Q+A with Author Kristine Kruppa Plus Cover Reveal for 27 Days to Midnight

I’ve mentioned this on my Facebook page before, but I think it’s the first time I’m posting about it here. A little over a year ago, a mutual friend introduced me to Kristine saying, “You’re both writers, you should meet.” So thank you, Mike, for introducing me to a great local writer and friend. Her new book, 27 Days to Midnight, is coming out May 3rd. With the date fast approaching, today is her cover release! I asked Kristine to do me the favor of answering a few questions I had for her to share some advice and talk a bit about her book. If you want to ask her some questions of your own, she’ll be doing a Twitter Q&A from 8-9pm EST tonight. Be sure to follow @kskruppa and use #27Days to participate.

Everyone in Dahlia’s world knows when they’re going to die. Except her.

Her father has never shown her the pocket watch counting down the days she has left to live. When he sacrifices himself to save her from her scheduled death, Dahlia abandons her comfortable home and sets off after his murderer to uncover the secrets her father died to protect…and the time research that could bring him back to life.

Then she meets Farren Reed. She should hate him. He’s an enemy soldier, a cowardly deserter, and the most insufferable man Dahlia’s ever met. Still, she needs all the help she can get, and Farren is the only chance she has to find the man who murdered her father. But Farren has only twenty-seven days left on his watch.

In that time, Dahlia must recover her father’s time research, foil a psychotic general’s plot, and learn to survive in a world that will never be the same. But the research holds secrets more dangerous than she had ever imagined. She will have to choose what is most important: revenge, Farren’s life, or her own. And time is running out.

Author photo by Sunny Wong

Kristine Kruppa is a mechanical engineer, writer, and world traveler. Her days are spent designing cool new car parts, but her evenings are filled with writing and cats. She has traveled solo to seventeen countries on five continents. Her other hobbies include hunting for the perfect cup of coffee, exploring used book stores, and accidentally climbing mountains. To keep up with her adventures, follow Kristine on Twitter @kskruppa.

And, finally, my Q&A with Kristine about her writing.

Sam: When did you start writing? Do you remember the first thing you wrote?
Kristine: I don’t remember when I started writing; it’s just something I’ve always done. As a kid, I wrote and illustrated little picture books. I think the earliest one involved a cat detective tracking down a pizza thief. After my family bought a computer–somewhere between sixth and seventh grade–I fell into the habit of waking up early, slipping downstairs, and typing away while the house was quiet. I broke countless staplers trying to wrestle the stacks of pages into something resembling a book.

Sam: How do you stay focused on your writing with life going on around you?
Kristine: This is something I struggle with. I try to set aside a little time every day to write, but this doesn’t always happen. Instead, I end up hauling my laptop to cafés on the weekend for a few hours of coffee and words. To stop myself from getting distracted by the internet or other people, I set a timer. I write for twenty minutes straight. Then I break for ten minutes of watching cat videos and chowing down on cookies before going back to writing. It’s easier to focus if I break up long sessions into small chunks. And it stops me from wandering off-track!

Sam: What advice would you give to writers who want the same success you’re enjoying?
Kristine: Finish your stories. Around the halfway point, I’m always tempted to set aside a novel-in-progress. Usually, it’s because I have a new story idea, something shiny and exciting that seems far better than the messy draft in front of me. I have to force myself to work on the draft for a while. Within a few chapters, the magic always comes back and I’m able to finish it. While it may be appealing to drop everything for a new idea, this technique will work against you in the long run. You can’t publish half a book!

Sam: Why did you decide to go into engineering? Would you ever consider leaving your day job for a writing career?
Kristine: I’d always been good at math and science, so engineering seemed the natural choice. I originally wanted to be a civil engineer, working on bridges or roads (or roller coasters!). But I switched to mechanical engineering when I realized I could do a wider variety of things with it. I don’t think I would ever give up my day job for a writing career (the stable salary funds my crazy vacations), but I’d certainly switch to part-time work if my writing really takes off.

Sam: Why have you decided to travel so extensively? Does what you see abroad show up in your work?
Kristine: I travel because I love it. Seeing the world, meeting new people, discovering different places and cultures…there’s nothing like it. Plus, travel gives me excellent writing material! Many of the settings in my stories are based on real places. The cliff town from 27 Days to Midnight was inspired by the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Dahlia’s hometown is reminiscent of Paris. And the marketplace in Janmasthala is similar to markets I’ve wandered in Peru and Southeast Asia (besides the mechanical tortoises, of course!).

Tune into her author chat/interview tonight to find out anything else  you want to know about the upcoming release. Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

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Cover Reveal: Minutes Before Sunset by Shannon A. Thompson

Post #2 for today. If you’ve been with me for a long time, you might remember when I did a cover reveal for Shannon way back in December 2013. That was for her second book in the Timely Death Trilogy. A few months later, I won a signed copy of the first book in the series during the virtual release party.

Now, a little over a year later, Shannon’s books are being re-released by her new publisher and that means new covers! So feast your eyes on the newest cover for the first installment in the series, Minutes Before Sunset.

Two destines. One death.

“Her kiss could kill us, and my consent signed our death certificates.”

Eric Welborn isn’t completely human, but he isn’t the only shade in the small Midwest town of Hayworth. With one year left before his eighteenth birthday, Eric is destined to win a long-raging war for his kind. But then she happens. In the middle of the night, Eric meets a nameless shade, and she’s powerful—too powerful—and his beliefs are altered. The Dark has lied to him, and he’s determined to figure out exactly what lies were told, even if the secrets protect his survival.

Jessica Taylor moves to Hayworth, and her only goal is to find more information on her deceased biological family. Her adoptive parents agree to help on one condition: perfect grades. And Jessica is distraught when she’s assigned as Eric’s class partner. He won’t help, let alone talk to her, but she’s determined to change him—even if it means revealing everything he’s strived to hide.

Shannon has a great blog (link at the end) that I recommend for writers. She’s been really easy to work with and I’m excited by her success. Congratulations, Shannon. This is a great accomplishment.

Shannon A. Thompson

About the Author:

Shannon A. Thompson is a 23-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox. She was merely 16 when she was first published, and a lot has happened since then. Thompson’s work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies, and her first installment of The Timely Death Trilogy became Goodreads Book of the Month. She is currently represented by Clean Teen Publishing, and Minutes Before Sunset releases on July 28, 2015.

As a novelist, poet, and blogger, Thompson spends her free time writing and sharing ideas with her black cat named after her favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart. Between writing and befriending cats, she graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and she travels whenever the road calls her.

Visit her blog for writers and readers at www.ShannonAThompson.com.

Cover Reveal and Author Interview: Shannon A. Thompson

I’m very excited to be participating in my first cover reveal! Shannon A. Thompson is the author of Seconds Before Sunrise, the second installment in The Timely Death Trilogy. I wanted to do more than just a cover reveal for you, readers, so I also asked Shannon to let me do a brief interview with her so I could share some opinions and thoughts from a published author. Happy reading!

SAM: I see on your site that Seconds before Sunrise is the second book in a trilogy. How have you managed to give each book an ending while maintaining the story line of a series?
SHANNON: Depends on what you considering an ending. The books definitely don’t stand on their own. The first, for instance, has an ending that relies on the second book to begin. I look at The Timely Death Trilogy as one story divided into three books rather than the alternative for a trilogy: three books with the same characters in different stories.

SAM: You published your first book at 16. To what do you accredit your ability to write well at such a young age?
SHANNON: Writing well is debatable. I’ve grown a lot since then. But, in terms of writing and getting published at such a young, I have to credit my mother first. She taught me to love writing as well as how to grow with and from it. Her death is the reason I became so passionate about writing at a young age. When I was 16, I also met author, T.L. McCown, who helped me with my first published novel. She is an inspiration.

SAM: Do you think writing can be learned, or is it something we are ‘born with?’
SHANNON: I think it’s always both. Personally, I think I was born with the love for writing, but I had to learn how to write. We aren’t born knowing what language is, let alone writing, but I think we can be born with the urge inside of us. I think we can also learn to love it if we weren’t born with it. Everything comes down to the individual.

SAM: How involved were you in designing the cover for Seconds before Sunrise? Do you take any credit for the idea?
SHANNON: Viola Estrella was the cover designer, and she was great, because I had a very specific idea that I wanted displayed–mainly having to do with looking like a trilogy. Some might wonder why the first cover has a blue woman and the second cover has a green background but a normal colored male. This was done on purpose. The first novel is about being in the Dark, and the second book is focused on the human aftermath of their supernatural identities.

Thank you again to Shannon for agreeing to an interview. Another interesting fact Shannon shared with me is that Eric’s pendant is based on a necklace the author had and lost on a trip. And now, without further ado, here it is, the cover for Shannon A. Thompson’s new book, Seconds Before Sunrise!

Shannon’s cover for SECONDS BEFORE SUNRISE

Two nightmares. One memory.

“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”

Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.

Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.

At sixteen years old, Shannon A. Thompson became the published author of “November Snow.” At twenty-one, she was featured in “Poems: a collection of works by twelve young Kansas poets.” On May 1st, her paranormal romance, “Minutes Before Sunset” was released by AEC Stellar Publishing. In July, it was awarded Goodreads Book of the Month. It’s the first novel in A Timely Death series. Her first short story, “Sean’s Bullet,” released in an anthology in October, 2013, and her upcoming novel, “Seconds Before Sunrise,” is expected to release March 22nd 2014.

She’s lived in five states and moved over fifteen times, which she uses as inspiration for writing. Shannon dedicates all of her published works to lost loved ones, and she encourages everyone to find their passion.
Currently, Shannon is finishing her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Kansas and working as a Social Media Marketing Manager for AEC Stellar Publishing.
Visit her at ShannonAThompson.com.