What
inspired you to become an author?
For as long as I can remember I have loved to read.
I just loved books. I loved marinating in them. It was a short jump from
reading books to want to write books. I started at a very young age; I think I
was 7 years old. I wrote a short story. It was ridiculous and I was fiercely
proud of it. I continued to write stories, and when I was 12 I wrote my first
fan fic story. Back then it wasn’t called fan fic, but that’s what it was. It was a short story set in the “Star Trek”
universe. I was a big-time trekker/trekkie …
lol!!
It was about Kirk and Spock, and Spock’s dreams affecting Kirk’s waking
hours.
It was full of angst and emotion and tragedy. I sent it off to the
editors of a fan magazine. Never heard back from them. I remember the story was
written on notebook paper, in pencil, single spaced. Probably a nightmare to
read. But I loved it and remember it to this day. I was a voracious reader, and
was excited to write something that took place in the worlds I read about, so I
guess you could say books inspired me to become a writer.
Books and Neil Gaiman. He’s one of my favorite
writers. I went through a Gaiman phase where I had to read everything he wrote.
Then I read about him and his life as a writer and I thought, “That is my
dream, I want to do that for a living.”
I was working at a job I hated at the time, and it
was at this time I decided to really give it a go. Instead of writing stories
as a hobby, I decided to try and write for a living.
Do
you have a specific writing style?
I’m not sure. I know that I write very fast-paced
stories. Somewhat abrupt sentences. I like to write about odd things happening
to real, everyday people. How would they react?
Do
you write in different genres?
I mostly write YA paranormal/dystopian right now.
But I’ve written in a lot of genres, including adult fiction, science fiction,
fantasy, and children’s.
If
yes which is your favorite genre to write?
Right now it’s YA paranormal and fantasy.
How
did you come up with the title for your latest book?
I was writing the beginning chapters and also
looking for a song to listen to while I wrote it. The song had to capture the
feeling of these teens I was writing about. My husband shared a cover song he
loved. It was “Mad World” covered by Adam Lambert. I listened to it and I
thought, “that’s it!” So I put it on a loop, lowered the sound way down and
continued writing. The more the song played into my mood, the better the story
got. After a few weeks I told my husband, “This book is going to be called “Mad
World” because in it, the world’s going mad. Then I decided it was going to be
a series of books. This first one was the beginning of the Plague in modern
times. So I named the series “Mad World” and this first book was “Mad World:
EPIDEMIC”
Do
you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?
I begin writing it, and then the title comes to me.
The book speaks to me, the characters tell me what it’s all about. They tell
me. I just listen and write it down.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
It’s mostly an adventure to be enjoyed, with
characters you care about. But if there’s one cool theme running through it,
it’s courage in the face of adversity. Thinking quick on your feet in order to
survive.
Is
the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone
you know, or events in your own life?
I was writing the first chapters of the book and
feeling it out, when I read an article on the Internet about how scientists had
indeed unearthed graves from the mid-fourteenth century, mass graves from the
Black Plague. They were extracting the DNA from the bone marrow and trying to activate
the Yersinia Pestis bacterial endotoxins, to study them. They were actually
doing this. I read that article and then did some more research on their work
and I thought, “That is a really stupid thing to do.” And then I thought, what
could happen? So the science behind it is based on real studies by these
scientists.
What
books/authors have influenced your life?
I’ve been heavily influenced by many writers. Susan
Cooper, Madeleine L’Engle, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, and especially Neil
Gaiman.
If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Gaiman. Definitely.
What
book are you reading now?
I am re-reading The Dark Is Rising series.
I’m also reading The Enchantress by Michael Scott, and Wake by
Amanda Hocking
What
books are in your to read pile?
Oh, goodness.
There are over fifty. I love books. Most of them are from the YA section
of Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
What
is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I am finishing up the sequel to Mad World:
EPIDEMIC. It’s called Mad World: SANCTUARY
Can
you share a little of your current work with us?
Well, I don’t want to give anything away… but it’s
the continuing story of Alyssa and Jake, and the rest of the friends. They
encounter even more horrific and terrifying situations, and have to think on
their feet, make hard decisions, and survive. Above all, they must survive. I’m
told by beta readers it’s even better than the first and definitely
“unputdownable”
Is
there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Fighting everyday life and my own tendency to
procrastinate. But once I get down to writing, and I do it for the better part
of every day, it just flows. The story just pours out of me, for the most part.
Every now and then I get to a point where I have to think something through.
Then I get up and pace and think it through. How does this happen? It has to be logical; the first rule of good
writing is to tell the truth, in whatever universe you’ve created. Once in a
while I have to sleep on something to figure it all out. Those nights usually
end up with me dreaming about the story, working it all out in my head. I fall
asleep with the story and I wake up with it. It infuses my entire being.
Who
is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their
work?
I have several authors that are my favorites. Susan
Cooper and Madeleine L’Engle wrote stories I adore, and re-read every few
years. Their stories were out of the ordinary. Odd, in a way. I love odd
stories. I loved the Twilight Zone, and Ray Bradbury. More recently, Neil
Gaiman. He writes very odd stories. Reading all of these odd stories helped my
creativity. I like to write odd stories, just like they did.
I also just finished Fear by Michael Grant.
Love that series! He can write scenes that are tough, and he writes them very
well. I write tough scenes in my books. Reading Michael Grant’s Gone
series, of which Fear is the latest, really helped me to write tough
scenes well.
Do
you have to travel much to do research for your books?
I do all my research on the Internet. But I also
lived in some of the places my stories take place in. My husband grew up in
Fresno and actually attended Bullard High. The neighborhoods where the story is
set are real; they are in that school district and are intended to reflect that
way that part of the city is in real life. I think this lends a touch of
realism to the novel.
Who
designed the cover of your latest book?
My husband and editor, Stephen Provost
Do
you have any advice for other writers?
Read. Read until it’s dripping out your ears.
Then write. Pay no attention to your fears of any shortcomings. Write. Write
some more. Finish.
Do
you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this
book?
Just one song. “Mad World” sung by Adam Lambert.
August 24 Interview and review
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August 28 Promo
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August 29 Interview
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August 30 Interview
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August 31 Guest blog and review
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September 1 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
September 2 Interview and review
Books and Needlepoint –
September 3 Guest blog
Captivated Reading
September 4 Review
Book on the Bright Side
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September 6 review
The Bunny's Review
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Reading It All
By Samaire Provost
Mad World Book One
Genre: YA Paranormal Dystopian
ISBN: 978-1478317371
ASIN: B008PO969O
Number of pages: 160
Word Count: 44,700
Book Description:
The Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the technologically advanced research center at Stanford University. Scientists there have recently begun examining samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What could go wrong?
Alyssa and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no idea what's happening to their families.
Horrific ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions, they're forced to follow their instinct for survival at any cost - even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of life or death.
A harrowing adventure of frightening discoveries, horrifying confrontations and narrow escapes in Epidemic, the first installment of the Mad World series.
Find out what's got everyone so terrified.
About the Author:
Samaire Provost lives in California with her husband and son.
Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as the works of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing.
Mad World : EPIDEMIC her first novel. The second in the series is entitled "Mad World: SANCTUARY"
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