Stacey will be awarding an eCopy of Never Forgotten to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
Never Forgotten
by Stacey Nash
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: YA Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
A love of books and writing is something that’s always been in my blood, so I guess I was inspired by all the wonderful books I’ve read over the years. It was my husband though, who pushed me into actually writing my debut novel Forget Me Not, which incidentally is the first book in the Collective series. He told me that it didn’t matter if the story sucked, if no one ever read it, I obviously had a passion for writing and for this story idea so I should just write it.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
I’m not sure they’re specific to YA sci-fi, but I think the necessary components for a good book are tension, suspense, romance, and good story telling. I try to weave all of these elements into my writing. Plus, Young adult is a category that I’ve always loved reading, because I feel it’s usually more intense and faster paced than adult fiction.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I am a massive introvert. I love meeting new faces and connecting with other people, but it usually takes me a little while to throw off the shyness and be chatty.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I have so many plans! Goodness knows which ones will come to fruition though. Firstly, the Collective series has one final book to bring the series to a conclusion with a total of four books. That book is next on my ‘to-write’ list. I also have another series out that is nearing completion. It too needs one final book, which I’m working on now. After that who knows! Maybe I’ll dust off one of the other YA sci-fis sitting on my hard-drive.
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Never Forgotten is the third book in the Collective Series. The series follows the story of seventeen-year-old Anamae who discovers that science fiction is in fact real when she stumbles on a family heirloom. A pendant, with the power to turn its wearer invisible. Her excitement is short lived though, as the secret society hell-bent on keeping technology like the pendant out of the dangerous hands of the public hunt her.
11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The best advice I ever received was right back before I starting writing. My husband told me to forget about publishing, to forget about people liking it, just to write the story that was inside me. Over the years I’ve grown from that advice and often tell other writers that the first draft is you telling yourself the story. So don’t worry about perfect grammar or perfect sentences, just get the story out there. You can make it pretty in the final draft.
As for worst advice … that’s a little trickier. Probably that plotting my story would make it better. For me, plotting stifled my creativity.
12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
Ha! See above. I struggle to make outlining or plotting work for me, but with Never Forgotten I had to. Being the third book in a series, there were established storylines that needed to be moved forward, some completed, and storylines that needed to be expanded on to make way for the final book in the series. Book three was hard to write!
13. How do you maintain your creativity?
Reading is my recharge. Whenever I’m between projects, I read as many books as I can devour. I’ve always been a big reader, ever since I learned how to string words into sentences, but I find now that the downtime recharges my batteries like nothing else can.
14. Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
Gee, that’s like asking my favourite book. Impossible to choose! In the series it’s probably Lilly. Honest, kind, and compassionate, she’s the kind of girl I’d love to call a friend. But in this book, I think it’s Cynnie. New to the series in book 2 (Remember Me), she really comes into herself in Never Forgotten. She stands up for what is right and makes good choices, even though they aren’t accepted by those she loves.
16. Anything else you might want to add?
Remember if you read the books it’s best to read them order, otherwise the main plot will be hard to follow. And THANK YOU for reading my interview today. Leave a comment and I’ll drop by when it isn’t the middle of the night in Australia. ☺
Thanks the Angels
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
A love of books and writing is something that’s always been in my blood, so I guess I was inspired by all the wonderful books I’ve read over the years. It was my husband though, who pushed me into actually writing my debut novel Forget Me Not, which incidentally is the first book in the Collective series. He told me that it didn’t matter if the story sucked, if no one ever read it, I obviously had a passion for writing and for this story idea so I should just write it.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
I’m not sure they’re specific to YA sci-fi, but I think the necessary components for a good book are tension, suspense, romance, and good story telling. I try to weave all of these elements into my writing. Plus, Young adult is a category that I’ve always loved reading, because I feel it’s usually more intense and faster paced than adult fiction.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I am a massive introvert. I love meeting new faces and connecting with other people, but it usually takes me a little while to throw off the shyness and be chatty.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I have so many plans! Goodness knows which ones will come to fruition though. Firstly, the Collective series has one final book to bring the series to a conclusion with a total of four books. That book is next on my ‘to-write’ list. I also have another series out that is nearing completion. It too needs one final book, which I’m working on now. After that who knows! Maybe I’ll dust off one of the other YA sci-fis sitting on my hard-drive.
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Never Forgotten is the third book in the Collective Series. The series follows the story of seventeen-year-old Anamae who discovers that science fiction is in fact real when she stumbles on a family heirloom. A pendant, with the power to turn its wearer invisible. Her excitement is short lived though, as the secret society hell-bent on keeping technology like the pendant out of the dangerous hands of the public hunt her.
11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The best advice I ever received was right back before I starting writing. My husband told me to forget about publishing, to forget about people liking it, just to write the story that was inside me. Over the years I’ve grown from that advice and often tell other writers that the first draft is you telling yourself the story. So don’t worry about perfect grammar or perfect sentences, just get the story out there. You can make it pretty in the final draft.
As for worst advice … that’s a little trickier. Probably that plotting my story would make it better. For me, plotting stifled my creativity.
12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
Ha! See above. I struggle to make outlining or plotting work for me, but with Never Forgotten I had to. Being the third book in a series, there were established storylines that needed to be moved forward, some completed, and storylines that needed to be expanded on to make way for the final book in the series. Book three was hard to write!
13. How do you maintain your creativity?
Reading is my recharge. Whenever I’m between projects, I read as many books as I can devour. I’ve always been a big reader, ever since I learned how to string words into sentences, but I find now that the downtime recharges my batteries like nothing else can.
14. Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
Gee, that’s like asking my favourite book. Impossible to choose! In the series it’s probably Lilly. Honest, kind, and compassionate, she’s the kind of girl I’d love to call a friend. But in this book, I think it’s Cynnie. New to the series in book 2 (Remember Me), she really comes into herself in Never Forgotten. She stands up for what is right and makes good choices, even though they aren’t accepted by those she loves.
16. Anything else you might want to add?
Remember if you read the books it’s best to read them order, otherwise the main plot will be hard to follow. And THANK YOU for reading my interview today. Leave a comment and I’ll drop by when it isn’t the middle of the night in Australia. ☺
Thanks the Angels
BLURB:
The race is
on! Continuing on from FORGET ME NOT and REMEMBER ME, this is the thrilling
third and final novel in Stacey Nash's unforgettable YA series.
Since the strike on Collective
territory during Anamae's rescue, things have taken a turn for the worse.
Unprovoked attacks on innocent people have Anamae and her friends fighting day
and night to minimise the damage. With hundreds of lives lost, morale amongst
the resistance fighters has plummeted. But that's the least of her worries.
Manvyke still has Anamae's mom,
Annie, secreted away somewhere and after the way they parted, Anamae worries
it's not at her mother's bidding. Maybe Annie's disappearance all those years
ago wasn't her choice. But with Manvyke scouring the world, there's something
far more pressing than the need to find Anamae's mother ...
It's a fight against time to find
the other keys before Manvyke. In his hands, the three relics could unlock enough
power to reek a much worse havoc than the current issues at hand. If the
councillor gets his hands on those keys, civilisation will bow down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
This
is my life now.
The
same every day. Well, almost every day. Today, it’s Wednesday. Wednesdays and
Saturdays are different.
On
those days, he comes.
I
look from the door to the window and back again. My whole body tense with the
anticipation of him and the show I’ll have to put on. The show that I don’t
care. That I’m strong. I’m unflinching, when on the inside I’m absolutely not.
The
pale walls—a creamy-dirty pink—are a reflection of my constant mood: dull,
monotonous. But I have no regrets. I’d do it all again.
Anything
to save them.
Click,
click, thwack. The round lock at the top of the door flicks open first,
followed by each one below. The brass, chrome, and silver knobs rotate quickly
and snap to the unlocked position: all from the other side of the door. It’s
not possible to unlock them from the inside. I should know; I’ve tried a
hundred times over.
I
take the two generous steps from my place by the window to the red suede couch
and sink into it, lying back with arms roped across my chest, my eyes closed.
The
door creaks open.
My
heart accelerates, and not in the way it might at seeing a loved one, but in
the nervous anticipation of an enemy about to walk into my life.
Like
he does twice a week.
Silence
hangs in the air for several moments while I breathe slowly—pretending to
sleep. I’m not playing his game today.
The
smell of fresh donuts mixed with strong coffee enters with him, the delicious
aroma assaulting my senses and making my mouth water. It’s a Kenyan blend,
which he knows is my favorite. Trying to ignore it is no use, not with the
smooth smell growing stronger and stronger until steam dampens my face. The
jerk must be waving right it under my nose. Yet I keep my eyes closed, my face
masked.
“Wake
up, Sleeping Beauty.”
If
my resolve snapping had a sound that would be crack. “More like Rapunzel,” I
say, a dig at my captivity.
When
I open my eyes, that ridiculous half-a-dumbass smile stretches across his face.
He tips his chin toward the corrugated, disposable cup in his hand. CityBoy.
Really?
He thinks we can be friends, huh? Just because he brings a coffee from a place
I once loved. That was a lifetime ago and we can never go back. Not now, not
ever.
“Take
it.” He inches the cup closer to me. “I walked halfway across town to get this
for you.” He shoves the offering further under my nose. If I opened my mouth
and sucked in the air, I’d probably taste the sweetened coffee.
Giving
him the satisfaction of taking the cup irks me, but it’s been so long since I
drank the smooth, rich nectar that only CityBoy can perfect. Stupid hand has a
mind of its own, closing around the warm cup. Now that it’s in my hands,
there’s no point missing out. I’ve already let him win, so I may as well get
some enjoyment out of my miserable predicament.
“It’s
been a long week . . .” He relaxes into the couch, flipping a pair of bronze
coins through his fingers. I stop listening. No matter how he treats me, we’re
not friends. We haven’t been for years.
We
never will be again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Stacey Nash is a writer,
mother, wife, but not always in that order. Stacey went to the University of
New England to study history where she fell in love and married her college
sweetheart. Now, they live in the gorgeous Hunter Valley, Australia. Stacey has
a passion for writing stories set in speculative worlds, from science fiction
to fantasy and anything in between. She also loves to blog is a co-founder and
a contributor at Aussie Owned and Read, a blog designed for readers and writers
of young adult and new adult fiction, as well as World of YA, a blog designed
for lovers of young adult fiction.
https://twitter.com/staceynash
https://www.facebook.com/StaceyLeeNash
http://www.stacey-nash.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Stacey will be awarding an eCopy of Never Forgotten
to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1334
What's your favorite fast food chain?
ReplyDeleteHi Mai,
DeleteThanks for stopping by. I actually don't eat fast food at all as I have lots of allergies which make it near impossible. My version of fast food though, is poached eggs with steamed brocolini. YUM!
Welcome to the Angel's blog. I hope you have a great tour. Allana Angel
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting me!
DeleteAn enticing excerpt...So glad you could make Rogue's Angels' blog one of your stops. Good luck with your tour!
ReplyDelete--Amber Angel