Writer's Blog

Today we are lucky enough to spend a little time chatting with Lindsay Avalon, successful, paranormal romance author. Lindsay’s new novel, Breaking the Nexus, is scheduled for release 12/12/12. Thank you, Lindsay for stopping by.

1) What is the title of your new book and what is it about?

My book is a paranormal romance called Breaking the Nexus. It’s the first in a trilogy set in the Mythrian realm, and I plan to try to release the next book sometime in the spring of 2013. Here’s the blurb for it:

Throughout history, myths and legends of extraordinary creatures have been told and retold. Fantastic tales of demons and banshees, gryphons and dragons, and of course, magic. Stories that every child grows to learn, are nothing more than fantasy … or are they?

Beyond the world you see lies a hidden realm, the Mythrian Realm, inhabited by all of the creatures you’ve been told are mere fiction. Only one thing lies between humans and the truth: The Nexus. A magical barrier erected millennia ago to separate the two realms; it has stood the test of time. Until now.

For Mythrian Sha Phoenix, magic is nothing new. But when she stumbles upon a portal on the verge of collapse, her fate will forever change. Pulled through the portal into the Human Realm, she lands in the middle of Detective Connor Flynn’s brutal murder scene. Soon it is obvious someone is using blood magic to try to bring down the Nexus. Together, Connor and Sha must work to unravel the secrets before the barrier falls and the realms collide.

The Nexus is breaking and all hell is about to unleash … literally.

2) What inspired you to write it? How long did it take you to finish it?

I’ve always had a fascination with mythology and magic, and paranormal romance is one of my favorite genres. After failing miserably to complete NaNoWriMo in 2010, my sister convinced me to try it again in 2011. My husband told me to write what I know, so I decided to give paranormal romance a shot and Breaking the Nexus was born.

As for how long it took to finish, that’s a hard one to answer. I won NaNoWriMo in 2011, then shelved it for a few months before coming back to it in the summer months. I joined Facebook to start networking with other authors and brought my word count up to 68k. I showed it to a few people who were brutally honest (exactly what I needed!) and they pointed out some areas that I needed to work on. The general consensus was everyone loved the premise but it was clunky and I’d done some odd things to help pad my word count in NaNoWriMo.

I made the tough decision to rewrite it and after hitting my stride with my first novella, Song of the Abyss, I started rewriting Breaking the Nexus at the end of October. Due to issues with my hands/joints, it took about 6 weeks to rewrite. The final product was a million times better than the original and morphed its way into a trilogy instead of a single, standalone book.

3) Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a wife, a programmer, and now an author. I have an adorable mini Schnauzer and more books than I have room for. I love reading romance because no matter what may be happening in my life, I can always count on my books to end happily ever after. The day I met my husband was the day I truly began believing in happily ever after. After hearing me complain a few too many times that I had “nothing” to read despite the hundreds of paperbacks scattered around the house, my husband began suggesting I write my own stories. When I finally took his advice I discovered that although I enjoy my day job as a software engineer, my true calling is to be an author.

When I’m not writing, I’ve found a passion for blogging and interviewing fellow authors. I also love reading (of course!), baking, crochet, sewing sock monkeys, playing video games, and all sorts of random crafts. I have an incurable love of rubber duckies and stuffed animals, and I believe nobody should have to grow up if they don’t want.

4) Do you have any writing rituals?

Not really. To get into the zone, I crank up epic music and just go for it. I can write anywhere and have become adept at what I like to call “covert writing,” otherwise known as, writing whenever I can fit in the time.

5) What type of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I love most kinds of romance, in particular paranormal and romantic suspense as well as some erotica. I can’t pinpoint a single author as my favorite, but among them are Nalini Singh, Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole. Marjorie M. Liu, J.D. Robb, and far too many indie authors than I can list here.

6) Are you working on your next book? Is there a sequel to this one?

I hope to take a break for at least a week to give my hands a chance to recover. I’ve been having issues and have definitely overworked them. After my mini-hiatus, I plan to start work on the next book of the trilogy, Waking the Phoenix. This is tentatively scheduled for spring of 2013

7) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Be prepared to take criticism and work your butt off. Writing is the easy part compared to the countless hours you’ll need to spend marketing yourself, networking, meeting new people, and polishing your work. If you can’t take criticism, you’ll never grow as a writer. It’s not personal; these people genuinely want to help you succeed. Connect with authors in your genre for even more guidance, but don’t be afraid to make friends with authors of other genres too. You’d be amazed at how much you can learn from others.

9) How can we get more information on you and your books?

My current release, a novella in the anthology, Once Upon A Twisted Time, is available for purchase on: Amazon.com