Darkness Falls Tour: Interview with Krystal Wade

As promised, if you are dropping by today then you get to read an awesome writerly interview with Krystal Wade, the author of the Darkness Falls Trilogy. Her latest book, Wilde's Meadow, has just been released and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Judging from everything I have learned from this blog tour, these books are definitely something to be excited about! They are already on my Christmas wishlist (though I might get impatient here soon and splurge on them). If you haven't already participated in the Wildest Moments Blogfest, there is still time! The blogfest ends November 30th. And of course, keep checking Krystal's blog for ways to win more awesome prizes!

Krystal has taken the time to answer some of my questions, so we (both as authors and readers) can pick her brain. If you have any questions for her, let me know and I will pass them along!

Mara Valderran: Since your new release is the third in a series, can you give new readers an idea of the premise of the entire series?

 

Krystal Wade: Well, imagine your life, as it is now, and one day going on the same vacation you go on every year. Now, imagine being removed from that vacation and dumped into a world without sunlight that's in the middle of a war, told you're from that world and that you are the only person who can save it. Add in the little tid bit that you've dreamed of this place for six years, and there you have it. Kate struggles to make sense of life again, learns to have faith in herself, and learns to move forward and face fears she never thought she'd have to face, all while falling in love with more than just her hunky protector; she falls in love with Encardia. :-)

MV: Tell us a bit about your main character Kate. How do you relate to her?

 

KW: Kate is everything I wish I could have been at her age, but everything I'd lost at a much earlier time in my life. She's young, naive, a good daughter, a great sister, a great friend. But her life is so robotic, so empty of excitement, and she's not really LIVING until her life gets tossed upside down--that part I can relate to. That part is what makes a person, what takes them from childhood into adulthood, and that is what you'll watch her go through during this series.

MV: What can you tell us about your process? Are you more of a pantser or a plotter?

 

KW: I'm a panster. I've tried plotting. I suck at it. Actually, I take that back, I'm really good at plotting. But when I start writing, my characters look at me and say "You idiot, did you really think we'd follow your silly little plot lines? Rookie!" so then I throw out that plot and just write whatever comes about. 

MV: How has your process changed since getting published?

 

KW: Well, I'm a much slower author now. My newest book, Shattered Secrets, I began writing in April or May . . . and it's not finished. This is odd for me, but I have a few good excuses: day job, being a mom, promoting Darkness Falls. I don't feel too bad. But I edit a lot while writing which really kills creativity. I'm still a panster though. I once again tried plotting Shattered Secrets, and once again my characters laughed at me.

 

MV: Every published author has a story of how they got published and what bumps along the road they hit. What's yours?

 

KW: Hmm. Well, the first publisher didn't respond, not even a Hey, we received your query, nothing. So, I edited the beginning of the book and subbed to another publisher. I received an R&R (they wanted me to add more), so I worked on it and resubbed. Their response time slowed, and so instead of stewing, I moved onto other things. That's when I met Lisa from CQ. When she found out I was a writer, she asked if I had anything to submit. Long story short, I received a rejection from that first publisher (the one who didn't have enough decency to let me know they received my query) and two acceptances on the same day. I went with the R&R publisher and wished I hadn't. After a lot of stress and horrible heart palpitations, we terminated the contract and I moved to CQ. I love my publisher!

 

MV: Do you have a soundtrack that you write to or are you more of a quiet writer?

 

KW: Not a soundtrack, but I do listen to my "Muse" Pandora station. Sometimes I prefer no noise, but that's much more difficult to accomplish.

 

MV: How did you come up with Katriona's story? Any real life inspirations?

 

KW: Well, I had a vision of a girl in a forest, reaching out her finger to touch something shimmering. I built everything off that idea. However, now that the story is done, I can look back at the books and say that Darkness is representative of my life, and everything Kate was (the innocent, naive, etc) had to go through Hell (Darkness) and still wind up a good person through it all, but a stronger, BETTER person, one who had life and passion and love. So, that's a vague way of explaining that I went through a lot of Darkness in my life, and Kate is part of me, who I wanted to be and who I am.

 

MV: What are some of your guilty pleasures (TV, movies, books)?

 

KW: All of the above. I'm on a reading binge right now. When I'm writing, really in the zone, I can't read much. So, right now, I'm doing nothing but reading. I've missed it so much.

MV: You've said that you don't read reviews. What are your views on this?

 

KW: Are you asking in regards to how I buy books or about my books? Because I don't look at reviews of books (before I buy) because they are just people's opinions, and frankly I don't need someone's opinion swaying me into--or out of--something. Now, if a good friend who reads in the same genre as me says Krystal, you really have to read this book, I will. But I don't want to read that person's review; I won't, actually, because I want to form my own opinion.

As for my books, I read a lot of reviews, but I don't wallow in the bad ones. I'd love for the whole world to love my books and sing their praises, but I'm a realist; we are human beings, all with different likes and dislikes. It's ignorant to believe everyone will give it 3+ stars. You have to look at the majority rule (aka, the average). If your average rating is good, why look at individual ratings?

 

MV: You've been published with Curiosity Quills, which is a small press publisher that (from an outside view) seems to be very writer-friendly. Did you intend on going small press or did you market to agents first?

 

KW: I've never submitted to an agent. I went with a small press publisher so that I could learn and grow and all that, but the longer I stay there, the more I realize how I love the control and the input. My experience with the small publisher is what I make of it, and so far I love it.

 

MV: What is ahead for you in your writerly future?

KW: More books, of course! Hopefully some movies and jet planes and Good Morning America, but the only definite there is MORE BOOKS. :-)