BooksChatter: ℚ State of Vengeance: Collapse [6]

Saturday, 27 June 2015

ℚ State of Vengeance: Collapse [6] - Summer Lane

As part of the Book Release Blitz for State of Vengeance (26 June 2015, 362 pages) the sixth book in the new adult dystopian Collapse series, our feature today is a quick Q&A with best selling author Summer Lane to talk about her and her writing.

To celebrate the release of State of Vengeance, all previous books in the series are currently available at 99p / 99c!

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway

Summer Lane, welcome to BooksChatter. To start, let's have a quick-fire round about some of your favourite things.

Favorite bands?

"Muse. I also like Lady Antebellum and anything with a country sound. I am fascinated with Lana Del Rey and positively enraptured by any instrumental groups like Audio Machine or Two Steps from Hell."

Favorite movies?

"Superhero movies, animated films (think Wall-e, The Book of Eli) and any movie with Dwayne Johnson."

Favorite television shows

"Pretty Little Liars, Gilmore Girls (La, la, la, la!). Also positively obsessed – and by obsessed I mean madly in love – with The Walking Dead."

Favorite classic books?

"Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Great Expectations and Dracula."

Favorite writing snack?

"Tea, iced during the hot months, hot during the cold ones, and chocolate - Snickers bars."

Thank you! Next we would like to find out a bit about your writing process.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?

"Here’s where I fess up and admit that I’m a hybrid. I plot out my stories, I know who the characters are, and I know exactly what’s going to happen before I actually sit down and write the book. However, I do not plot out the specific scenes. I have general ideas, but I allow the personalities of the characters and the environments to shape and mold the scene, therefore making it – in my opinion, at least – more organic.

At this point in the Collapse Series, the characters shape their own destinies. In many ways I am just following where they lead – I simply nudge them in the right direction.

I write at my desk. Mornings. 7 to 12 is the optimal time for me. Once noon hits, I’m pretty much done for the day when it comes to creative writing. I find that writing at the same time every day is really healthy for a writer. For example, my current manuscript requires a minimum of five pages per day. I can write more, but I certainly can never write less. Setting those little goals is helpful.

My favorite place to write is in the mountains, in the seclusion of a quiet forest. That’s where my imagination really works well. "

What’s your schedule like as a writer?

"I run a publishing business – I handle several different title releases per year. I have to come up with the content, coordinate all of the marketing strategies, edit the content, sell the content and monitor the content. I don’t like taking time off, but I have to. Sometimes! My busiest months are from November to June. I basically have about four to six major deadlines per month.

From July to September, I get a little slow-down in the madness. I work half-days, and I am able to relax my brain a bit so that I can create more content when Fall rolls around again. So right now, I’m just starting to enjoy some of the lazy days of summer – I’m going to Universal Studios Hollywood, Santa Monica Beach, camping in the mountains, and checking out a firework show for Independence Day.

So yeah. When I have downtime, I seize it and don’t let go! "

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

"I really like to read. I find it nearly impossible to read while I’m writing a manuscript. I just have to focus all of my attention on the story creation. So I only read when I’m not writing a book – which is usually on the weekends. I love to crochet – I adore it. It’s very soothing.

I think the best thing to do during the summer is to go swimming, watch a movie, and then sit on the tailgate of a pickup truck, smell the fruit in the orchards, and watch the stars. I could do that forever. I guess I’m just a little country girl at heart! I also enjoy cooking. Pioneer Woman is my favorite thing ever. I’m totally serious. Ree Drummond is my hero. She needs to adopt me and teach me her ways."

What is in store next?

"Collapse: The Illustrated Guide comes out this summer. The paperback will release first, and then the eBook will be available around August 2015.

The conclusion to the Zero Trilogy, End of Day, will release October 9th, 2015.

Then I’ve got the next Collapse book coming out in January 2016, Bravo: Apocalypse Mission in March 2016, and another Collapse book in June 2016."