Two-for-one today! I would like to welcome Matt Lazar and Amanda Thomas, authors of Warrior Girl
. I loved this book and you can see my review here.
About Warrior Girl:
The Questions:
Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?
Amanda: My daily reality is my writing and I have a very comfortable place to write. I have often said that I do a lot of my writing when I am away from my desk when I get the inspiration for the work I do. I love to fantasise about different scenarios and different ideas that will produce something that hopefully people will want to read! I make mental notes of the things I see and the people I meet to use at a later date. As a result my reality is a bit tenuous - I am a dreamer!
Matt: I started writing seriously when I worked in the library during college. My ideal writing space is open, but also quiet. Nowadays I sometimes take my laptop to my favorite coffee shop in Tulsa (Shades of Brown), which has a great atmosphere for getting work done and wonderful iced coffee.
What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about?
Amanda: The first story I remember writing was a story entitled ‘Jelaousy’ for a school assignment. I got 10 out of 10 and the teacher seemed very impressed. I met up with an old school friend recently and she reminded me that I used to sit in the back of class writing stories to order for my classmates working in their boyfriends and other events they wanted!
Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?
Amanda: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I love family sagas and recently saw the film made in 1994 with Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder and Kirsten Dunst - I was transfixed, the story has it all, innocence, suffering, tragedy, towering passion. It has not lost any of its magic!
Matt: Shogun by James Clavell is amazing. I read it when I was a kid and it made me fall in love with Japan.
If you could ask any writer (living or dead) a question, who would it be and what would you ask?
Matt: There are so many questions I'd like to ask James Clavell. If I could only ask him one, I'd ask how he fell in love with Asia and Japan, especially having been captured by the Japanese during World War II and improsined in Changi POW camp.
Amanda: I would ask Stephen King where he gets his continuing inspiration from; I love his writing and the detail he uses to bring his characters to life. Everything he writes is so satisfying to the reader who can identify with the individuals that he creates.
If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you want to visit or spend a day with?
Matt: I'd love to play WOW with Sun Hi.
Amanda: I would want to spend the day with Sun Hi, with maybe Marina tagging along for a bit of entertainment. Oh but then I would want to be with Carrie as well. It looks like it’s going to be a girls night out in Oxford!
What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?
Amanda: I love walking my dog particularly at the moment, in the snow. I get a lot of inspiration when I am walking, and bumping into other dog walkers stops me becoming a total recluse!
Matt: I like to play basketball.
What are you currently working on?
Amanda: I am currently working on two biographies. One is for a girl who had a chain of massage parlours in Australia and the other is for a man who was horribly abused in his childhood at various institutions he was sent to. Variety is the spice of life they say!
Matt: I'm developing a sequel to Warrior Girl, likely involving Elder Scrolls Online
About the Authors:
Find out more about Warrior girl at http://www.warriorgirlnovel.com/
. I loved this book and you can see my review here.About Warrior Girl:
A beautiful young Korean girl, Sun Hi Kim, is beginning her first year at Oxford University. Thousands of miles away from home for the first time, she struggles to adjust to a different culture.
Sun Hi befriends two English boys. Miles is a handsome final year student who is also captain of the Oxford rowing team. Adam, a first year student who is also a hunk, hero-worships Miles, his rowing idol. Sun Hi knows that she's naive and has never had a boyfriend, let alone an English boyfriend. Her first forays into desire very nearly end in disaster.
Between rowing, her studies, boys, and an arrogant roommate, Sun Hi often feels overwhelmed. Playing World of Warcraft is the one thing she can do to escape her problems, at least for a little while.
The Questions:
Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?
Amanda: My daily reality is my writing and I have a very comfortable place to write. I have often said that I do a lot of my writing when I am away from my desk when I get the inspiration for the work I do. I love to fantasise about different scenarios and different ideas that will produce something that hopefully people will want to read! I make mental notes of the things I see and the people I meet to use at a later date. As a result my reality is a bit tenuous - I am a dreamer!
Matt: I started writing seriously when I worked in the library during college. My ideal writing space is open, but also quiet. Nowadays I sometimes take my laptop to my favorite coffee shop in Tulsa (Shades of Brown), which has a great atmosphere for getting work done and wonderful iced coffee.
What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about?
Amanda: The first story I remember writing was a story entitled ‘Jelaousy’ for a school assignment. I got 10 out of 10 and the teacher seemed very impressed. I met up with an old school friend recently and she reminded me that I used to sit in the back of class writing stories to order for my classmates working in their boyfriends and other events they wanted!
Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?
Amanda: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I love family sagas and recently saw the film made in 1994 with Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder and Kirsten Dunst - I was transfixed, the story has it all, innocence, suffering, tragedy, towering passion. It has not lost any of its magic!
Matt: Shogun by James Clavell is amazing. I read it when I was a kid and it made me fall in love with Japan.
If you could ask any writer (living or dead) a question, who would it be and what would you ask?
Matt: There are so many questions I'd like to ask James Clavell. If I could only ask him one, I'd ask how he fell in love with Asia and Japan, especially having been captured by the Japanese during World War II and improsined in Changi POW camp.
Amanda: I would ask Stephen King where he gets his continuing inspiration from; I love his writing and the detail he uses to bring his characters to life. Everything he writes is so satisfying to the reader who can identify with the individuals that he creates.
If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you want to visit or spend a day with?
Matt: I'd love to play WOW with Sun Hi.
Amanda: I would want to spend the day with Sun Hi, with maybe Marina tagging along for a bit of entertainment. Oh but then I would want to be with Carrie as well. It looks like it’s going to be a girls night out in Oxford!
What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?
Amanda: I love walking my dog particularly at the moment, in the snow. I get a lot of inspiration when I am walking, and bumping into other dog walkers stops me becoming a total recluse!
Matt: I like to play basketball.
What are you currently working on?
Amanda: I am currently working on two biographies. One is for a girl who had a chain of massage parlours in Australia and the other is for a man who was horribly abused in his childhood at various institutions he was sent to. Variety is the spice of life they say!
Matt: I'm developing a sequel to Warrior Girl, likely involving Elder Scrolls Online
About the Authors:
Matt Lazar lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma and enjoys playing basketball in his spare time. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a master’s degree in liberal studies.
Follow Matt on Twitter.
Amanda Thomas is a well-traveled writer who currently lives in the English countryside with her husband. She also makes regular appearances on BBC radio.
Visit Amanda’s website.Find out more about Warrior girl at http://www.warriorgirlnovel.com/
Fabulous.
ReplyDelete