Monday, March 18, 2013

Interview with Caitlin Hensley

I’m sure it’s obvious I’ve had to put the blog on hiatus for now, but I had to temporarily lift that so I could point you guys to an amazing new book I love.  Paranormal Legacy just released, and its wizard author, Caitlin Hensley, was kind enough to let me interview her as a sort of celebratory thing.  I was excited for that, because I really loved her book—and that’s saying something, since I normally hate paranormal stuff.  Anyways, here’s the blurb for her book from Goodreads:
“After moving to a rural Pennsylvania town, cynical teen Haily Long soon discovers that the next-door neighbors are paranormal creatures of darkness. Despite this little quirk, the Knight family seems friendly enough, especially handsome Nathan. Nathan is well-mannered and polite, your typical boy next door . . . except for the fact that he turns into something else once a month. In a matter of days, Haily is drawn deep into a shadowed world of danger and deceit, and learns startling truths about her own past. When sinister strangers come sniffing around town for Nathan, and Haily gets pulled into the resulting chaos, she must discover how to unlock her true heritage if she wants to survive.”

Sounds stellar, right?  And then there’s the part where I got to interview Caitlin:

Who are some of your writing influences?

I think a lot of writers have influenced me, actually.  Two of the main ones are probably Richelle Mead and Cassandra Clare, since their books are some of the very first books with paranormal elements that I ever read.  Another book that really influenced me was called “How Not to Write a Novel.”  There were some great tips in there that taught me a lot about writing.

Do you have a schedule you stick to with writing—whether that’s concerning plotting or just the time and place you write—or are you move of a “let’s wing it and see what happens” person?

I try to write every single day, and get it done before I log on Facebook or my email account.  And usually, I write without an outline.  I used to plot extensively before beginning a book, but then it started to bore me, like I was writing the same book twice in a row—the notes and the actual book.  So now I write out a few paragraphs about where I want the story to go, write brief character bios, and then drive right in.

What’s your main character like?  How are you like her, and how are you two different?

Haily Long is the main character in PL.  I’m not sure how much we’re really alike, except that we both have brown hair and like to read.  I tried to make her as different from me as possible; for example, she’s obsessed with coffee, but I can’t stand the stuff.  And while I use sarcasm occasionally, it seems like almost every word out of Haily’s mouth is some kind of snark.

Who’s your favourite character in your book—and why?

Jake West is definitely my favorite character.  He’s a slightly sarcastic hawk shifter.  As for the reasons why I like him, I like how layered his personality is; it takes Haily a while to slowly unwrap the different layers and find out what kind of person he is.  Also, I have a thing for the bad boy-type characters.

And the wrap-up question: What’s the most potentially incriminating thing you’ve ever Googled?

I always Google a bunch of crazy stuff.  Recently, my search history lists things like “humans who eat human livers,” “bus station interior,” “witchcraft,” and “all about the embalming process.”  And then of course there’s the much less suspicious “how do you make that thumbs-up sign on Facebook.”  (For those who are curious, it turns out you just have to type “(y).”)

For the record, Jake’s my absolute favourite, too.  I love that he can’t take anything too seriously for too long.  It seems like it’s a coping mechanism, which makes it that much more endearing, and he literally made me laugh out loud on several occasions.  By this point I’ve decided to quit being objective and fair, and I’ll tell you: Jake trumps Nate any day.

  So.  If you’re interested in more Paranormal Legacy—the sequel is supposed to be released later this year, which I’m already excited for—you can find it at the aforementioned Goodreads and Amazon.  Also, there’s Caitlin’s blog; if Paranormal Legacy catches your interest, you could stop by to let her know.  It’d be cool to make a debut author’s day, right?