Indie-Licious Interview: Andrea Heltsley Devours us with Vampires! ~ IndieLicious

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Indie-Licious Interview: Andrea Heltsley Devours us with Vampires!

I’m a biologist turned writer. I write YA/NA paranormal romance books mainly. I’m the author of Devour and have several more books scheduled to come out later in 2013. I book blog for fun. I also have a strong addiction to caffeine and fruit snacks. You can find me in Tennessee with my husband and two Italian greyhounds.

If you ask anyone, I’m a total fangirl! I love the entertainment industry. I love Revenge and the Vampire Diaries on television. My favorite movies are Elektra and P.S. I Love You. I have a definite weakness for Tim Burton movies too. I’m beyond a huge fangirl for Shakira, both her English and Spanish music; Jack’s Mannequin comes in a close second. I have too many favorite authors to list, but Kelley Armstrong and Rachel Vincent are two of them. I’ve read all their books .

Andrea, welcome to our interview chair. It's a red vinyl chase, so put your feet up, relax, and let's get started. Hey, my husband and I both love Shakira. She really needs to come back into the limelight. But enough about her and more about YOU.
Sounds like you have a unique story on Vampires. Let's find out a little more about Devour.

1) Is this your first vampire story? Can you tell us what inspired you to write about these alluring creatures?

"This is my first vampire story. This was actually a spur of the moment book. I got the idea and ran with it. I wrote it in less than three months."

2) Can you give us your cast of characters if you were picking them for the movie?

"I honestly don't have one. I have images in my head, but no cast as of yet. That doesn't mean I won't have one in the future, though."

3) I see Devour is written in present tense. Do you have a preference for reading/writing in a certain tense? Tell us why you chose this tense at this time.

"I actually write most stuff in past tense, but this one I just felt needed to be portrayed in the present tense. This story was one that just begged to be written as if it was really happening."

4) What character in Devour has the most personality? Can you tell us about he/she?

"This is a tough one. I have to say Hannah. She's absolutely crazy. She's spoiled brat + lost her marbles crazy."

5) Have you given Callie any part of you? As sometimes we authors do.

"Callie is her own unique character. I created her separately from myself. That isn't always the case for me."

6) What books have most influenced your writing, if any?

"Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne inspired me to be descriptive. My love of Christopher Pike in high school inspired me to write paranormal."

7) Who is your all time favorite literary character, whether yours, or another author's?

"Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I LOVE her!"

8) What piece of advice would you give aspiring authors?

"Know the whole process of self publishing before you attempt it. Build connections, learn the industry."

He wasn’t supposed to remember.

Callie is a royal vampire. She hunts by taking the blood from her victims and erases their memories afterwards. She goes undetected until a victim named Chase approaches her with all his memories intact. He is intrigued and attracted. She is terrified. What happens when a human mixes with the immortal world? Chaos.

Callie’s 18th birthday has passed and she is coming out at the annual blood ball. Will she find a mate or will she suffer the repercussions of her indiscretion? She is brought to the Vampire council and they must decide what to do with Chase. Do they kill him, or turn him to protect their secret?

Excerpt:

Present day

I sit in the bed cross-legged and gently bang my head against the bars behind me. The sheets are stiff and scratchy. The pillow is flat and the room is sparse. The only amenities accessible are a bed and a small, basic bathroom. Fortunately, I don’t have to pee in public. That’s something, at least.

My hair feels stringier than usual and the desire to wash my face with something other than plain soap is strong. It’s hard to believe how much I actually miss the normal creature comforts I’m so accustomed to. I don’t think I’ll ever take them for granted again, if I live that is.

Things have gotten desperate. I never thought something like this could ever happen, let alone to me. Due to the bizarre set of circumstances, I’m being held for possible treason. The thought that anyone would ever purposely betray our kind is unthinkable and makes me shudder.

Then there’s the fact that this is dragging two royal families’ reputations through the mud. That means I have practically ruined four council members in the process. I can’t help but be ashamed of myself. It’s not really my fault, but that doesn’t change the situation.

Being royalty brings with it so many expectations to uphold, but being a teenage vampire is what really sucks. Ha, ha sucks. Anyways, I digress. I close my eyes and let my mind take me back to a time when things were simple, before him.