Monday, July 14, 2014

Interview with Sunniva Dee


Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Hi there! Thank you so much for having me! Yes, Shattering Halos is a standalone book about a girl who suddenly sees and falls in love with her guardian angel. The reason why this happens to them is revealed late in the book. This New Adult fantasy is a sensory overload sort of story similar to Twilight, only at a more mature level. Readers have compared it to a mix between Beautiful Disaster and the TV series Supernatural—if the Winchester brothers were angels and love made them lose their heads.

Do you have a favorite character?
I’ve been asked this before, and the thing is—I write my characters because I love them with all of their imperfections, and in the case of my angels, with all their perfections. ;) I started out with a crush on perfect, beautiful Gabriel. Then, I had the best time writing Cassiel. Deep down, though, I think I love Gaia the most. She’s so stubborn, so immature, and passionate. Just the way a 20-year-old girl can be, and I adore her for it.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
Yes, Cassiel: his role became bigger in Shattering Halos because of his overly sexy and snarky personality. When I wrapped the book up, I realized I couldn’t let him go. Which is why I started on the spin-off novel Stargazer.

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?
As of September/October, I will be a hybrid author! At the moment, I’m only traditionally published. Further down, I’ll say a little bit more about Stargazer, which will also be published traditionally, and Pandora Wild Child, my first indie book.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
Shattering Halos is contracted by a publisher. They usually have full control over the cover design, but since I obsess over my final products, they let me work closely with my designer. I am so happy with the final cover!

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
My critique partners are absolutely invaluable. All of them are brutally honest and have amazing critical skills. I’m SO thankful for them all! I use 5-7, depending on the story and the situation. Since I’m not originally English-speaking, they catch little things I don’t see myself.  I also use several beta readers to make sure the plotline doesn’t have holes.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
Shattering Halos started with my muse only. Then, at a certain point, I had to rewind and start thinking. In the end, it became a mixture of the two methods: to complete a successful manuscript, I need to use both sides of my brain.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where Shattering Halos is for sale?
Yes, you can get it at most big sites, like Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Indigo, and iTunes.  For this blog tour, it has actually been put on sale by my publisher, too, so hurry up, folks—it’s 99 cents!

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
We have a menagerie of animals at the house.  A chattering parrot who calls  out “Hey, baby? Aw, c’mon!” when he doesn’t get enough attention; four cats, who take turns laying on my keyboard so I get nothing done; two crazy Pomeranians—they are also obsessed with keeping me off my laptop. Our petting zoo doesn’t believe in finishing books and meeting deadlines. J

What’s next for you?
I have two releases coming up within the next 4-5 months.
Stargazer is the New Adult fantasy spin-off novel to Shattering Halos. This book verged of being too much for my publisher. In it, Cassiel has a much bigger role, and he gets to unfurl is bad-boy sex appeal to a degree he wasn’t allowed in Shattering Halos. In Stargazer, I make no excuses. Language, storyline—everything about this book makes it into a novel some readers will adore and others will absolutely hate. It’s angsty, passionate—and more New Adult than paranormal. I’m very excited about it, and I stand by every word.

Pandora Wild Child, is a New Adult Contemporary novel. It will be my first self-published baby! It’s currently in the editing phases, and I’m over the moon excited about this book too. To have full creative control is amazing. The cover and blurb is ready, and I love how they came out. The cover reveal will be at the end of July and the book release in September/October.

The novel is about a young woman who's finally FREE when she goes off to college. So yes, she's wild. She's being stupid, passionate, and gets herself into trouble. Boy trouble too. Pandora does everything she was never allowed to do at home and turns into the ultimate bad-girl. Soon, the question becomes:

- What... who can turn this bad girl good?

Again, thanks for having me!

AUTHOR BIO
I write New Adult fiction with a paranormal twist and don’t shy away from romance and heart-wrenching passion when necessary.

I moved from Norway to the United States in 2001, and the first awesome five years I spent in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. Then I read “The Book,” aka Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which spurred my husband and me to move cross-country to beautiful Savannah, Georgia.

I’m currently on my seventh year in the Deep South, where I enjoy the heat and the humidity. Besides writing, I spend my time with our “petting zoo” as in an opinionated parrot, a herd of cats that are experts on keyboard shortcuts, and puppies that…uh, bark.

I hold a Master’s degree in languages, with concentrations within literature and linguistics. I taught at college level for a decade before settling in as a graduate adviser at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Writing is my passion, my joy, and my addiction. When I’m not writing, I read.
Shattering Halos is my debut novel, and its standalone sequel, Stargazer, is due out later this year.

Author links:

Giveaway:
--Kindle Wifi (US) or 50$ Amazon Gift Card (INT)
--4x eBook copy of Shattering Halos

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 



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