We would like to welcome back Heather Jensen to YAPC! Today she will talk about her book Immortals and Melodies. If it looks like something you would enjoy reading or if you enjoyed her last book please pick up a copy!

First of all, thank you to everyone at YAPC for having me here today.

YAPC: Try to describe your book in one sentence.

Heather: A vampire conceals her true nature when she meets a rock star who makes her feel alive again.

YAPC: State a random fact about yourself that would surprise your readers.

Heather: How’s this for random? I’m a HUGE Backstreet Boys fan. I’ve loved them for more than fifteen years. I’ve seen them live eight times and met them two years ago. I could go on and on about this so I’ll just leave it at that.

YAPC: If you wouldn’t be a writer, what you would be?

Heather: I don’t ever see a time when I won’t be writing but I did have a job that I absolutely loved a few years back. I worked as a relay for the deaf. I was on a computer, and deaf people could log in at home or on their phones and type to me. I would then make phone calls for them and speak for them while typing back the other person’s responses. It was a very fulfilling job that I really enjoyed, and I could see myself doing that again.

YAPC: Do you listen to music while writing?

Heather: Music is an essential part of my writing process. I love Spotify and have playlists for each of my books. I’m currently writing the third book in the Blood And Guitars series, called Fangs And Fame. Some of the songs from that writing playlist are Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, I For You by The All-American Rejects, Too Close by Alex Clare, and Sail by Awolnation. My tastes are fairly eclectic but I have to have the right songs to set the tone for whatever scene I’m working on. I’ve tossed out entire chapters if they didn’t turn out how I wanted because I had the wrong music playing.

YAPC: What part of the writing process do you love? What part do you hate?

Heather: I really love the times when I sit down to write and things just flow. I feel like I’m just letting my characters tell their own story. My best writing days happen when I’m able to just become an observer and let things fall into place. It’s the best feeling in the world and there’s such a sense of accomplishment afterward. The part of writing that I hate is definitely the formatting. I don’t even mind editing so much, because I know I’m making the story so much better during the process. If I wasn’t such a control freak about each aspect of my stories, I’d probably just hire someone else to do the formatting for me. Formatting for ebook and print are completely different animals, and both are equally exhausting. I dread it every time.

YAPC: Did you know the title before you started writing?

Heather: I had the titles for all three books in the series, Blood And Guitars, Immortals And Melodies, and Fangs And Fame, as I revised and finished the first book. Originally they weren’t in that order, but as I plotted out the second and third books, I knew which titles fit the stories best.

 

YAPC: What inspired you to write, you took any ideas from other books, movies etc?

I actually began writing Blood And Guitars (originally titled Sweet Disguise) when I was in high school. I’m giving away my age here when I admit that the vampire craze in fiction was still years away. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is one of my favorite authors. She was published at thirteen and I’m still a huge fan of her vampire novels, namely In The Forests of the Night. My vampire obsession didn’t start with her novels, but they definitely fueled it. I think the fact that I started writing the series so long ago is part of the reason it’s able to stand out among the flood of vampire books today. There was no temptation to pull from other books or movies because when I created the premise and the characters, there weren’t many.

YAPC: Do you have an all time favorite book?

Heather: I mentioned that I’m a huge fan of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Her shapeshifter series is a favorite of mine. I can’t narrow it down to just one book, but the series starts with Hawksong, followed by Snakecharm and several others. I love these books for their originality. I’ve never read anything else like them. I was anxiously awaiting the release of the first book seven years ago around the time my husband and I were trying to choose a name for our son, whom I was pregnant with at the time. When my husband suggested the name Zane, and I picked the book up later that day and opened the pages to find the main character’s name was Zane, I knew it was a sign. Lol.

YAPC: How can readers stay in touch?

Heather: Staying in touch with my readers is a priority. I make myself available on all of the major social networking sites and respond to any comments or questions I receive. Hearing from readers is one of the best parts about being an author! I can be found online at these places:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BloodAndGuitars

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theedgeofwords

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2870615.Heather_Jensen

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105621707028931293842/posts

My Author Site: www.heatherjensen.info

Subscribe to my Youtube playlist and see the book trailers at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6188671C464951F2&feature=plcp 

YAPC: If you could visit any place in the world or a place created by a book, where would you visit?

Heather: Hogwarts. Hands down. Especially if I could get my own wand and hang out with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I’m going to visit the theme park inFlorida next year with my family and you wouldn’t believe how anxious I am to go.

YAPC: What piece of advice would you give to your readers?

Heather: If you love a book or an author, tell all of your friends. Word-of-mouth is the best way for books to be shared. I still call my best friend of twenty-five years to let her know about whatever amazing book I just read. Recommendations from friends are invaluable when it comes to books, and the author will really appreciate your help in spreading the word.

Where to Find Her and Her Books:

On Her Website * On Facebook * On Google+ * OnTwitter

On Goodreads * On YouTube

Where to Buy:

On Amazon 

About the Author:  Heather Jensen writes paranormal fantasy for teens and adults. She began writing her first book at the age of 16. She is an avid reader and loves anything vampire-related, but likes all kinds of fantasy. When she’s not writing she enjoys traveling, listening to music, going to concerts, playing guitar and spending time with friends and family. She is addicted to Oreos and White Knight drinks from Perks. Her favorite color is green and the uglier the shade the better.

Heather lives in Southern Utah with her husband and son where she continues to write the Blood And Guitars series. The second book in the series, Immortals And Melodies has just been released on Kindle.

Immortals and Melodies

Catalyst frontman Trey is no stranger to chaos, but even the life of a rock star couldn’t prepare him for the consequences of loving a vampire. Trey’s life is in danger; threatened by the very group he must join to stay alive. His struggle to continue his career and release a new album with the band is marred by events that force him to ask a powerful Synod Elder for help.
Aurora has to keep Trey alive until she can make him a vampire, but her own kind will stop at nothing to prevent it. The head of the Emissary is having her followed, and if she can’t figure out who is behind the violent attacks, Trey might not make it to the full moon. As Aurora battles her own kind, she’s also plagued by the risk she’s taking by changing Trey. Will her moon-given power be enough to carry Trey through the change, or will he be left floating in the wake of destruction?