A Conversation with Alexia Purdy, Katie Salidas, Megan Duncan, and Chrystalla Thoma, Four Authors in the SHADES OF CHAOS boxed set–with a Giveaway!

FOUR of the box set’s five authors are here today, talking about their books!

 

Welcome, everyone! Thanks so much for being with us today!

What 5 things should readers know about you?

Alexia Purdy:

1. I love to read
2. I love to sing in the car/shower/whenever I’m alone.
3. I don’t like to eat shrimp.
4. I’m a bad procrastinator
5. I have four kids who drive me batty most days.

 

Katie Salidas:

1. I’m a scatterbrain. If it’s not in front of me, I forget it. I have reminders everywhere.
2. I’m a huge fan of all things vampire. That’s also why I love to write them.
3. I’m a mom of three kids. Time to do anything is limited. I can cram more into an hour than most people do all day.
4. I’m extremely shy. If you met me in person at a social event, you’d probably never recognize me. I blend into the walls.
5. Halloween is my favorite holiday. And I dress as a Vampire every year.

 

Megan Duncan:

1. I can’t write a book without copious amounts of Pepsi.
2. I’ve written 14 books, but I’ve only published 7.
3. I love apocalyptic movies.
4. My favorite show is The Walking Dead.
5. I hope to someday write a sci-fi novel.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

1. Coffee is my fuel of choice
2. I am not a morning person. I am not violent in the mornings, just still asleep.
3. I love fantasy and science fiction because it allows me to escape from reality. I love reading it and writing it.
4. I like torturing my characters, break them – then put them back together again
5. I can’t live without happy endings

 

Tell us all about your main characters—who are they? What makes them tick? Most importantly, what one thing would they need to have with them if stranded on a desert isle? 😉

Alexia Purdy:

April Tate is my main character. April is a seventeen-year-old girl who’s turned herself into a killing machine against the crazed, blood hungry vampires that infest Las Vegas, where she lives. She’d definitely need her machete if she was stranded, she can kill, hunt and use it for anything to survive.

 

Katie Salidas:

Mira had been beaten down, tortured, and should be a monster after all she’s endured, but she’s got more humanity left in her little pinky than the entire human race. Don’t let that make you think she’s soft. She’ll still kill you if she has to.

As for what she’d take on a desert isle.  A vampire needs only one thing… blood.

 

Megan Duncan:

My main character, Abby, is a tough girl. She’s strong, loyal, and will risk her life to protect those she loves; especially her brother Carter and her boyfriend Max. The trio fight for their lives in a demon apocalypse that’s truly terrifying. If she were stranded on a desert isle she’d probably want Max there with her. Being in the midst of an apocalypse, they don’t get much alone time.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

These are big questions! My protagonist is Elei. He’s a sixteen-year-old boy on the run. He wants to stop running, to feel safe – but that’s not in the foreseeable future! If stranded on a desert island… How ‘desert’ is that going to be? He’d need some way to get water, I guess, a problem also present in the series. It’s a problem with islands in general, especially if they are small and have no springs. So he’d need some device to desalinate water from the sea – or the materials to build one (boil water, gather the vapor etc.)

 

Where did the inspiration for your story come from?

Alexia Purdy:

I had a very vivid dream of seeing vampires staring out of broken windows and from behind ruined walls from buildings, looking hungrily down at April and her family. The rest came from there. It was so real in my mind, I had to write about it.

 

Katie Salidas:

Honestly, it was the genre that called out to me and the story followed. I have been very interested in the Dystopian genre lately and with vampires being my creature of choice, it seemed a very intriguing blend. Mira was born and her story ran wild through my mind.

 

Megan Duncan:

The inspiration for this book came from my love of all things supernatural and paranormal. I love apocalyptic stories.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

Several things came together to make me write Rex Rising. One of them was the idea of sensing who to trust from the people around you, an instinct we have but rarely trust. Should we trust our gut feeling or the facts as they appear? Another was my fascination with parasites, which basically started after reading a wonderful book called Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer on all the crazy things parasites can do, how they can change our behavior, our abilities and our very nature. They are almost magical!

 

How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?

Alexia Purdy:

I’ve been writing since I was a young child, but seriously for publishing for almost four years. I’ve always loved to read and wanted to create my own stories and put down on paper the worlds that lurked in my head to share for others.

 

Katie Salidas:

Most writers say it… “I’ve been writing as long as I can remember,” and it is true. I have always loved to make up stories.

 

Megan Duncan:

I have been writing for almost 10 years, but the inspiration to start came about in elementary school when my teacher gave us a project to write our own short story.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

Like any self-respecting author, I started writing at an early age, after reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. I immediately started writing fantastic stories, much to the chagrin of my parents who hoped I’d become a serious person one day.

 

What do you like best about being a writer? What is the most challenging part?

Alexia Purdy:

It’s an awesome job. I get my own hours, I can stop/start when I want to, I can be with my family whenever I need to, I don’t have to call anyone else when I’m sick, it’s me, I’m the boss. Love it.

 

Katie Salidas:

The best part is the creative part. Watching a story unfold as it is being written. There is freedom there, and in some cases, it is a cathartic process. The most challenging, that would be the stress of the whole process of publishing. It’s a rough process. Lots involved.

 

Megan Duncan:

The best thing about being a writer is hearing back from readers who enjoyed the story and knowing you brightened their day if even a little. The most challenging part would have to be worrying what the readers will think of the book or characters and the journey you created within the pages.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

I love getting lost in my own worlds with my characters. What is challenging is being disciplined. Sitting down to finish a story even when other stories are calling me, working on it until it’s good, and giving up on other things (like watching TV or meeting friends) in order to write. Writing does take up a lot of time!

 

What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?

Alexia Purdy:

Right now I’m working on my series: A Dark Faerie Tale spin-off, Legends of Fire. It’s book 2 of the spin off series. I’m also working on a contemporary romantic suspense novella series that comes in four parts. Love being prolific.

 

Katie Salidas:

Now that the trilogy is complete, I am working on the Origins. Mira’s story is so much more than just the revolution she causes. So. Much. More!

 

Megan Duncan:

Right now I am working on the 3rd installment (Vengeance) in my urban dystopian series, Agents of Evil. In the next year I plan to finish the 4th book in my paranormal romance series, as well as at least 2-3 other paranormal romance books and 1 fantasy novel.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

I am working on something different – an urban fantasy series with elves and dragons. I am working on season 3 right now and hope to finish it by the beginning of next year.

Yay! So much to look forward to…

 

What authors and/or books have inspired you?

Alexia Purdy:

Cassandra Clare, Alice Hoffman, Anne Rice, Holly Black, J.K. Rowling and Charlaine Harris because their imaginations and writing styles all blow my mind. They suck you in and never let go, even after you finish their books. I want to write like that.

 

Katie Salidas:

My first true inspiration to write more than just small stories came from reading Anne Rice. She and her Vampire Chronicles will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

Megan Duncan:

I was most inspired by Anne McCaffrey, Terry Goodkind, and Garth Nix. I love a great fantasy read.

 

What are you currently reading? What are your thoughts about it so far?

Alexia Purdy:

I’m currently reading Gone Girl. Why? The movie is out, why else? I’m a big fan of finding out what the heck is everyone raving about but not every book to movie captures my fancy.

 

Katie Salidas:

Sadly, I have not had the pleasure to sit and read in what feels like ages. Hoping to get to it soon, though. My TBR list is a mile long.

 

Megan Duncan:

Right now I am reading White Trash Zombie Apocalypse. It’s the 3rd book in the series and I absolutely LOVE it.

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

I’m reading the final book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I love it. She has a wonderful writing style, amazing worlds and great characters.

 

If you had to “sell” your story in a single Tweet, what would you say?

Alexia Purdy:

Never tease anything that wants to eat you… #Vampires #Paranormal #Must Read #ReignOfBloodSeries

 

Katie Salidas:

What lies beyond the apocalypse? Read and find out.

 

Megan Duncan:

“There are worse things lurking in the dark than you could have ever imagined!” #scary #chaos #apocalypse #dystopian

 

Chrystalla Thoma:

YA/sci-fi novel Rex Rising – in a world where parasites create new races, Elei is hunted for a secret he doesn’t possess http://tinyurl.com/3cslxdw

Fantastic! Thanks so much, everyone!
Keep reading to find out more about the authors and their box set…and don’t forget the giveaway!