New interview with YA fantasy novelist Kris Noel

I’m happy to have YA fantasy author Kris Noel back on the blog. The second novel in her Lionhead series is out. It’s called Requiem and she’s here to dish on it.

Kris was here in January talking about the first novel in the series, Lionhead.

Bio:

Kris Noel loves writing YA, but she also loves running her writing advice blog over at krisnoel.com. With over 30,000 followers, she has penned hundreds of articles for writers of all ages.

Despite working full-time as a copywriter, Kris finds time to work on her novels and has released one project a year since 2012. She plans on doing her best to continue this trend and wants to keep working on growing her blog. 

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Kris.

Thank you!

Catch us up… please tell us about your newest release.

Requiem is the sequel to Lionhead, which was release back in 2012 through Neverland Publishing, and I’m very excited that it’s almost ready to go! Here’s a little bit about Requiem:

After a dangerous enemy descended on Lionhead weeks before, Riley Bale is left with an unshakeable feeling of impending doom. With Christian still on the loose and no clues pointing to his whereabouts, Riley and her friends must stay vigilant. In addition to fearing another attack, Riley also has to figure out which one of her best friends will join Christian’s cause—and both Ash and Oliver are beginning to reveal their dark sides.

A carefree trip to another shifter city, Requiem, might be just what they need to take their minds off of what’s coming for them, but it doesn’t go exactly as planned. Riley finds herself caught up in something bigger than she could have possibly imagined and this time she’ll have to face her enemies alone.

What inspired you to write this book?

I actually wrote it a couple years ago, so I always had sequel planned for Lionhead. I wanted to continue Riley’s story and really take the whole thing in a new direction.

What’s the next writing project?

I’ve been working on a couple new stories, but I will focus on editing the third book in the Lionhead series. Hopefully I can get that ready for some time next year!

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book?

It’s getting started and then staying motivated. Writing the beginning of a novel is very difficult for me and then getting myself to stick with it. Once I get into a groove, I’m usually okay. But seriously, motivating myself is always a struggle.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?

I usually take a lot of time to research first, so I’m not struggling with those parts of my novel. I think research allows you to discover new ideas that you wouldn’t be able to incorporate into your novel unless you did the research first. It sometimes takes your novel in a new and unexpected direction.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.

Most of the time, you’ll find me writing in bed before I go to sleep! It’s probably not the best place to focus on writing, but it works for me. I usually switch on some bad television shows and write what I can before I get too tired. My writing spot changes from time to time, so there’s not one particular place where I always write.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?

I don’t follow one specific author, but I do really like Stephen King. I tend to stay in YA and sci-fi unless something else catches my attention. I do love Libba Bray!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?

I also run a writing advice blog over at krisnoel.com and you can find me over at Goodreads!

Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!

Thanks so much for having me!

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