Interview and giveaway: Erzabet Bishop

[three_fourth_last]Sigil Fire, Erzabet Bishop’s amazing urban fantasy has been available since the beginning of last week. And the book as already received some great reviews.

Today we post an interview with Erzabet. And we’ll be giving away three ebooks of Sigil Fire as well as one cover for the iPhone 5/5S.[/three_fourth_last]

Some warm-up questions first:

Coffee or tea?
Well now, that depends on what time of day it is. Coffee in the morning and a large dose of iced tea in the evening. I am in Texas, and we do love our iced tea here.

What puts you in a bad mood?
Not being able to write. Life gets pretty hectic balancing work and a writing career. It can be tough to carve out time. If I feel myself falling behind, I can get a bit snappish.

Not enough chocolate in the house…or coffee. Crisis in the making, I tell you.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I would love to be a blood witch/vampire like Fae. Girl kicks some serious butt. And I bet she doesn’t worry about those pesky dishes or the laundry piling up. Zot and done. There you go.

Where is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?
Home

Fav chocolate?
Any kind at all. I have a stash of it next to my computer. Dark, light, milk…orange gel covered in milk chocolate…chocolate-covered fruit. Sigh…

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Probably not work my day job. If I could find a way to write all the time, I would be the happiest girl in the world.

And now on to the writing-related stuff:

For how many years have you been writing now, and how did you come to it?
I started writing when I was a child and have played with it for a number of years. It’s only in the past two years that the flame has grown into a raging passion. I enjoy writing a multitude of genres. Young adult, horror, children’s stories, urban fantasy, and erotica.

Why do you write? What does it mean to you?
Writing is something I can’t imagine not doing. To put words to paper and create…ah there is nothing better in all the world. It is air. It is breathing… It is what I do at the end of my day to make my life have more meaning. I get to explore places and worlds I don’t normally get to see. I mean, how cool is it to hang out with a succubus and a vampire blood witch? New adventures are already brewing inside my head.

How did you get the idea for Sigil Fire?
Sigil Fire began as an idea from a writing prompt. The original endeavor fell through, but then I turned it in to the Halloween anthology and Astrid saw the value in the story and what it could become. It grew from a nine-thousand-word story to a novella. I couldn’t be happier. The characters came to life inside my head and would not let me go. In fact, they are still in there, knocking…

Who is your favorite character?
I love all my characters. There is a strength in Fae that settles into my bones. Sonia is more vulnerable. She has endured much but has become stronger too. Charley has some potential, and we are going to see her again.

Will there ever be a sequel?
Yes. There is already one in the works. Charley will be one of the main characters. Perry, her partner, will also be there, and so will Fae and Sonia.

What do you find the most challenging part of writing stories like this?
Growing a story from a short piece of fiction into a novella was a learning process and one I am glad I did. It felt a lot like giving birth to a child. It is in every way my baby—along with the editors’ who worked with me and helped me grow as a writer.

What do you think makes a good urban fantasy novel?
You have to define the character. Use all of your senses so the reader can feel the world you are creating. Myth, magic, and the blending of a world you know with one you wish you lived in—that’s what captivates me and leads me inside.

What advice would you give new authors?
Don’t give up. Even on days when you just want to throw up your hands in frustration for one reason or another, keep writing. Every day you write, you get better. Find yourself a team like the wonderful folks at Ylva who care about your work as much as you do. That is where you’ll find your feet. They will keep you pointed in the right direction.

One other piece of advice: Edit your work. Search for repeated phrases and passive verb tense. That matters. If I had the writing program Pro Writing Aid I have now when I started this journey, I am fairly certain I would have had a lot less in the rewriting department. Read it out loud too.

Read.

Thanks for answering our questions, Erzabet.

[two_third_last]We’re giving away three ebook version of Sigil Fire and a cover for the iPhone 5/5S.

If you want to participate in the giveaway, leave a comment if you’d either like to have ane-book or the cover or send an e-mail to info@dev.ylva-publishing.com.

The deadline for the giveaway is Monday 11.59 p.m. EST, which means 6 a.m. on Tuesday in Germany.[/two_third_last]

We’ll do the drawing on Tuesday and will then announce the winners here on the blog. Recourse to the courts is excluded.

In case you don’t want to wait and see if you won a copy: Sigil Fire is available as e-book from Amazon and Smashwords.

The best of luck

Astrid Ohletz
Publisher