It’s day three of the Blogger Book Fair and I’m happy to feature Allison Blanchard, author of the Young Adult novel Forget Me Not.
Forget Me Not
First, here’s a little about the story.
Cole Dyami is a mysterious boy with a dangerous secret. Adeline Jasely is a typical teenage girl. Living in the seemingly normal small town of Great Falls Montana, Adeline is confronted with everyday teenage problems by a not so normal beautiful boy. As Adeline and Cole’s worlds collide, the line between illusion and reality is blurred. According to a tribal legend, Adeline and Cole are no longer two friends, but two pieces in a complicated mystery. Suddenly, Adeline finds herself in a world she never knew existed. Along side Cole, she attempts to unravel the mysteries of the small Chippewa tribe in order to not only find out who Cole Dyami truly is, but who she is as well. As Cole and Adeline begin to uncover the secrets behind the legends of the Chippewa tribe, illusion slowly unravels into reality and friendship gradually melts into a mutual need of survival.
Interview with Allison
BC: How long have you been writing and what got you started?
AB: I have been writing since I was eleven, but only became serious about writing for publication when I was about fifteen. I’m not really sure what got me started with writing, but I’m pretty sure it was after reading my favorite author, Marianne Curley. She truly inspired me to write.
BC: How long did it take you to write Forget Me Not?
AB: It took me about three to four months to write the first draft of the novel. As I was searching for a publisher for four years, I made changes and edited it a bit more.
BC: In one sentence, what’s the book about?
AB: Forget Me Not is a unique love story that digs at the deeper questions of life & death, illusion & reality with an interwoven thread of Native American culture and legends.
BC: What genre(s) do you gravitate toward and why?
AB: As a writer and a reader, I gravitate more towards the young adult romance genres. I think the reason is because the romance is clean and sweet. I love characters who first encounter love and are exploring the relationship along with the reader.
BC: Do you lean more toward plotter, pantser, or somewhere in the middle? What does your writing process look like?
AB: I am definitely somewhere in the middle. I love to see where a scene will go, but at some point in the writing process I need to make a very brief, vague outline. I can’t give away too much for myself, or writing won’t be such a mystery. I love finding out new things about my characters as I write.
My process is pretty laid back. I usually play some music to help me get in the right mindset, drink some coffee, and sit down at my computer and let it all out.
BC: Do you write to music, background noise, or silence?
AB: I have to have music! I have made several playlists and always play them as I write. It’s a great way to get the creative juices flowing.
BC: Tell us a little about your next release or what project you are working on right now.
AB: The project I am working on now is the second book in the Forget Me Not Trilogy, Morning Glory. It picks up where Forget Me Not left off. There are new characters, new twists and turns, but it is definitely a little darker than the first. SPOILER ALERT: There are some character deaths. It’s a pretty intense read.
BC: What are your favorite novels?
AB: Ah! My favorite novels would have to be “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers, “The Guardians of Time Trilogy” by Marianne Curley, “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, “The Carny” by Brooke Moss, and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.
BC: Coffee fuels writing—true or false and why?
AB: Um, TRUE!! It is a necessity for all of life, not just writing. It gets the imagination going!
More about Allison Blanchard
Allison Blanchard is currently a student at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia where she is pursuing her bachelor degrees in English Creative Writing and French. She is an active sister in Sigma Alpha Omega where she continues to grow as a woman in Christ. She writes everyday, drinks too much coffee, and is looking forward to the next adventure her characters will take her.
Find Allison Online
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
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