Lala’s Book Corner Presents: Author Interview & Giveaway w/ Gabi Stevens!

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Hey everyone! Here we go with another awesome interview and giveaway!

This week I am happy to welcome the author of “The Wish List”, Gabi Stevens.

I loved the book and I am really excited she is here today =)

Ypu can check out my review of The Wish List HERE!

Giveaway deets, at the end of the interview!

Enjoy!

When did you first start writing?

When my twins turned one, they suddenly became easier to deal with and I realized that I had to do something just for me to keep my brain from turning to Jell-o. I’ve always told myself stories and read tons, so I decided to write down one of the stories swirling around in my head. A teacher in high school once told me I couldn’t write, that I didn’t have the spark it takes to write fiction, and I believed her until well into my adulthood, despite my imagination.

Have you always enjoyed Romance?

As soon as I started read it, I was hooked. I read Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart as a twelve year, but I didn’t read hardcore romance until I was sixteen read. When I studied abroad in Germany, I always saved enough money to buy the German translation of the Harlequin/Mills and Boon books available (I kept many of those magazine style books and still have them)--they helped me learn German. Back home, whenever I felt depressed or bad at school, I would crawl into a romance novel and feel better. Romance has always provided me with the type of entertainment I wanted.

What about the Paranormal?

I’ve been a fan of the paranormal genre since I was a kid. I read the Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, Half-Magic and the rest of the books by Edward Eager, all the Oz books, Tolkien (yes, as a child), Escape to Witch Mountain and so many more. That never changed. I love books with magic, science fiction, psychics, etc.

Why writing Paranormal Romance?

If you combine my two favorite types of books--paranormal and romance, it’s a no brainer. Mixing magic with love is the ideal story for me. The story limits are endless. Paranormal is the category I finaled in the Golden Heart with many years ago.

Were there any Books, Movies or Writers that have inspired you?

Too many to mention, but here’s a partial list: Teresa Medeiros, Jodi Thomas, Jill Barnett, Nora Roberts, Stephanie Rowe, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Julia Quinn, Jasper Fforde, Steven King, Agatha Christie, and so, so many more. Books include To Kill a Mockingbird, Dandelion Wine, The Eyre Affair, Pride and Prejudice, And Then There Were None, Harry Potter, Outliers…oh gosh, this is just turning into a long boring list. Movies include LadyHawke, Notting Hill, The Shawshank Redemption, any Pixar movie, Indiana Jones, Star Wars.

What is your favorite subject in the Paranormal Romance Realm?

Magic. People with magical powers.

The sex scenes in "The wish List" are great! Did you find it hard to write them?

Funny, but for the first time ever, these scenes were easy to write. I think they fit with the book so well and were such a critical part to the story that they just flowed out of me. I’m so thrilled you enjoyed them.

Favorites:

Favorite Paranormal themed Movie?

LadyHawke

Favorite Paranormal themed TV Show?

Charmed (but I’m a huge fan of Star Trek too)

Favorite Paranormal themed Book?

Bewitched by Jill Barnett

Favorite Author?

Don’t have just one. Really. I’m not trying to avoid the question, but I couldn’t answer this one. Sometimes it depends on my mood.

Favorite Paranormal Romance Author?

Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle

Favorite one of your Books?

SPELLBOUND, the second book in the Time of Transition trilogy, which won’t be coming out until April 2012. Of course, that might just be because I’ve just finished it, and it’s fresh in my mind. Usually my favorite of my own books is “the one I’m working on now.”

Who is your favorite of your own characters?

I really liked Tennyson, the hero of THE WISH LIST. He is brave, strong, handsome, yadda, yadda, but he’s also an egghead. I really go for the nerd types. Good thing, since my husband has a PhD in Robotics.

Which was the hardest to write?

The three aunts in THE WISH LIST because I had to give them each a distinct personality and they liked to talk over one another. I could hear each one clearly in my head and I hope their differences became apparent on the page as well. Lily is the sober, serious one, the one who is in charge. Rose is the flibbertigibbet, until she’s crossed, and Hyacinth is the cynical softie.

What would you be if not a writer?

Independently wealthy. So I could travel. Everywhere. Oh, what? That isn’t a choice? Ok, ok, then I’d want to be a linguist. I love grammar (I know; I’m a freak), the way languages work, the way they develop, etc.

Quickies!

Coffee or Tea? Coffee, especially if it’s coffee ice cream.
Up or Down? Up
Virtual or Real? Real
Right or Left? Left
Vampires or Werewolves? Werewolves
Witches or Fairies? Witches
Angels or Demons? Demons
Friends or Seinfeld? Friends
Rolling Stones or The Beatles? Beatles
Reading or Writing? No fair. I can’t choose.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Getting the ideas and typing “the end”.

What is your least favorite part?

Actually sitting down and writing. That’s hard (HARD!) work.

The Time of Transition Series in your own words?

In the Arcani world a Time of Transition occurs every seventy years. It is the time when old Council members step down and new ones are chosen; but the biggest change is the appointment of the new Fairy Godmothers. Unlike their role in storybooks, Fairy Godmothers protect the barrier between the Arcani and Groundling world. Three new godmothers discover their destinies in this series.

Only this time the transition won’t be smooth.

Any plans for more Books in the series?

Book 2, SPELLBOUND comes out in April 2011, and TOIL & TROUBLE comes out in March 2012. And I’ve already had an idea for a fourth book in the same world that I hope I get a chance to write.

What is coming up next for you?

Well, I’m working on TOIL & TROUBLE right now, and then we’ll see. Oh, and I’ll have an essay coming out in the fall in a book on the TV show Glee.

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

Read and write, then do it some more. Join a writer’s group to meet like-minded individuals. And never, never give up.

Anything you would like to say to your fans out there?

Believe in the magic, because it’s out there. Oh, maybe not so much of the hocus-pocus kind, but magic is everywhere if you look for it. I hope you find some.