My Interview With Author Christina Bauer

My Interview With Author Christina Bauer

Author Christina Bauer is now on tour for her new book, THE DARK LANDS (book 5 in the Angelbound Origins series). We caught up with her for an interview on all things angels, demons, and writing!!!

What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

I’m Christina Bauer and I write young adult books about girls who kick ass. My stuff spans urban fantasy, paranormal and science fiction.

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

My newest title is called THE DARK LANDS. This is part of an ongoing series about Myla Lewis, a part demon girl who fights evil souls in Purgatory’s Arena. Many of my ideas come out of asking a question. In this case, I wondered what would happen if Myla lost her honorary older brother, Walker. BTW, most of my story questions involve being mean to my characters. I’m kind of a bitch that way.

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

I had rather crappy teen years, so I like to write books about how other chicks kick ass, fall in love, and have a generally awesome time as teenagers. It’s cheaper than therapy.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

I have a serious addiction to Pinterest. For this book, I made up a bunch of inspiration boards about gothic houses, angels, and other stuff. You can check out my boards here.

Can you tell me about your Series?

It’s about a girl who likes to kick demon butt, sass off to big bads, and work as a team with her honey.

Do you have a favorite book out of this series?

Right now, my fav is THE DARK LANDS. It ended up going in this JANE EYRE meets WORLD WAR Z direction that took me by surprise and ended up being a ton of fun.

Where did you get the inspiration/idea for your series?

The Angelbound series started with (you guessed it) a question. As a teenager, I couldn’t find any books about chicks who kicked ass, dealt with rage, or confronted the feelings of lusting after a guy. I wondered how to explore those ideas in a way that was fun. A demon girl seemed like a good place to start and it all feel out from there…

Was it always meant to become a series?

Oh yes. I mapped out Angelbound to book 5 before I started writing book 1. That way, I wouldn’t write myself into a corner.

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

Lately, I’ve been trying to be a writer full time (fingers crossed!!) I wake up at six, get my kid off to school, and then write from nine to five every day. Basically, it’s a matter of opening a document and a vein. It’s hard work, but it’s fun when I get to launch books.

In terms of writing goals, I used to set them, but after finishing fifteen books, I’ve gotten a feel for when to push myself … and when I’m just putting words on a page that I have to delete later on.

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

My next project is ALIEN MINDS, which is my first science fiction book! So excited for this one!!

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

OMG, I am a total but case about names. And different societies. I work my ass off to build elaborate back stories for each culture. Almost every name has a special meaning or structure.

Where do your ideas come from?

I read a lot. I post interesting stuff to Pinterest. I’m careful about what I watch and consume. I don’t want to sound like everyone else, so that means I don’t take in the same content as everyone else.

Is there a genre that you’ve been wanting to experiment with?

I have a backlog of book ideas on hidden Pinterest boards that I need to get on. There’s science fiction, fae romance, and a supergirl spoof in there.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

It’s all hard, really. Plotting, dialogue, pacing. There’s nowhere that I feel I can slack off. That said, I do love writing comedy and cracking myself up.

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I do have a book trailer for the Angelbound series. People seem to like it and all that fun stuff. I don’t use them myself very often when I’m looking for something new to read, though. Maybe that’s why I’m not super diligent about doing one for every book.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

Raising a lovely boy who happens to be on the autism spectrum.

What’s the best thing about being an author?

I love being my own boss. If I want to create a purple world with neon yellow people, I don’t have to set up a committee and get a ton of budget. BOOM! It’s done. The world I create are only limited by my imagination.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Writing more books. And smiling.

Have you always liked to write?

I wanted to write every since I was six years old. I fact, the nuns had to set aside special ‘story time’ for me at the end of the school day or I’d just blurt out my stuff when the energy in the first grade classroom got low. Truth.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

The voice and stories inside your head are unique and beautiful. Take the time to set them free.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

I’ve been a high tech marketer for my day job. I worked at little start-ups and big companies like Microsoft. So there’s that. But writing is better.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I do read reviews of my books. After launching 15 books, I’ve learned that the best reviews for me to pay attention to are not the 1- and 2-star variety. Those folks just aren’t my readers. I do get a lot of value out of 3-, 4-, and 5-star reviews. These are folks who like my work and if they have any feedback, I want to hear it.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

The part about having to make money off it. I wish I could just publish my books and make readers happy without having to worry about annoying stuff like rent and food.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

My current book, ALIEN MINDS, is turning into a version of the 1980’s music video TAKE ON ME, only with hot aliens. It’s going in a great direction.

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

My favorite book is Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. When I read it as a teenager, there wasn’t a lot of fantasy stuff around. LOTR opened up a new world for me!

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

Myla Lewis, the demon girl from Angelbound, is just a blast to write. I can’t be in a bad mood when I’m penning her books, which makes her a fav.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Both, really. It’s hard work but it also fulfills my soul.