Welcome to the three hundred and seventy-sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with YA fantasy / paranormal author L Filloon. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.
M: Hello. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.
L: Hi! I’m currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and have been here for the last 17 years. I’ve been writing since I can remember, but didn’t really get serous until much later in life. As a child I would make up short stories, write poetry and then play them out… a theatre for one! I still have some of those stories and poetry and it’s bittersweet to read the thoughts and fantasies of the younger me. When I left the hotel business due to cutbacks I decided to sit and finally put some endings to the many unfinished works from years past. The Binding is my first completed published work. It’s now available as eBook on Amazon.com.
M: “a theatre for one” I love that. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?
L: Typically I write urban young adult fantasy / paranormal. I do have a work in progress for middle-grade readers about a boy name Thomas Kane. It’s very exciting and I can’t wait to get back to it. Currently, I am working on the second book to The Binding (not yet titled).
M: Tell us about ‘The Binding’ (wonderful cover, by the way). 
L: I’m so excited about the release! It’s been a crazy road of promotions, marketing, reviews, interviews and social media interactions with readers and other writers. I am having so much fun sharing the book, along with receiving feedback and reactions from readers have been just amazing!
The Binding is set in modern day with a fantasy twist. Lily Michaels was born and raised in San Diego. She’s never been further than the surrounding cities until the night she was attacked, by no other than her brother who disappeared four years ago. It was the attack that brought Tharin Lunar crashing into her world, literally. Since then, she discovers that, of course, her brother still lives, but is trying to kill her; she’s a Halfling elf who is not only the rightful heir to the throne of the Willow Clan, but is betroth to Tharin, the young Sidhe prince who saved her. From the moment of their meetings Lily and Tharin have been staying one step ahead of assassins, warlocks, ogres and trolls. Not to mention trying to stay balanced from their own roller coaster feelings for one another.
It is fun, it is fast pace action and adventure, and just beneath the surface of this story is a tale of first love. It is absolutely wonderful!
M: Fast pace is so important (and hard to do). It sounds great. You mentioned a follow up…
L: My next release will be the follow-up to The Binding. It is currently untitled but it continues the story of Lily and Tharin.
M: Readers love series… agents have told me they love series. Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?
L: Actually, it’s not so much that I am listening to music, or the television, it’s about not being distracted by silence. For me, if there is not something going on in the background in my household, something is amiss. I am then bound to stop writing, or even thinking of my next sentence, get up and search the house for the reason why it’s so quite.
When I do listen, however, Adele and Sam Cooke are favourites to listen to, but I usually like the old school, like The Drifters, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Manhattans. I also like to listen to old souls; Phil Collins, Joss Stone, Aerosmith and many more. These classics have old souls that ease my own.
M: Are you a morning person or night person?
L: Definitely night. I seem to be able to write in the late hours that eventually turn into dusk. The house is quiet except for whatever is on TV. The refrigerator is fully loaded with Dr. Pepper and Haagen Daz strawberry ice cream. I can hear the snoring of my husband and cats…all in tune with what’s on the TV. It’s perfect time for writing!
M: I’m the opposite (and live up to my name). I’d rather get up early (although recently it’s been both). 
Going off track a little (not like me at all), say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
L: Ireland! I have been dreaming of going to Ireland since I first saw a picture of it in a book during my senior year in high school. I still remember the moment and the feeling I had when I saw that picture. It was a traveling book that belong to our ASB secretary (Associated Student Body), Mrs. Barrett. She left it on her desk opened to a picture of a green, I mean the purest of green, rolling hillside that spread across two pages of the book. The sky was a crisp crystal blue and I remember feeling as if I could reach through the pages and be pulled in to find myself rolling down that grassy hill in the cool sunshine! I have been in love with the knowledge that someday I will visit that green place. A place called Eire.
M: I live in the next country along and I’ve never been! I’ve only ever been to Scotland once (Edinburgh mostly, and loved it) the year before last. So after The Binding’s follow-up, what then?
L: There is a middle grade series that I was working on after the completion of The Binding. It’s called Thomas Kane and…(not ready for public view). It’s a wonderful story and it’s still under wraps. However, it’s a fun adventure for young Thomas and his friends Sam, Emma and Lisme. It’s a five-book series and I’m anxious to get back to working on it. However, I have been pleasantly surprise to receive so many emails asking for the follow up to The Binding. So, until the yet to be titled follow up is completed, Thomas Kane will have to sit patiently until I call upon him and his friends to take me off to another adventure!
M: That’s great! I had a lovely email recently from a young lady (<13) asking for a follow-up to my short story April’s Fool and I’d not thought of going any further but it’s one of my favourites so I will do something. Do you have a favourite quote or saying?
L: I have learned so much since publishing The Binding. Some good, some not so good. And when the not so good happens it can be pretty daunting. However, I’ve learned to roll with the punches and keep moving forward. You just can’t please everyone and in the end, you have to write YOUR story. Although The Binding was published in December of 2011, it’s still in its infancy in regards to promotion and marketing. I have been fortunate so far with solid reviews and good feedback that sometimes is not in the positive. I haven’t received any harsh reviews, yet, but when they come I will continue to remind myself of an old Japanese proverb. Even monkeys fall out of trees.
M: You definitely do have to keep an open mind. I’d received a 4* on Goodreads for Feeding The Father then a 1* from a woman saying she was glad it was free and that it had put her off reading anything else of mine, which is obviously a shame but I found it quite funny (and even clicked the ‘like’ button) that my writing could make someone feel so strongly. But she read it. I write to be read, and because there’s nothing more I’d rather be doing. How do we find you online?
L: I do have a blog at www.lfilloon.blogspot.com, which I’m terrible about keeping current, but I do my best. I currently do not have a website, but its in the works. However, you can reach me at my blog or on Facebook.
M: Thank you.
I then invited an extract of her writing and this is an excerpt from THARIN…
“It’s only a scratch, why did she collapse?” asks Tolan. I shake my head unsure.
“I don’t know,” I reply. “She passed out at the sight of you, rather than from any wound that I can see.”
“Well, that’s not very flattering…considering, I’m better looking than you are,” Tolan says, searching her face. “She is beautiful. She doesn’t seem to have her height, but she has her mother’s coloring. She’s definitely Senestra’s daughter. Her brother being here further confirms it.”
“Thanks to you, he didn’t kill her. I suppose Velesi owes you a debt, brother.” There is this feeling of a connection with her. That feeling suddenly pisses me off. I don’t want anything more to do with her except for what’s needed for Velesi.
“And you, you also owe me a debt,” says Tolan breaking into my thoughts. After a moment he quietly adds, “You know that Kalis was never meant to be in your future.”
I lift the girl up and feel a pang of guilt in my handling of her earlier. Upon closer inspection, I can see her pale skin, clear and flawless. I look at the pink scratch under her eye. It fills me with surprising rage. It’s just a cut, why am I so outraged? Is it because of the thought of Lucas attempting to kill his own sister, who was unarmed and innocent? Innocent? I think about that for a moment. Maybe, but she’s still Lucas’ sister.
L. Filloon has been writing since she was a young girl growing up in Oahu, Hawaii. She’s kept journals of her writing from a young age and has only shared them with her eldest daughter Tia. It wasn’t until two years ago she decided to take her writing more seriously and began writing about young adult fantasy stories. Although she has files full of stories from young warriors in Ancient China, to young adults paranormal of angels and demons, to the fantasy realms of elves, ogres and trolls her first published work is The Binding now out on Amazan.com.
Ms. Filloon currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her soul mate Anthony, daughter Tia, son Michael and staying in touch with her daughter Andrea in Phoenix, Arizona via texting or on FaceBook. Her two cats Cobie and Ralphie are the bane of her existence. She keeps threatening to toss them to the Silver Wolves of Velesi, but they rub themselves against her with soft meows and they are safe… for another day. And she’s mentioned this interview on her blog.
If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the questions. You complete them, I tweak them where appropriate (if necessary to reflect the blog ‘clean and light’ rating) and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.
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Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them) on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.
Jaidis Shaw currently resides in a small town located in South Carolina with her husband and beautiful daughter. With a passion for reading, Jaidis can always be found surrounded by books and dreaming of new stories. She enjoys challenging herself by writing in different genres and currently has several projects in the works.
I’m a big fan of titles and whilst this didn’t grab me it certainly intrigued me, especially with the various connotations of ‘cruiser’ (or that could be a British thing).
Linda Varner Palmer has been writing for as long as she can remember. In 1989, she sold her first romance to Silhouette Books, writing as Linda Varner. She wrote twenty more over the next ten years, with all being translated and sold worldwide. She was an RWA Rita finalist in 1993 and 1996. After taking a break, Linda is at her computer again, writing e-books as Linda Palmer. She is focusing on teen romances with a paranormal twist and is thrilled to announce sales to e-publishers Uncial Press, Sugar and Spice Press and Wild Horse Press. Linda’s YA novel THE CINDERELLA SWAP won the Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition’s (EPIC) 2011 award in the YA category. Another YA novel, NIGHTMARE, INTERRUPTED, won the 2012 award. Visit her website: 
Joanna: I’m Joanna Penn, British, living in London, England but I have spent the last 11 years in Australia and New Zealand. I always wanted to be a novelist but I was blocked for many years thinking I needed to write literary fiction in the style of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. Finally, in 2009, I joined NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and that kickstarted the ideas for my first novel, Pentecost. Now I have the fiction bug!
Joanna: I don’t have an agent and haven’t looked for one as yet. In terms of success, it depends how you define it. If you want a physical book in Waterstones, Piccadilly, then yes, you probably need an agent. But for me, success means connecting with readers and making more income than a standard author advance, which I have achieved. Pentecost has now sold over 30,000 copies and Prophecy has been selling well since I launched in February.
For Pentecost, I tracked the bones of the Apostles to their resting places around the ancient world in order to find stones that could have been empowered by the events of Pentecost. In Prophecy, I expanded on the apocalyptic verses in the book of Revelation and combined that with eugenics to create a doomsday scenario. So the religious aspects act as an idea catalyst which I combine with a modern day thriller. The books are not Christian but equally are not offensive to Christians. It’s a hard line to tread but an edge I enjoy walking.
Cher: I was able to keep both novellas’ titles. On the covers, I had the final say, but I only had two choices. Basically, the artist created one, and then, with my feedback, created a second. In both cases, I loved the second cover. I’m very impressed with both. Both titles and covers are very important for the sale of a book. These are the first two things most readers see. The next two important factors are the back blurb and the first few pages (sometimes paragraphs).
A soft breeze stirred the curtains. The tick-tock of the old grandfather clock magnified, building to a roar. Then, an eerie silence settled over the room, voiding Constance’s moment of anticipation. Dropping her shoulders, she blew out the candles and shuffled toward the kitchen.
Cher Green, born in Tennessee, lives in South Carolina with her significant other and her two feline companions. She writes in many genres, spanning from horror to romance, usually with a touch of paranormal. When she isn’t writing, she’s delivering mail for the United States Postal Service. Cher also works as an editor, both for various publishing companies and freelance. Her other interests include spiritual development, tarot cards, and reading.
Also available as ebooks are a short story collection called Dark Tides; a single short story about pirates, witches and selkies set on Hilbre Island, called Spanish Jones; and two collections of mostly-previously-published poetry, Entering the Grove and Threads. All can be found on 
Adele: There are no absolute favourites, though Tamsin’s down-to-earth, independently-minded character came easily. Rowan, who is poetic, scholarly and aloof, was even easier and a huge amount of fun to write. Morgan is enigmatic, powerful and elegant; charm with a core of steel, and while Bethany Rose is just as powerful a magician she is much warmer and conventionally girly.
Adele Cosgrove-Bray is the author of Tamsin, the first in a series of dark urban fantasy novels about the lives of a community of artisan-sorcerers set in Liverpool. The sequel, Rowan, is available as an eBook with paperback format due late March 2012.
Charlene: I was labelled a writer when I was 16. I’d write short stories about dreams I had and shared them with my friends. One of the favourites was a little story called Misty Moon. I was shocked when a few years ago I ran into an acquaintance I hadn’t seen since my youth. Honestly, I didn’t remember her until she reminded me that she was a friend of a friend. She had been invited to a church youth function and evidently on the way (it was an hour drive to the dance), I shared my stories… as usual. Well, she was all smiles and told me she remembered Misty Moon and actually told the story to her children at story time before bed. I was floored and a little shy about it all. She asked if I still wrote and, of course, I had to tell her about my published work.
Cornerstone Deep Echoes was dedicated to my daughters. If there is anyone who might go without that little extra attention during revisions, edits, meeting deadlines, etc., it’s them. And they supported me wholeheartedly with encouragement, quiet time, and—dare I say this out loud?—cooking and helping each other. I love them with my whole soul.
Complementing my daily blog interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the forty-first, of romantic suspense (occasionally with a touch of paranormal or mystery) writer 
Looking back, I think my one-track mind begins like this: some people sleep walk. I sleep write. A story comes unbidden in the night. Beginning and end. In the morning I write. For instance, Reconstructing Charlie starts briefly in a small town in Minnesota, a state I know nothing about. I always write about mature women. Uh uh. Not this time. The girl I see in my sleep is fifteen, gutsy, strong, and fiercely loyal to her mother. I see a drunken father, trouble, the girl’s mother packing a suitcase and writing a letter to unknown relatives in Chicago on Lake Shore Drive. She tells the daughter to run for the last bus. I wake and think, Chicago, my hometown. Lake Shore Drive not too familiar, but there’s always the Internet for research.
Chris lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids and various animals. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works part time for her local hospital. Her books include ‘A View to a Kilt’, a humorous romantic suspense and the explosive thriller ‘Blonde Demolition’.
I liken watching me write, or what’s going on in my head when I’m writing, with watching Bode Miller ski. He skis without finesse, as fast as he can, and is one nanosecond away from a fall, but he manages to reach the bottom of the hill. Same with me. I careen here and there, but manage to put together a cohesive book.
I think I’ve decided on which one. It will be another thriller like Blonde Demolition. I enjoy writing them because they are fun and interesting. I know if I get bored during the writing process, it means the reader will get bored also. Then I need the plot to twist around and I have renewed energy to finish the book.
