Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Interview with Elizabeth Kaiser

E. KaiserElizabeth, welcome once again to Homeschool Authors! I have to say I am very excited about your latest book, Traitor's Knife.

And I'm very excited to be here! It's such a long time between releasing the first novel and then writing, editing and publishing the next one, but I always love the point were I get to do an Author Interview with you here, Sarah! It's always so fun to be a part of the Homeschool Authors blog.

After reading Jeweler's Apprentice, I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel. Were you as excited to write Traitor's Knife as your readers were to read it?

 I was both super pumped up, and at the same time, pretty scared about writing the sequel. Once you've had a taste of reader approval, you're suddenly much, much more aware of wanting to create something that will be both as good as the first, and at the same, a little bit better. And since it's a totally different story, that can be a tricky thing. So, yes, it was quite a bit of both.
 I ended up really enjoying Traitor's Knife just on its own merit, and I had a lot of fun within the world of its plot line.

What was your biggest challenge in writing Traitor's Knife?

 Probably the biggest challenge was keeping the mystery part of the plot spaced and suspended, so that it didn't get forgotten, or just heaped all at one end. I'm still not sure if I did it right, but I've heard feedback that at least some readers highly approve, so I'm super happy about that!
 I enjoyed the greater demands this plot put upon my pacing skills, so that was a big area or growth in my writing mastery, I'd say.
 What part of the book did you like best, Sarah, as a reader?"

Seeing Fia struggle between what her life used to be and what it has become. It is a struggle many of us will face at one point or another.

What was the easiest part of writing the story? 

 Oooo... easiest part. I'm not sure I can answer that; was there an easiest part? I guess I'd have to say that once we'd gotten all the way to the climactic "peak" scene, everything kind of rolled together. Because you've sort of been laying track to this moment all along, and then suddenly all you have to do is make sure all the pieces get fitted in; you already know what they are. That was pretty fun. And of course, a good fight scene is always nice.

Fia is such a wonderful girl. I just love her so much. Who did you base her off of?

I'm so glad you like Fia! She's a unique protagonist for sure, not at all the bold, grab-adventure-by-the-horns type, so it's always very good to hear that audiences are connecting with her. I based her off of my sister Abigail, with a little of myself folded in. (Whenever she gets mad, that's me. Abi never understands why Fia is mad!)
 As her author it's hard to tell how she's coming across, and what I should make sure to keep hold of in the upcoming sequels. So I'm dying to know: what do you love about her?

Just how real she felt. Even when the story was a little slow at times, she was a strong enough character to keep me reading. Her struggles and feelings are something a lot of girls can relate to.

For those who are eager to read the next book, where can they get it?

Traitor's  Knife is on Amazon here, and if anybody buys it,  be sure to leave a comment on my blog post here, for a chance to win a surprise gift! Just something fun and interesting, and yes, I'll announce what it is later. Just mention that you bought it, and what you think so far, there's no proof necessary.

Is there more of Fia's story still to come?

 Absolutely! There are three more books planned for her journey, and who knows what will happen after that! Depends on what the readers think, I guess. I really find myself relying on what reader feedback has to say, so that will make a huge difference in the final outcome.
 I don't expect to have a third book out for at least a year, several big Real Life questions are hanging in the balance, (are we moving or not? out of state, or not?! ) So those are going to factor largely in what writing gets done in the near future.

 But I really wanted to make sure I got Traitor's Knife out there to the readers, and I'm really looking forward to hearing back from them on what they think, what they like, what they wish to see improved upon or focused more on... I'm really loving the ability to be guided by my readership and really hone the story to fit their "hot buttons", so to speak.

Thank you so much for stopping by yet again.

As always, it's been fun! And to celebrate the release, we've got a little giveaway going on, so everybody please do share, tweet, comment, just spread the word as much as you can for a chance to win some of the sweet prizes offered by our partners on this one! And when I say sweet, I mean it. Did you take a look at the awesome selection of natural products offered by Bajmy? Imagine having a whole $25 certificate to splurge with! Smells heavenly already.
 Or the $2 gift certificate you can put toward some homemade treats from Sweet Things by Leoh. Who likes Fudge? Oh, yes, me. Well... sadly, I can't enter.
Okay! To celebrate the recent release of my  novel Traitor's Knife, (second in the series from Jeweler's Apprentice)  I've put together a fun giveaway for you guys here today, and there's lots of chances to win!
  Since I love to encourage high quality craftsmanship and entrepreneurship, I turned to Etsy to find some special folks to highlight here, and I found some real Lovelies!


 So, the prizes are...
 
A one-of-a-kind watercolor illustration of one of the exciting climactic scenes in Traitor's Knife! This is done by the author, capturing to the best of her ability the tension of the moment.


Original watercolor illustration 9x6"

 
  A $25 gift certificate from Bajmy for her handmade soaps and oils and all sorts of wonderful fragrancy things, all made with natural ingredients, and it's FREE Shipping in the US. Can you believe that?! You guys are soo lucky... I'd Love to have this as my prize. *(Instead I will go away and cry...)*


















A gift certificate from Seed & Sky for $32 allows you to choose between a selection of very cute accessories... among them these adorable designs!


Springtime Green Acorns




Fox Dangles



 

Little Bees










 And there's a $2 gift certificate from Sweet Things by Leoh to be used towards any of her luscious-looking wares:  she has a selection of fudges at about that price point, (though shipping across teh pond could get steep!) But for anyone in England, this is a sweet deal!

Aren't these Sugar Mice the cutest?!

Honeycomb Crunchie (with an "ie"! Brits are so cute!)








$0.91 Hot Chocolate mix!











 "
 Then the widget is:
 a Rafflecopter giveaway


3 comments:

  1. Hi Elizabeth!!! ( waves)
    It's interesting how Fia is a combination of you and your sister. That would be hard to do--at least for me!--combining people like that. But it works.
    I like it when she's mad. Getting mad is what makes her human, to my mind. :)

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  2. Where do I find the place to sign up for the "announcements newsletter"?

    Lovely interview!

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  3. I love the title of your book!

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