This week, I was honored to sit down with Author Casey Bond. Let's get to know her!
BGP: Please introduce yourself to
the readers.
CLB: I’m Casey
Bond (not the actor). I’m a Taurus, live in West Virginia with my hubby, kids, dog and cat and I love the color teal. I write a little bit of everything young adult and new adult and am an
avid reader.
BGP: Do the things that
your kids say/do or anything in your surroundings, make it into your books?
CLB:
Absolutely! A few of my books are set in my home state of West Virginia, or in
the region surrounding it. Life experiences and everyday things make it into my
books.
BGP: What first inspired
you to become a writer?
CLB: I’ve
always loved to write. But when I started writing and considered making a
career of it, I’d have to say my mother was a driving force. She encouraged me
to craft a unique story. I read Twilight and enjoyed it so much, I thought that
I could write something that people might like. The rest is history.
BGP: What was it about Twilight that inspired you?
CLB: I thought
it was very imaginative and loved the romantic elements of the story.
BGP: What do you do to prepare for a story?
CLB: I think
about the characters and consider what positive and negative personality traits
they might have, what they look like, what motivates them, etc. Setting is
important. I write dystopian and fantasy so world-building is huge for me. I usually think for a long time
about the entire story from beginning to end and then start writing.
BGP: What steps do you go
through to build your worlds?
I just think
about the setting, sensory details, everything I can imagine about it. I try to
put myself in that world and think of what I can see and smell, etc.
BGP: How do you come up
with your names (for worlds, people etc)?
CLB: Sometimes
names just come to me. Sometimes I use baby name finders! LOL!
BGP: Do you use outlines
or do you just write as your go along?
CLB: For the
most part, I have a general idea of the plot but don’t worry about the details.
Sometimes, your characters take you for a ride you didn’t expect.
BGP: Who is/was your biggest support for your
writing career?
CLB: My family
supports me and I’m very blessed. My mom is probably my biggest cheerleader and
fan, though! Love you, Mama!
BGP: What genre do you write and what lead you
there?
CLB: I write
young adult fantasy and dystopian and new adult romance (though all my books
have romantic elements). I write what I
like to read. So, you know what books are likely on my Kindle! LOL!
BGP: What books are on your Kindle? (Just give us a few titles to show
us what you like to read)
CLB: I just
read Kyland by Mia Sheridan, Breeder by
Casey Hays and Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras.
BGP: Tell us about your books.
CLB: Short
version? LOL J
Young Adult
Titles:
Winter Shadows
(YA Christian/Dystopian)
Pariah (YA
Fantasy)
The Harvest
Saga (Reap/Resist/Reclaim-YA Dystopian)
Fractured Glass
(Novel Anthology)
Light in the
Darkness (Anthology)
New Adult
Titles:
The Sin Serial
Series
Devil Creek
Shady Bay
Crazy Love
(Dystopian)
Dark Bishop
Serial Series (co-written with Rachael Brownell releases 4/29/2015)
On the Horizon:
Paradox (YA
Fantasy)
The Temptation
Serial Series
Water Witch (YA
Fantasy)
And two
super-secret projects! J
BGP: For the readers that might not know the difference, please explain
what New Adult is and what the difference is between New Adult and Young Adult.
CLB: Most
people assume that the labels Young Adult and New Adult refer to the reader,
but it actually refers to the age of the main character(s). If the main
character is 16-18, high school age, it’s considered a YA novel. If the
character is college aged, regardless of
whether they attend college or not, it is NA!
BGP: Which is easier for you write?
Honestly, I
don’t know. If the story is right, I don’t seem to have trouble writing it. The
rest depends on having the time to do so! J
BGP: I noticed that one of the books is Christian. Does your faith find
its way into your books a lot?
CLB: It depends
on the book. That is the only Christian book I have available and Winter
Shadows isn’t what some would all “preachy.” The main character has grown up in
a religious family. So, Christianity is a part of her, though she struggles with her faith due to life circumstances.
BGP: Since your Dark Bishop series is the next to come out, why don’t
you tell us a bit about that?
Dark Bishop is
a serial series, releasing in parts, or episodes that are around 15,000-20,000
words each. It’s sort of like television episodes. Each part builds upon the
last. I’m writing from Jake Bishop’s perspective and my bestie, Rachael
Brownell is writing from Sydney Coder’s perspective. It’s dark and dangerous:
an NA romantic suspense with quite a twist.
BGP: What’s it like writing with a co-author since you’ve been doing it
on your own for so long?
CLB: Teaming up
with Rachael was easy. We click completely, not only as friends, but our
writing styles complement one another’s as well. It’s been very fun! Love that
girl!
BGP: How long does it take you to get a book done?
It depends. My fantasy books are very long and
take forever! HAHA! Some of my romance novels didn’t take long. I think I
finished the Sin serial series in two months last summer. It was rapid-fire,
but I loved it!
BGP: Are you with a publishing house or self-published?
Winter Shadows
and Pariah were with a traditional publisher to begin with. I entered the
Facebook world and met so many wonderful self-published authors that I decided
to try it on my own with Devil Creek. Then I kept going and I loved it.
Ultimately, I pulled my books from the publisher and self-published them all.
I’m not saying
I wouldn’t want to be traditionally published, but I do enjoy being indie and
having control over pricing, covers, etc.
BGP: Would you/Do you allow your children to read your books and if they
do – what do they think?
My kids are
very young. So, at this point I would allow my oldest to read Winter Shadows
and Fractured Glass with help. Anything else may be above her head at this
point but not for much longer. When she’s old enough, she can read all of my YA
titles. And when she gets MUCH older, she can read my NA works. I do not write
graphic sexual scenes, but there is some
steam and some language that I wouldn’t want her lil eyes to see. My youngest is just a toddler, so she isn’t there
yet. LOL. J
BGP: What advice would you give other writers?
So many people
are so pressured, in life and in their writing careers. Most people will tell
you to write X number of words per day, not to ever skip a day, not to stop
until you reach your word goal. Well…I do not agree. Life happens. I want to
enjoy writing. I think you should enjoy writing. If writing a certain amount
per day makes you happy, then by all means, go for it. But if you have a bad
day, if you want to binge-write on weekends so that you can spend time with
family during the week, if you only feel
like writing a paragraph…do it. Do what makes you feel good about the craft. Do
what you want to do. And don’t ever give up or give in.
This is a tough
industry. Will every review you get be five star? Nope. Guess what? Jane
Austen’s Pride & Prejudice has a four star rating on Goodreads. Yep. Look
it up. FOUR stars.
Am I as good as
Austen? Not in the same hemisphere. But I love to write, I love my stories and
I will not stop striving to be better.
We’ve reached the part of the interview that I call rapid fire. Or at
least it would be if we were actually face
to face. So I’m going to ask you a series of questions that have nothing to do
with anything and I want you to give me the first answer that pops into your
head:
Favorite book villain: Brennus
in Amy Bartol’s Premonition Series
Favorite music to write to: Country (anything new)
Chocolate or Vanilla:
Vanilla
Three things on your bucket list: See the Egyptian pyramids, take my girls to Paris, and take them
to Hawaii! I want to see a Volcano! LOL!
What would you want your last meal to be if you were on death row: Spaghetti with meat sauce.
What animal would you want to be and why? A bat and I have no
idea! LOL!
Please give the readers access you to and your books (post any links you
want).
Twitter
@authorcaseybond
I’m also on
Tsu, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Google+
and Goodreads.com!
Anything else you’d like to say?
CLB: Thank you so much
for this amazing interview. It’s been so much fun and I appreciate your time
and getting to know you! J
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