Authors are Rockstars: Wendy Higgins

I am so excited to participate in the Authors are RockstarsTour and even more excited to host the always fabulous, author extraordinaire Wendy Higgins!

In April of last year I won an ARC of Sweet Evil from Goodreads, I had the book in my to-be-read list and I couldn't believe my good fortune.  I proceeded to devour the book in no time and it quickly made my list of the top ten books read in 2012.  I impatiently waited for Sweet Peril and I listen to the audio book (which is, by the way, really good) and I loved it even more!  Sweet Peril did not suffer at all from the 2^nd book syndrome; overall the Sweet series is SO GOOD! 

Stick around for a great Interview with Wendy and a fabulous Giveaway!  Let's show Wendy some love!

Wendy Higgins is a Rockstar because...

- She created Kaidan.  Sorry, but it had to go first!  Kaidan is one of my favorite male characters in YA because he fights so hard to be what he thinks Anna needs and deserves.  She gave him a British accent too!

- Even though there are many books out there about angels and demons, she made the world of the Sweet Trilogy fresh and unique.

- Wendy is a master of characterization; I really love all the characters in the series.  Good or bad, they all have depth and are distinctive of each other.

- The writing of these books is outstanding.

- Parents are not missing and uncaring for a change!  At least not Anna’s.

- She created some pretty swoon worthy lines.  Exhibit #1:

“A vibrant energy rushed through my body as the pieces slammed into place. Oh, dear Lord. I was in love with him.  And there wasn’t a thing on earth, in heaven, or in hell that could have stopped me.”

And here is Exhibit #2:

“I was more myself with you during those three days than I’ve ever been with anyone in my life. It’d be easier if I could be fake with you, but you bring out everything in me, little Ann. All of it.”

- Her Next book was inspired by leprechauns! (Need I say more?)

About Wendy Higgins

After earning a bachelors in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until becoming a mommy. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son. Sweet Evil is her debut novel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Here is the Interview

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the Sweet trilogy?

A. I paid the imagination gods! LOL - just kidding. I don’t really have a good answer for this. It just came out of my crazy brain.  I think all elements of my life led up to it - my own teen experiences, friendships, crushes, heartbreaks, good decisions, bad decisions, the things I think are sexy and creepy, my spirituality, the books I’ve read, the teens I work with - everything!  It just bombarded my mind one summer.  It was awesome.

Q. Your books have a different take on the angel/demon lore.  What type of research did you do to write the series?

A.  I use a lot of traditional Biblical lore about angels and demons.  My research consisted of reading scripture passages which were horribly vague, and then making the rest of the details up to suit my purposes, hahaha.  I also read lots of stuff online about angel/demon mythology, which is fascinating to me.

Q. Kaidan is one of my favorite characters ever! How would Kaidan describe Anna and their relationship? (I can imagine the British accent :))

A. Aw, thank you! Kaidan would say that Anna is maddening, naive, and too adorable for her own good. He’d probably shiver at the word “relationship,” and say, “It’s complicated.” Then he’d grin.

Q. Can you give us a small peek about Sweet Reckoning?  Anything will be awesome!

A. Well, I can tell you that Anna is 18 and Kaidan is 19. The story takes place over the course of two crazy weeks. We see a lot more of Jay and a lot less of Veronica. And my favorite chapter title is “Impatient Freckles.”  :)

Q. Are there any YA books that you are anxiously waiting for?

A. Yes! Endless Knight by Kresley Cole (the sequel to Poison Princess)

Q. Do you listen to music while you work?

A. No. I need to have complete quiet while I write. But music helps my mood between writing sessions and keeps my mind in story mode.

Q. What’s your favorite comfort food?

A. French fries and Coke from McDonalds. Isn’t that gross?? I can’t help it. *sigh*

Q. What’s your favorite drink?

A. Coffee with coconut creamer.  Mmmm.  And water. Coke occasionally.

Q. What’s next for you?

A. Well, I’ve got my self-publication, SEE ME (an Irish YA fantasy) coming out October 1st, and my third book of the trilogy, SWEET RECKONING, coming out April 29th, 2014.  I have no other YA stories stirring around right now, and I’m really, really hoping to feel inspired soon.  I will feel lost without characters chatting loudly in my head.

Q. Anything else that you would like to add?

A. Thank you so much for having me!  *hugs*

About Wendy’s Books:

Embrace the ForbiddenWhat if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.
Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Giveaway

The giveaway is International, I will send the book from The Book Depository or Amazon, depending on the winner's residence (make sure that one of them delivers to you!)  There will be ONE winner and he or she can select one of the books featured above.

Please see my terms in the Rafflecopter widget of in "My Policies" above. Good luck!

**NOTE: On 9/3 Wendy emailed me to let me know that she will not be publishing See Me as expected, thus I removed it from this post and from the giveaway. Sorry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway