Sunday, December 16, 2012

VBT - Interview with Charles Sheehan-Miles with a contest

Interview with Charles Sheehan-Miles.

Welcome to Romance Book Craze Charles. I am happy to have your here.

What inspired you to write your first book?

When I was in the seventh grade, I wrote a horrible fan-fic novel based loosely off Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series. I was a huge fan of her work, and at that time, in the mid eighties, DAW books published a series of fan written short stories based on her world. I so much wanted to be part of that.

Later on, in my senior year in high school, I wrote my first full length novel, which was inspired by the breakup of my circle of friends during junior year. It went like this: one person slept with the other person (the wrong person) and then drama, and then more people slept with the wrong people, and my group of friends splintered and fell apart. The novel, loosely based off that group of friends, centered on the idea of one of them secretly being a psychotic killer. Yes, really.

By that time, I knew I wanted to be writer full time one day.

How much of the book is realistic?

I try for realism in my books as much as possible. A Song for Julia is grounded in a number of real life themes and problems many of us deal with: autism, family stress, rebellion against parents. The settings are as real as I could make them, and given that the book was set in 2002, I was careful to set it as accurately as possible.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

This wasn’t a message book. However, it’s impossible to divorce my beliefs, my life experience, my emotions from what I write. I write about things that matter to me. In this case, it was the nature of love, of self protection and isolation, depression, suicide, autism.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished reading Miss Me Not by Tiffany King, which I highly recommend. It’s a young adult novel dealing with themes of suicide, among other things, but she handles them very sensitively. I love her work.

Next up is Sophie’s Choice, which I’m told is a massive tearjerker, and was a gift from a Secret Santa. I can’t wait to get started on it. I’m mentally preparing to write my next book, which is going to be both difficult and emotional, so I need to get in the write space for it.

Who is your favorite author and what do you like about them?

It’s impossibly to pick just one. I read very widely. In the last year, that’s been indies (or former indies) like Colleen Hoover (who I LOVE!), YA authors including John Green and Gayle Forman (both made me cry like a baby), Timothy Hallinan, who wrote a fantastic series of thrillers based in Thailand, many others. Occasionally I’ll read nonfiction, mostly military history, and I love historical fiction: my favorite series was Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome (because her characterization is fantastic!) and John Jakes’s North and South trilogy (Jakes tells stories of historical events in a way that is absolutely grounded in humanity). In short, I’m all over the place.





Blurb
Everyone should have something to rebel against.Crank Wilson left his South Boston home at sixteen to start a punk band and burn out his rage at the world. Six years later, he’s still at odds with his father, a Boston cop, and doesn’t ever speak to his mother. The only relationship that really matters is with his younger brother, but watching out for Sean can be a full-time job. The one thing Crank wants in life is to be left the hell alone to write his music and drive his band to success.

Julia Thompson left a secret behind in Beijing that exploded into scandal in Washington, DC, threatening her father's career and dominating her family's life. Now, in her senior year at Harvard, she's haunted by a voice from her past and refuses to ever lose control of her emotions again, especially when it comes to a guy.

When Julia and Crank meet at an anti-war protest in Washington in the fall of 2002, the connection between them is so powerful it threatens to tear everything apart.




Prize Info:

Charles is offering one commenter from this stop a digital copy of JUST REMEMBER TO BREATHE. All you have to do is comment with your email and your entered. Winner will be chosen on 12/24 and announce shortly thereafter.

Charles is also offering one commenter throughout the tour a grand prize of a $250 Amazon gift card. This winner will be chosen and announced on 12/26. Just fill out the rafflecopter below to enter.

3 comments:

  1. My daughter is writing a novel. Great advice here to pass on. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wish I remembered what I wrote in high school! Alas, I wrote so much, it was a wonder I remembered anything at all!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like an interesting book. The story from high school sounds interesting too. Are we ever going to get to read it? Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete

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