7 questions - Belle Whittington



(Stiu,am zis acum trei zile ca il postez darr..am intrat in starea aia de knocked out din cauza caldurii,adica am lenea aia specifica si nici macar sa scriu nu mi se pare asa fun.In fine,am zis sa-mi exersez engleza XD )


Belle Whittington is the author of "Cicada",a book that hasn't been published to Romania yet(still,I really hope it will be here soon :D).


Summertime for Blair Reynolds and her friends had always been carefree and fun...until the summer they happened upon something that was not human. As they band together in a fight for their lives, Blair's true love becomes something more than human. Something unnatural. And their survival depends entirely upon their ability to keep a secret. 




As for the interview...

1. First of all, what made you feel like you should be a writer?  How did everything start?

It all began with daydreaming… I have been daydreaming stories for as long as I can remember.  My first recollection of wanting to be a writer was when I was in the second grade, and my teacher, Mrs. Rambin, would have us lay our heads on our desks after lunch while she read us stories full of magic and imagination.


Most of my early writings were stories with a twist of science fiction…even my earliest poems.  I remember sitting on the dam of a neighbor’s pond around the time I was eleven, writing a story about space travel.  In fact, I still have that little handwritten story.  It’s still bound in the same yellow notebook that I put it in way back in the sixth grade!


Growing up in Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, afforded me summers full of adventure with my friends.  I call on those adventures and memories a great deal for my YA stories.  Cicada has a lot of the energy of those childhood adventures spun throughout.  One of them is something that actually happened to me when I was thirteen years old.  


I was on one of my adventures in the woods with my dog, Dusty.  We made our way through the woods to a neighboring pasture and crawled through the barbed wire fence.  When we got to the top of one of the rolling hills in the grassy field, I realized I was standing in the middle of a giant circle imprinted in the pasture grass.  No one had ever told me about crop circles at that time in my life, so I just thought it was an odd occurrence that there was a strange circle in the tall grass.   Now that circle is forever memorialized in a YA novel, Cicada!


1. In primul rand,ce te-a facut sa crezi ca ar trebui sa fii scriitor?Cum a inceput totul?


Totul a inceput cand visam cu ochii deschisi . Visez la povesti de cand ma stiu.Prima data cand am vrut sa fiu scriitor a fost cand eram in clasa a doua,si profesoara mea,Dna Rambin,ne lasa sa ne punem capul pe banca dupa pranza,in timp ce ea ne citea povesti pline de magie si imaginatie.
Primele lucruri pe care le-am scris erau,in general,povesti care contineau o intorsatura de science fiction..chiar si primele mele poezii.Imi amintesc cum stateam pe barajul unui iaz din vecini cand aveam unsprezece ani,scriind o poveste despre calatoria in spatiu.Defapt,inca mai am povestea aceea scurta scrisa de mana.Inca este in caietul galben unde am pus-o acum foarte mult timp,in clasa sasea.
Faptul ca am crescut in Nacogdoches,cel mai vechi oras din Texas,mi-a permis sa am parte de veri pline de aventura cu prietenii mei.Acele aventuri si amintiri sunt perfecte pentru povestile mele.Cicada  are foarte mult din energia acelor aventuri din copilarie.Una dintre ele este ceva ce chiar mi s-a intamplat cand aveam treisprezece ani.
Eram intr-una din aventurile mele in padure,eu si cainele meu,Dusty.Ne-am facut drum spre padure printr-o pasune a unui vecin,mergand prin gardul din sarma ghimpata.Cand am ajuns pe varful unuia dintre dealuri mi-am dat seama ca stateam in mijlocului unui cerc urias imprimat in iarba.Nimeni nu imi spusese despre acele cercuri la momentul respectiv,asa ca am crezut ca faptul ca era un cerc straniu in iarba inalta era doar o intamplare ciudata.Acum cercul acela este amintit pentru totdeauna in Cicada.



2. Tell us more about "Cicada".  What inspired you to write it?

Cicada was released last July, and boy has it been a wild ride! Cicada has developed sort of a cult following, and I love my readers! Cicada is the first of a trilogy. Firefly, book two, will be released early Fall of this year (‘Lord willing and the creek don’t rise’, as the old folks here in Texas say!). I included the first few chapters of Firefly at the end of Cicada, so readers will have a little something to whet their appetites! 

There’s not any one thing that inspired me to write Cicada. I find inspiration in everything around me, and there are a lot of cumulative memories of inspiration from over the years that all culminated in this YA Paranormal Sci-Fi trilogy! However, I will say that I did include a lot of actual places from the town in which Cicada is set. 

For instance, I pass a ranch on my way home every day (and sometimes night!), and out in the middle of one of the grassy fields is a small forest of trees with a dense wall of tightly grown underbrush. For years, I’ve imagined that something very mysterious was going on inside that forest, and sometimes at night I’d get creeped out while driving by it! Now readers can get a feel for that forest by reading about the “haunted forest” in Cicada!

Like most authors, I love listening to great music while writing.  There are so many talented musicians that inspire me while daydreaming and writing my stories.  I thought I'd share my inspiration play lists with your lovely readers. :-)

Another thing I think readers might like to know is that I have a favorite song that fits the mood for each one of the books in the trilogy! Want to hear the unofficial theme song to each book? Here goes!

· Cicada: The Resistance 
· Firefly: Cosmic Love 
· Third (yet unnamed book): Electric Feel 

There’s even a song for Everett !

And as an extra bonus, here’s a song for a very important character readers will meet in Firefly. His name is Ash, and, boy oh boy, do I think readers will love to hate to love him!

I hope everyone will enjoy listening to the play lists while reading the books! And I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on how the play lists fit with my books. 


2. Spune-ne mai multe despre "Cicada".Ce te-a inspirat sa o scrii?


Cicada a aparut pe piata anul trecut,in Iulie,si..a fost o calatorie foarte interesanta!Cicada a reusit sa dezvolte un fel de cult,si eu imi iubesc cititorii!Cicada este prima din trilogie.Firefly,cartea a doua,va fi publicata la inceputul acestei toamne.Am inclus primele capitole din Firefly la sfarsitul cartii Cicada,in  asa fel incat cititorii vor avea ceva sa le stapaneasca apetitul.
Nu exista un singur lucru care m-a inspirat sa scriu Cicada.Gasesc inspiratie peste tot in jurul meu,si sunt foarte multe amintiri care s-au strans de-a lungul anilor ce si-au gasit locul in aceasta trilogie.Oricum,pot spune ca am inclus foarte multe locuri reale din orasul in care se desfasoara actiunea din Cicada.
De exemplu,trec pe langa o ferma in drumul meu spre casa in fiecare zi(si uneori noapte!)si,in mijlocul unuia dintre campurile pline de iarba se afla o padure mica,asemanatoare cu un zid din copaci abia crescuti.Ani la rand,mi-am imaginat ca ceva foarte misterios se petrecea in aceea padure,si uneori,noaptea,eram oarecum speriata trecand pe langa ea!Acum cititorii isi pot imagina mai multe despre aceea padure bantuia,citind in Cicada.
Ca majoritatea cititorilor,imi place sa ascult muzica in timp ce scriu.Sunt atatia muzicieni talentati care ma inspira in timp ce visez cu ochii deschisi si scriu povestile mele.M-am gandit sa imi impartasesc listele cu muzica inspirationala cu voi :)

Un alt lucru pe care cred ca cititorii ar vrea sa il stie este faptul ca am un cantec preferat care se potriveste cu atmosfera din fiecare din cele trei carti ale trilogiei.Vreti sa auziti coloana sonora neoficiala a cartilor?Iat-o!

· Cicada: The Resistance 
· Firefly: Cosmic Love 
· A treia carte(fara titlu): Electric Feel 
Exista chiar si un cantec pentru Everett!
Si ca un bonus,iata un cantec pentru unul dintre cele mai importante personaje pe care le vom intalni in Firefly.N umele sau este Ash si chiar cred ca cititorii vor iubi sa urasca faptul ca-l iubesc.
Sper ca toata lumea va adora sa asculte aceste playlist-uri in timp ce citesc cele trei carti!:) Mi-ar placea sa aud parerea tuturor despre cum se potrivesc cartile cu aceste melodii.


3. Of all the characters you created, do you have a favorite?  If so, who is she/he?


This is actually a really good question to which I have an odd answer.  I related to all of my characters equally, actually.  I feel that each one of them has a small part of me in them, and I have a connection with each one of them.  For instance, when they hurt, I draw upon some memory of a time when I was under emotional stress or heartbroken.  When they are in love, I remember a time when I was thoroughly smitten with someone.  So, I’m sorry I cannot be more specific with my answer.


3.  Dintre toate personajele pe care le-ai creat,ai un preferat?Daca da,cine este ea/el?


Este,defapt,o intrebare foarte buna la care am un raspuns destul de ciudat.Ma regasesc in toate personajele in mod egal,defapt.Simt ca fiecare dintre ele au o mica parte din mine,si am o conexiune cu toti.De exemplu,cand erau raniti, ma legam de amintirea unor timpuri in care eram afectata de stres emotional sau cu inima franta.Cand sunt indragostiti,imi aduc aminte de momente in care eram atasata de cineva.Asa ca imi pare rau ca nu pot fi mai exacta cu raspunsul meu.



4. Will "Cicada" have a sequel?

Yes.  Cicada is the first in a trilogy.  Firefly is due out this fall, and I’m working on getting it ready to be published.  I’ve also begun the third book, which hasn’t named itself yet.  And I’ve written the very end of the trilogy, so I know how it all comes together.  And it’s a fabulous ending!

4. Va avea "Cicada" o continuare?
Da.Cicada este prima carte dintr-o trilogie.Firefly va aparea toamna aceasta,si muncesc pentru a fi gata pentru publicare.Deasemenea,am inceput cea de-a treia carte,care inca nu are nume.Si am scris finalul trilogiei,in asa fel incat sa stiu cum se termina totul.Are un final fabulos!



5. No one can really say they only have one favorite book, so ... if you could write a "Top 5" for your favorite books, how would it sound like?

I’m not even sure I can answer this question, because I don’t have any one favorite.  The list is always changing! Of course I love Jane Austen! Who doesn’t? Getting past that, there are so many others! For instance, Suzanne Collins rocked my world with her Hunger Games trilogy! After I finished Mocking Jay, the characters stayed with me night and day until I picked the trilogy up and reread it!

Then there’s Beth Revis and her awesome Across the Universe series! I was completely engrossed with the first two books, and I cannot wait for the next one! Not only are her characters compelling, but the world she created aboard Godspeed is unique and fresh.

Likewise, Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Glow was enthralling. The twist in her story literally caused me to gasp out loud when I read it! I’m looking forward to reading the sequel to her novel!
It goes without saying that I love J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series! I still wish I could have gone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!

As you can see, I could go on and on… so many terrific authors, so little time! And, just about with every book I read, I add another favorite author to my list! 

5. Nimeni nu poat sa spuna cu adevarat ca are doar o carte preferata,deci..daca ai putea sa faci un "Top 5" pentru cartile tale preferate,cum ar suna?
Nici macar nu sunt sigura daca pot raspunde la intrebarea asta,pentru ca nu am nicio carte preferata.Lista se schimba mereu!Sigur ca imi place foarte mult Jane Austen!Cui nu ii place?Dar trecand peste asta,sunt atatia!De exemplu,Suzanne Collins pur si simplu mi-a schimbat lumea cu trilogia "Jocurile foamei"!Dupa ce am terminat "Mocking Jay",personajele au ramas cu mine  zi si noapte pana am luat trilogia pentru a o reciti!
Apoi este Beth Revis si seria ei geniala "Across the Universe"!Am fost complet incantata de primele doua carti si o astept cu nerabdare pe urmatoarea!Pe langa faptul ca personajele sale sunt foarte convingatoare,dar lumea pe care a creat-o este unica,incredibila.
Deasemenea,"Glow" de Amy Kathleen Ryan a fost grozava.Intorsatura din povestea ei pur si simplu m-a facut sa gafai in timp ce o citeam!Abia astept sa citesc continuarea povestii sale!
E de la sine inteles ca iubesc seria Harry Potter,de J.K.Rowling!Inca imi dorect sa fi putut sa merg la Hogwarts!
Dupa cum vedeti,as putea sa continui la nesfarsit..atatia scriitori grozavi,atat de putin timp!Si,aproape la fiecare carte pe care o citesc,adaug alt autor preferat la lista mea!



6. Is there any writer that was a big influence to you?  If yes, how did they change you?

This is going to sound goofy, but I think that of all the writers I’ve ever admired, Shakespeare would be top on the list of authors who’ve influenced me the most.  

6. Exista un anumit scriitor care a avut o influenta asupra ta?Daca da,cum te-au schimbat?
Asta va suna amuzant,dar cred ca din toti scriitorii pe care i-am admirat,Shakespeare ar fi in topul listei cu autorii care m-au influentat cel mai mult.



7. And … finally, what do you think about Romania?

Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve had the honor of getting to know more about the lovely country of Romania.  I’ve done so by meeting many wonderful book bloggers and readers.  I’m so honored to have the chance to get to know you all!  I hope each and every one of you will know that I value you and thank you for taking the time to read my answers to Steph’s interview questions.  

Also, I invite everyone to stop by any or all of my social networking sites and say “hi”, ask questions, or leave comments.  I always respond and simply adore hearing from my readers!  


7. Si,in sfarsit,ce crezi despre Romania?


In ultimele saptamani,am avut onoarea de a afla mai multe despre aceasta tara incantatoare.Am putut face asta intalnind foarte multi scriitori si cititori minunati.Sunt onorata ca am avut sansa sa va cunosc pe toti!Sper ca fiecare dintre voi va sti ca va apreciez si va multumesc pentru ca v-ati facut timp sa cititi raspunsurile mele la interviul lui Steph.
Deasemenea,invit pe toata lumea sa se opreasca pe oricare dintre site-urile mele si sa spuna "buna",sa imi puna intrebari sau sa lase comentarii.Intotdeauna raspund si pur si simplu ador sa aud de cititorii mei!







Since Belle invited you to get in touch with her,you can find her on her own website,facebook,and also twitter!And if you can't wait to read Cicada,you could win 2 Autographed Paperback Copy of "Cicada" if you sign up here!I hope you enjoyed the inteview,as Belle is a really sociable and funny person that gave great answers!=]










0 little derps derped:

Post a Comment


up