The Svatura Series
Series: Svatura
Titles: Blue Violet | Hyacinth | Crimson Dahlia | Black Orchid
Author: Abigail Owen
Publication Date: October 2015
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Synopsis (From Goodreads)
One will come out of hiding to protect others like her from a similar fate. One will find her path to leadership after being released from a hellish prison. One will try to start a new life only to discover that her path lies where it always has. And one will feel a loss so terrible that only oblivion can stop the pain.
Individually they are strong. But together these sisters of the heart are a force before whom even their most powerful enemies will tremble. However, that may not be enough. Is power or love the key to their salvation?
Blue Violet Trailer
Voices
Welcome to The Book Bag today, Abigail, and thank you for answering my "voices" question. I have heard some authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?
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The rumors you’ve heard are true! I am guessing any character driven writer would say something similar. By character driven, I mean what I like best is developing my characters as people and then watching them grow and change through the course of the story. It’s my favorite part of books both as a writer and as a reader.
I absolutely hear voices in my head. Mine is a combination of the character themselves and the situation they’re in. I picture my characters in scenes. And this is usually how my story ideas begin.
For example, in Blue Violet, I started with Ellie. First I pictured a woman in a scene where she’s a shapeshifting falcon high up in a tree watching over a group of kids in the forest below. She is protecting them though they don’t know she’s there. And danger is coming.
When I pictured the scene Ellie’s personality and voice were so clear. She was secretive in the scene, but not naturally so. She is spunky and loyal and protective and confident. She would sacrifice her life for her friends below, even though they have no idea who she actually is. Her voice in my head was positive – practically bubbly, but not quite (because bubbly would be annoying to me and I like Ellie).
I also knew that the scene following would be her fighting off the danger, in the process risking her life as well as revealing to her friends (and the man she loves) her true identity. I started there and had to figure out how she got there. How they got there. What came before and what happened next.
I’ve done just about every book I’ve written that way, although, especially with the Svatura series, my characters in later books were like family by the time I wrote their stories because they’d already been established in previous books. Adelaide’s book (Black Orchid) was the hardest to write because she’s so sweet and I put that poor woman through the ringer.
I have these voices constantly floating around in my head all vying for attention. And I find the more I write, the more voices show up. I can’t keep up. Each time I finish a book, I really have to debate about which voice in my head is loudest at that moment and that’s how I choose the next book to write.
At the moment I’m writing Seneca’s Faith – the fourth story in the Shadowcat Nation series. I have a contemporary romance series started, and some of those characters are clamoring, but not loudly enough yet. (Or more specifically, they’re waiting for book 1 to get a contract.)
I have a Knights of the Round Table character dancing around in there. And a female Robin Hood figure as well. I have a fun take on demons and angels knocking about. And a contemporary romantic comedy with a ditsy heroine who’s just screaming to be written right now. She might be the loudest, but until I finish Seneca’s story (probably another 2 months), she’ll just have to wait.
I find the voices are not very patient, a trait they share with me. J
About the author
Award-winning paranormal and contemporary romance author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.
Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
Connect with Abigail
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Thanks for hosting today, Susan!
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome!
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