BooksChatter: ℚ The Starlight Chronicles [1-3]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Lisa Orchard to talk about The Starlight Chronicles Box Set (30 September 2015, esKape Press, 389 pages), a Young Adult Romance series.

On Twitter, Lisa Orchard introduces herself as a "Mom of two beautiful boys, bestselling author, and cancer survivor. I love hiking, animals, and chocolate! Not necesaarily in that order!"

Author Q&A | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to Lisa Orchard; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter.

What was the inspiration for The Starlight Chronicles?

"The idea for this series started with my husband and I watching a documentary about one of our favorite bands, Rush. While watching this show, I was so impressed with the band, their musicianship, and the bass guitarist that I turned to my husband and said, “I want to be like Geddy Lee.”

This brought back that age old desire to be a rock star. Since I’m a little too old to be roaming down that road, I decided to write a series about it instead. That’s when “The Starlight Chronicles” was born and the first line in the first book is: “I want to be like Gideon Lee.”"

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I would have to say quite a bit of myself is reflected in this book. Lark’s strong drive to overcome the obstacles in her path and continue her pursuit of her dreams reminds me of myself. Plus, I’ve always had a secret desire to be a rock star! LOL!"

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Starlight Chronicles - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The book cover artist is Elaina Lee and I met her through my publisher. She has designed all the covers for my books and I must say she always gets it right. I love her ability to capture the essence of the story with the covers she designs.

I absolutely love the cover for the boxed set of “The Starlight Chronicles.” The photo of the lone girl with her guitar, depicts Lark’s character so well. She often feels like an outsider and that image on the cover embodies that feeling beautifully."

Why should we read The Starlight Chronicles? What sets it apart from the rest?

"You should read this story because it illustrates the strength of the human spirit. I, myself love stories where the underdog faces insurmountable odds and wins. I’m sure everyone has had an experience where the odds were stacked against them and sometimes you can beat the odds and sometimes you can’t. When you see someone overcoming the obstacles in their path, it gives you hope that you can do it too! :-)"

Can you tell us something quirky about The Starlight Chronicles, its story and characters?

"This is a very good question! I think naming a character is very important and I wanted a name that was symbolic. Everyone knows the Lark has a beautiful voice and my main character is a singer so that’s how I came up with her name, Lark Singer. :-)

I try to pick names that stand out and grab the reader’s attention. I hope I’ve done that in this story."

Who would you recommend The Starlight Chronicles to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend this to anyone over the age of twelve. I’ve found that not only teens enjoy the stories, but adults do too. It brings them back to their own teen years and the stories become sentimental."

If you could / wished to turn The Starlight Chronicles into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"This is a good question! I would have to say that I’d want Rachel Platten to play Lark because of her inner strength.

Ben Devine (One Direction) would be Bean because he reminds me of Bean’s character, a little pensive.

Zayn Malik (One Direction) would play Stevie, because he seems to be the strong silent type just like Stevie is in the book.

The director would be Tom Hanks or Clint Eastwood. I love their films and both of them have a flair for capturing the essence of the story in their movies."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"When I started writing for publication. I had my sights set on writing in the mystery/thriller genre. I love to read a good mystery, but my writing has evolved and I’m finding that I’m having more and more ideas that are steered toward human drama. I’m really excited about a couple of projects I’m working on and I can’t wait to finish them. I really love the characters."

What is your writing process?

"I’m a Pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants. I get an idea and just go for it. I know the beginning of a story and the end, but not always what’s going to happen in the middle.  It’s fun to put your characters in situations and see how they’ll react and it’s especially exciting when the story takes you down a different path than you expected. When you see it finally come together, it’s a pretty awesome feeling."

What is in store next?

"I’ve got a list of ideas! They’re coming so fast that I can’t keep up! Right now I’ve got two I’m working on. They’re both Thrillers with human drama aspects and I absolutely love the characters in each story. I can’t wait to get them finished and start polishing them up. :-) I don’t want to give out any more info than that because I want everyone to be surprised!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"I have a cat, her name is Lily and she’s very elusive. I don’t have any photos of me with her, and right now I’d rather not take a photo. The reason is because I finished chemo about ten months ago and my hair is growing back, but I don’t quite look like myself yet. Sorry!"