RoguesAngels: Rogue's Angels Present ~ The Mirror of Doom by Bailey Baxter

Monday, December 26, 2016

Rogue's Angels Present ~ The Mirror of Doom by Bailey Baxter

Please welcome Bailey Baxter author of The Mirror of Doom.

Bailey Baxter will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

The Mirror of Doom

by Bailey Baxter

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GENRE: Middle Grade

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

I started writing stories when I was about 12 years old. A friend and I used to create mini books – complete with illustrations – using small pieces of paper stapled together. And we passed them back and forth during class. So, I have been writing for a long time.

But, I think the person who really got me thinking that I could be a writer was my 7^th grade English teacher, Mr. Torgeson. He took me aside one day to tell me he thought I had talent as a writer, and he offered to help me enter a writing contest. That’s all it took for me to catch the writing bug!

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

Realistic main characters that kids can relate to are so important. Even in a fantasy-adventure novel like mine, the young characters shouldn’t be cookie-cutter. They should act like kids… think like kids. Take Tim Hunter, for example. He was loosely based on my youngest brother, Jim. (Yes, the similarity in names was totally intentional!) Of course, Jim wasn’t quite as quirky as Tim. Frankly, Tim took on a life of his own. But my brother Jim was the starting point for the character. Without strong, believable characters, a novel falls flat fast.

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

When I was a kid, I loved reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” and other stories that take you away to another land. I always wanted to be able to step through a wardrobe, or a mirror, or even into a picture and be whisked away into a great adventure. I combined that desire with a love for fairy tales to come up with the concept for “The Mirror of Doom.” You see… Tim and his siblings weren’t the first ones to venture into the medieval-like land on the other side of the mirror. The Grimm brothers had been there hundreds of years ago. That’s how they got the ideas for so many of their fairy tales. The problem for Tim and the others is… the Grimms embellished a bit. The stories didn’t happen quite like they said. And some of those stories have gone on to become something quite dangerous…

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

Well, like I mentioned earlier, I have been writing since I was a child. And, for the past ten years, I’ve made my living as a copywriter. I spend my days cranking out sales copy – something I jokingly call “online junk mail.” Plus, I’ve written many scripts for skits and plays that have been performed in churches throughout the world. Writing scripts has really honed my dialogue-writing skills.

5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

It’s taken me a long time to get where I am today. Being an author was an impossible dream to me when I was younger. So, I pursued other things. I worked in computer support, banking, and accounting – and was miserable. When I finally gave in to my desire to write, things began to change. Writing “The Mirror of Doom” while working full-time took many years. But I was moving toward a goal. It was something I was passionate about. And I was happier. I want to encourage readers to find that something that makes them want to get out of bed in the morning – and pursue it. It’s worth the work.

6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I am currently working on the sequel to “The Mirror of Doom.” And I have a bunch of ideas for other books. I just need the time to write them all!

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

I would have to say Tim’s older sister, Kat – because she’s a lot like me! Yeah, I was the smart, bossy one among my siblings. And I would like to shoot an arrow like Kat does. That would be cool.

8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

I’d love to share one of my favorite scenes. The characters are in the process of crossing a crumbling stone bridge in an underground cavern when a strange sound startled 12-year-old Tim…

Was that thunder?

Kat stopped and looked around. “What was that noise?”

“Everyone, keep going,” Gavril said from behind me. “We need to get off this bridge now.”

“Why?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“Just move, Tim!”

Before I had a chance to even take one step, something dark and huge flew over us and let out an ear-splitting roar that shook the entire bridge.

Kat screamed, and we all hit the deck, so to speak. As I clung to the trembling bridge, I could hear a shower of stones falling into the cavern below.

Okay, that definitely wasn’t thunder.

“What was that?” Ron yelled.

“Akar!” Beriman yelled back.

“What’s an Akar?” I asked.

There was another roar, and we all ducked our heads as the shadow swooped over us again. A stream of flames burst from its mouth, lighting up the entire cavern and answering my question.

Akar was a dragon.

9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I do not belong to a critique group. Frankly, I simply don’t have time. I’m still working fulltime as a freelance copywriter. What I prefer to use are beta readers. These are people I ask to read portions of my book as I write it and give me constructive comments.

10. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I chose to self-publish “The Mirror of Doom,” instead of submitting it to agents and publishers. I’m in marketing, so I thought it would be a fun challenge to use my skills to get my book out to readers.

11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The best advice is to keep writing. The more books I have available for sale, the more readers will find me. The worst advice was my own. I waited so many years to starting writing my first novel because I didn’t think it had a chance of succeeding. I had seen the statistics. Only 20% of published authors can make a living just writing books. The odds were terrible, so I quit before I tried. Never do that. If you have a dream, go after it. Don’t let the “facts” get in the way of something you’re passionate about.

12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

Because my writing time (on my books) is so limited, I need to outline to stay focused. However, sometimes the story goes in a different, better direction than my outline, and that’s okay too.

13. How do you maintain your creativity?

If I get stuck creatively, I do a brain dump of “what ifs.” I just take a big piece of paper and start asking myself “what if” questions regarding my story – and then I write down everything that comes to mind. It’s amazing what you can come up with!

14. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

Hands down, it’s Tim Hunter. Earlier versions of “The Mirror of Doom” were written in the third person point of view. But, as Tim’s quirky (and sometimes hilarious) character evolved, I knew I had to write “The Mirror of Doom” from his view point. When I did, the book came alive. Tim compares himself a lot to his older brother and sister and never quite feels “good enough.” But he really starts to come into his own through his adventures.

BLURB:

What would you do if you got stuck in another world? 12-year-old Tim Hunter and his two older siblings panicked. Just a little. (Can you blame them?) Unfortunately, the only way they can return home is to steal a magic mirror from an evil queen. Yes, that’s right. Evil! To make matters even worse, enemy soldiers, horrible creatures called galrogs, and even a dragon will do anything to stop them. Do they have what it takes to make it home alive? There’s one way to find out. This fun, fantasy-adventure for middle-grade readers is available on Amazon.com.

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EXCERPT:

Ron started down the hallway toward me. “Timmy, give Kat her diary back, or I’ll take it from you myself.”

He would, too. But I wasn’t about to give him the chance.

I turned and threw myself against that mysterious closed door, giving the glass knob a big twist. It opened suddenly, and I found myself stumbling forward into a dark room. Quickly regaining my balance, I shoved the door closed. It took a bit of fumbling in the darkness, but I found the key and quickly turned it.

Locked. And just in time, too.

The doorknob jiggled.

“Timmy, open this door,” Ron said.

“Nope.”

Ron’s fist slammed into the other side of the door with a loud bang. “Open the door, runt!”

“Go away. I’ve got some reading to do.”

“Timmy!” Kat practically screamed my name through the door. “If you even open my diary, I will kill you. Do you understand?”

Oh, I understood all right. But come on! Kat’s diary was usually guarded more closely than Fort Knox. This could be my ONLY opportunity to see what’s inside. I’d be crazy NOT to read it!

I slid the little book out of my pocket and stretched out my other hand to feel for a light switch — and froze, my heart pounding. I heard a noise. It sounded like a footstep.

And it seemed to come from inside the room.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bailey Baxter is the pen name of a somewhat successful copywriter who writes online "junk mail” for health supplement companies. She's been writing stories since childhood. In fact, when she was 12, Bailey wrote and illustrated tiny books that she stapled together and passed to her friend during class. (She was never caught.)

Bailey grew up in Ellington, CT – a small town where cows outnumbered people 2 to 1. She currently lives in Asheville, NC with a mischievous Shih-tzu named Lucy. Fortunately, Asheville is weird - and proud of it - so it gives her plenty of inspiration and plot ideas for new books.

Her first book, The Mirror of Doom, was inspired by a certain pesky brother named "Jimmy" and the childhood desire to find a wardrobe to a place like Narnia.

BUY LINK – Amazon (Paperback Book):

https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Doom-this-World-Adventures-Hunter/dp/0997882204/

BUY LINK – Amazon (Kindle):

https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Doom-this-World-Adventures-Hunter-ebook/dp/B01JK9B02I/

Website:

www.mirrorofdoom.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BaileyBaxterAuthor/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BaileyBaxter7

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE