Silver Lightning Q&A with @AuthorWDarling

RW: Wendy . . . dahling, where are you from?

WENDY: I grew up in a tiny little caravan (trailer) in the south of England. My family migrated to South Africa when I was 12 and we lived there until I was 17 when we returned to England. When I was 30 and married with 2 wonderful daughters, my husband was ‘headhunted’ by a company in Chatsworth, California and we moved to the US in 1988.

RW: You’ve seriously gotten around. I moved around a lot as well, and I think that had a huge impact on who I am. Were you extroverted and a trying-to-fit-in type of kid?

WENDY: I was one of those quiet, shy kids who tried never to draw any attention to herself but my love of reading helped make me a sponge when it came to school – masses of free books to read about so many interesting subjects! Needless to say, English was my favourite subject and I was always the first in class to finish reading assignments!

RW: Okay, so we’re sounding a lot alike here. What got you into the Lit World as we know it here on LWI?

WENDY: My grandmother used to bring me bags of books from the Oxford University Press, where she worked. Reading became my lifeline and I started reading aloud to my two younger sisters at an early age. I often read until I was hoarse because they kept clamouring for ‘just one more chapter!’

The years went by and I read everything I could lay my hands on, wrote poetry and stories; often illustrating them too, read to my kids and tried to make a living. At that time of my life, I had decided I wanted to be a graphic designer or an actor so I started on a Theatre degree and took acting and voice lessons but finally decided to go with graphic design. As I love to read, write, and research, I also got a Paralegal Studies degree.

Life changed, as it has a habit of doing and what I’ve gone though over the last several years (I could write a library) finally took its toll. I moved in with my oldest daughter’s family where my amazingly patient son-in-law told me that maybe it was time to ‘regroup’ and work out exactly what I needed to do to be happy… and I knew exactly what that was. I needed to write. I needed to read. I needed to draw, and I needed to become independent.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Silver Lightning is a about a fifteen year old boy … November 15, 2014

By GiftofReading

Silver Lightning is a about a fifteen year old boy that finds a magic motorcycle. He becomes a hero of sorts, saving lives and stopping thieves in action. He has to be careful though. Only someone worthy can keep the bike. Plus, he has other teenage worries to sort out along the way.
I can see a young reader liking this book right away. I believe the three year rule applies to book. Since the hero is a fifteen year old, the targeted reader could be around twelve, give or take a couple of years.

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RW: Let’s move into why you’re here for a little bit. What inspired your debut novel Silver Lightning?

WENDY: Much like my character, Alex, I had a dream. I woke up one morning and the book was in my head, vivid and real, as if I’d been there and seen it all. Over the years of trying to just live and make a living Alex and the bike would occasionally pop into my head and say “Is it time to write our story yet?” and I would say “One day.” Until I finally woke up one morning and whispered “It’s time, guys.”

RW: Tell us a little about your book.

WENDY: Silver Lightning is either a book about a boy who finds a rather unusual motorbike OR it’s about a rather unusual motorbike who finds a boy. A boy it has been looking for for a very long time. Of course, it could be both. Yes… probably both.

RW: Silver Lightning falls into the Middle Grade Fantasy genre, why do you write in this particular genre?

WENDY: I’m actually a sci-fi/fantasy nerd. I love new worlds, futuristic tech, Doctor Who, Star Trek, and dragons (Ooh… LOVE dragons!). My long-term goal is to write an entirely new world like The Lord of the Rings or a world-within-a world, like Harry Potter. My thoughts on this subject haven’t really coalesced yet though so I may end up genre hopping or combining a bit while I settle down. Do hope that doesn’t confuse readers too much!

RW: With that bit of information, who are your favorite authors?

WENDY: I love Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, and just about any sci-fi or fantasy writer who ever wrote anything, ever. I particularly like writers like Douglas Adams as I have a pretty weird sense of humour, as anyone who sees my Facebook posts can probably tell you!

RW: Anyone else afraid? Now tell us about your main character(s) and what you think will make them connect to readers.

WENDY: Alex is 15 years old when the story starts. He is a little like me; quiet and shy but with a lot of loud thinking going on under the surface. He is not a hero but has dreams of being one. Unbeknownst to him, there is a magical force out there who has been patiently waiting to help him become the type of hero he always wanted to be, deep down. Silver Lightning is a character in, and of, himself and I can’t say any more than that with a spoiler alert.

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5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK that took me back to my childhood where … October 11, 2014

By THELMA

I have written 3reviews and they ended in cyberspace. GREAT BOOK that took me back to my childhood where magic was real and to adulthood where the REAL IS MAGIC

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RW: What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?

WENDY: I learned that I can do whatever I have the passion to do! I’ve learned to quit wishing and keep working and I’ve learned that I’m nowhere near as good at it as I hoped I might be but also nowhere near as good at it as I’m going to be.

RW: That may be the most honest answer I’ve ever had. Well they have all been honest but this one just really laid it out there. Now for the tough one, describe your book in one word.

WENDY: If I MUST boil it down to one, single word it would probably be ‘compassion.’

RW: Where can we get your book now?

 You can find it on Amazon in ebook and physical form at

(U.S.): http://amzn.to/17Qe2fL

(UK): http://amzn.to/1C8bDbm

I still need to get ‘Silver Lightning’ ready for audio but, if there’s one thing stranger than hearing your own voice reading someone else’s book aloud it’s your own voice reading your own book! It’s proving a challenge but I promise to share a section with you all when I have faced those demons. Maybe I’ll have to set my dragons on them.

RW: Let’s get into my oddball questions.

RW: Okay, you continent cavorting . . . hmm, need a c word here? Ahh, creator. There we go. What is your favorite beverage to drink, any kind?

WENDY: Once upon a time it would have been red wine. Or margaritas. Or something else with alcohol in it. Now, it’s good, old-fashioned water. (Yes, I could write a book about that too!)

RW: All that build up I gave her and she gives me water? Not even flavored water, bottled water or like rain water? Water. Okay then. Dare I ask what is your getaway from writing? Will she say pencil making?

WENDY: Reading or… no, that’s it. Reading. Oh, and Netflix.

RW: I bet she puts the captions on so she can read the dialogue of the movie. What is your biggest tip for someone to getting published?

WENDY: Build your presence AHEAD of time! I didn’t. ‘Nuff said. LOL!

RW: What book are you  closed captioning at this time?

WENDY: I am trying to help out as many new or newer authors as I can by writing reviews. I just took a break from that and read J.S. Frankel’s YA ‘Catnip.’ Loved it and will be posting a review soon.

RW: Okay, had to go look at that one. Interesting premise. Like the cover and the title design. What other projects do you have to share with us and can you tell us a little about them?

WENDY: I am working concurrently on the second Silver Lightning book and also an adult sci-fi murder mystery. You’ll all know about it when they come out! LOL!

RW: Okay, before you answer further, there is another cool reason I have you here today and that is you do audio books. What do you have out there people might want to check out at the moment?

WENDY: I have 3 audio books completed with Amazon as well and 3 more in the pipeline which include Silver Lightning and the third and fourth in Nicolette Pierce’s ‘Nadia Wolf’ series. The third of the completed books is ‘Blood and Bane’ by CJ McKee and is a sci-fi fantasy about dragons!

If you’d like to hear some of my narration, here are the audios out now or in the next couple of weeks; you can click on the ‘Listen’ link below the product picture.

Narration: The Big Blind by Nicolette Pierce (1^st in a series of 4): http://amzn.to/1yKczDl

Narration: High Stakes by Nicolette Pierce (2^nd in series of 4):       http://amzn.to/17yoMPR

Narration: Blood and Bane The Dragon Sage series by C.J. McKee (1^st in series): Currently in Amazon QC phase and out soon. http://amzn.to/1xaPFzc

RW: And while we are doing all the links, how do people connect with you through all forms of social media?

WENDY:

Blog: http://wendyannedarling.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Wendy-Anne-Darling/1515036022113419

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorWDarling
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AuthorWDarling/

LinkedIn: Just search for Wendy Anne Darling. (or click her name)

If you would like to hear how Wendy sounds, click here to listen to a brief excerpt from Silver Lightning recorded just for this interview.

Why the long links? I know it doesn’t look professional but some people just won’t click a link they can’t see. So, I sometimes include the actual link.

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Jesse Frankel‘s review Jan 09, 15

4 of 5 stars

Gee whiz, Batman, what are we gonna do now?

Alex Bascolme is your typical fifteen year old who worries about life, moving around the country, and making friends. When he moves from Colorado out to the West Coast and he and his newfound friend Logan find a motorcycle that magically repairs itself and turns out to be more than a little magic, well, that’s when the story takes off.

Alex becomes a bit of a superhero, saving people on his magic bike (and no, I’m not going to give away the secret) and having a high old time. When things get rough, the ‘keepers’ of the motorcycle let him in on the deal and things get better again. Happy endings and all that, and since this is a YA book geared for young adults–I’d say in the ten to thirteen age range–maybe that’s the way to go.

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RW: Let’s leave everyone with your favorite word.

WENDY: Cuddle. 

Well, there you have, Wendy Anne Darling. Fits her name, right? And she really does. She’s one of the sweetest ladies I know. Ready to buy her book? Of course you are. Click here and get it. .99 is less than a cup of coffee or a soft drink. Buy a book and help an author out. So get it now before the price goes up.

 

 

 

 

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