Guest Post:: Amy Lignor on the Expectations of a Writing in a Popular Genre + Giveaway!

 Happy Friday, Everyone! Today, I'm delighted to introduce you to Amy Lignor, the author of the Angel Chronicles series. The first book in the series is Until Next Time is now available. Paranormal and supernatural romances are virtually everywhere from our library and bookstore shelves. Some may have almost an identical cover or even book description where the only change seems to be the character's names. I can only imagine the obstacles authors who want to pursue this genre face. I asked Amy about these high expectations and how she works past them. Be sure to check out the giveaway information at the bottom of this post for your chance to win a copy of Amy's book!


 What expectations and/or pressures do you face with writing in a highly popular genre and how do you deal with them?

   Before this ‘jump’ into YA, I concentrated mainly on historical fiction. I love doing research about famous characters throughout history, as well as events - real and legendary - of fantastical treasures, and the good and ‘evil’ that happened in our past. Tallent & Lowery is my largest project. This is a seven-book series that’s basically along the lines of Indiana Jones meets The DaVinci Code, and it’s a great deal of fun. My mother is a research librarian, so I think I got that ‘gene’ from her, being able to take completely different facts from the past and finding a way to combine them into a mystery for a reader to really sink their teeth into.

   YA, as far as the pressure you face, is astronomical. Let’s face it, YA is now the largest and most popular genre in the world. When J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter she didn’t end up with a series of books, she wrote herself into history. Then, with the huge outpouring of love for the ‘fanged ones’ that seemed to begin full-force when Twilight turned into a phenomenon, even attempting to write a unique YA seems almost impossible. There are so many titles out there right now that young adults have actually formed fan clubs for, and the characters have become household names.

   I am having fun watching the ‘winged ones’ appear more forcefully and try to unseat the vamps. I took a chance with my series because I truly wanted to do something that went down a different path. It still has adventure, romance, characters that are trying to keep their faith in each other while buried in a world that’s intent on tearing them apart, but I wanted to move away from the ‘fallen’ angel category and begin with some truly innocent souls.

   I wanted to know, if there was an angel/warrior team that’d trained and worked for the express purpose of coming here and saving humans, would they even stay? Human emotions are the hardest things in the world to learn and be able to live with. I mean, romance, anger, hate, fear, evil, heartache, true love - these are subjects that are hard enough for a human to deal with on a daily basis, let alone a being that’s never experienced any of them before. I certainly wanted to make Emily and Matt a team that readers would love and want to see more of, and get them involved with a romance that was completely unexpected, but I also wanted to make characters that were new to YA fiction. Hence…the fear.

  All passionate readers are extremely loyal to the characters they love, so all I can do is hope and have faith that people will see the mystique of this team when they see themselves in Emily and Matt. We’ve all faced these emotions, so it’s interesting to see how Emily and Matt deal with them.

Expectations I have? I’m hoping not to get too much hate mail because I have a daughter who’s very proud of me…and Book II is completed. :)  But I’ll just have to wait and see.

Until Next Time, Everybody.

Amy 

   Thank you for stopping by, Amy. I think readers will be curious to see angels as innocent souls. I'm always intrigued on how much we focus on humanity when we're discussing the supernatural. I wish you the best of luck with your series! 

 How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

More information about Amy and her Angel Chronicle Series: 

 Find Amy on her website, blog, Facebook , Twitter, and Goodreads.

 The Angel Chronicles website & The Angel Chronicles Facebook page

To purchase Until Next Time: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, PDF buy link

GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED.

Posted in: Giveaway, Guest Post, Writers, writing, YA