Roanoke Author Invasion: Featured Authors and Giveaway (4)

Image Credit: Laura Howard

The Roanoke Author Invasion is coming to the Star City on April 11, 2015. Thirty authors of contemporary, romance, and paranormal fiction will be in attendance. I am thrilled to be attending this event held in Southwest Virginia. To get ready for the event, I am featuring the authors on my blog in the weeks leading up to the event through promotional posts and mini-interviews. I'm asking each author to share a little about themselves, books, and writing advice, and ending this month-long feature with a huge giveaway.

For more information about this FREE event, please visit Roanoke Author Invasion at roanokeauthorinvasion.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RoanokeInvasion

Get your tickets now through EVENTBRITE.

Today I am featuring Bryna Butler, Alyssa Rose Ivy, Nancy Straight, Theresa Kay, and Adrianne James. 

Bryna Butler

What are some of the books that made you fall in love with reading?

I'm one of those late bloomers. I didn't fall in love with reading until I was an adult, and then it was a children's book about an orphan boy who found out he was a wizard. Yep, I fell under Harry's spell pretty quickly. ;)

What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?

A couple of years ago, I got a chance to meet one of my writer role models, Charlaine Harris. The advice she gave me was "read everything". She said that reading books in your genre helps you become better at the mechanics of writing. She said that reading books outside your genre helps you to think more creatively and bring something new to your work. She was right. Being an avid reader has helped me hone my craft in a well-rounded way.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Don't forget to write. Seems obvious, but it is so easy to get caught up in the cover design, networking, marketing, and everything else.

Tell me 3 things about yourself.

1) I list splashing my hands in the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial among my greatest life achievements.

2) Back in the day, I used to watch episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD while I washed dishes or cleaned house, even though I'm a terrible housekeeper, to this day I can recite nearly every word of dialog without even trying.

3) On one of the shelves in my office, I kept a toy Dalek and a replica Hermione time turner. It bothered me so much to see a Dalek so close to the time turner that I finally had to move them apart. 

Find Bryna online at brynabutler.com

Alyssa Rose Ivy

What are some of the books that make you fall in love with reading?

One of my first book loves was The Hobbit. I was also really into mysteries. I especially loved Agatha Christie. Later on I went through an obsessive Baby Sitters Club stage followed by reading every single Mary Higgins Clark I could get my hands on. When I found an author I enjoyed I read everything by them.

What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?

Write what you love. It's such great advice because in the end that’s the one reason to keep writing.

What is advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I’d share the same advice I received. Write what you love. Also, embrace constructive criticism when it comes from the right places. Ignore negativity if it’s not constructive.

Tell me 3 things about yourself.

1)      I love writing with music

2)      I’m addicted to coffee

3)      I’m both a cat and dog person 

Find Alyssa online at www.alyssaroseivy.com

Nancy Straight

What are some of the books that made you fall in love with reading?  

I keep toothpicks by my bed to prop my eyelids open at night, which is a problem because my days start promptly at 6am.  Inescapable by Amy Bartol was beyond amazing, I was so blown away I messaged Amy and asked if we could meet for dinner!  Beg for Mercy by Shannon Dermott had me rooting for an Angel and a Demon.  Damon from Jennifer Armentrout’s Lux series made me hope aliens really would invade our planet. I could go on forever – there are never a shortage of fantastic books to read or a new hero for me to fall in love with.   

What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?  

Grammar doesn’t have to be a nemesis, but after nine novels I still don’t know where commas go (thank God for editors!).

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?  

Writing is a marathon, not a sprint.  Instant success is rare.  Keep writing.   

 Tell me 3 things about yourself.  

I have a lead foot when I drive, so I set cruise control even in 25MPH zones.  

I have written 9 novels and still chat regularly with my first five fans I met on Goodreads.  

I have two fantastic sons, three rotten dogs and a husband that I adore.

Find Nancy online at www.nancystraight.com

Theresa Kay

What are some of the books that made you fall in love with reading?

My love for reading started at a very young age, but a few of the books that really stick out for me would be: A Wrinkle In Time, Sign of the Beaver (my first school assigned book that I finished the very first evening and then had to fake my way through the 'what do you think will happen next' exercises in class), Eyes of the Dragon, The Stand, Jurassic Park, The Black Stallion, Anne of Green Gables, and pretty much anything by RL Stine.

What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?

Give yourself permission to write garbage. It sounds much easier than it actually is, but it basically means letting go of my expectations and letting myself write-- even if what I'm writing at the time is absolutely awful.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

This goes along with giving yourself permission to write garbage, but I think one of the things most writers need to keep in mind is that you can't edit what isn't written. Tell the story first and then worry about going back and fixing the holes. You'll be surprised at the things that will flow onto the page when you stop expecting perfection and just let yourself write.

Tell me 3 things about yourself.

1- I’m much more comfortable talking about books than almost anything else, especially if the conversation is about books other than ones I wrote. I read almost every genre and I’m great at book recommendations. I'm an introvert and pretty shy, but I can talk books with almost anyone.

2- I grew up on Stephen King books, so my stories typically have darker elements to them and, in my writing group, I’m known as the one who is meanest to her characters.

3- I’m awful with visual creativity. I can’t draw or sculpt or even pick out paint colors for my house. Unless we’re talking stick figures, I can only make pretty pictures with words.

Find Theresa online at www.theresakay.com

Adrianne James

What are some of the books that made you fall in love with reading? 

This is such a hard question as I have been a reader since a small child. I remember reading 50 babysitters club books the summer I turned 9. My mother was driving all over the state to find them at different libraries! I also read The Chronicles of Narnia. The Harry Potter books of course played a big role, the Alvin Maker series as well as the Ender series by Orson Scott Card.

What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received? 
The best piece of advice I ever received was to keep writing. Never stop writing, never stop learning, never stop growing. A writer can always improve.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

The piece of advice I would give is to stop calling yourself an aspiring writer. You either write or you don't. If you spend time putting words to a page (or computer screen) you ARE a writer. Believe in yourself. Now, if your goal is to be a published author, take the time to learn the ins and outs of the industry. Research and planning. Being published is a business and it needs to be treated as such.

Tell me 3 things about yourself.

Three things about me.... 

I am a huge coffee addict. 

I love gardening and growing my own food. 

I can fold my tongue in half backwards but cannot make that u shaped straw like thing that so many others can.

Find Adrianne online at www.AdrianneJames.com

Now for the Giveaway

One person will receive a selection of Books, E-books and Swag collected from RAI

(some items are donated by the authors and some items will be purchased at RAI and from Amazon for this giveaway)

Must be 18 years or older to enter

U.S. Addresses only

Enter via Rafflecopter

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