Friday 22 June 2012

My Friday Fantastic Feature



Happy Friday, Friends! Hope you all had a great week. Today, I'm delighted to have Julia Crane, the author of the Young Adult paranormal book series Keegan Chronicles. hanging out with me. 

 About the author:

Julia Crane is the author of the YA paranormal fiction novels: Keegan's Chronicles, Mesmerized and Eternal Youth. Julia was greatly encouraged by her mother to read and use her imagination, and she's believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Julia has traveled far and wide to all the places her grandmother told her about, gaining inspiration from her journeys to places like Nepal, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Italy, France and many more. And who knows? Maybe the magical creatures she writes about are people she met along the way.

Julia Crane has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Although she's spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children. 

CeCe: Welcome, Julia. It's great to have you here. Please tell us a little about yourself.

Julia: Thanks for having me. Every time I hear/read “Tell us a little about yourself,” it reminds me of being in school when you had to stand up and tell the class your name and something about you. I was beyond shy growing up, so that was always dreaded! Let’s see. I’m a young adult author, married with three children—two teens and a toddler. We currently live in Dubai, and I am so pleased to have made my dream of writing a reality.

CeCe: Which project are you currently promoting? 


Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles
 
Book Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends--she's an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans.

In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known.
 An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?



 CeCe: How did you come up with the book titles Conflicted, Consumed and Co-exist?

Julia: Usually, when I’m trying to come up with a title, I find the word that I think is the main theme of the book, and then I open a thesaurus and make a list of synonyms. From there, I narrow it down. I never intended the books to all start with C, but once I thought of Conflicted, I decided to keep the same first letter.

 
CeCe: Your book covers are an absolute treat. May I ask who designed them for you?

Julia: Thanks! I am so lucky. I have found so many great artists to work with. Kadri Umbleja did the image manipulation, and Christine from Flip City Covers did the fonts, back and spine.

CeCe: Let’s talk about the main character in Keegan’s Chronicles? Tell us a little about Keegan. How old is she? Her astrological sign? Her hobbies...

Julia: Keegan starts the series out at the age of 16 and turns 18 in the last book, and she’s a Libra. On her birthday, a big event takes place. I don’t want to give away a spoiler, but it’s a matter of life and death. 

CeCe: How difficult was it creating this character?

Julia: It wasn’t very difficult. I have a teenage daughter, and I took a lot of characteristics for the character from her and her friends.
 
CeCe: How difficult was it doing the research for this project? 

Julia: I know this sounds odd, but I really didn’t research. I don’t think I’ve ever read an elf book before. I did google light/dark elves, but there wasn’t a ton of information. I had the story in my head and just sat down and wrote it.

CeCe: Are you working on any other project at the moment?

Julia: Too many projects it seems. I just finished Anna, which is a spin off from Keegan’s Chronicles. I’m in the revision stage of a co-written project with Talia Jager called Dark Promise. I’ve been taking notes on two upcoming novels, and I plan to start one this month. One will be about Lauren, a character from Keegan’s Chronicles, and the other is a new series about water sprites.

CeCe: Please share with us the book you are reading currently.

Julia: Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James. It’s great, I’m totally sucked in already.

CeCe: What do you do when you are not writing? 

Julia: Hang out with my husband and kids, walk, bike rides, read and try not to eat too many carbs.
 
CeCe: I try to minimise my carbs intake as well. Can't say I'm very successful though.. haha. Where can readers and fans find you online?

www.juliacraneauthor.com

Amazon

Nook

iBooks

Want to know more about Julia, her current projects or what she is generally up to? Please hope over to her website. 


Have a great weekend!