Interview with YA author Makayla Yokley

Today's guest is YA novelist Makayla Yokley. She's touring her novel, The Ruby Curse.

Makayla will award a free digital copy of The Ruby Curse via Smashwords to one commenter at every stop. For a chance to win, leave an e-mail address with your comment below. For more chances to win, visit other tour stops and comment there.

Bio:

Makayla Yokley is a college student who lives in Kansas with her somewhat evil cat named Cujo. She likes to write fiction of all genres. Currently she is majoring in Liberal Arts.

Welcome, Makayla. Please tell us about your current release.

The Ruby Curse is a steampunk/fantasy novel about Violet Seymour, an escaped convict who is a link in an ancient bloodline of Heroes. When mages start disappearing across the steam-and-clockwork powered land of Arcova, Violet is enlisted to help find them. It’s either that or she goes back to jail. But what is the price of freedom when death stalks those who dare look for the mages?

What inspired you to write this book?

Fairy Tales. I wanted the Violet Chronicles to have all the necessary elements that makes stories into fairy tales. Within the story itself I’ve made some of the characters reflections of their fairy tale selves, but made some changes to fit my setting. Not all of the characters are fairy tale characters, but quite a few of them are.

Along with being filled with fairy tale characters, the “Violet Chronicles” is also filled with the themes and motifs one might find in a fairy tale if you look deeply enough at them. I can’t be very specific without ruining it, unfortunately!

The Ruby Curse specifically, though, was sort of my twist on a Russian fairy tale whose name I can’t find anymore. In its very early stages it started out as a Tolkien-esque fantasy that just wasn’t clicking right in my head. I scrapped the idea and decided to recycle it later and turn it into a steampunk/fantasy. Ethan and Aurora are the only ones who retained most of their qualities from the first idea, though they’ve been altered somewhat to fit the new world of course.

Excerpt:

The next thing I knew was the smell of piss and rotting wood.

A dull throb pulsated in the back of my head, moving to the front in an almost wave-like motion. Through the haze I tried to remember where I was and how I had gotten there. The last thing I could recall was being bashed on the head and little black dots peppering my vision, stealing the world away into darkness. If I tried to remember more, a shock of pain erupted without warning until I was subdued once again.

There are no questions here in the kingdom of concussion.

I remember I was doing something bad. Hardly anything to get in a tizzy about when it’s me doing it, but being able to remember anything at all was an accomplishment. In the grand scheme of things it didn’t really matter. I was still in a place where the floor— or at least what I assumed was the floor— was warm and metallic against my back.

A gob of blood sat idle under my tongue. I tried not to swallow it but some things were easier said than done. Just when I was sure I had no other choice, I tilted my head askew and spat it out. I could feel the warm, sticky wetness trailing out of the corner of my mouth and streaking across my cheek. I could still taste the bitter, coppery sensation on my tongue.

 Somewhere in the darkness that condensed the entire world into a tiny, limited space, a disembodied voice floated up and pierced through the dizzy haze.

“Oi! Look there! She’s awake!”

It was a man. I was certain of that much. His voice was rough, irritable, and had an accent that at first seemed very strange to me, but I soon recognized it as the kind of vocal slur usually found in the south. The important thing was, though, he was undeniably Arcovan.

“Hey! Hey you! You ain’t dead?”

Another man joined in and his accent matched the other man’s to the syllable. But his voice was lighter and gave the impression of being off balance.

“Clearly!” the deeper-voiced man said. “If she is dead then she’s a zombie, and that’s rubbish. Don’t be stupid!”

“Oi! Who you callin’ stupid?” the lighter-pitched man asked.

“This bloody stupid fool right ‘ere!”

The sounds of their voices faded away into obscurity, depriving me of certain bits and pieces of the conversation until I could no longer follow what they were going on about. Through the pain I willed my eyes to open. The edges of things blurred together into a great unintelligible mass that hung around me like a soupy haze.

But then things started to take shape. Artificial light from the gas lamps outside streamed in through the thick black bars that made up the window at the very top of the room. Fat copper pipes ran every which way on the ceiling. A puff of white steam shot out of a loose valve and settled down on my face in little wet speckles.

What exciting story are you working on next?

Currently I’m working on the second book in the Violet Chronicles, Briar Light. It’s slow goings but it’s going none the less. It’s definitely going to be one the fans like (or at least I hope so!) because we get to look deeper into the backgrounds of the characters and, to me, that’s always fun.

Other than that I don’t have anything that’s far enough along in its progress to be worth mentioning. Most of what I have are little side projects that may or may not ever make it out of my piggy flash drive. We’ll just have to see!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Truthfully, I’m still coming to terms with it. That sounds bad but all this time I’ve always considered it as something I just DO, like breathing or walking. It’s been a part of me and what I do for so long that I don’t think I’ll ever have that “ah-ha” moment where it becomes a concrete thing. It’ll always just be something I do compulsively. If I didn’t do it I don’t think I’d know what to do with myself. Sometimes I open my Word program and start typing on whatever project that happens to be occupying my mind at the time without ever realizing I did anything.

Now that I’m thinking about it I don’t think I’d have it any other way. It’s like finding yourself in a truly good relationship. It’s comfortable. It’s home.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I don’t think you’d call me a “Full-Time” writer, exactly. When I’m not writing I go to school and work in my college’s library, but whenever I find some downtime I usually write in a notebook I have stored in my backpack. I never like to leave home without it because I never know when I’m going to get time enough to work, but I’m always glad I have it even when I end up not being able to use it.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Sometimes I seem to write better while listening to songs from old Disney musicals like “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, “Pocahontas”, “Hercules”, movies like that. I can’t explain it, but something about them helps get the creative juices flowing. My muse must be a Tinkerbell-esque creature!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I’ve wanted to be everything from a writer to a chocolatier (Like Willy Wonka!). I entertained the idea of being a pirate for like a day and a half, for about forty-five minutes I wanted to be a game designer, I wanted to be a painter and an actress— actress lasted the longest, I think. I remember wanting to be a lawyer when I was little but there was way too much legal jargon involved. Even now I’m letting my mind dance around being something else, but I’m always going to come back to this because it allows me the freedom to do all those things without being diagnosed with anything!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Just that I hope that, if they end up sticking with me all through this crazy ride, they will be prepared to see me throwing my hat into several genres. I’m not the kind of person who can build a nest in a certain genre and be able to sit there comfortably. I’ve always got an urge to try new ideas and new things, so sitting still in one niche is somewhat impossible.

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Thanks, Makayla. 

Readers, don't forget to leave an e-mail address with a comment if you want a chance to win a copy of the book.

Interview with YA novelist Adrienne Clarke

Today is a virtual book tour stop for Adrienne Clarke and her young adult fantasy romance novel To Dance in Liradon.

Adrienne will be awarding winner's choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card, and one crystal Faerie necklace similar to what Brigid wore to the Faerie ball to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

To be entered for a chance to win, make sure to leave an e-mail address with a comment below. And if you'd like to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments for Adrienne.

Welcome, Adrienne. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I think I became a writer because the world inside my head was so real and vivid, sometimes more so than the outside world. In some sense I have lived parallel lives, present in my real and imaginary lives in different ways. Because much of my childhood was spent searching for faeries or reading about them, it is natural that my work encompasses fairy tale themes and other magical elements. In the words of Tennessee Williams, forget reality, give me magic!

Adrienne has previously published short stories in The Storyteller, Beginnings Magazine, New Plains Review, and in the e-zines A Fly in Amber, Grim Graffiti, Les Bonnes Fees, The Altruist, The Devilfish Review, and Rose Red Review. Her short story, Falling was awarded second place in the 2008 Alice Munro short fiction contest. To Dance in Liradon is her first published novel.

An avid reader of fairy tales and other magical stories, a thread of the mysterious or unexpected runs through all of her work. When she’s not writing Adrienne can be found searching for faeries along with her daughters Callista and Juliet.

Please tell us about your current release.

Drawing on elements of Celtic fairy tale mythology, To Dance in Liradon is filled with magic and romance, but it’s also a story about growing up, about the deceitful nature of appearances, and, most importantly, about what it is to be human and to love.

What inspired you to write this book?

The story for To Dance in Liradon has been with me for a long time. I have a shared passion for fairy tales and Celtic mythology, and I knew I wanted to write a book that drew on the magic and romance of both. I’ve always loved stories about the Irish Tuatha De Danann: Tall, beautiful, proud, and amoral, who have a propensity for falling in love with humans. To Dance in Liradon explores what happens when the human and Faerie worlds collide.

Excerpt:

(The excerpt included here shows Brigid’s exceptional talent for dancing. It’s one of the things that set her apart from the other villagers, who believe Brigid’s lightness of step is a sign she’s been touched by the Faerie.)

Brigid allowed the sweet music to seep into her veins and then she was away. Away from the disapproving eyes of the other villagers, away from her mother’s fond but anxious expression, away from Connell and his undecided intentions. Once she was inside the music nothing else mattered. She felt as free and untouchable as the lord himself. As she advanced around the ring, her feet tapping lightly against the ground, she was dimly aware of the other dancers. Two had already left; their desire for more ale greater than their desire for the cake. Ahead of her, Isibeal, Tanner’s daughter, stumbled and Brigid danced around her like the wind.

Brigid never got a cramp in her side or lost her footing. Once she started dancing her tiredness fell away from her like a heavy, velvet cloak. She could go round and round the ring until a new sun rose in the sky. But she would not have long to wait for her victory. One by one the other dancers began to tire. Fin, the Falconer’s son, one of Brigid’s long-ago playmates, fell to the ground gasping for breath.

“No more,” he said before struggling to his feet.

  

Mary, Baker’s daughter, and Isibeal also took their leave. Brigid could feel their jealous glances burning into her back after they rejoined their families who stood around the ring waiting to see who would falter next.

Now only Brigid and Deirdre Faolan were left. The two girls danced alone together on many such occasions. Deirdre did not possess Brigid’s love of music, or her graceful footwork, but she was sturdy and strong from her work in the fields, and the desire to win radiated from her well-muscled limbs. 

The dancers shared the same steps but their movements were as different from one another as the sun and the moon. Deirdre’s brow glistened with sweat, two hectic spots of colour staining her ruddy cheeks, while Brigid felt as cool and weightless as a shadow. But if her feet held some magic, her shoes possessed none. Already worn through in several places, she felt the soles of her feet connect with the hard ground. Still she danced on, her pale face upturned to the sky, which was now well and truly dark. She wished she could dance her way up to the highest star and disappear into the sky’s inky blackness.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m very excited about my novel in progress, Opium Ghosts. It’s a supernatural mystery set in Victorian London at the height of the spiritualist movement. I’ve always been interested in séances, ghosts and mediums, and I loved the idea of writing a historical novel that was part romance part ghost story. The growth of spiritualism also marks a fascinating period in women’s history – all of a sudden young middle class women found themselves in positions of real power. Some of the most famous mediums of the day were teenage girls who captivated their audiences with ghostly materializations, or not, depending on whether you believe in spirits or trickery. I’ve done research for all my novels, but the research for Opium Ghosts has definitely been the most fun.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I was in grade two I wrote a poem called “Dreamers,” that to my astonishment made my teacher swoon. It’s my first memory of feeling like writing was something I was good at. After that I was hooked.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

My day job involves working as a mediator, but right now I’m on an extended maternity leave. I write the days that my 2-year old daughter is in daycare, and when I can manage it I get up really early to write before everyone else wakes up. It can be a difficult balancing act, but I write because I must – there’s no choice involved.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I write all my first drafts long hand – an increasingly odd practice!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer, a ballerina, and a magician – in that order.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I hope that if you do decide to read To Dance in Liradon you’ll let me know what you thought. Connecting with readers is one of the best things about being a writer. I’d love to hear from you!

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Buy Links:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes and Noble | Kobo 

Thanks, Adrienne.

Readers, don't forget about the fabulous giveaway being offered! To be entered for a chance to win, leave an e-mail address with a comment below. Good luck!