Betrayed Blog Tour and Giveaway!!

Welcome to day #1 of the Betrayed Blog Tour! I'm honored to be part of this great tour. Keep reading for an interview with Ednah Walters, info about Betrayed, and a giveaway!

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When did you decide that you wanted to be an author?

When I decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I needed an outlet for my creativity. You could say dirty diapers and baby talk pushed me into writing. Kudos to stay-at-home moms who thrive while changing diapers, cooking baby food from scratch, sewing cute baby clothes and whipping new dishes every day for their family. I couldn’t stand the food I cooked for my babies anymore than they did, I tried sewing, quilting, painting and realized those creative outlets weren’t for me either. So I wrote simple stories for kids. When I finished my first chapter book and read it to my kids and they loved it, I thought, “Hmm, I could do this.” Then I discovered something, just because your kids love your stories doesn’t necessarily mean the editors will too. Still, I continued writing graduation to adult and YA romance.


How many books have you written?

If I exclude the ones I wrote before Awakened (you know the ones that ended nowhere or still take up space on my computer), I’ve written and published 2 YA books in the Guardian Legacy series and 3 adult romance (Fitzgerald books).

What would you be doing if you couldn't be a writer?

I’d probably be in some pharmaceutical lab creating/synthesizing something.

Approximately how long does it take for you to write a book?

I’d say 4-5 months, depending on which genre. My YA tend to take longer, possibly because it’s from one person’s point of view (POV) and she’s a teen, so I have to think like a teenager…not an easy thing to do. Things go a little faster when you write from multiple POV.

Do you have any hobbies?

Hmm, I used to paint, but now any free time I have, when I’m not writing, I read. I love books. I also love to workout—Zumba, TRX, treadmill. I’m more alert mentally and physically when I hit the gym at least 3 times a week, which makes me more productive and makes it easy to keep up with my 5 children.

What do you like/dislike most about being an author?

I love getting the voices from my head and onto my computer. I enjoy interacting with readers, but I’d write even if I didn’t publish. That’s why I have all these completed Fitzgeralds books. While my agent was busy trying to find a home for my first YA and the first Fitzgerald book, and we kept getting rejections, I just kept writing. I needed to write. On, being a stay-at-home mother is about the hardest thing I ever did and I was going nuts. Seconds, the voices in my head wouldn’t leave me a lone. I have so many ideas and so little time…SIGH.

What I hate the most is plotting, storyboarding with detailed plotlines broken down into scenes for each chapter. This works great when you have a mystery to solve though. I’d rather listen to my characters and seeing which direction they want to go. Plotting somehow makes me feel restricted and stifle my creativity. That doesn’t mean I don’t usually have a guideline, so I know what is going to happen at the beginning and the end; who the villain is and their motive; my characters’ motives and goals, and some of the conflicts they must overcome. How and when these events will take place is really up to the characters once I start writing. The conflicts tend to pile up as the story unfolds.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Middle-grade authors of Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Pendragon series, Eragon series, Goosebumps series, R.L. Stine books, Alex Rider series, Artemis Fowl series.

YA-authors of Vampire Dairies, Vampire Academy, House of Night series, Hungers Games, Vladimir Todd series, Daughters of the Moon series, the Princess Diary series,

Adult authors: J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, L.A. Banks,
Historical authors like Jude Deveraux, Judith McKnight and Catherine Coulter
Espionage and medical thrillers by Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Jonathan Cook, James Grisham.

What are some of your favorite movies/tv shows?

Detective series whether it is medical, police or fantasy: White Collar, NYPD Blues, Monk, Dr. House, CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, True Blood

Guilty pleasures: Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Greek…

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write from the heart, which means write what you want to write and do it everyday. Don’t worry about trends. If Stephanie Meyers had listened to the publishing industry that vampire books were going out, she’d never have written Twilight. I wrote Awakened before books about angels became popular.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on HUNTED, book 3 of the Guardian Legacy series. It should be out summer of 2012. I’m also working on my 4th adult romance.

About the author:

I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries before I graduated to Mills & Boons (starting with Janet Daily's Shutter the Sky).

I enjoy good love stories, tingly mysteries and wondrous adventures. When I finished college and decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I devoured books like they were going out of production, until reading just wasn't enough. So I decided to teach myself to write fiction.

I've written picture books, contemporary and romantic suspense, biracial/multicultural books, and finally YA fantasy. Most of them are still taking up RAM on my computer. Awakened is the first book in The Guardian Legacy series. It was released in September 2011 with rave reviews. Betrayed (book 2 in the series) was released August 1^st 2011. Hunted, book 3 in the series, is due out in March.

When I'm not knee deep in battles between Guardians and demons, I write adult contemporary romance (the Fitzgerald family series), sassy, stubborn and gutsy women anyone can identify with and men anyone would be proud to claim. When not writing, I do things with my family, five children or my darling husband of 19 years. I live in a picturesque valley in Utah, the setting for my YA series.

http://www.ednahwalters.com/

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Book 2 in The Guardian Legacy series

Synopsis:

Lil has come to terms with her life as a Guardian/demon hunter and the wielder of the Nephilim most powerful weapon. She trains everyday to master her growing powers, gets along with her Guardian trainee friends (most of the time) and cherishes her moments with her human friends.

Just when she feels she belongs, her nature-bender father contacts her and warns her about a betrayal by someone close to her. Then Bran, the guy she loves, starts to act strange and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability. While Lil struggles find a connection between these three things, she begins to realize that someone is manipulating her and Bran, and will stop at nothing (including hurting those she loves) to lure them to the dark side.

Find this book at the following places:

Amazon (paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

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Giveaway: Ednah is giving away one ecopy of Betrayed. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post. Be sure to leave your email address so we can get in touch with you if you're the lucky winner! Open through Sept. 19th.


Be sure to follow this blog tour for other chances to win, including an awesome giveaway at the end!!! For a full tour schedule, visit The Bookish Snob Promotions.
Final Stop: Ednah Walters blog

Next stop:
September 6th - Lacey Weatherford Books