So here's the questions you asked and Micalea ever so kindly answered!
I have re-worded the majority of them to try and combine several questions into one as there were so many coming in and I was only submitting 10, but here they are! Thanks again Micalea Smeltzer (Author of Outsider - follow her on twitter @mseltzer9793).
1) Who/what inspired you to create and write the plot to Outsider and how old were you when you wrote it? My inspiration for writing Outsider was the fact that there was no werewolf/shifter books that I liked to read. I felt like werewolves/shifters were always being portrayed as evil and aggressive. I wanted to do something that was completely the opposite of that. In the Outsider world most shifters are very relaxed and normal. Travis and his family are the exception to the rule. I got the idea for Outsider when I was 14 and working on the Fallen Series. I started it then but didn’t actively pursue it. But the story always stayed in my head and I knew I wanted to come back to it. So early in 2012 when I hit a major case of writers block concerning Forever (the final book in the Fallen Series) I decided to go back to Outsider. So that would make me 18 when I wrote it.
2) Why did you choose to self-publish the novel and do you plan to publish more novels/trilogies/series in the future? Self-publishing was not something I wanted to do AT ALL. That was my ignorance. Now that I know more I’m glad I’ve chosen to go this route. I have more control and I can get my books out faster. But the main reason why I chose to go in the self-publishing direction is that in late October/early November of 2011 I got really sick and ended up in the hospital. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. What makes an 18 year old deathly sick? By chance they found E-coli in my bloodstream. If it’s not caught in time it’s deadly. I truly believed that I was going to die and not get to share my books with the world. I had a fairly long recovery process both mentally and physically. I became very depressed simply because, at this age you don’t really think about dying. Now I’m not afraid of death and I look at my experience as a blessing in disguise because had I not gone through that, I wouldn’t have put my books out there. I do plan to self-publish even more books. Insider is next and it’s scheduled to release on September 7th after that will be The Enchanted (As of now I plan for this to be a trilogy but things change), and then hopefully I can finish Forever.
3) Who is your favourite character to write about and why? The answer to this question changes every day. Sometimes Caeden is, another time it’s Theodore (The Enchanted). I think it depends on which book I’m writing at the time. But usually my favorite characters to write about are the guys. I don’t really know why that is. But today I’d have to say my favorite character to write about is Bryce because he makes me laugh out loud. When you’re writing these different characters you have to immerse yourself in their head (even when you’re not writing from their POV). After I finish Insider I plan to do several more OUTSIDER EXTRAS from Bryce’s POV.
4) Did you try to change the wolf aspect of the story to make it your own or did you keep it traditional/stereotypical shifter wolves? I feel like I tried to but there’s so many shifter books out there that a lot of information overlaps and you don’t mean it to.
5) How long did it take to write Outsider? 4 weeks. All I did was eat, sleep, and breathe shifters.
6) Do you have any advice for young aspiring authors? Whatever you do, don’t give up. I started so many books that only lasted approximately 20 pages before I actually completed a full length novel. If you set your mind to it then you CAN do it. You have to believe in yourself and in the story you’re telling.
7) Which character would you say is the most like you or that you would compare yourself to? Hmm… I don’t really know. I like to have my characters be pretty different from me so that I can be a different person for a while. I’m very sarcastic so many of my characters possess that trait.
8) What was going through your mind when you released Outsider? Were you 100% happy with the novel? “Holy crap! Did I actually finish a book that’s not about vampires? Wow. I hope people like it.” I don’t think any author is ever 100% happy with their book. There is ALWAYS room for improvement.
9) If you could sum Outsider up in 3 words what would they be? Fan-freakin-tastic! Just kidding!!! How about: A love story. ß I suck at this kind of thing.
10) What would you like people to know about the novel before they read it and what would you like them to take away after reading it? Before they read it I’d like people to know that you don’t have to be a paranormal/wolf/shifter fan to like it. At the end of the day it’s mostly a YA love story. I’d like for people to take away from the story that they were a part of it. I want people to feel like they were there and experiencing the emotions along with the characters.
Please follow this blog for more exclusive interviews and follow Micalea on twitter @mseltzer9793 and me @eponareviews
Thanks!
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