Author Interview & Signed Book Giveaway w/ Kelly Meding! {Happy Release Day!}

 

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Hey Everyone! Welcome to another Tuesday here on My Bookish Life and I am so excited to have here today the author of one of my favorite new Urban Series, Kelly Meding!

The second Book in her Dreg City series is coming out TODAY and you’ll have chance to win a signed copy at the end of the post =)

Check out my reviews of Three Days to Dead (Dreg City #1) and As Lie The Dead (Dreg City #2).

Now let’s get to the interview… Enjoy!

 

Larissa {L}: When did you first start writing?

Kelly Meding {KM}: This question has several different answers. If I want to go all the way back to the very first story I penned, it was in a fourth grade academic class. We were supposed to write and illustrate our own story books, which we would learn how to bind and cover. It was a ridiculously sappy rip-off of "The Land Before Time," but I still have it tucked away on my bookshelf. The first time I tried to write a long story, I was twelve. It was also a very bad, derivative story that was an odd mix of "Sweet Valley High" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" (the original). I don't have that anymore. The first time I sat down to write a project with the intention of selling it (yes, I was optimistic in my youth) was my first novel. I was seventeen when I started fiddling with it, and it was written slowly over the next couple of years. I definitely fell into the category of "first novels are often autobiographical" because that one was very much inspired by places I've been and people I've known.

{L}: Have you always enjoyed Fantasy?

{KM}: Definitely. From the time I was a small child, I loved everything about fantasy and science fiction (and even horror). The more fantastical, the more I loved it. But really, so much of children's lit is fantasy. Every single book with talking animals is fantasy (Charlotte's Web) and I just loved Roald Dahl (hello, fantasy!).

{L}: Why writing Urban Fantasy?

{KM}: Because it encompasses everything I like most about Speculative Fiction – unique worlds, magic, fantastic creatures, adventure, mystery, and hot men (what?). I admit to being an unrepentant "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" fan, and this was my first real experience with what's thought of as modern urban fantasy. There is so much you can do with fantasy in the real world, from the more traditional vampires and werewolves, to angels and demons, to wizards and witches and djinn and tricksters and harpies…it goes on. The sand box is wide open.

{L}: Were there any Books, Movies or Writers that have inspired
you?

{KM}: Oh boy, yes. Joss Whedon is my patron saint. His dialogue is brilliant, and no one else excels at making you laugh and cry in the exact same moment. Two books that changed my life are "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, and "The Girl With the Silver Eyes" by Willo Davis Roberts. WD was the first long book I read in middle school, and it really opened my eyes to adult fantasy. I fell in love with this book—everything about it from the characters (rabbits, a sea gull, even the farm cat), the setting, their language, and the entire mythology Adams created about rabbits (their own folk tales!). The details were amazing, and I really believed these rabbits lived in the downs of the English countryside. It was magic, and I've read it at least a dozen times since.

"Silver Eyes" was the first book I read that dealt with telekinesis. I hadn't seen the film or read the book "Carrie" by Stephen King yet, so this was it. And I was
fascinated by the idea of moving things with your mind. The second novel I wrote dealt with varieties of telekinetic and telepathic abilities, and it was very
much inspired by my memories of this book. I found a copy in a thrift store a few years ago, and it's one of my most treasured books.

{L}: What is your favorite subject in the Urban Fantasy Realm?

{KM}: Probably shapeshifters. I love writing about people/things who can shift into other things/objects/animals. There's just something very liberating about the
idea—reinventing yourself, in a way.

Favorites:

{L}: Favorite Paranormal themed Movie?

{KM}: Stephen King's The Stand (the miniseries)

{L}: Favorite Paranormal themed TV Show?

{KM}: I have to pick one? Ack! Currently, True Blood.

{L}: Favorite Paranormal themed Book?

{KM}: Now I know you're torturing me. Um, of the books I read last year, Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.

{L}: Favorite Author?

{KM}: Stephen King

{L}: Favorite Paranormal Romance Author?

{KM}: Gena Showalter

{L}: Favorite one of your Books?

{KM}: So far, only two are available for purchase. But of the two, I really think AS LIE THE DEAD is my favorite. I got to take Evy to different places, and she interacts with some very…unique characters.

{L}: Who is your favorite of your own characters?

{KM}: At the moment, a were-osprey named Phineas, who you meet very early in AS LIE THE DEAD. Smedge the bridge troll seems to be a big fan favorite in THREE DAYS TO DEAD, but I really hope fans embrace Phin. He is direct, smart, manipulative when it suits him, and extremely loyal to people he cares about, and even as I wrote the book I was never quite sure who's side he was on. And he's a great foil for Evy.

{L}: Which was the hardest to write? Why?

{KM}: In some ways, Wyatt is the hardest character to write. He plays things pretty close to the chest, and even while writing him I'm sure what he'd do/say in some situations. It's also tricky to write a character who's being seen through two different sets of eyes: pre-death Evy in the flashbacks and post-resurrection Evy.

{L}: What would you be if not a writer?

{KM}: I have no idea. Maybe own an antique shop. Maybe I'd have become more serious about jewelry making (which is just an occasional hobby now). At this point, I can't imagine being anything else.

Quickies:

{L}: Coffee or Tea?

{KM}: Coffee.

{L}: Virtual or Real?

{KM}: Real.

{L}: Angels or Demons?

{KM}: Demons

{L}: Humans or Dregs?

{KM}: Dregs (did I just say that out loud?)

{L}: Friends or Seinfeld?

{KM}: Friends

{L}: Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

{KM}: Rolling Stones

{L}: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

{KM}: When an idea is brand new, just a kernel of inspiration, with so many possibilities open for exploration.

{L}: What is your least favorite part?

{KM}: Copyedits. By the time I get to this part, I've already edited it multiple times and finished all of the fun stuff. Copyedits are all about tightening and making sure things make sense and say what they're supposed to say. It's one of the few parts of the process that really feels like work. But it's worth it, to get things right.

{L}: The Dreg City Series in your own words?

{KM}: "In this city, half the population comes out after dark—and so do the Hunters who keep them in line."

{L}: Any plans for more Books in the series?

{KM}: Yep! Dell just picked up two more books, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD and WRONG SIDE OF DEAD. Both books continue Evy's story as she makes new alliances, breaks old ties, and learns things she never imagined were true.

{L}: What is coming up next for you?

{KM}: Along with the two Evy books, I have a modern superhero series coming from Pocket Books next year. I have a few other irons in the fire, but nothing to report on those fronts yet.

{L}: What are you working on right now?

{KM}: Dreg City #4 is my current WIP. The structure is a little different from the other books, so it's been a lot of fun to figure out. So many things happen in this book and I can't talk about any of them!

{L}: Do you have any advice or tip to those like me that want to
become a published Author someday?

{KM}: Write, write, write. No one is going to write the book for you, and if it's a priority to write, then you can find the time to do so. Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. And don't give up. Rejection happens. Not all authors sell their first book (it took me seven).

{L}: Anything you would like to say to your fans out there?

{KM}: Besides a big, hearty thank you? Knowing folks are out there, reading and enjoying my books, makes all of the time and effort worthwhile, so THANK YOU. Thank you for giving a new author a chance, and thank you for sticking around for Book Two!

{L}: Thank you so much for being here!

{KM}: Absolutely! Thank you for having me!

Thanks so much Kelly for taking the time to answer my questions and for the great giveaway!

 

 

You can win a SIGNED copy of “As Lie The Dead”!

To Enter:

- Leave a comment about anything on this post.
- Leave an EMAIL for contact! (if you don’t feel comfortable leaving it here, email me at larissa@larissaslife.com)

Extra Entries:

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International!

Ends August 3rd!

Good Luck!

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!
xoxo,