Thursday, December 13, 2012

Author Interview: Anne Elisabeth Stengl

On Tour with Prism Book Tours...


Starflower (Tales of Goldstone Wood #4)
Today I'm super excited to share a awesome interview with Anne Elisabeth Stengl the author of Tales of Goldstone Woods. She was super nice to answer my zillion questions and I love her answers.

Mandy - Where did you come up with the idea for the Tales of Goldstone Wood Series?
Anne - Wow, it's been so long now since I first started developing the ideas for this series, it's hard for me to remember exactly when it began! I believe I was seventeen when I wrote the first novella and a few short stories that would end up becoming the foundation of Goldstone Wood. I absolutely love fairy tales, and when I started inventing the first of these stories, it was with a desire to take classic fairy tale themes and spin them in new and unexpected directions while still maintaining the familiarity we all know and love. Heartless, my first novel, is the most obvious example of this, taking the Princess-Dragon-Prince motif and playing around with it. My most recent novel, Starflower, is brimming with classic fairy tale themes, from the enchanted sleep, to the maiden locked in the tower, to frog princes, and more!


Mandy - Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Anne - All of my characters are little pieces of me. That's part of the fun of storytelling for me! With each character, good and bad, I get to explore different facets of my own personality, different strengths and, more importantly, different weaknesses. Then, using my imagination, I embellish those character qualities and project what sort of person would develop given the circumstances surrounding them. In that respect, every novel I write is an exploration of my own soul. The trick, of course, is disguising the characters so that you don't immediately recognize me in them!


Mandy - Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
Anne - Absolutely! I grew up the daughter of an award-winning historical romance novelist, so writing was always a huge part of my life. I started penning my first "novels" when I was nine and absolutely loved the whole process.



Mandy - Where do you prefer to do your writing? What type of computer or do you write by hand or typewriter?
Anne - Currently, I do most of my writing on my laptop, either in my living room or, if I'm feeling a bit distracted, in my windowless dining room. But I am putting coats of paint on what will become my official Author's Studio (my fingers are covered in primer as I type!), so here's hoping I'll like writing in there best when it's all done.

I used to write the rough drafts of my manuscripts by hand, and I'll still revert to writing by hand if I find I'm having particular trouble with a scene. Writing by hand keeps me spontaneous and organic, and I really love it. But these days, I'm contracted to produce a novel every nine months, so entire rough drafts by hand aren't practical!



Mandy - Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks or hardbacks?
Anne - I really love collecting hardbacks of my favorites. But for curl-up-comfy reading, I like paperbacks. I confess, I still don't own an e-reader! I've played around with family members’ e-readers, and they seem really fun, so I might cave and get one eventually . . .


Mandy - What are five items you never leave home without?
Anne - My cell phone. My "brain," a journal with a pocket in the back to keep important cards in. I'd like to say my shoes, but I have gone out in my bedroom slippers before! Um . . . my keys. My head? I don't know!


Mandy - Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Anne - I collect cats. Lots of cats. If I weren't married, I'd be well on my way to becoming the classic Crazy Cat Lady. To be fair, I usually take in lost kittens and find them new homes, so I don't keep all of these cats! But I have seven in my house right now, and earlier this summer, I had twelve. I'm not feeling terribly guilty ... 
A few years ago, when I was still single, I adopted my third kitten. That day, my little brother called me up and said, "So, I hear you're going to be an Old Maid." Thanks, Jimmy. Thanks a lot. (My husband likes cats, so it's all good.)

Mandy - Who’s your favorite Muppet?
Anne - Animal. My big brother calls me "Animal" as a nickname.


Mandy - Any future writing plans?
Anne - Well, book 5 in the Tales of Goldstone Wood, Dragonwitch, is about to release next summer. And I just finished up the manuscript for Untitled Book 6, which will come out spring of 2014 . . . so I've got a bit to keep me busy for the moment! I hope to write many more Goldstone Wood novels and have plans for Book 7 brewing . . .



Mandy - Anything you want to say to your readers?
Anne - Come join me on my author blog for a fun read-along of Heartless this month!!! You can download Heartless on your e-readers for FREE until the 31st, so it's a great time to get it. And I am hosting a blogging book club, discussing a chapter each day, with giveaways hosted at the end of each week. It's a grand old time, and I'd love to see you there! (http://anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com/)
I'd also love to see you on my facebook author page, which is a great way to keep track of all the Tales of Goldstone Wood doings. I'm on Twitter as well, but only just recently, so I'm still learning the ropes on that one.
And I do hope you'll pick up Starflower and enjoy a magical journey into the world of Faerie!


About the Author:


Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, and STARFLOWER, with DRAGONWITCH due to release in 2013. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.


Find & Follow:

The Dragonwood Series:


Bethany House
Get Your Copy:

Bethany House
Barnes & Noble
The Book Depository
Amazon:


Check out the entire December Tour!

3 - Laura @ Colorimetry - Launch!
3 - Sarah @ Letters to the Cosmos - Review
4 - Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer - Excerpt
4 - Kari @ Kari's Crowded Bookshelf - Review
5 - Aleksandra @ Aleksandra's Corner - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats I
6 - Lisa @ Bookworm Lisa - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats II
6 - Mandy @ The Reading Diaries - Review
7 - Alicia @ Mortality Bites - Dragonwitch page REVEAL
7 - Naj @ Unputdownable Books - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats III
9 - Lissette @ Passion and Life - Guest Post - Night Terrors
10 - Laura @ Colorimetry - Review
10 - Bonnie @ A Backwards Story - Review
12 - Aimee @ Getting Your Read On - Guest Post - The Faces of Love I
12 - Kimberly Krey @ Kimberly Krey - Guest Post - Drafts
13 - Abbi @ Christian Novels - Tales of Goldstone Wood Reviews
13 - Mandy @ The Reading Diaries - Interview
14 - Ivy @ Open the Page - Guest Post - The Faces of Love II
16 - Alicia @ Mortality Bites - Review
17 - Len @ Musings of a Reader Happy - Hightlight/Excerpt - Meet Dragonwitch
17 - Jen @ Literally Jen - Review
18 - Beth @ Living a Goddess Life - Review
19 - Rach @ Stressed Rach - Guest Post - Illustrated Sneak Peak
19 - Christy @ Christy's Cozy Corners - Review
20 - Heather @ Proud Book Nerd - Review
20 - Heidi @ Geo Librarian - Guest Post - The Faces of Love III
21 - Jaime @ Goodreads - Review
21 - Finale @ Colorimetry - Giveaway winner announced.


Catch the Christmas Read-along!



Giveaway:


Grand Prize

GRAND PRIZE:  The first four books The Tales of Goldstone Wood: HeartlessVeiled RoseMoonblood and Starflower + SWAG!  2nd place is a copy of Starflower + SWAG!


2nd Prize

Enter to win until 12/20. Winner to be announced 12/21. Open to anyone who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here & on Colorimetry as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Void where prohibited by law. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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