BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Shattered Pack: Alpha Girl [6]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Aileen Erin to talk about Shattered Pack (28 March 2017, Ink Monster, LLC), a Young Adult Paranormal Urban Fantasy, book six of the Alpha Girl series.

"This novel had me going from "Oh My God" "What the F*ck?" "Oh Hell no she didn't" to laughing and crying once.” — Paging Through the Days on Becoming Alpha
“So I must say, this novel is, without a doubt, wonderful. I felt like an excited Jennifer Lawrence. Happy, giddy, and slightly insane.” — The Not So Public Library on Alpha Divided

“Tessa is such a fantastic, strong heroine who displays so much bravery and loyalty its a complete pleasure to read. Aileen Erin is a wonderful author who has managed to capture every characters idiosyncrasies with ease with not a single boring moment in the series.” — Lunaland Books on Alpha Unleashed

|| Synopsis || Teaser: Excerpt || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Aileen Erin; thank you for joining us!

Here at BooksChatter we love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in Shattered Pack, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"Yes! Below is Meredith’s gearing-up to kick some ass playlist!"

What was the inspiration for Shattered Pack?

"I was hugely inspired by the lovely Irish countryside. I visited a few years ago, and while I was driving through the green, on tiny, winding roads, I totally fell in love with it. I knew I had to set a book there. When fans started asking for Meredith to have her own book, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to put some of what I saw into a book. (Meredith’s love is Donovan, the Alpha of the Irish Pack.) Having the two of them end up in Ireland would be perfect. I may have even put in a scene at an amazing pub where I had the best fish and chips ever. ;)"

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

"This book was actually very hard for me to write because Meredith is so little like me. I scrapped the first five or so chapters a few times as I struggled to get her voice right. I knew I had to keep working until it did her justice, but boy did it take some doing."

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

"I absolutely love this cover! I think it might be my favorite Alpha Girl cover so far. I took the concept from the show Poldark. The country side in that show is so lovely, and their main image of Poldark and Damelza standing on the cliff with the wind blowing… Love it! I sent that image, along with a few others, to my amazing cover artist, Ana Cruz. She loved the concept, and it turned out better than I could’ve dreamed."

Why should we read Shattered Pack and the Alpha Girl series; what sets it apart from the rest?

"I love to write about relationships where each partner has strength. In a lot of books, I’ll see the woman sitting around, pining away for some boy or in the big, epic finales, they stand aside while all the men do the fighting. It bums me out. Women are strong! I like there to be a yin-yang type of quality to the relationships. Both people are complete alone, but together, they make each other more. They bring out the best in each other and have a nice sense of balance to their lives."

Can you tell us something quirky about Shattered Pack, its story and characters?

"I’m not sure if this qualifies as quirky, but I never planned on writing a Meredith book. I think that’s why it was so hard to get right. I was open to it though, and after a flood of messages and emails from fans, I decided to give it a go! I’m always game to exploring the characters in the series, especially if that’s what readers are asking for! So, if there are any other characters that you want to have their own story, let me know."

Who would you recommend Shattered Pack to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Although Meredith doesn’t curse as much as Tessa, there is some in the series as a whole. There are actions and battles, but nothing too gruesome or scary. At least I don’t think they are! ;) "

If you could / wished to turn Shattered Pack and the Alpha Girl series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Oh, boy! I’m terrible at this one. I know some authors pick out actors to picture as their dream team, but I don’t. I think it’s because I’m so close to the film industry with my husband’s work. I know that it’s really the director and producer who get to do that. It just never crosses my mind to pick out actors. I always think in terms of who I’d want to direct or produce. I have no idea who’d star in it, but I would love for my husband to produce it. I trust him and his casting skills. He’s made some amazing movies. (#proudwife) But he’s a bit busy at the moment. ;)"

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

"I love to explore different YA genres, but I always have a romatic element to them. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a sucker for romance or because it’s pretty inherent in the YA genre as a whole, but it’s a must for me. And I really do love to read any kind of YA, NA, but I also tend to lean toward adult genres, too—mainly all kinds of SFF and Romance."

What is your writing process?

"I start out brainstorming the story I want to tell. I tend to use a bunch of giant-sized post-its and lots of colored Sharpies. Once I have the basic idea roughed out—characters, conflict, where I want the story to begin and end—I start to work on the Beat Sheet. I use the one by Blake Snyder in Save the Cat as the basic outline. I love it because it breaks the story down into really easy chunks. By the end of the outlining process, I have 40 note cards and a much better idea of what I want the story to be. I say what I want it to be because that always changes. Always. It’s never what I think it’s going to be when I sit down to actually write the book. The first draft to me is still a bit of a discovery. Sometimes the characters don’t do the things that I thought they’d do. I like to write the first two acts, and then reassess my outline. Making sure that everything is set up in acts one and two so that they can be paid off and wrapped up in act three saves a lot of time for me. That way—since I always get side-tracked from my outline—I can revise and make sure the story is flowing well and paced correctly before I write the finale. Once it’s a full draft, I’ll usually do two or three full revisions and a polish before it’s off to the proofreader."

What is in store next?

"There’s so much more in store for the Alpha Girls! Next up is another book from Tessa’s POV. Then, Claudia and Lucas are going to get caught up in some fey craziness, and you’ll meet the next girl to get her own book in the Alpha Girl series. I’m super excited about her, and I hope you will be, too!"

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?