Today Crystal Collier is here to discuss her latest release
and her Maiden of Time Series.
While Crystal is answering my questions here
I'm visiting her blog for
Welcome, Crystal!
*DISCLAIMER: Due to a
sugar-prohibiting diet, Crystal may be slightly more obsessed with cookies than
cheese. Beware flying crumbs.*
1. Can you tell your readers something
about why you chose this particular topic to write about? What appealed to you
about it? Why do you think it is different,
and your approach is unique?
Jane
Eyre meets Supernatural.
Do you like history? I love history. (If you feel
differently, don’t let that turn you off.) I feel we have the most to learn
from people who’ve come before us. We’re the same mortal creatures having the
same mortal experiences, even if society’s rules change periodically. The
Maiden of Time series (Moonless, Soulless, Timeless) is basically a modern
story told in historical eras. It’s a genre mash up that many reviewers call
completely unique. Take some history, mix in some fantasy, throw in a bit of
horror, some romance, a touch of time travel, and voila! These are not your
grandmother’s cookies. And I mean, who doesn’t want elegant dresses, secret
societies, and the hint of something sinister below society’s pompous façade? It’s
loaded.
2. How long do you think about a topic
before deciding to write about it? Do you have a set of notes or a notebook
where you write down topics that appeal
before making a decision as to which topic
this time?
Time is a funny thing, don’t you
think? (Especially time manipulation. *peeks at the time machine locked in the
basement*) Some story ideas have been brewing for 20+ years (say hello to the
Maiden of Time series!). Others see the light of day on a whim. (Or deadline.)
Currently, there are 35 books waiting to be written/rewritten/finished, and a
potential MG series that would add another 50 novels to the stack. I fully
expect to kick the bucket before getting to all of them. But who knows? Fate
might surprise us all. (*glances again at the time machine*) So how to pick
which one to work on? It’s all about the love. If, as a writer, you love a
story, the love shines through. You’ll do whatever it takes to get that shiny
beauty into people’s hands. If you don’t love a story, you have no business
writing it. Or rather, torturing yourself through it. (Trust me, I’ve done
both.) Go eat cookies instead.
3. How long does it take to research a
topic before you write? And for this book? Did you learn something unusual during
your research that you can share here?
I like to research while I write.
I’ll research/fact check between writing sentences and read articles/books on a
subject in the evenings or mornings around writing. For the Moonless, I spent a
solid 5 years becoming familiar with the late 1700’s. The hardest part about a
time period isn’t necessarily the foods they eat or clothes they wear. It’s the
attitudes. What subjects were taboo? What were the social norms and why? Which
words hadn’t been invented? (*gasp*) One particular difficulty I stumbled
across was (and this is ironic,) time. Before clocks, how did people measure
the passage of hours, days, years? The truth: they used the position of the sun
and seasons. (“Astronomy,” say what?!) Everything didn’t depend on ticking
seconds. Life was slightly less regulated and little more laid back. (Yeah, I
know we’re ALL wishing we could go back to that.) *hands out cookies*
4. What resources do you use? In
general and for this book?
LIBRARY! Can I tell you how much I
LOVE my library? (It’s half the reason I moved into this county.) For little
known facts, I’m always turning to JSTOR or unique blog posts. A few of my
stories are placed in specific cities, and I try to keep contacts in those
locations so I can track down local consultants when the time comes. For
writing improvement, I have a whole shelf of writing books that I periodically
revisit to keep on track. Or I’ll attend online conferences.
5. What's the next step for you?
Television, movies, a new genre? Tell us what the future holds - what can your
fans expect?
Timeless (3rd book in
the series) is slated to release this fall. Yay! It’s the stunning conclusion
to the Maiden of Time series, and then I’m free! ...Of that series. I’ve got a
contemporary thriller in the works and an urban fantasy vying for attention.
(*gets out the boxing gloves* *and mop*) Don’t mind the noise over here. Hey,
is that a box of cookies? *munches while ignoring the flying ink*
Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.
Alexia’s nightmares become reality:
a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these
creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one
foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must
either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk
becoming one of the Soulless.
Author bio: Crystal Collier is an eclectic author who pens
clean fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and romance stories with the occasional
touch of humor, horror, or inspiration. She practices her brother-induced ninja
skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible
creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and calls Florida home with her
creative husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in
her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of
cheese. You can find her on her blog, Facebook, Goodreads, or follow her on Twitter.
Readers which do you prefer cheese or cookies?
