Saturday Author Spotlight~ Indra Vaughn #Interview #Giveaway

Indra Vaughn, author of amazing books such as Fated, and Fragmented is my Author Saturday Spotlight today. I am thrilled! When I finished Vespertine (co-authored with Leta Blake) I had to have her on my blog!! She is an outstanding writer and after the interview I can easily say a wonderful person as well!

Let's take a look at some of her work, the interview, and the terrific giveaway!!

Two towns flank the looming Shadow Mountain. A dark myth of the Predator drifts through the dense trees, a tale Police Lieutenant Hart never paid much attention to. When one unresolved death follows another—some people dying without discernible cause while others are clearly, and often brutally, murdered—he can't ignore it any longer. Truth may lie in myth, but this one is spread to deceive everyone. The Predator exists, but he's not entirely human. Hart will have to find the connection between the mysterious figure and victims with only one thing in common: a faint tattoo on the backs of their necks, a mark left when someone healed their incurable diseases.

Isaac Lasko has been in love with Hart since he moved in across the street seven years ago. He’s been helping Hart renovate his home, and their friendship grows more intense with the years, but Isaac can't help wishing for a deeper bond. When he finally breaks through the lieutenant's armor, the mystery surrounding the Predator threatens them both. Help will come, but at a price.

Pastry chef and bakery owner Jason Wood bakes a mean chocolate soufflé, yet his love life keeps falling flat. He’d blame his past if he wasn’t trying so hard to avoid it.

When his family’s farmhouse burns to the ground, he’s summoned to identify a body found in the ashes. Jason returns to Hancock, Michigan, and reunites with a childhood friend, small town vet Henry McCavanaugh. After fifteen years apart, their rekindled friendship soon develops into much more. But Jason’s baggage threatens their blossoming romance, and he leaves town unannounced to escape his feelings—and Henry’s feelings for him. He has learned the hard way if something seems too good to be true, it’s best to run for the hills. Jason stress-bakes more confections than he knows what to do with before wondering if he’s running in the wrong direction.

Can a priest and a rock star obey love's call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld's childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper's calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He's determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky's careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past's lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

INTERVIEW

Thank you, Indra, for being here today as my Saturday author spotlight! I am fairly new to your books

But have quickly come to love your style. I have some questions for you today and I hope you don’t find them to be too terrible.

Thank you so much for inviting me on your blog! I’m glad you like my style *smooths cravat*

I’m going to start with Vespertine. I’m curious how you came up with that name for the title and the significance you feel it has on the story?

It’s odd how words sometimes jump out and stick with you, isn’t it? I first read about ‘Vespers’ in Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose when I was twelve or so, and always thought it sounded so pretty. Then years later I loved the song Vespertine by a Belgian singer called Ozark Henry. When  Leta Blake and I came up with the plot for this book, we agreed it would be a very fitting title.

Co-Authors always intrigue me. How does it work? For example do you each write one character and then kind of sew it all together? Or is there something else to it?

There are several ways to co-write, but the way we did it was I wrote Jasper’s POV and then Leta more or less followed with Nicky’s POV. Sometimes she’d get ahead of me and I’d fill in the gaps, and visa versa. It worked really well, actually. I think our styles mesh well enough that we gave the characters distinct voices without it being jarring.

You have a talent for unrequited love. Before you wrote was this a major trope that you were always drawn to, or was it that you wanted more of it so you said, “I’m just going to rock this trope.” ?

I adore UST and unrequited love. It’s one of my favorite tropes, probably because I love angst so much :)

It all starts with a plot bunny. With your process how does it go from start to finish?

It really depends on the book. With Vespertine Leta and I brainstormed a LOT. We have enough backstory to pour into another book, maybe two, and an additional plot bunny that has nothing to do with Nicky or Jazz anymore. The characters grew along with the emails, as did their troubles, their worlds, and their loved ones. It very much began with the idea of “priest and rockstar” though. While sometimes a character will just pop into my head that needs a story, or sometimes I’ll have a perfect setting and the book will grow from there.

What’s the most frustrating and the most rewarding part of being an author?

The writing and the writing :D.

Your series Shadow Mountain, will there be any more books to this series? If so do you have a number lol. 

There will be a  third book but it might take a while because real life is happening. I also have one third of Julian and Mauro’s story, and a spin-off with Teddy from the second book. So that’s three more books so far, and who knows what happens after that!

What are some of the biggest risks you take as an author and do you feel those risks have helped your writing and your career?

It feels like a risk just to start a book. It’s a huge time investment and juggling family life and day job makes time a precious commodity. There is no guarantee the book will work out, or that a publisher will want it if it does get finished, or that readers will like it/buy it if it does get published.

There’s the emotional risk too, I think. You pour pieces of your heart into every story and just letting it loose on the world feels like a big chance to take.

Can you tell us what you are currently working on?

I am editing a book called Patchwork Paradise with Riptide Publishing, which should release some time in April, and then there is another project I’m tinkering away on which involves a farmer and a hipster in Louisiana. I also have a Christmas Novella coming out in November!

Are you going to be attending any conferences this year or in 2016?

Oh I wish, but I just changed jobs and they won’t let me take any vacation *pouts*

I’m going to try to get away for the UK Meet, but I’m not sure it will work. I’m hoping for either GRL or RT in 2017 though…

How can your readers follow your books and your career? Twitter, Facebook, Website…

Sure! I’m on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/indra.vaughn.7) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/VaughnIndra). I have a website but it’s, err, very very not up to date *hangs head* (www.indravaughn.com)

Thank you, Indra. It’s been a wonderful pleasure!

Thank you for having me!

GIVEAWAY

Indra Vaughn will gift one person any one of her ebooks.

Simply enter the rafflecopter below. Contest runs until

October 30th! Winner will be contacted via email.

Thank you to Indra for being here today!!!

Good luck all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway