Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!
Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!
We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!
Introducing Michelle Bryan, YABC’s Author of the Week!!
Michelle Bryan lives in Nova Scotia Canada. Besides her family, her other passions in life consist of chocolate and writing, and she is lucky enough to work with both. When she is not busy being a full time chocolate store manager and writer, Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband and son. Awaken is her debut novel. Please visit her on Goodreads or Facebook or follow her on Twitter @michellebry101. She would love to hear from her readers so feel free to leave comments or ask questions.
Meet Awaken (Book One of the New Bloods Trilogy)!!
Tara is a teenager in a broken world, searching for answers…and a future.
The Shift has destroyed the world. All that remains is the harsh and unforgiving sand lands. Food is scarce; water even more so. And Tara has just discovered that she has been lied to her entire life. The world as she know it does not exist. She is not the ordinary girl she thought herself to be. Instead, she is one of a unique breed known as New Bloods, revered by some and hunted by others.
Tara is no stranger to hardship. But when her village is destroyed and the young people taken by the merciless Prezedant, she quickly learns how much of a fighter she really is.
Now she embarks on a quest to find what remains of her family, with a ragtag fellowship of allies at her side
Finn, an orphaned boy who has a devil-cat as a pet
Tater, the dwarf storytelling trader who seems to know more than he is willing to admit
Jax, a surly young man who seems to hate everything about Tara.
The journey will be long and dangerous. It will change her destiny…and perhaps change the world.
Join Tara in her journey…and discover the secret of The New Bloods!
Amazon * B & N * Indiebound
Meet Ascension (Book Two of the New Bloods Trilogy)!!
Tara is coming into her power…but she has to keep fighting tooth and nail. She must train herself to use her strange new powers and enter a mad tyrant’s domain to save the people she loves. The quest that began in New Bloods 1: Awaken continues!
Amazon * B & N * Indiebound
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I’ve always wanted to write, as far back as I can remember. Ever since reading Stephen King’s The Stand, I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with post-apocalyptic worlds so I thought I’d invent one of my own. And thus, Awaken: New Bloods book 1 was born 🙂
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Tater, the traveling trader, by far. He is a riddle wrapped up in an enigma (I’ve always wanted to use that line, lol) There is so much more to Tater than meets the eye. And he has such an interesting history and backstory. Plus he has most of the best lines in Awaken. He’s been bugging me for his own book. I may have to write it just to appease him.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
My novels always come first. That’s the easy part. Titles, I suck at. It takes me forever to decide. Titles and blurbs, an author’s nightmare-for me anyways.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
The scene where Tara, Tater and Finn enter the city of bones. The scene was so clear in my head, but sometimes I have trouble conveying it the way I want. This scene pretty much wrote itself and it came out perfectly, first draft. That doesn’t happen often.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
The most important thing I’ve learned? That you will not please all the readers all of the time. No matter how much you rewrite, edit, tweak and change, there will always be someone who will criticize your work. And that’s okay. As long as you’ve entertained and pleased some people along the way, then you’ve done your job.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
My MC, Tara looks exactly like I picture her in my head, white stripes in her hair and all. Kelly Martin did a fantastic job of bringing her alive.
YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2016?
Oh, that’s easy. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Even though I already have my copy, I haven’t had the time to read it yet. But there will be a date soon with my pj’s, hot chocolate and that book!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Next in line is to finish book 2 of my new series Strain of Resistance and to publish book 3 of the New Bloods trilogy. Then my fellow author, Michelle Lynn, and I will be starting a new fantasy series. We haven’t decided on a name yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
The book I’m writing at the moment is Strain of Resistance 2 and the MC, Bixby, can be a little difficult to deal with. She is quite rough around the edges and has the mouth of a sailor. She likes to go off on tangents and I sometimes have to put her back in line 🙂
YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?
Revising, without a doubt. I love tweaking a story and making it better.
Awaken Bloods Series
By: Michelle Bryan
Publisher: Winlock Press
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
Two winners will receive signed copies of Awaken & Ascension, bookmarks, and an Awaken Bloods necklace.
(US & Canada only)
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
The covers are so awesome!!!
The cover and the description: Magnifique!
Story sounds good! I like the covers!
This story sounds really creatively written and the cover seems to fit perfectly with it
The cover is awesome and the synopsis is intriguing
The cover definitely fits the synopsis which I think sounds like an exciting book to read.
I really enjoy the cover, and the book sounds like a great read.
I really like the cover, it shows how Tara is fighting and what she will do to find her family, just like how the synopsis says. The synopsis makes me want to read more and find out if she finds her family and if the group of people with her gets along. Also reading the fact that she has powers makes me curious on what kind of powers she has and how she will use them.
I like cover. I think it looks really cool. The book sounds like an amazing read.
The cover is stunning and right up my alley! And the synopsis is amazing! Sounds like an amazing book!