Laura Kreitzer - At the Round Table Part II

Welcome back to Part II of my Interview with Laura Kreitzer.   Today we chat about her Timeless series to include,  Shadow of the Sun and Soul Stalker.  See Part I Interview.

BK:  What inspired your book to be a series? 

LK:  Some stories are too epic to tie up in one book.

BK:  How difficult is it to write a series? 

LK:  As difficult as you make it, I suppose. I just go with the flow.

BK:  Do you have a favorite book in the series? 

LK:  I adore Soul Stalker due to its personal ties to me.

BK:  Are you finding yourself running into any challenges while writing this series? 

LK:  Not enough time in the day. Who needs sleep anyways?

BK:  Where do you draw your inspiration from? 

LK:  My own triumphs and pain. Oh, and my muse Lucy Wofe.

BK:  How did you come up with the title for your series? 

LK:  ‘Cause those pesky immortals are Timeless. Like a Rolex or something. (Rolex is the timeless one…right?)

BK:  What do you like to read when you're not writing? 

LK:  Fiction in all forms. YA, paranormal, fantasy, epic, adult, regular.

BK:  Do you have a favorite author/book?

LK:  J.K. Rowling. Hands down. Yes, I’m conforming. So what? She’s my hero.

BK: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

LK:  I went to China by myself and set up a Dye Trace laboratory at Southwest University China in Chongqing, Bei Bei district. Yup. Ironically enough, I ate at KFC twice, which was twice as much as I had when I was in the U.S. (I live in KY.)

BK:  What do you like to do for fun? 

LK:  Boating or watching TV. Of course: reading. I also like to go to B&N. 

BK:  What is your favorite food and restaurant? 

LK:  Shogun of Japan, a local joint here. Great hibachi grill and sushi.

BK:  Do you have any special announcements or events you would like to share with readers today?  

LK:  Yes! I will be signing copies of my books at Barnes and Noble in Bowling Green, KY on Saturday, May 21st at 2pm. Come out and meet me!

Fun Facts:

BK:  Favorite Song? 

LK:  Burning Bright - Shinedown

BK:  Favorite Saying? 

LK:  don’t have one

BK:  What is the craziest thing you've ever done? 

LK:  Can’t think of anything—I guess I’m not that wild.

BK:  What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing? 

LK:  Love, hope, understanding.

BK:  If someone could describe you in one word,  what would it be? 

LK:  Energetic

http://laurakreitzer.com

http://www.facebook.com/laurakreitzer

http://www.twitter.com/laurakreitzer

http://www.goodreads.com/laurakreitzer

http://obsidianmtpublishing.com

http://revolutionpublish.com

Thank you so much for stopping back to finish up our chat Laura.  It's been such a pleasure having you on the blog.  I look forward to reading your work and wish you much success.

Until next time,

Timeless Series Book I:
Gabriella's past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a supernatural specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she has always been ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a supernatural specialist hasn't given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.
As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won't see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.

Timeless Series Book II:
Being the Illuminator is not all happiness and light, especially when everyone thinks you are dead. When Gabriella decides to finally let her angels know that she is alive, Joseph and an unexpected friend help her. The Darkness Illuminator is not as in control of her power as she believes, which makes for a very comedic and endearing relationship that blooms between the three. A fender-bender debacle, a run-in with the cops, and a hiccup at the airport seem to all be worth it until Gabriella finds out her plan has backfired.

The three angels are missing, more mysteries pile up, and a new evil is brewing – so terrifying, in fact, that even the Soul Stalker herself is cowering in fear. Our heroine begins a jarring, romance-filled, heart-breaking journey that will lead her back to Italy, and ultimately to the answers she is desperately searching for. What will she do when they aren’t the answers she expected? What happens when she unveils a truth, so deeply hidden, that it causes an Angelic War?

Timeless Series Book III:
Gabriella is falling to pieces. The aftermath of the Soul Stalker’s death weighs heavily on her shoulders. Andrew tries everything he can to help her fight off the new demon inside her, the one who wants to cause chaos and commit murder. When symbols begin to ink her skin they realize there is something greater going on in Gabriella’s soul. A war. But there is another war waging in the Angelic world. Angels are being picked off one-by-one. Gabriella is faced with the dilemma of picking a side. Phantoms entice her with a new life while the Empyrean Guard offer a heavenly death. Our heroine has another idea, though. She seeks The Fallen in the Abyss.

Shadows are Illuminated, an army is formed, and a surprise appearance by someone thought dead helps Gabriella fight the darkness inside. There can’t be shadows without light, but the two together collide in the explosive third installment of the Timeless Series. 

Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she has lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?

BLB Ebook Tours - At the Round Table with Laura Kreitzer Part I

Laura Kreitzer

Welcome back Laura!  Today Laura is stopping back for part one of my interview with her during her ebook tour with Book Lovin' Bitches!  Laura is the author of the Timeless Series and of the Summer Chronicles.  Today we chat about writing in general,  be sure to stop back April 15 for part two of my interview as we chat more about the series part of writing.

I'm so happy to have you at the Round Table today Laura.  Might I offer you a beverage?

LK:  Tea...mmmm

Tea it is.  Enjoy...

 

 BK:  Please tell us a bit about yourself....

LK:  I write. I read. I watch TV. I own a publishing company. I am the Program Manager of the Writing Collective at Fictionista Workshop. I used to work in a lab and do environmental work. I like coffee ice cream.

BK:  What inspired you to pen this novel? 

LK:  Money. Wait—that’s not right! My online writing fans and my family.

BK:  What draws you to write in this genre? 

LK:  Finally, young readers are reading again instead of playing games or watching TV. This is an exciting time in the YA Fiction genre.

BK:  How do you keep your writing different from all the other novels in this genre? 

LK:  I read as many books as I can and don’t write using the same story lines or ideas. Genius, eh?

BK:  Who is your favorite character and why? 

LK:  In this series: Lucia. One word: badass. In the Summer Chronicles: Summer. One word: courageous.

BK:  Which character would you want to invite to dinner? 

LK:  Andrew! SWOOOOON! He’d be dinner, right? ::licks lips::

BK:  What is your favorite part about writing? 

LK:  The pouring of my soul onto “paper.” 

BK:  Did you find any particular challenges during the writing of this novel? 

LK:  The rules of writing. You realize that the Chicago Manual of Style is roughly 925 pages? That’s a lot to absorb and remember.

BK:  Did you learn anything about yourself as a result of writing this novel?

LK:  Yes. I’m stubborn and refuse to give up, no matter how hard the work becomes. I learned I could push myself farther than anyone else could.

BK:  Are you currently working on any projects? 

LK:  Finishing touches on Abyss, the 3rd in the Timeless Series. I’ll be writing Forsaken Harbor in April and May, the 2nd in the Summer Chronicles. Shadow of the Sun is being recorded for audiobook, and a script writer has begun a screen play for it. Of course, I have ongoing projects with Revolution and Fictionista.

BK:  Any advice for new aspiring authors? 

LK:  Learn the rules first before you go play with the sharks. Write and never stop. And learn to accept criticism. Trust me, not everyone will love the soul you put into your book. 

BK:  Where can readers find you?  (Facebook, twitter, website, blog, etc.)

http://laurakreitzer.com

http://www.facebook.com/laurakreitzer

http://www.twitter.com/laurakreitzer

http://www.goodreads.com/laurakreitzer

http://obsidianmtpublishing.com

http://revolutionpublish.com

Some Fun Facts about Laura Kreitzer:

BK:  Fantasy or Horror? Fantasy

BK:  Day or Night? Night

BK:  Favorite Drink? Red Bull (or water)

BK:  Favorite Movie? Independence Day

BK:  What is a must have to write? Sleep

BK:  If you could possess a supernatural power,  what would it be and why? Invisibility. I could listen to people’s conversations, and I’d be incredibly rich. . . .

BK:  Favorite Book? Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy at the moment

BK:  Favorite Author? J.K. Rowling

Thank you so much for stopping in again Laura.  It's so much fun talking with you.  Please be sure to visit Laura online to learn more about her books already out and in progress.  I,  for one can't wait to read them.

Book I in the Timeless Series:

Gabriella’s past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a Supernatural Specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she was always  ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a Supernatural Specialist hasn’t given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.

As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won’t see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.

     

BLB Guest Blogger - Laura Kreitzer; Death and Love

Today my guest is touring with Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours.  Her name is Laura Kreitzer,  and if you haven't heard of her you,  get to know her this week right here on Immortality and Beyond.  Laura will be back again with an awesome interview on April 7.  Today Laura has been awesome enough to give us a guest post about Death and Love,  and as she states,  "A very morbid piece on Death and Love".  Welcome Laura and thank you for stopping in today.

Death and Love by Laura Kreitzer

Let’s Face It: I Want to Immortalize True Love

I don’t have many qualms in my life, but there is one inevitable ending I do not understand: death. And there’s one thing everyone wants in their lives, who’ll seek it out until they reach their end: love. Two facets of one’s life that no one really has control over.

Death is inescapable.

Have you ever lost someone you loved? My first glimpse of death was at such a young age I cannot remember it. My younger brother died in his sleep when he was six days old. Those who were home are still traumatized by it, but I was lucky to have escaped the memories. I’ve been told the story a few times in my life from different perspectives, and every time I cry. This tiny person I can’t even remember, my own flesh and blood, died. The second time death really had any sort of impact on my life was when I’d lost a fellow classmate in a horrible car accident. I was never that close to the girl, but we had been acquaintances.  I even had a few pictures of us together. A few years later death struck a little bit closer to home. My friend Mike had killed himself. He was an annoying pain in my ass when he was alive, but he’d been a true friend to me. Then a couple years later I lost my grandfather on my dad’s side. It was expected, and I had never been that close to him. Death had plans for me, though. It was as if death had been testing how much pain I could take before it hit me with another blow, each one of them hurting a little more.

Love is irrational.

True love is when one is willing to sacrifice ones’ self to protect the livelihood of the other. Besides parent/child bonding, this type of love is rare. People are selfish creatures, and we are always using each other for one reason or the other. But true love between two people is so stunning it’ll make you cry tears of joy when you witness it.

Have you ever loved someone so much it made you sick? Loved someone so deep in your core that your heart would literally stop pumping if they were not part of your life? Loved someone so much that without them you’d rather die? I’d known someone who had a love like this. His name was Chris, and he was so deeply in love with his wife and child that he failed to live. He was my best friend, and I watched him lose it all due to a selfish human being. He deteriorated with every passing day he was without them, and there was nothing I could do but listen and be there for him. Sadly, it wasn’t enough.

On August 14, 2010 I lost my best friend. I had known him for ten years. I’d lived with him once, fought with him, hated him, liked him, but always loved him. He was going through a crisis in his life. Before he took his life, I was on the phone with him almost every night for hours on end for months. I don’t feel guilty for his death, but I do question myself. Did I do everything I could have? Probably not, but I’m only one person. Should I have known? I wish I had listened to his words instead of staring at his smile that day. This is why I write about immortals and true love. True love is such a rare and beautiful creature that it should be celebrated, especially in the written word. I can create a person who appreciates the love of another human being and doesn’t throw it away with such disgusting ease. Death is ugly no matter which way you slice it. You die and disintegrate into the Earth.

Death, to me, is the end. There is no heaven or hell, no judgment or Supreme Being guiding ones way—one’s life is over. You cease to exist. That’s harsh, and difficult to comprehend. So why let it be the end? With the tap of my fingers across the keyboard, I can bring Chris back to life. I can make him live forever; I can immortalize him. To write of things that will never be true, to make my readers believe—even for a fraction of a second—they’re living in this world I’ve created . . . I’ve given them hope and relief over their eventual number call. Because that’s what we are: a number. A ticking time bomb. This is why I write.

Laura Kreitzer
http://laurakreitzer.com

Today we're looking at her book Phantom Universe of The Summer Chronicles.  Stop back on the 7th to see more of her work.

Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she’s lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?

Visit Laura Kreitzer Online

Book two in the Summer Chronicles, Forsaken Harbor, will be available July 01, 2011!

The Secret Clock Society has infiltrated every aspect of the government. You can’t hide from them, you can’t out run them—the only choice is to surrender or die fighting. Well, Summer’s found her voice and her confidence. She’ll fight if necessary, but for now she’s on the run. And the only place that can offer her refuge is the one city that’s been devastated with disease and death. Full of savages, Forsaken Harbor holds her life on the edge of a knife. Is there still hope to be found here after all? Or will survival mean savagery?