Interview with Amanda Hocking & Switched giveaway

Please join me in welcoming Amanda Hocking here, author of My Blood Approves vampire series and the new Trylle trilogy.

Amanda's here to tell us more about the second book in her Trylle Trilogy, Torn, following my review of Switched which I rate a 4.5/5  - and Amanda's giving away 2 ebooks of Switched, which you can enter after the interview.

Amanda, could you tell us more about yourself?
I'm a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, I write young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance. The first two book in the new paranormal romance the Trylle Trilogy - Switched  and Torn - are out now, and the third book - Ascend - will be out Fall 2010. The first four books in her series - My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, and Wisdom - are available now.

When did you start writing?

As soon as I could write. When I was little, I used to fill up notebooks with story. I was always writing.

How long did it take you to write Switched and Torn?

It took roughly 2 weeks to write Switched, and 3 weeks to write Torn.

Where did you get the inspiration from for characters? -and how did you come up with the titles?

It depends. But I specifically wrote the character of Oren in Torn based on Michael Wincott, on the off chance the series get turned into a movie so Michael Wincott can play him. He’s the ultimate villain.

What is your favorite book you've written, and who's your favorite character?

I don’t know if he’s my all time favorite, but I really like Loki in Torn. I usually like the bad guys, and I’m plugging Oren hardcore from Torn. 

What's your favorite food?

Japanese food and sushi. I love seafood. And Sweet Tarts and Red Bull if they count as food.

Would you choose chocolate or books?

Books, but I’m not big into chocolate, so it was a no brainer, ha.

When you're not writing, who are your favorite authors and genre?

Lately, I’ve been on a re-reading craze. So I’ve been re-reading Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Bret Easton Ellis, J. D. Salinger, and Douglas Adams. I also read a lot of graphic novels (I’m crazy about Batman, but I love anything Alan Moore or Jeph Loeb do). In the paranormal romance, I love Rachelle Mead and Claudia Gray. I’m not big into fairies, but I did like Wonderous Strange. Oh, and I really love Shakespeare. It’s cliché, but true.

Any future plans for books?

Millions. Too many to list. I have a YA series about witches starting next month with Honalee.

Could you also tell us more about Torn?

Torn is the dark middle child of the Trylle trilogy. It’s a lot of growing pains as Wendy matures and takes more control of her life. Her romantic life gets more complicated. Some questions get answered, and some new ones get asked. 

To be in with a chance of winning one of 2 ebooks of Switched, the first in the Trylle series, 
Please leave a meaningful comment and then......

 Enter here! Giveaway has now ended and is pending communication from Amanda, sorry for the delay folks.

Amanda's blog is here 

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: July 2010
ISBN: 1453688935 available in ebook format also
Author's website: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/

Rating 4.5/5

The jacket on this is gorgeous!  I really, really love the shades used, and it's simplicity blended with the unusual font for the title on the cover.  To start with, I found Wendy, the main character very childish, she has temper tantrums and doesn't act her age...reflectively this is more to do with the fact she knows something is not right, and a huge part of that has got to be because her mother tried to kill her on her sixth birthday, which is the horrifying start to the story which had me want to keep reading more.  What mother could possibly want to murder her own child?! I just didn't get it....but it was enough to keep me wrapped in the book from the start, and didn't disappoint when the reason finally came to light.

Switched is about discovery, coming home, learning, acceptance, and letting go.  I found it stepped outside the boundaries of what I expected.  Trolls are normally depicted as ugly, grotesque, snot fueled  little people who have no manners or consideration.  This certainly is not the case in Switched, and this really adds to the charm of the story.  Trolls here live in beautifully kept abodes, the main troll habitat in the book is very vividly described, I felt as if I was there, looking around in awe at the gorgeousness of everything inside (and no, I'm not going to tell you what's there...I don't want to spoil the view for you!).  The trolls are like nothing I've read about troll wise before, which is very refreshing.

The characters are believable.  Wendy, the main character, acts like a completely spoilt brat for the first part of the story, in an attempt to gain approval and attention. Her character goes through so much, both emotionally and mentally.  It's depicted and described really well.  Finn, the smoldering, seemingly moody and abrupt character from the start, evolves into a really kind considerate protector, surprisingly most of the way through the story, Finn has managed to keep his distance and his talents and emotions stay in check as he fights to keep within the heirachy of their world.  I found the heirachy and monarchy to be very interesting, and a really essential part of how the characters came together and worked together.  The tension between characters is really well done.

There's a few really good twists, in both the plot, and the characters which I didn't see coming.  I found this to be an absorbing read, and it actually had me in tears in a few places.  I enjoyed the action and fighting scenes, and the emotional twists that Wendy was subjected to throughout the book.  I can't wait to read and review Torn which is on my to-be-read pile!  Torn has just gone live to buy today through Amazon and other sources.

Synopsis from Amazon:
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it. 

For a limited time only, Switched is $0.99 on Amazon.com



Source: Author, with thanks.