I am
pleased to welcome Julie Campbell, a person I highly admire and and whose footsteps I aspire to
follow one day She has graciously agreed to join us today to promote
her new book, the sequel to Senior Year Bites, Summer Break Blues.
Julie: Aww, thanks Sally! It’s a pleasure to be here.
Sally: 1. In Senior Year Bites a young teen is turned into a vampire during her senior year of high school. You have just released the sequel to this wonderful book on the 14th of November titled Summer Break Blues. Can you give those of us who have been anticipating this release a little sneak peek as to where the story is heading?
Julie: Maine… Oh, wait, you wanted more than that? Hehe.
Well, Meg and Alexander still have to deal with the Sidhe who may, or may not
want them dead. Then Ann’s parents go missing on their annual trip to Maine and
the police have no idea what happened to them. So Meg, Steph and Ann and
Alexander go to try and rescue them. There might even be another vampire in
this one.
Sally: 2. In Senior Year Bites when Meg is turned into a vampire she
acquires new superpowers, some of which she finds useful, and others harder to
cope with. If you could have a superpower what would you chose, and how would
you cope with the differences it would cause in your life?
Julie: Strong Telekinesis. I didn’t even have to think about
that, because oddly I’ve pondered this question many times. So much you can do
with the ability to move things with your mind. You could fly, start fires,
toss people, retrieve things from the kitchen while never leaving your chair…
oh, and you could totally pull off the Tommyknocker’s trick where the author
writes a book with her mind. Yeah, being able to type while doing other things
would be phenomenal. Coping with the differences. Well, I’d probably have to
keep the powers quiet, but I bet I’d get a lot more housework done if I could
write and do dishes at the same time.
Sally: 3. Of all your characters, who do you most relate to?
Julie: As much as I’m not trying to be my main characters,
probably Meg. In this story anyway. I have one character that I’d kill to be
(except if I were going to be her, I’d have to change her name) and one
character that really feels like she’s my alter ego, but that’s a long story.
Sally: 4. Is there one of your characters you did not like when you started
writing about them, but found yourself liking by the end of the story?
Julie: Well, at the beginning in Senior Year Bites I hated
Alexander. He was fun to write, but he was such a dick. Actually, he still is,
just not as often. I’ve had fun with the complexities of his character, and
I’ve found I actually really like him. A lot of other people do too. Originally
he was supposed to be my bad guy in Senior Year Bites. Turns out he wasn’t
though. I already knew how I felt about my characters by the time I got to Summer
Break Blues though. A little teaser for all of you who love Gage, he’s on of
the main characters in the next novel.
Sally: 5. Your characters seem to jump off the page as if they are real. Did
you learn this skill from somewhere, or does it come naturally to you?
Julie: *grin* Thank you. I learned it through countless hours
of reading and writing. I didn’t consciously ever work on the skill, but it’s
part of writing great stories. I didn’t take a class or anything, just lots of
practice.
Sally: 6. You write urban fantasy for young adults/ adults. Is there something
that draws you to that genre specifically? For example: I write children's
stories because my children are my primary audience.
Julie: I’m laughing right now because I never intended to
write young adult. It just kind of happened. I wrote a few stories and a friend
said, wow that’s a great young adult. I had no idea you wrote young adult. I
responded with, yeah, I had no idea I wrote young adult either. That kind of
boggled my mind a little. I actually rewrote one of my novels to be young adult
because it worked better. I love the age group, so I guess it works. As to the
genre, I love fantasy. I write other forms of fantasy too, but Urban Fantasy is
so much fun because it brings the fantastical into our world and that tickles
my mind. I mean really, legends and myths have to come from somewhere, right?
Sally: 7. You are a winner of NaNoWriMo and continue to be an active
participant. Can you tell us a little bit about what NaNo is and what motivates
you to join Year after year?
Julie: NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month is where crazy people from all
over the world try to each write a novel of 50,000 words in a month.
That means you have to write 1667 words a day for the entire month of
November, or 2000 words a day to finish early. No easy task when life
constantly tries to get in the way. The fundamental goal of NaNo is to
get those people who say, 'oh, I think I'd like to write a novel
someday,' the excuse they need to write. It's also a great way to meet
other writers in your local area and connect with like-minded people
while trying to pound out the word count. Keyboards are left smoking at
the end of the month.
Nano is a ton of fun, and it will always have a place in my heart because NaNo taught me to actually finish a story. I’d never managed to actually finish a novel until 2005 when I did NaNo. I’ve lost count of the novels I’ve written since then. The local group is also really supportive and I’ve met many of my good friends through NaNo. It’s also a good excuse to ignore housework for a month.
Nano is a ton of fun, and it will always have a place in my heart because NaNo taught me to actually finish a story. I’d never managed to actually finish a novel until 2005 when I did NaNo. I’ve lost count of the novels I’ve written since then. The local group is also really supportive and I’ve met many of my good friends through NaNo. It’s also a good excuse to ignore housework for a month.
Sally: 8. What is your least favorite part about writing? Your favorite?
Julie: Least favourite: Editing and Marketing. Most
favourite: writing. I just love to write, explore new worlds, create new
things. Positive feedback is always nice too.
Sally: 9. When you are not writing or editing what do you do for relaxation?
Julie: Uh, relaxation? What’s that? Hehe. I ride horses and
play with my dog. Trailriding in the mountains or camping is my idea of heaven.
I read a lot. I like movies too.
Sally: 10. Can you tell us a little bit about your other projects /
anthologies?
Julie: Oh gosh. I have an adult Steampunk Novella called
Serpent Queen coming out from Inkwolf Press very soon. I have an old west ghost
story being published in the Anthology Gunslingers and Ghost Stories due out
December 1st – Doc fans will like that I think. I’m working on a few
other short stories for submissions in December, and then back into the next
Clanless novel. Then I have a few more novellas to write. Doc fans will also be
happy about that. Hehe. And then a novel in a brand new series. It’s got
dragons and unicorns in it, but don’t let that fool you, it won’t be a
lighthearted tale.
Sally: 11. Where can your books/stories be purchased.
Buy Links:
Sally: Thank You for joining us today! I wish you well on this new book and the
many more to come.
Julie: Thank you so much for having me.
Bio:
Julie writes
fantasy novels. When she’s not out riding her horse, she can usually be found
sitting in front of her computer with a cat on her lap and her dog at her
side.
Blurb For Summer Brake Blues:
Meg managed to survive her senior year of high school as a
vampire, and now she’s looking forward to a relaxing summer with her friends
before trying to tackle college. Unfortunately, some unfinished business from
the previous year rears its ugly head and Meg is forced to deal with the Sidhe
who are distinctly unhappy that she killed one of their kind last winter. Then
Ann’s parents vanish while they are on their annual summer vacation in Maine
and it’s up to Meg and the rest of the gang to come to the rescue. Though she
is still trying to figure out who, and what she has become, Meg and her friends
feel they are up to the challenge. That is until things really start to fall
apart.
Included below are my reviews of the Julie
Campbell books I have read. I would recommend them to anyone who likes to read,
and even if you don't, these are so good they might spark something inside you.
Senior Year Bites by J.A. CampbellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you find yourself suddenly turned into a teen vampire then this book is a must have instruction manual. High School is hard enough to handle without the drama of being turned into a vampire. This is a wonderful book about how one such teen does just that. She turns a horrible situation into a positive one by becoming a hero instead of a monster. I found that Senior Year Bites is something you can really sink your teeth into at any age and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read.
Westward, Yo! by J.A. CampbellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Every child hates to move and Tina is no exception. She is leaving her best friend and a wonderful mall for desert and a old farm house. Tina's only consolation is that she can work for a local ranch where she can ride in exchange for a little hard work. When the ranch owner asked if she would like to go on a cattle drive with them she jumped at the chance. On their journey one of the calves goes astray however and her well trained horse takes her on a wild goose chase to retrieve it. You will never believe the wild adventure she has. I have to say that with out a doubt this short story is well worth the read for any age group that likes fantasy, horses, and a little bit of mystery.
Range Feud by J.A. CampbellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In this latest installment of Into the West Tina's adventure continues to unfold. This time while checking the fence she is once again drawn to the mysterious canyon that takes her into the past. This book is a wonderful adventure that is like a long kiss good bye it leaves you hungry for more. It is written for young adults but I would recommend this book to anyone who likes, adventures, mysteries,and a little romance with a hunky cowboy.
Thanks to Julie for a great interview, Raven Quill for another wonderful edit, and to everyone who stopped by to read this.
For more info on Nano visit http://www.nanowrimo.org/
