Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Interview with young adult author Allie Burton

Today’s guest is young adult author Allie Burton to tell us a bit about herself and her novel Soul Slam.

Allie will be giving away a $50 Amazon (or BN) gift card to a lucky commenter (who uses the form below). If you’d like to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and enter there, too! 

Bio:
Allie didn’t realize having so many jobs would become great research material for the stories she writes. She has been everything from a fitting room attendant to a bike police officer to a professional mascot escort. She has lived on three continents and in four states and has studied art, fashion design, marine biology, and advertising.

When her kids asked, “when are you going to write a story we can read?” she switched from adult novels to Young Adult and Middle Grade and hasn’t looked back.

Allie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Romance Writers of America including the Young Adult, Dallas Area Romance Writers and Heart of the Rockies chapters. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Currently, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.

Welcome, Allie. Please tell us about your current release:
A sixteen-year-old on her first heist to steal an ancient Egyptian amulet inadvertently receives the soul of King Tut…and the deadly curse that comes with it.
           
And Olivia is not alone at the museum.
           
A member of a secret Society, Xander believes it is his place to inherit King Tut’s soul and justly rule. He knows nothing about the society’s evil plan to control the world or the curse. Now, he must deal with the female imposter who stole the amulet.

Xander convinces Olivia they must form a temporary partnership. The two teens develop a connection, and together they must figure out how to end the curse before it turns deadly. On the run, unable to touch because of the curse, and dealing with a male soul inside her female body, Olivia must learn to trust Xander.

As the mystery surrounding the amulet unfolds, Olivia and Xander start to fall for each other. But is love enough to save them and the world from destruction?

Excerpt:
(from Chapter Twenty-Seven)

My spot of defiance hadn’t stopped him. My elation plummeted like my spit. X now had the final ingredient.

Smoke rose from the cup. Colors swirled, mixing and combining like a wacky rainbow. My gaze followed the motion unwillingly entranced. I couldn’t take my gaze off of this creation. The contents glowed with a strange aura.

A light flashed sending a bolt of lightning through the room. I flinched from the heat.

The goons’ hold loosened. X watched with an awed expression on his face.

A sphere formed in the cup. Colors of red and blue and yellow shaped the orb. The colors flamed and burned into a bright yellow. The shiny ball rose on a layer of smoke like the sun on a cloudy day.

I’d never seen anything so fantastical. I held my breath as the orb rose above the alabaster cup and floated like a balloon.

X stepped toward the globe. “Did you know glass was first developed around the time of King Tut’s reign?” He angled his head examining the glass globe of sun. “The golden glass will act like a controller.”

“You can’t control a king.” Or a pharaoh. Or me.

“While I was promised to host King Tut, the conditions weren’t right the year I turned sixteen.” X’s voice grew bitter. His eyebrows came together in a straight line mourning the loss of his own power. “The Society didn’t even read the chant, already knowing through advances in science that an eclipse would not happen on the summer solstice of that year. I became a regular person, just another man in the Society.”

Having the power had been cool, but not if I couldn’t control it. Not if I couldn’t touch the people I loved. Xander’s name whispered through my chest.

“I was promised the soul and the power but never told about the burn out until later.” X’s voice rose higher, angrier. “The Society betrayed me, betrayed every Xander throughout the centuries.”

“Then why are you doing this to me?”


Is your life anything like it was two years ago?
Yes. I still have to reach my word count every day. Now there’s just more interruptions because of marketing tasks.

Have you ever had an imaginary friend?
 I’ve had an entire group of imaginary friends. In a way, writing is like having a cast of characters in your head who want to tell their story.

Do you have any phobias?
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia-the fear of long words. Just typing it made me shiver.

Ever broken any bones?
No, but I’ve had lots of stitches.

Any weird things you do when you’re alone?
Dance around the house naked. Just kidding!

Social links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Wattpad 

Buy links:
Amazon | Kobo | Nook 

14 comments:

ilookfamous said...

I love that as a mother, Allie cared enough to encourage her childrens' reading habits by writing books geared toward their demographic. It's so very difficult to get kids interested in reading that I offer kudos to anyone who can accomplish that feat. Have a great tour

Allie Burton said...

Thanks for hosting me! I'm really excited about Soul Slam because it combines romance, adventure and mystery. I hope my readers enjoy it! I'm traveling today but will check in periodically. Allie

Allie Burton said...

Elise-Maria, We have a rule at my house that if a movie is based on a book the kids must read the book first. When a popular movie comes out the kids fly through those pages. Allie

Allie Burton said...

Rita, Thanks for comment. Allie

Karen H said...

Your bio mentioned you wrote adult books, but I'm not seeing any titles. Anything published other than YA or MG? Do you think you will ever venture out of your current genre and if so, what genre would you choose?

kareninnc at gmail dot com

MomJane said...

This book sounds like something my granddaughter would love. She got a book (and other things) for Christmas, and all she mentions is the book.

Anonymous said...

Happy new year!

vitajex(at)Aol(dot)com

Allie Burton said...

Karen H in NC, Sorry for the delayed response. I'm out of the country and finding Internet has been spotty. I started writing romantic suspense, but realized my voice fit the YA and MG genres better before getting anything published. I don't believe in ever saying never, so who knows what I'll write in the future. Allie.

Allie Burton said...

MomJane, Soul Slam would be a great book for your granddaughter. It's perfect from the age of 12 and up. Allie

Allie Burton said...

Hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year's Eve! Allie

Natasha said...

The excerpt!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Happy New Year!

Elena said...

I like the title of this book.

Minato said...

may be a good read

Allie Burton said...

Natasha - Glad you enjoyed the excerpt!
Elena - I love creating titles! In another series I wrote the titles were Atlantis Riptide, Atlantis Red Tide, and Atlantis Rising Tide. All of the chapters have fun titles too!
Minato - Thanks for stopping by.
Allie