Author Interview: D.A. Roach author of Between the Bleeding Willows

D.A Stopped by Read for your Future to give us this interview: 

1. How did you come up with the concept for this book?

 Fall is my favorite time of year and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I felt inspired to write, so I asked my daughter to name a supernatural creature she wanted me to write a story about. She suggested demons because they frighten her. Then I put myself in her shoes and tried to think of what frightened me at her age (12 yrs old) and I remembered stories classmates used to tell about a haunted cemetery that was fifteen minutes away from my house. It was rumored that teens would go there and worship Satan in the abandoned cemetery at nightfall. So I took the two concepts and began crafting the story.

2.How did you come up with the names for the characters?

 Killian, the main demon hunter, needed a strong name and I always associated that name with an Irish or Scottish warrior. For the girl, I wanted a name that could shorten to a nickname but also seemed good when paired with Killian, so Cassidy was chosen for the main character. And Tyler Romaitis, I wanted a simple and trendy guy name that was consistent with present day and the last name is homage to my Lithuanian heritage, as most Lithuanian names end in “itis”.

3.How much are you and the characters alike?

 I am not much like any of them. I’m more like Brogen from my Rarity book...a small number of close friends, empathic, and nice till you cross me.

4.Do you read a lot and what are you reading now?

 I read at least one chapter each night, depending on how tired I am. I am currently reading Pucked Up (not YA), and then will start A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole.

5. What made you decide to go Young adult?

 I really enjoy the YA genre. It’s a time in life when people grow from child to adult and grow into who they are, not who they are expected to be. There are so many emotions, so many firsts. The trial and error of relationships, hearts broken and mended, friendships lost and made, and a path to the future is now becoming clear. It was an amazing and truly memorable time in my life, and I will also hold it with high regard. Because I loved it and went through so much, I find it easy to tap into emotions and write about that time in life.

6. How did the cover come about?

 I wish I could take credit for the cover but the folks at Deranged Doctor Designs worked their magic and created that masterpiece. I told them my plot, mood, and what I envisioned the characters to look like and they came back to me with that cover. I almost fainted when I saw it :> And then I wondered if my story did the book justice. I mean, that’s an AMAZING cover.

7. So what is your next project and when is it due out?

I have a short story in the Detours in our Destination Anthology that comes out May 2016. The anthology includes stories of overcoming a hardship and rising above. I also have a short story in the thriller anthology from Limitless Publishing, entitled 13, that comes out this October. And finally, Within the Darkest Hollows, book 2 in the Demon Hunter series is due out at the end of October.

8. Do you have a daytime job or are you a full time writer?

 Full time writer and full time mom.

9. How did you get into writing novels and were you worried about peoples reactions to your books?

 My dental hygienist encouraged me to write down a story about a time in my childhood when my family was going through a difficult time and made it through with some help from strangers. The story of their kindness was truly amazing and deserved to be shared, so I tried my hand at writing and self-published the short tale. Turns out I really enjoyed writing and kept at it.

Did I worry about people’s reactions? Not initially. I wrote the story to tell it, hoping that people reading about kindness might encourage them to want to be kind as well. But when I published Rarity with Limitless Publishing, I worried about readers’ reactions. It wasn’t just about me anymore, a company believed my story was worth supporting and I worried that if it didn’t do well, they wouldn’t consider future stories.

Now I have some confidence with writing and have a few books under my belt so I worry less about reviews, and more about just putting forward my best effort. I enjoy writing and it’s important to remember that and stay true to writing for that reason. Honestly, I am too close to the stories to know how they will be perceived. When I finished BTBW, I reread it and said “Holy cow, that’s actually really good. I wonder if other people will think that too?” That was my only guide on the quality of my work...I liked it and enjoyed reading it.

10. One last thing do you collect anything personally?

Rocks. Lol. I love cool looking rocks. When we go to the beach, I walk the shoreline and pick rocks, then add them to my garden. My kids come home from school with pockets full of rocks and I convince them to add them to our plants or garden.

Thank you to D.A for stopping by the blog and letting us get to know her better.. Review to come.

You can find out more about D.A. Roach here:

WEBSITE: http://daroachbooks.blogspot.com/

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/DARoachDA/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/daroach12books

BOOK GORILLA: http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00AQNBVH2/d-a-roach

AMAZON AUTHOR PG: http://www.amazon.com/author/daroach