Two Ends of the Pen: Interview with Christina Bauer, THRAX

Monday, October 2, 2017

Interview with Christina Bauer, THRAX

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

THRAX is book 4 in the Angelbound Origins series. It follows the adventures of Myla Lewis, a part demon warrior, who falls in love with Lincoln, a part-angel Prince.

Do you have a favorite character?
No way. That’s like picking a favorite child!! I love each of them in a unique way, and I’m not just saying that. I even adore the bad guys. I especially adore the bad guys, in fact. They are more fun to write.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
In THRAX, I had a character show up about one-third of the way through the book (his name begins with an ‘i’) and I literally did not plan him at all!! It didn’t change the story arc, but it made the journey a helluva lot more fun to have this guy along.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
Oh, yes. For years. It wasn’t a fit for me, mostly because they all told me to pound salt. Then I published on my own and have since moved more than a half-million ebooks. So nyah.

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?
Full disclosure: I have founded my own publishing house, Monster House Books. We currently have two authors under contract and are unique in that we/I develop their business plans and focus heavily on marketing. It’s a very collaborative environment and a fun place to work!

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?
I founded my own company because I’m very picky about marketing and planning, both for myself and my authors. I suppose that makes me too much of a control freak to hand that stuff off to other people.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
I’m very hands-on in choosing good design and editing talent. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
It’s taken me a while to find a group of editors that I trust. We authors are very fragile beings, and it can be hard to find folks who give quality feedback in a constructive way for our particular genre. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found the collaborative team that surround me today.

Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?
Answers: Dogs (although to be fair, I’m allergic to cats). Chocolate (the idea of coconut makes me ill, for the record). Talking over texting. And day is better than night, although as long as I’m napping, I’m open to either. Mmmm, napping.

What’s next for you?

For Angelbound, I have a novella coming out in the spring, DUTY BOUND, which is a prequel told from Prince Lincoln’s point of view. In the fall there will be THE DARK LANDS, where Lincoln and Myla go to the ghoul homeland on a rescue mission. After that, I plan to return to the Angelbound Offspring series with stories about Myla and Lincoln’s kids. There will be dragons!

I also have other series in development. This October, I’m releasing WOLVES & ROSES, which is a fairy tale shifter book that’s part of the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Series. November will see the launch of CROWNED, which is the forth and final installment of my epic fantasy series Beholder. In the Spring, I launch Dimension Drift, an urban fantasy series that’s like 1984 and Divergent, only the heroine kicks ass, topples governments, and absolutely has a HEA.

Thrax
Christina Bauer
(Angelbound Origins #4)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: June 27th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Myla Lewis has married Prince Lincoln, and now they’re expecting! All the after-realms rejoice. Myla should be happy too, but she has a serious problem. The day after their honeymoon ended, Myla’s real husband disappeared.

The man who’s sharing her bed is an imposter.

Myla tries explaining about “Evil Lincoln,” but no one will listen. The reason? People think that Myla’s supernatural pregnancy is making her cray cray. Mostly because that’s what Evil Lincoln is telling everyone, and that man’s a great liar. What a creep.

There’s no way Myla will take this lying down, though. She’s going to rescue her man, and she has a pretty good idea where he’s being held. With her best friend, Cissy, along to help, Myla sneaks off to Earth. All she has to do is blend in with the humans, avoid Evil Lincoln, and find her real man before the baby arrives. How hard can it be?

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Author Bio:
Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers.

Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.