I write young adult urban fantasies. I've been fascinated by vampires as long as I can remember, partly because my mother was born in Transylvania -- though she refuses to take the blame for my vampire obsession! :) I'm also an avid reader, photographer, crafter and traveler. Originally from California, I now live in Oregon with my husband and son. Magic & Memory is my first novel.
My author blog: http://allarsenwrites.blogspot.com/
My Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6421704.A_L_Larse
Seventeen year old Lu Harper’s world is forever altered when a beautiful, mysterious boy breaks into her home in the snowy mountains above Ashland, Oregon. He’s injured and afraid, and Lu wants to help him. But helping him means getting caught up in the danger that's forever pursuing him.
Alastair is a boy without memories. He has no idea who – or what – he is. And he has a long list of enemies that want to either kill him or possess him, but he doesn't know who those enemies are. Alastair needs to regain what’s been taken from him, before the fallout from his forgotten past ends up destroying him and everyone he cares about.
As long as they’re together, Lu knows she’ll be in constant danger. Yet from the moment she meets Alastair, being apart isn’t an option. And when his past finally catches up with him, she might be the only one that can save him
Darkness & Discovery, the second installment in the Bespelled trilogy, picks up right where Magic & Memory left off. Lu, Alastair, Joey and Bryn are on the trail of the warlock that cast the spell that took Alastair’s memories. They track him to Las Vegas, but finding him once they get there is no easy task. Meanwhile, vampires and vampire hunters pose an imminent threat, and a group of hunters called the Order are closing in.
Throughout all of this Lu and Alastair grow closer, while Joey struggles with his feelings for Lu and considers striking out on his own. Bryn spirals out of control following a personal catastrophe, and finds support in the last person he’d ever expect. And an enemy turned ally has unexpected ties to Alastair, shedding some light on the vampire-angel hybrid’s unique nature.
But everything changes at the end. For every answer gained, new questions are created. And for Lu Harper, life will never, ever be the same
Let's welcome Audrey and see what she has to say!
I’ve always loved writing, but it took me a long time to gain the confidence to follow my dreams. I did a lot of other things along the way, most notably working as an animator and a graphic designer. So while I’ve always known I wanted to write, being brave enough to really pursue it and put my work out there is still new to me!
- Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
My first book took several months, mostly because I kept going back and editing it over and over again. I guess I was nervous to call it done and put it out there. These days it takes me about four months, start to finish.
- How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?
My characters are always my starting point. I decide where I want them to end up, and go from there.
- How do you come up with themes for your stories?
As a full-time mom, writing happens around everyone else’s schedule! I sneak in a little writing each afternoon, but the majority of it gets done between the hours of ten p.m. and one a.m., when everyone’s in bed and the house is finally quiet.
- Do you have a schedule of when you write?
That’s quite a challenge, actually. When I’m right in the middle of a story, I get a little obsessed and just want to write, write, write! But that’s not possible when you’re a mom, so my son automatically provides balance.
- How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?
Action, adventure, and of course, a great romance between believable characters that you fall in love with.
- What elements do you think make a great story line?
Finding big blocks of time when doing a final edit. I like to read through as much of a completed story as possible in one sitting, looking for continuity issues, overall flow, etc. And what mom has big blocks of time to herself?!
- What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
I’ve published the first two books of the Bespelled Trilogy so far: Magic & Memory and Darkness & Discovery. Darkness & Discovery is my favorite. I’m proud of the fact that it’s very humorous – I love it when people tell me they laughed out loud while reading it
- How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?
9. Do you have a favorite character?
That would be Bryn, a secondary character in the Bespelled Trilogy. He’s a warlock, he’s gay, and he’s over three hundred years old, but looks like he’s nineteen. He gave up on the idea of fitting in a long time ago, and now doesn’t just march to the beat of his own drummer, he dances to the music of his own orchestra. I absolutely love him.
10. Where do you write?
While I do most of my writing at home (usually out on the couch in the middle of the night), I’ll bust out the laptop just about anywhere. My family loves road trips, and I’ve written in moving vehicles (with someone else doing the driving, of course!), hotel rooms, parking lots….
11. When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took?
I liked how easy Amazon made it to publish on their site. Within a day, my work was in the hands of YA readers!
12. Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?
My husband is very supportive. It’s really nice to have someone in your corner, believing in you, especially at times when you start to doubt yourself.
13. What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?
I’m a slightly obsessed scrapbooker. I also have a passion for photography, and for travel. I’d love to spend my time travelling the world, taking pictures and writing as I went. And then I’d scrapbook my travels!
14. What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
Don’t give up! When I start to feel discouraged, I remind myself that Kathryn Stockett, author of the bestselling book The Help, received 60 rejection letters over more than three years before being published. That’s a lot of negative feedback! But instead of letting it stop her, she just kept going. We can all take a lesson from that amazing woman!
16. What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write?
Oh, tough question! I’ve had a lifelong love affair with reading, so my list of favorite books and authors is incredibly long. But I will say that a couple of my favorite YA authors are Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) and Maggie Steifvater (The Scorpio Races). Both of these women create such wonderful characters in fascinating settings.
17. Do you have any go to people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta reading and such?
The only help I get is with proofreading. When I feel I’ve edited a story to the best of my ability, I give it to my husband to read. It’s really valuable to have a fresh set of eyes look over my work, because no matter how carefully I’ve edited something, there are always a few glitches that manage to slip through!
18. Are you working on anything now?
Always! Book Three of the Bespelled trilogy, tentatively entitled Finding Forever, is now under way. And there are always a few side projects in the works.
Thanks so much for being with us today, Audrey! It's been great having you here!
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