I'm so pleased to have Wendy Owens' Blog Tour stopping in today! Wendy has graciously subjected herself to an author interview with me, so we get to find out some interesting tidbits about her writing (and non-writing) life. Wendy's Guardians Series encompasses five books. Since I want you to have the opportunity to check out each of them, let's get right to it!
K.H: Where is your favorite place to write?
Wendy: When I started my writing career I had a desk
shoved in the corner of the laundry room. However, about six months ago, my
darling daughters decided they wanted to share a room, freeing up space for
*gasp* and office. A weekend of painting and decorating and I now have a
writing cave fit for a queen, chevron stripes and all.
K.H: Finish this sentence: If I could live
anywhere…
Wendy: San Francisco. My husband has family near there and every time we
visit we get the instant feeling of home. That being said, I also love the city
I live in now, Cincinnati. Though sometimes I do wish I could swap out our
manic weather.
K.H: What inspired your latest WIP?
Wendy: The Guardians
series was something I had many dreams about over years before finally putting
the proverbial pen to paper. Now that the series is completed I have dozens of
outlines crying out for attention, but a certain love story has taken
precedence, based on characters in another romance I had written, entitled
Stubborn Love. At last we learn Paige and Christian’s story.
K.H: Is there music or television on while you
write?
Wendy: Yes, I tend to write to soundtracks and prefer instrumental music as I
write action, but it all really depends on what I’m writing.
K.H: Outside of your own, what's your favorite
book?
Wendy: Hunger Games. I’m a sucker for some Dystopian teen drama.
K.H: As an author, are you a planner
(outline) or a pantser (by the seat of)?
Wendy: Complete Planner. I start with an over
all story line, then make chapter ideas, and then write a summary for each chapter.
I am willing to stray, but I have found this helps to keep the story moving
along for me.
K.H: Chocolate or vanilla?
Wendy: Chocolate, but why not
have both?
K.H: Would your MC want hang out with you and vice
versa? Why?
Wendy: I doubt my main character, Gabe, (K.H. butting in to say, I LOVE THIS NAME!) would want to hang with a human.
Our worlds are not very similar and considering he feels compelled to protect
humans, my presence would only stress him out.
K.H: What do you do to get your creative juices
flowing?
Wendy: Movie marathon, lights my imagination on fire. And wine. Lots of wine.
K.H: Which authors inspired you as a young adult?
Wendy: I
loved Roald Dahl and Judy Blume
K.H: Best advice you’ve ever received about
writing/publishing?
Wendy: Just keep writing. All the time. Never stop writing.
K.H: Looking back, what’s the one thing you wish
you knew before starting your first novel?
Wendy: The network of people I currently
know. They have helped me grow a lot as an author.
K.H: What advice would you give aspiring authors?
Wendy: Don’t give up and take criticism as a way to grow. Don’t get defensive.
K.H: Any OCD tendencies? If so, what?
Wendy: I handle
stressful situations by counting to the number three repeatedly. You will
actually find this technique in one of my books.
K.H: Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or
why not?
Wendy: I do. It has never happened to me personally. I have grown into love
in each situation, BUT I am madly in love with my husband, and I can’t imagine
limitations on such a powerful feeling.
K.H: What is one characteristic about yourself that
you love?
Wendy: I like to think I’m fun. I enjoy spending time with family and friends
laughing and soaking in life.
K.H: What character quality do you wish you could
trade in? What would you trade it for?
Wendy: I worry. No, I mean it, I worry about
everything. I wish I could trade this in for a carefree attitude.
K.H: Why did you decide to write the genre(s) that
you do?
Wendy: I don’t lock myself into one genre. I have now written YA Paranormal
and NA Contemporary Romance, but I have many genre’s outlined and will always
write what I am feeling.
Thanks so much for interviewing me. I really
appreciated sharing my thoughts and ideas with you all.
-Wendy Owens
Wendy, it was a pleasure to have you with us today and I wish you all the luck with your fifth book of The Guardians Series, The Guardians Crown.
About Wendy Owens
Since 2011, she has published a young adult paranormal series, The Guardians, which will contain five books total, as well as a novella.
Wendy now happily spends her days writing—her loving dachshund, Piper, curled up at her feet. When she's not writing, she can be found spending time with her tech geek husband and their three amazing kids, exploring the city she loves to call home: Cincinnati, OH.
Author Links:
Take a look at all the gorgeous book covers and their blurbs below for the five books of The Guardians Series, then go buy them and enjoy!
Sacred Bloodlines (Book 1)
by Wendy Owens
Free
Everywhere
Blurb:
Tragedy has defined Gabe's short existence in this world. An
ominous darkness lurked on the edge of his existence until one day in a subway,
strange things start happening. A series of events lead Gabe into a new and
fascinating life filled with angels and demons, but he isn't sure if he wants
to be a part of it.
Gabe is thrust into the middle of this exciting world that is
full of things he has longed for in his life but it comes with a price. This
new life also promises constant terrifying dangers that Gabe fears he may not
be able to survive.
Cursed (Book 2)
by Wendy Owens
Blurb:
Some people are born into love, some people are born into war,
when Gabe discovered he was a Guardian Angel, his life was suddenly thrust into
both. If this hidden war wasn't enough to deal with, Gabe learns he is fated to
be the great protector who will one day deliver the last prophet to either
safety or death. All of these revelations didn't matter for Gabe, he only cared
that his new life included Sophie.
Sophie and Gabe grew closer over the summer. She is now a
fixture in his life that keeps him moving forward. Evil doesn't stop stalking
him just because he found happiness. This time darkness finds it's way into
Rampart manor and Gabe will have to decide if he is willing to risk everything
to try and stop it.
The Prophecy (Book 3)
by Wendy Owens
Blurb:
Five years have passed since Gabe abandoned Rampart, deserting
his destiny and closest friends. The struggles Gabe has endured to stay alive
have changed him, hardening him into a man unwilling to trust anyone or
anything, dealing with difficulties connecting with the outside world.
Gabe has finally found a certain paradise--a peace in
solitude--until a familiar stranger shows up on his doorstep, pleading for
Gabe's help.
Now he has to decide if he is truly content in his new life, or
if he is willing to risk his solitary happiness for a little piece of the world
he left behind.
Should he choose to accept the most important duty of his life,
one failure could mark the beginning of the end for all mankind.
The Lost Years (Book 4)
by Wendy Owens
Blurb:
Gabe's world was forever altered by the people he came to know
and love at Rampart Manor. Although, it wasn't only his life that was changed
when he made the choice to leave them all behind.
During his five year absence, they each had a battle with
personal demons. Dina is faced with a moral dilemma, the path of good leading
to certain heartbreak, or evil, and a possibility of happiness.
Uri meets a mysterious woman who seems to have a lot of the
answers that he has been searching for, and she certainly has a place in his
heart, if he can only hold onto her.
Sophie is faced with choices she never knew would be so
difficult. The question now is: will the personal demons of the remaining
Guardians of Rampart be too much for them to overcome?
The Guardians Crown (Book 5)
by Wendy Owens
Blurb:
Gabe is
finally forced to answer the ultimate question, will he give his life to save
the world? What about just to save the one he loves the most? The Guardians
struggle to find another way--ideas that don't involve Gabe's death--to defeat
Baal. Time is running out. What will Gabe choose? What price will he pay for
that choice?
