Interview with Author of the Soul Saver Series - Kristie Cook



This is the first day I'll be hosting Kristie Cook here for her Blog Tour to help celebrate the release of the second book in the Soul Saver Series - Purpose. As for today's post, I have an Interview with Kristie that I hope you'll all enjoy!

From Promise to Purpose, what are some of the different challenges you faced when writing each book?

Well, here's the deal. They actually started as one book. That's why there's such a cliffhanger at the end of Promise. When I decided to split them into two, Promise was pretty much written. I revised the ending for a bigger climax (before the cliffhanger) and tied up what loose ends I could without spoiling the rest of the story. Purpose, however, was left as a partial book. I found myself with lots of room to expand that part of the story, which meant more writing. The new plot twists, characters, sub-plots and foreshadowing for the next book added much needed layers to the story, so I loved being able to bring all this new stuff in. The challenge, though, was that the beginning, middle and end were already there, so the new stuff had to fit within that existing framework.

What’s your favorite and least favorite part about the writing process?

My favorite part is writing the first couple drafts – the creating part. I call it a brain dump or word vomit because my fingers can barely keep up with the ideas. My brain won't turn it off, distracting me when I should be working or sleeping. It's fun to play the "what if" game and to see where the characters take me. My least favorite part is the final polishing at the end. It's absolutely necessary, but it's tedious and slow. And by that point, I'm so sick of the story and it seems like the last-minute revisions are never-ending, so I just want to throw my laptop into the Gulf of Mexico because the story will never be good enough, I'll never be good enough and everything in my life is completely hopeless, especially this stupid book that isn't fooling anyone. Yeah, that's pretty much my state-of-mind at the time. Luckily, it does finally end and after a few weeks, I love the story again.

What have been some exciting and/or surprising things that have happened since the release of Promise?

One of the most exciting – and surprising – things is Promise's winning a first place Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association. The outpouring of love from readers has been awesome, too. I personally think, and many agree, that Purpose is the better story of the two. I love Promise…just not as much. I've been surprised at how well it's been received. I'm excited to find out what everyone thinks of Purpose.

When writing two strong main characters such as Alexis and Tristan – have you always known just who each would be? Or have they changed much from first draft to published copy?

I can't say that they've changed, but I have come to know them much better. I've always known who they each are and how they'll grow through the series, especially Alexis, but it took a few drafts to learn why they are the way they are. I figured out Alexis pretty early on, but Tristan has been protective of his past. For a while, he hid the details just as much from me as he did from Alexis. I'm excited to see them become the people they'll need to be by the time we get to the last book. Alexis, especially, will go through some major changes. After all, she starts as a mostly human, 18-year-old girl in Promise, but she's becoming a kick-ass warrior ready to save the world.

Without giving too much away, do you have a favorite line or two you could share with us from Purpose?

The last two lines of the Prologue really sum up how Alexis is feeling, including the contrast:

        Somewhere, we cling to each other, our souls still united. Somewhere, we live together in the light.

        But then the sun rises and life goes dark again…

With the second book Purpose just being released, what do you have in store for all of us hardcore fans next? And please tell us there will be lots more to come for the Soul Savers Series!?? What about other new and exciting characters and stories as well?

I think there will be 5 or 6 books in this series and I started book three (no title yet) about a year ago, but when I decided to split the original Purpose into two books, #3 got back-burnered. It's been so long since I've even looked at it, I barely remember what's happened, so I'm really excited to get back to it. But I also have tons of other ideas vying for my attention. Sophia, Alexis's mother, has an extremely interesting history and I'm dying to explore, write and share her stories. Owen, another major support character, has also been nagging at me with his stories. I have ideas for some of the villains, even. I just don't know if any of these will become full books or even another series, or if they're short stories or novellas. And on top of all that, completely different story ideas have been popping into my head. I'm anxious to get back to writing, though. I guess we'll see whose voice screams the loudest in my head.

What are your hopes for the New Year?

Even with the awesomeness of the book releases, the second half of 2010 has been a rough one for my family. Right now, I'm just hoping it doesn't get any worse. I hope people will continue reading and loving the books and telling their friends about them. I hope I can get a lot more writing done in 2011 than I did in 2010. I hope that all the people I've been blessed with in my life – online and in real life – find peace and love in the New Year. And that they find their purpose and have the courage to live it.

And lastly, could you tell us 5 totally random things about yourself that not many people or anyone would know?

1. I met Lulu from the old variety show Hee-Haw when I was very, very young (4 or 5?) and won a necklace with a watch on it in the shape of a lady bug. You separated its wings to see the time. Lulu sang with me on her lap in front of the whole church congregation and I think it was even televised. Lulu and winning the lady-bug watch are somehow related, but I don't remember how.

2. I have to sleep with a fan on. I need the white noise and the air movement, otherwise I feel stuffy and the silence becomes overbearing.

3. I can change diapers, clean up blood, poop and trash no problem, but feet and snot make me gag…or worse. My teen boys have learned these weaknesses and you can bet they use them.

4. When I was 9 years old, I flew from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, by myself, with an 8-hour layover at New York's Kennedy Airport. Times were definitely different then…

5. I'm naturally better at math than I am at language arts. It comes pretty easy to me, but I've never liked it. I don't know if (re)learning math concepts would be as easy now as it used to be, though, because I've spent my entire adult life focusing on words and writing. I was never bad at language arts and writing, but I was always stronger in math.

Thanks again for everything Kristie - It's always great to have you here!

Find Kristie Online:

Blog | Series Site | Twitter | Facebook

Order Promise & Purpose:

Amazon | The Book Depository

Everyone be sure to check back in over the next few days for various posts to help celebrate the release of Purpose (Soul Savers, #2)

*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this page.