What inspired you to become an author?
I've always been an avid reader, words
create special and magical worlds for me and that's how it has been from the
beginning. At some point I've started to imagine what I would have changed in
one book or another, how I would have written endings or in which direction I
would have led this character or that. However, the interest, the need to
write were always there, even if the latter was not fully acknowledged by me at
the time. I think that we collect writing material throughout our lives. Every
experience and every person affects us and writing mirrors it to some extent,
even if we are not conscious of it at the moment. And one day we are simply too
full of words, emotions and we have to find a way to pour them out. By doing
that, make something of it that can be shared with other people.
Do you write in different genres?
I write Paranormal and Contemporary Romance,
probably because those are also two genres I love to read the most myself. Our
favorite reads stay with us, influence us, maybe even challenge us to pick up
the gauntlet and try to be a part of this world too. I also write poetry, I
published a collection of 70 poems titled “Whispered Out Loud” at the beginning
of this year. If I recall correctly, poems are where it all has started for me
before I wrote my first novel.
If yes which is your favorite genre to write?
Before “CUL-DE-SAC” I would have said that
Paranormal is my favorite genre to write, because while some attributes or characteristics are
repetitive, after all, it is hard not to demand from a vampire to drink blood,
same as from a shapeshifter or a werewolf not to be primal and earthy,
Paranormal is simply fun. It's fun to let your imagination run wild and create
super heroes endowed with preternatural abilities that seem absolutely indestructible.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed writing Contemporary Romance to the point, where
a book that was supposed to be a stand alone turned out to be an intro into the
series I have planned in my mind now. I like the diversity of writing more than
one genre. Each type of book shows things from a different point of view, each
is focusing on and emphasizing a diverse matter, while the main and the most
important nominative remains the same-delivering a novel to readers and letting
them choose and decide what and how they like the best.
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s
complete?
Sometimes the title comes first and the
whole story just goes from there, but other times it is more tricky and takes
longer. Makes me consider it after the book is done. I like my titles ambiguous
and/or illusive as it was in case of the Chastity Point Series. Chastity can be
understood in many ways and it felt right merged with characters who have their
flaws and virtues. I enjoy blurring the lines and when things are not as
obvious as they would seem. “CUL-DE-SAC” surprised me, I had a different idea
in mind, but I loved the meaning behind it:
cul-de-sac
noun
A street or passage closed at one end.
A route or course leading nowhere.
It just felt right.
Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a
true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
It's always more believable to write
about something you know or understand, about things that matter and touched
you personally. Xan, the main male character of “CUL-DE-SAC” is partially based
on a person close to me, or more accurately-the harsh and bleak reality of his childhood
is. This person was such an inspiration to me, and I was touched, still am,
that he was confident I won't abuse his trust. It mattered a lot to me, when he
read the book and said; “you did well.” He is not known for being generous with
those words. However, the whole point of writing fiction is creating events and
characters mostly from imagination alone. I wouldn't find it sporting to simply
tell someone else's real life story. Besides, it is not my place to do it.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging
in your writing?
The end. Every novel is different, as well as
characters. I spend time getting to know them, I love some of them from the
get-go, it takes longer to get attached to others, the same rules apply to
people in real life. I wish them the best, and I find it hard to let them go
and move onto a new project. Writing “CUL-DE-SAC” demanded a lot of various
research from me, but was still fun, because I got to spend time with
characters I felt comfortable with from the beginning. They kept evolving and I
enjoyed watching them grow. However, I
always find it hard to write the end. Perhaps that's why I love series so
much-there is always a chance of meeting the characters from the previous parts
;)
Who designed the cover of your latest book?
As always Gözdem Perrichet. She is not only
extremely talented, but also have plenty of her own ideas. We power through the
process together and I am always more than happy with the end result.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
I think that the most important thing for writers is
to stop treating other authors as a competition and stand with them, instead of
against. Not exactly the kind of advice the question suggested, but this is
something I've noticed and it makes me sad.
Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack)
that you think represents this book?
We turn to music because songs can explain exactly
how we feel, when words elude us. Sometimes we all struggle for the right kind
of words... or the characters we create do. One song has the power to influence
us to the point, where it contributes in bringing the personality of a hero
more fully, letting them weave into scenes, fluidly move from page to page.
Love scenes, fighting scenes they inspire in us completely different emotions,
and require the kind of incentive that could push us in a desirable direction.
I found that music can be this kind of inducement. Every series, novel, every
character even, has their own playlist that became an inspirational background
during the process of writing.
“CUL-DE-SAC” was no different.
1) Tegan and Sara “Now I'm All Messed Up Inside”
2) Foy Vance “Fell For Me”
3) Sounds Under Radio “Effigy”
4) Stateless “Bloodstream”
5) Banks “Waiting Game”
6) Birdy “Words As Weapons”
7) Blue October “Bleed Out”
8) Blue October “Debris”
9) Blue October “Light you up”
10) Alex Clare “When Doves Cry”
11) Plumb “Damaged”
12) A Great Big World ft Christina Aguilera “Say
Something”
13) Snow Patrol “I Won't Let You Go”
14) Fuel “Hemorrhage”
15) Kings of Leon “The End”
16) Kings of Leon “Wait For Me”
17) James Arthur “Lie Down”
18) Linkin Park “Lost In The Echo”
19) Stateless “Inscape”
20) Digital Daggers “Razor's Edge”
Cul-de-Sac
On the Edge Series
Book One
M.E. Yildirim
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Date of Publication: September 25th 2015
ASIN: B01490125I
Number of pages: 310
Word Count: 131533
Cover Artist: Gözdem Perrichet
Book Description:
Sometimes feelings turn out to be the most lethal of adversaries.
He is known as Xan–an unapologetic king of an underground fighting arena who doesn't step out of the ring until a fight is over and won. Nothing matters to him as much as adding another victory to the tally. But who is Alexander Thorpe, the man behind the fierce stance, and what is he really fighting for? Brutal childhood and the rough reality of living on the streets create the perfect background for a relentless and merciless warrior, but is that really all there is to the man himself? Even winning can lose its appeal if a man doesn't know what is he really fighting for... or with whom?
“Perfect” is the word often used when it comes to Catalina Bennett, “privileged” is another. An entitled upbringing, private schools and extracurricular activities make for a flawless résumé, but they don't paint the whole picture of a person. As a photographer, she chooses to stand behind the camera, which is a perfect way of getting to know the world... without letting the world know her. Fostered by her grandmother after the loss of both parents at the tender age of ten, she is expected to bring nothing but honor to her family's name. Be nothing else than prim and proper, with no space left for her wants or needs.
But nothing can be denied forever.
Two completely different worlds of two individuals collide during an accidental event. But does coincidence really exist or do things happen for a reason? Life is made of seemingly unrelated moments, fragmented memories and betrayals influencing the reality, no matter the class a person is from.
Sooner or later, suppressed emotions and desires demand their due…
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/7cpc-dGHeYI
Available at Amazon
About the Author:
M.E. Yildirim is a Public Relations specialist from Poland who is confident Satan himself created math and that the world needs more bookworms to balance the evil out. Her mother is the one who had inculcated in her respect and love for written stories and taught her not to judge a book by its cover. She lives with head full of voices which won't be silenced until she lets them out to live and spin their tales on paper. That's right-their tales, since they seem to have a mind and will of their own.
Walking through life to the beat of her own drum, she has worked in a PR Agency, small companies, a big consortium and even in the Military. But none of it could ever compare to the adventures of creating and building up her characters and stories. M.E. believes that books are for smoothing out everyone's feathers and reminding people all the things they've already forgotten. She is happily married, oftentimes engaging her husband in her writing, with or without his consent. Tenacious as much as the characters she creates, she loves challenges, letting her own creations to take advantage of that fact.
1 comments:
Thank you for hosting me! :)
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