Enthrall by MR Reed
Blog Tour
February 1-12th, 2016
After years of being a helpless witness to his alcoholic father’s abuse towards his family, seventeen-year-old Miles Boswell has just about reached his breaking point. He dreams of the day where he can leave everything behind and begin a new life on his own -- that is, until he discovers that he has the ability to control people’s minds. Suddenly, the odds are overwhelmingly in his favor.
But what begins as the answer to all of his problems soon causes him to question his every thought when he captures the attention of August Sylvan, who seems to be the girl of his dreams. As someone who has limited experience with girls, Miles can’t help but wonder -- where do his powers end, and where does reality begin?
At the same time, he finds himself at constant odds with his morals and his potentially warped sense of justice...and soon discovers that nothing is as simple as it seems.
This book contains strong language, violent scenes, and some sexual content.
Our formative years are the ones that stick with us the most--you know, those tirelessly frustrating yet unforgettably magical moments that shape us into the people that we will become. The music that I liked as a teenager, the books that I read, the relationships that I created (and destroyed)...those are the things that I think truly formed the adult that I am today. I still love those things. I still think about those things. I still harbor a lot of anger in relation to the events that I experienced as a teenager, and it does nothing but fuel my creative spirit.
And that's what I like to write about: Teenagers, and all of their idiosyncrasies, and concerns, and that whole unintentionally egocentric view that they have about their worlds. I find it fascinating. I'm thankful every day that I'm no longer a teenager, but I have to admit that it's a interesting time to look back on.
1.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a
writer?
Probably ever since I
was a little kid. Reading has always been such an escape for me, and writing
seemed to come naturally. I’ve been writing silly little stories for as long as
I can remember.
2.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Much
longer than someone who writes as a career, I’m sure. Enthrall took me about
four years to write, mainly because I would only have time to write during the
summer and maybe a little bit during the winter holidays. I teach high school
English, so that and being a mom to two young children occupies most of my
time.
3.
What is your work schedule like when you're
writing?
I’m
not a writer in the traditional sense, but when I actually have time to write
I’ll usually sit down for about four hours a day, maybe more. It depends on how
inspired I am, or if I’m just fixing up a section that was already written but
needs revising/editing/etc.
4.
What would you say is your interesting writing
quirk?
I’m
not sure if I have one! Or at least, it isn’t something that’s occurred to me
yet :)
5.
How do books get published?
Good
question. Let me know when you find out! :) But seriously, I’m self-published,
mainly because I just don’t have the time or the resources to spend months
trying to get my book picked up. From what I understand, you need to find a
literary agent first of all, because pretty much no publisher will even give
you the time of day without an agent. However, even finding an agent is
incredibly difficult. We seem to be living in a time where everybody think
they’re an author, so the market has become flooded with thousands of
submissions. I used Writer’s Market for awhile and I think it’s a great
resource for finding agents, even though I was never able to acquire one.
6.
Where do you get your information or ideas for
your books?
Mainly
life. Much of Miles and August’s backstories are taken from my own life,
although a lot of it is fictional too. Other than that, I’m inspired by comic
books (predominantly the X-Men) and movies.
7.
When did you write your first book and how old
were you?
Enthrall
is my first book. I began seriously writing it when I was 28, though the
characters had been alive in my head for about 8 years before that. The idea
for a story that would actually take up an entire novel started coming together
for me after I had my first son and was home on maternity leave, so I just went
for it!
8.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I
like to play with my kids, read, listen to music, go to concerts, and play
roller derby! But writing is my hobby and is extremely enjoyable for me, so
it’s not like it’s an obligation that I like to get away from.
9.
What does your family think of your writing?
They
are extremely supportive and think it’s really cool that I wrote a book.
10. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your
books?
How
much work goes into formatting. The writing part itself wasn’t so bad -- the
editing and coming up with the elements of the story took time, but I expected
that. What I didn’t expect was how much effort goes into making your book look
like, well, a book, especially when you self publish on something like Amazon
and CreateSpace. Thankfully, my amazingly patient and gifted husband helped me
with a lot of that process.
11. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Just
Enthrall so far, though I’m currently working on the sequel.
12. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so,
what are they?
Edit
and revise over and over again, even when you think it’s perfect. Take a step
back for a week and then look at it again. You can pretty much always come up
with a better way to say things than you previously did, or cut out words or
phrases that aren’t really necessary. Also, make sure to get as many
proofreaders looking at it as you can. Even if you don’t always agree with
their suggestions, it’s nice to see how someone else interprets your words or
perceives the motives of your characters.
13. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Once
in awhile. My favorite thing to hear is when someone says that they stayed up
until 3 in the morning reading my book because they couldn’t put it down. That
makes me feel like I did something right :)
14. Do you like to create books for adults?
I
do. I like having the liberty to write the words that I want to write, and tell
the story that I want to tell without worrying about it being inappropriate or
risque. If the right idea for a child’s book came to me I might pursue it, but
it hasn’t happened so far.
15. What do you think makes a good story?
Something
that tells a story worth telling. Something that helps someone get through a
difficult experience in his/her life. Something that makes you laugh, or cry,
or have some sort of emotional reaction to it.
A story that makes you pause at the end and think, wow....I just
experienced that and it was amazing!
16. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I
wanted to be a teacher or a secretary. I don’t really know why I wanted to be a
secretary...I think I just liked the idea of organizing things. Which is ironic
now, because I’m horrible at staying organized!
17.
What would you like my readers to know?
In terms of Enthrall, I
would like your readers to know that there is more to come! I plan on writing
at least one sequel, if not another to make a trilogy. In terms of life...stand
up for yourself! Believe in yourself! And don’t be afraid to be (a little) selfish.
Don’t ever let someone else make you think less of yourself. You’re beautiful
and wonderful the way you are. Really!
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