Interview with Lois Brown author of Cycles

When Renee discovers that her neighbor, Dr. Dawson, has bags of his dead daughter’s frozen blood stored in his basement, she decides it’s up to her to uncover the doctor’s mysterious past. What she learns, however, is not what she expects. Now she and her friend Sam Miller are on the run, hiding from scientists who want to use what the two teenagers know to change human life forever.

Giveaways:

1) an e-book copy of Lois’ young adult Urban Fantasy CYCLES. (Both U.S. and International entries are welcome.)

2) An e-book copy of Lois’ collection of short stories TREASURE HUNTERS. In addition, the winner will recieve via snail mail a set of three  magnets made from sandstone only found in southern Utah by Zion's National Park and where several of the stories in TREASURE HUNTERS are set. (Only U.S. entries, please).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

When Renee discovers that her neighbor, Dr. Dawson, has bags of his dead daughters frozen blood stored in his basement, she decides it’s up to her to uncover the doctors mysterious past. What she learns, however, is not what she expects. Now she and her friend Sam Miller are on the run, hiding from scientists who want to use what the two teenagers know to change human life forever.

(That’s only 69 words. Do I get extra credit?) :)

--How did you get the idea for the story?

I had the idea for Cycles at the same time I was diagnosed with Simple Partial Seizures. These seizures don’t affect motor skills, but they can affect all of your five senses (hence their other name: sensory seizures.) My seizures created an odd mesh of symptoms, the most disconcerting of which was massive déjà vu. For those who are saying to themselves, “huh?” take a minute to read this article about the different types of seizures.

As part of my seizures, time would slow down to a crawl and everything around me faded in and out. It was like I had lived that moment a thousand times before in a different life. Needless to say, it was weird.

I went to bed one night thinking about my recent trip to the neurologist. In my sleep, I had a vivid dream about a girl who had frightening feelings of having already experienced things before but in another lifetime. It wasn’t like reincarnation—the same soul coming back to earth to live as someone or something else. Instead, it was like her life just kept repeating itself and she had moments where these “other-life” memories were intensely strong.

I woke up and knew I was going to write a book about it.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

Oh, there is no question I would LOVE to have dinner with Gamma Didi. She is an Ohlone Native American who surprised me every time I went to write the scenes she is in. Her character wrote herself, and I fell in love with her.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I love Young Adult books, all genres. I don’t read as much as I used to, but I think it’s important for any author to keep reading. Recently I just finished Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool  and I’m halfway through The Book Thief by Marc Zusak.

--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

 I’ve got a middle grade mystery set in 1985 called Catching Katil that will be published in the next few months. I’m also working on an adventure/coming of age story set in 1920. Oh, and of course, I’m writing the sequel to Cycles. I expect it to be out the end (very end) of 2012.

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

Harry Potter. I know it sounds cliche, but I would love to walk of the halls of Hogwarts.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

I tend to snack a lot, but that is not a good thing. (I’m sure you’ve all heard of “writers butt.”) My list of temptations include: fishy crackers, corn chips and salsa, wasabi almonds, butter and toast, etc.

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Invisibility. Hands Down.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

I actually like running. (Weird, I know.) I also enjoy baking, organizing closets, going to movies, watching British television off of Netflix and various other weird things.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

I love feedback. If any of you have comments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact me while I’m still writing the sequel to Cycles. You can find me at my website www.loisdbrown.com or my blog Life of Lois

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate? vanilla

Edward or Jacob? neither

Hockey or soccer? soccer

Ebook or paper? ebook

Salty or sweet? salty

Beach or mountains? beach

Phone call or email? email

Early bird or night owl? night owl

Dog or cat? cat

Messy or neat? neat

Ninjas or pirates? pirates

To contact her, please visit her website at www.loisdbrown.com or her blog Life of Lois

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