Can you
give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Soul Oath is the sequel of
Destiny Gift. It follows the story of Nadine, Victor, Micah, and Ceris, and
some other characters … and I can’t say much more without revealing big things
from the end of Destiny Gift ;)
Do you
have a favorite character?
My favorite character isn’t one from a book. It’s Zuko from
the cartoon The Last AirBender. He’s just amazing. Everything about him and his
journey! I love it how he begins as a villain and ends up one of the Avatar’s
best friends!
Have you
ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the
direction of the novel at all?
Hm, maybe Micah from Destiny Gift and Soul Oath? He was
always a major character, but he wasn’t what he became. He was supposed to be
someone to be a thorn on Victor’s path, someone with whom Victor bickered with,
but Micah ended up being so much more. Sorry, if I say more, I’ll end up
spoiling some plot points ;)
Did you
try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
I did with Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy #1). I got
lots of requests and great feedback, but back then (2010-11), New Adult was
still frowned upon and agents told me I should change my characters’ ages. They
wanted me to make it YA or adult, no middle ground. I confess I tried changing
it to YA, but it didn’t work. An editor told me my voice was too mature for YA
and too young for adult (duh?).
If you
used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the
creative process for your cover?
The only thing I did was to choose the photo used on the
cover – the rest was all up to my cover artist, Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations.
She did her magic and I loved it!
My process is different for each book because they are all
in different stages. I mean, Destiny Gift
surged from a simple question, Breaking
the Reins came from a music video and some research into the polo world.
And Soul Oath had a loose outline,
taking from where Destiny Gift left off. One thing is for sure though: there’s always music. It’s my fuel!
Do you
outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
It depends on the story. Some come to me with very specific
scenes. Even so, the muse takes me from one scene to the other. I’m a mix of
pantser and plotter, but trying to more and more like a plotter, since it works
better when writing series.
Did you
hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
With Destiny Gift,
I actually hired 3 editors to critique my manuscript – and that was after 3 CPs
had a look over it and before I decided to self-publish. With Soul Oath, I was a much more confident
writer and I know most of my strengths and weaknesses, plus I have an awesome
editor and I trust her 100%.
What have
you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
That everything in publishing, writing and reading really IS
subjective. One person will LOVE your book. The other will HATE it. It’s just
the way it is …
Do you
find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and
writing your next book?
Honestly, besides book blitz and blog tour, I don’t do any
marketing. I don’t like it, I don’t feel comfortable with it, and I honestly
believe the next book is the best marketing an author can get.
What
advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?
If this is your first book, don’t self-publish it. At least
not before undergoing several critiques and editing.
Also, research and ask around. Writers are friendly (mostly)
and always ready to answer your questions ;)
Besides
writing, do you have any other passions?
Dancing. I was a ballerina for many, many years. I hurt my
foot and can’t dance anymore – not professionally at least. So I dance at home
when I can ;)
What’s
next for you?
I’m finishing Playing
Pretend now (by the time this interview is posted, the ms will be with my
editor), then I’ll write the sequel of Soul
Oath, The Everlasting Circle.
Thank you for having me! :)
Purchase:
AUTHOR BIO
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman,
Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but
equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of
miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut
and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes
who drive them crazy.
Author links:
Prizes:
-2 ecopies of Destiny Gift
-Paperback of both books in the series
-25$ Nook or Kindle gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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