Q & A with Alison F. Prince discussion

Hi everyone! My name is Alison F. Prince and I am the author of In Shadows of Magic. I am so excited to have this forum to chat you! Please feel free to ask questions.

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Alison

hi Alison! my name's Lissette, it's time to meet you, um how did you come up with the premise of the story in Shadows in Magic? also, what were your inspirations when writing the book?

Hi Lisette! Nice to meet you! I have always loved reading, particularly YA paranormal books! I always loved books, movies and shows that featured witches; such as The Craft, Charmed, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

For In Shadows of Magic, the story just developed in my mind and I starting writing that day! I wanted to write a fun witch story with action and romance, but also a positive message. Especially when girls are in high school, we are often too focused on popularity, superficial beauty, and what others think of us. I can remember feeling that way. I can remember wishing that I had magical powers that would make me prettier, more popular, more talented, etc. Then, as I got older, I learned to accept myself for who I am, and truly love me for me. I think that is possible for all of us! My inspiration for the book is wanting to share that with others while entertaining them!

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Alison

that's great, i'm looking forward to reading it then, did it come out yet or is it about to be released?

I cannot wait to read it - the book sounds so great!

Hey Alison, I was wondering how you you came up with characters and what was the publication progress?

Thank you Lissette and Chelsea! It is available now for 2.99 as an ebook on Amazon, BN, and on the Astraea Press website. Here are the links.

http://www.amazon.com/In-Shadows-of-M...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-sh...

http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...

I hope that you enjoy it, and I look forward to discussing the story with you. :-)

Hi Rhyme! Thanks for your questions! The characters are sometimes created completely in my imagination, and sometimes they are conglomerates of myself, who I wish I could be, and real people who inspire me.

The publishing process is very difficult, long and sometimes frustrating. First, I had to write a query letter. I honestly think it was harder to write the query than the book. It was so difficult to break down a whole novel that I put all my heart into a short paragraph. Plus, I knew it was the most important paragraph that I would ever write. Those few sentences would need to peak a publisher's interest. After I finally finished the query, I submitted to publishers that I was interested in working with. Then, I waited for responses! Being published meant so much to me, so the waiting was tough! I was over the moon when I received the contract offer from Astraea Press. The team at Astraea Press has been fantastic. I am very happy with my experience with them thus far.

Would you ever consider writing a sequel for In Shadows Of Magic or another novel similar to it?

Wishful thinking I guess. In Shadows Of Magic had an amazing ending.:)

Nissa

Yes! I'm working on a sequel to In Shadow of Magic! :-)

Yay!!! (I will buy it when it is released!!!) now I'm excited:)

Awesome!!!

I'm so excited that my book was featured in the Clifton Journal! http://www.northjersey.com/news/21804...

Congrats !! That's so cool :-D

Yay!!! That's awesome!

congrats Alison :) that's great.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to write their own novel? :-)

I've written 2 stories but they're both incomplete because I don't know what else to put into them. What advice can you give me for me to continue my stories?

Thanks Lissette and Anissa!

Ashleigh- are you working on a novel? The advice I would give is to write an outline first. I know not everyone works this way, but I am most efficient if I have a plan ahead of time. Of course, the outline can be tweaked as you write and come up with new ideas. Thanks for the question! Any more questions? I love to chat with other writers. :-)

Lissette- thanks for the question. The advice I give to you is to stop thinking so hard. Inspiration sometimes comes to us when we least expect it! When I find myself stuck at a certain point, I close my laptop and walk away. I find a quiet activity to do alone; go for a walk, take a shower, lay out in the sun, anything you enjoy as long as there aren't many distractions. Then, I find my imagination just runs wild. Remember daydreaming as a kid? That's what I do, only from my character's point of view. I hope this advice is helpful to you. What are your short stories about?

Thanks, Alison and one is about a girl who used to be famous when she was 14 but she gave it up to live a normal life. She gets labeled creepy and weird by two mean girls, while a person from her past comes back to show her that she still has the talent that she's always had.
the second one is based on a tv show and I did it based on an episode from it but I changed the plot and the main characters. Basically, a rockstar comes to a hotel for rehearsal with his band but their flight gets canceled. Then, he meets three people who become hu
his backup band.

Yeah i am ! Thankyou heaps for the advice !! :-D

Hi...Alison you are a wonderful writer..I love the subject of "In shadows of magic"...But isn't there a free ebook of it?I am really eager to read it..

Hi Alison...I will read your novel..It looks Perfect...
I wanna ask a question about its cover..When you imagined the character when you were writing, was it the one on cover?

Hi Clair! Thank you so much for your support! There is not a free version, but the ebook is only 2.99! It is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, itunes, the Astraea Pres website, etc. Here are some links...

For your kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D...

For your nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-sh...

All other eformats:
http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...

Thanks again, Clair! I look forward to chatting more with you. :-) Alison

Hi Malika! Thank you for your support and for your question. I LOVE my cover. I think it's better than anything I imagined! I would say that the character on the cover is very similar to the character I imagined Brianna to be-- when she was using her witch powers and looking extremely gorgeous. I was very lucky to be working with Astraea Press. The cover artist worked personally with me to make sure that she was creating a cover that I would be happy with. We discussed ideas and collaborated throughout the process.

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Alison

Lisette-- those are some great story ideas! I'm intrigued! Keep writing! I'm sure great ideas will come to you-- it seems that many already have!

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Alison

Thanks, Alison I will.:)

I need to read the book first before I start shooting my questions. :D In Shadows of Magic is already in my Want-to-read shelf but I'm still finding a way to get past my TBR pile.

In Shadows of Magic really sounds an exciting read. :D

Thanks Charlotte! I look forward to your questions after you get a chance to read it! :-)

Check out the new thread about the In Shadows of Magic Blog Tour starting tomorrow! As part of the tour, there will be chances to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card and In Shadows of Magic ebook!

Hey, Alison. I'm Jessicah. I'm currently writing a novel, and I haven't had time to read your book yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. I've looked at excerpts and summaries and reviews and looked at the synopsis and decided I like it already.

I have a question for you, though. I'm having trouble with the beginning of the book (I've always sucked at beginnings. I do better when all my characters already know each other and in the deeper parts of the book that I already have mapped out in my head). Any advice for getting past those beginning parts of the book?

Hi Jessicah! Thanks for your kind words about my book! I look forward to discussing it with you after you have read it. :-)

Here's my advice for you in regards to your question. Don't worry about writing a "beginning". Just start writing in the midst of the action. Provide clues through dialogue and description so that the reader can figure out relationships between characters. This keeps the reader engaged. You don't want to "information dump" by writing long paragraphs of explanation of how the characters know each other. You say you have parts of the book mapped out in your head: I would say start with those parts and then see where it goes from there.

What is your book about? I love chatting with other writers, so let me know if you have any more questions! I hope my advice will be useful for you.

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Alison

Thanks, Alison! That helps a lot!

My book is about a girl names Shaelynn Wynters who discovers a way into the land of the fey, completely by accident. Her curiosity is very....extreme. No matter how hard she tries to suppress her curiosity and go back to a normal life, now that she knows what's out there, she has to know more. And thus, she gets into lots of trouble with courts, kings and queens, monsters, dragons, all sorts of fey, and even with other mortals like herself.

That sounds really cool, Jessicah! I would love to read it!

Check out my latest guest post: Set Goals, Work Hard,and Be Proud of YOUr Accomplishments!

http://www.mortalmoments.blogspot.com...

Don't forget to sign up for the chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Thanks, Alison!

Bea- YOU- tiful: Don't Let Others Bring YOU Down. Check it my latest guest post on the In Shadows of Magic Tour! Don't forget to sign up for the $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

http://lucypireel.wordpress.com/2013/...

how do you get the ideas of how to come up with a novel and get it to last more than a few chapters long?

How did you stick with your story, and not really give it up ever? (my problem.) :P

Hi Heather and Audrey! It seems like you are both asking the same question. I've definitely had times where I wrote a few chapters and then I stopped. I just wasn't fully inspired at that time. When THE story pops into your head, you won't be able to stop. At least that is what happened for me. I was so inspired by my characters and plot line for In Shadows of Magic that I wrote non-stop every waking moment that I wasn't at my job. So I guess that's not great advice, but that's how it happened for me. I hope both of you find inspiration like that as well! :-)

Thanks so much!!

How do you come up with a really good beginning, without seeming rushed, forced, or trying too hard?

Check out my latest guest posts on confidence and In Shadows of Magic!

Date who YOU want: http://mamivalsbooks.blogspot.com/201...

Develop your OWN style: http://rosebeps.blogspot.it/2013/08/b...

Let me know what you think! :-)

Hi Audrey! I think I answered a similar question above that Jessicah asked. Scroll up and let me know if that helps. :-)

Oh, yeah, I hadn't read that. :P
Thanks sososo much for all of your advice, it's so awesome that you do this. :)

Hi i'm Fatima my question is i'm 18 years old. Is it it to late to start writing.

Audrey- you're welcome!

Fatima- of course not! It's never too late and you are so young! You can start writing at any age. :-)

Thanks can you give me tips on where to start please

Have Your OWN Interests! Check out my latest guest post on the In Shadows of Magic tour! :-) Let me know what you think!

http://sunmountainreviews.wordpress.c...