Interview with author Helen Whapshott

First post of 2018! I’m interviewing fellow author Helen Whapshott, who is also published by Little Bird Publishing House. The third book in her Young Adult series The Glow is out now!

So hi. What’s your name and what do you write? 
Hi, my name is Helen Whapshott and I write paranormal and supernatural meets the modern world.

When did you start writing and why?
I’ve been writing since I was able too, short stories on scrap paper.

What were the biggest challenges about becoming a published author?
Approaching publishers and getting rejected.

Shout out your publisher and tell us how they helped you on your creative journey.
Little Bird Publishers were willing to give my first book The Glow a chance and were supportive from the very start giving advice and suggesting how to get out there.

Where can we find out more about them? 
They are on facebook, twitter and their website is www.littlebirdpublishinghouse.com.

What are you working on right now? 
A book for adults.

Who is your favourite character you’ve written and why do they speak to you so much? 
Daisy from The Glow, The Shine and The Blaze, she’s an outsider and doesn’t let her differences get her down.

Do world events and politics influence your writing? 
No, I like to keep my subjects mundane.

How important are places you have visited and where you live to your writing?
Burley in The New Forest influenced Threshold.

Share with us your favourite line from your most recent release. 
“I’m not frightened of you,” Megan sniffled.
“I know.” Daisy waited until the flames were completely gone before pulling her best friend into a hug. “No matter what happens, you’ll never lose me. I promise.”

Tell us five things that you love in life.
1. My family
2. My job as a nursery nurse.
3. Reading
4. Writing
5. Chocolate.

Tell us five things that you hate in life. 
1. Not being able to help people.
2. Racism and prejudice.
3. Rudeness
4. Cruelty.
5. War

What book started your love of reading?
Hans Christian Anderson collection of fairy tales.

Tell us about your most recent release.
The Blaze the final part of my trilogy. As best friends Megan and Daisy come to terms with Scott's disappearance, they discover the adult world is full of terrible truths and realities. But they also learn that friendship and true love has the power to shine light in even the darkest hours.

Where can we buy it?
Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1981892710/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1513797384&sr=8-2&keywords=The+Blaze+by+Helen+Whapshott
https://www.amazon.com/Glow-Book-One-Helen-Whapshott-ebook/dp/B00IX2EI9Q

Where can we find you on social media?
I’m on Twitter @Witchypie and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Helen-Whapshott-736578773053444/

Thank you so much, Helen for dropping by the blog, best of luck with your latest release and hopefully many more to come!

Update on the blog: as usual, all is madness behind the scenes. I want to blog more frequently in 2018, but that will be subject to life. Hold tight and stay tuned.

Unity Book Tour, Author Interview Exchange

As part of the UNITY BOOK TOUR, bringing three publishers and their authors together from around the world, we have this fun author interview exchange! I get to interview an author from another publisher and that author interviews me! So, I'd like to introduce you to Jacob Devlin! A fellow myth and fairytale fan, it seems! He's with Blaze Publishing, which is based in the U.S.

He's going to tell us a bit about himself and if you want a chance to win a copy of his book, just leave a comment here.

And be sure to head over to Jacob’s blog where I'm being interviewed! authorjakedevlin.com/blog

Author Jacob Devlin

So hi. What’s your name and what do you write?

Hi! My name is Jacob Devlin. I write YA/upper MG fantasy books, usually with some sort of fairy tale or mythical twist involved.

When did you start writing and why?

I've enjoyed writing ever since I was little, but I got serious about it in grad school and wrote as a creative outlet for some of the emotions I was feeling when I lost a friend to brain cancer. What I found was that I was so "in my element" writing novels that I didn't want to stop, ever. The body and soul just required it.

What were the biggest challenges about becoming a published author?

To quote Captain America . . . patience! Querying, and the wait time that followed, was so ridonculously demoralizing. I was prepared for rejection. The real torture was waiting for the rejection letters that didn't even come. Sometimes I'd be holding out hope for a particular agent, a few months would go by, and I'd be like, "just tell me it's hot juicy garbage so I can move on already!" But the reality is that they don't have time to write rejections for everybody. So you have to learn to identify that moment where it's time to boot up and move on.

Shout out your publisher and tell us how they helped you on your creative journey.

Blaze Publishing has been great working with me through my first trilogy. They've forced my characters to grow, and strangely, I've felt myself growing with them.

Where can we find out more about them? 

I'd check out their website (blazepub.com)!

What are you working on right now?

I'm between drafts of THE HUMMINGBIRD, the final book of my fairy tale fantasy trilogy. While I wait for revisions, I'm working on a totally separate project involving a dragon, a reality TV adventurist, and a train wreck!

Who is your most favourite character you’ve written and why do they speak to you so much?

While it's always incredibly hard to answer this question, I'm always going to have a huge soft spot for Pietro, the Peter Pan of my story. The trilogy takes some dark turns, but Pietro brings the charm and comic relief. He's also fiercely loyal to his loved ones and is exactly the kind of friend you'd want beside you for a road trip or war against an evil queen!

Do world events and politics influence your writing?

Up to this point, I've opted to leave a lot of today's politics out, because don't we need an escape sometimes? That's not to say I'll never draw from the political environment or current events, but I choose to leave that separate right now.

How important are places you have visited and where you live to your writing?

I have the travel bug, and my characters do too! I loved writing about an actual Renaissance Faire I went to in Maryland, where I discovered fried mac-and-cheese on a stick, and Renaissance jail! I love working different places into my writing.

Share with us your favourite line from your most recent release.

There's a simple piece of dialogue directed at Prince Liam: "The white knight has a shadow after all." His series arc is pretty turbulent and this is where his demons start kicking in.

Tell us five things that you love in life.

1. Breakfast for dinner! Especially Apple Jacks.

2. Comfortable shoes.

3. Movie theaters.

4. Traveling! Sightseeing, eating local food, exploring.

5. Music.

Tell us five things that you hate in life.

1. Those fake-out voicemail greetings. (Hello? What? Yeah? PSYCH LEAVE A MESSAGE LOL HA) STOP. IT!

2. Scorpions. Hell's rejects.

3. Losing at Scattergories.

4. Cancer.

5. Jerkish, entitled behavior.

What book started your love of reading?

I can't remember NOT having a love of reading. I was really into the Bailey School Kids in my elementary school days! A Wrinkle In Time and Harry Potter followed closely after that.

Tell us about your most recent release.

It's part of a series in which your favorite fairy tale characters and their families come together to fight off an evil queen and face their demons along the way! In the most recent installment, the main characters have to fight their way out of Wonderland. Along the way they're meeting the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Hearts, all with their own new twists!

Where can we buy it?

You can order it through your local Barnes and Noble, Blaze Publishing's website, or Amazon!

Where can we find you on social media?

Twitter/IG: @jacob_devlin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjakedevlin/