Interview & Giveaway with Traci L. Slatton author of "Fallen"

I'd like to welcome Traci to the Romance Book Junkies. We have put together a fun interview for you to read, a awesome giveaway and a small book spotlight for her new book "Fallen". If you'd like to read my review of Fallen just go down one post.

I know you get asked this question over and over but can you tell us a little about yourself? Maybe something juicy. ;)

 Photo © MC O'Conner/Savvy Shooter

I am an author, wife, and mother who loves yoga. I’d rather travel than eat, though the two combine awfully well. I grew up all over the US because my dad was in the military. Currently, I am leaning toward anarcho-capitalism, because I am deeply skeptical of two groups: Democrats and Republicans. Also of liberals and conservatives. It seems to me the world is full of challenges too complex to reduce to a party line.

Something juicy? Ok, one of my dearest girlfriends recently threw out half my closet and then forbade me to wear industrial strength, granny-approved knickers. Now all my knickers are lacy. “Feel gorgeous from the inside out,” she advised. I am dutifully attempting this, and “a woman’s grasp should exceed her reach, or what’s a lingerie store for?”

When did you first start writing? Are you a full time author or do you do it on the side?

I’ve been writing my whole life. I read my first novel when I was six years old and knew immediately that I wanted to write novels. I wrote poems by the time I was seven. I am a full-time author—though I have children who come first, so it’s a juggling act.

Do you have an author that has really inspired you?

I’ve always loved Richard Powell’s book WHOM THE GODS WOULD DESTROY.

How long does it normally take you to write a book?

Between eight months to two years. Depending.

What do you think makes a story great?

Ahh, lovely question. I have three guidelines for writing novels, and this speaks to the first two: 1, Story is how your protagonist does NOT get what he or she wants, and 2, All story is an argument for a specific value. Take Macbeth: Overweening ambition contains the seeds of its own destruction. My novel IMMORTAL was an argument for two values: 1, Art is redemptive, and 2, Love is the only immortality we can know. FALLEN is an argument for this value, which I paraphrased for the front cover: When all else falls away, love is what remains. ‘When the world ends, all that is left is love.’

Can you describe "Fallen" in one sentence?

FALLEN is a dystopian romance that speaks to impossible love, overwhelming odds, constant danger and heart-felt sacrifice.

Tell us a little about your new series.

Well, COLD LIGHT is the sequel to FALLEN, and they are part of the AFTER Trilogy. COLD LIGHT continues the story, and takes place in the barrens of Canada, North Dakota, and Nebraska. It relates to passion and the extraordinary lengths to which people will go for freedom and love. The questions I am exploring are: When all else falls away, what's left? What is the greatest sacrifice we're willing to make for love? How do we balance desire and duty?

Have you done lots of research for your books or do the stories just come to you?

Both, actually! At the beginning, I have a burst of inspiration, usually from an image or scene that comes into my mind. I work back and forth between the oceanic forces of inspiration and the sobriety of structure and form—an outline. As I write and develop the story, questions come up: how would a small plane make the journey from Edmonton, Canada to Le Havre, France? If you are walking in the snow and kill a deer, how would you eat and preserve it? How can you make snow drinkable? I try very hard to get the details right. Accuracy makes for believability, and that’s my duty as a novelist.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on COLD LIGHT, a bittersweet contemporary romantic comedy, and a middle-grade children’s series, DR. CZARNECKI’S GREEN FLUX TIME MACHINE series.

Can you tell us about some of your prior achievements?

I was accepted into Yale University after my junior year of high school. I taught creative writing at Columbia, when I was in graduate school.

Is there anything that I didn't cover that you would like to talk about or say to your potential readers?

I wish my readers much joy of reading!

Just for fun:

Hardback or Paperback? Paperback.
Dog ears or Bookmarks? Dog ears, bien sur! Books are comestibles, I devour them. When I finish with a book, it wants to take a shower and a nap.
YA novels or Adult novels? Both.
Library or Bookstore? Hmmm…Book stores. They complain less when I examine ten books at a time.
Reading glasses or No glasses? No glasses right now.
Snack while reading or No snacks? I try not to snack because of my incredible expanding tushie. Lace knickers, remember?
Beach or Mountain? BEACH BEACH BEACH!!
Vampire or Werewolf? Yuck. O, right, I wrote a vampire book, THE BOTTICELLI AFFAIR. So, vampire.
Hot or Flirty? Flirty. The brain is the biggest sex organ….
Movie 1st or Book 1st? Book!
Contemporary or Historical? Hmmm…..both….
Page-Turner or Tear Jerker? Page turner, I love suspense!

 Goodreads Blurb:

When the world ends, all that is left is love....

As chaos descends on a crippled Earth, survivors are tormented by strange psychic gifts. In this time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test. One woman with mysterious healing power guides seven children to safety. Charismatic Arthur offers her a haven. Slowly Emma falls for him. But at the moment of their sweetest love, his devastating secret is revealed, and they are lost to each other. Will Emma stay with him?
The first in a romantic trilogy set during the end times.

 I have two copies of Fallen to giveaway. One is a ebook copy for our international readers and one is a print copy for our US only readers. So, all you have to do is leave a meaningful comment stating whether your international or US with your email address so I can contact you if your the winner. So, yes, that means we'll be having two winners for this giveaway. Giveaway will end on 6/11 at midnight.