story called Thunder. It was about a wild black stallion who fell in love with a mare after he was captured. I wrote many short stories then, but I wrote my first full-length novel at age 17: over 700 pages long! No need to say, it is in a desperate state of editing attention!

What drew you to your genre?

Darkspell is a paranormal romance. It is paranormal because of the writing prompt, but romance is a common thread in all my books. I love writing fantasy most of the time, but I have only one contemporary, Rock Star, which I feel is just as sweeping as any novel I’ve written.

Are there any authors who have inspired you?

I would have to say Tristi Pinkston in the way that she works hard to make her dreams come true. She is the ultimate writerly mama! She has six published books, is a professional editor, a book tour coordinator, a Cubmaster, a loving and adoring wife, a stay at home mother of four who home schools, and a compassionate down-to-earth friend! I want to be like her when I grow up.

What are some of your favorite books?

Some of the books I’ve enjoyed are Giants of the Frost by Kim Wilkins, The Perfect Fit by Michele Bell, and Emily Windsnap Series by Liz Kessler.

How did you find your publisher?

It all started with a friend who asked me a few times if I would like for her to hook me up, but I felt unsure because I didn’t feel ready. But after pondering and praying over this, I decided to go ahead and submit Darkspell.

Do you have other writing projects in the works? Tell us about them.

For now, I’ve been working hard on my networking. I’m celebrating Darkspell’s release with a pre-book launch throughout the month of July. Visit my website for updates!

I’m planning to speak over at Weber State University over at the English Department’s Creative Writing course sometime this fall. I will talk about how I became published and the blood and tears that go into getting there.

Please join me in my pre-book launch party for Darkspell’s fall release all July long!

Thanks for the interview, Elizabeth! And best of luck on everything.

Reserve your autographed copy of Darkspell at a special rate of $12.95 for July only (you have till tomorrow) at
http://www.authorelizabethmueller.com/

or

http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/