Ashley Jeffers writes Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Michigan. A certified night-owl, she spends most her nights writing, as her days are occupied being a full-time mom to three young children and working in an alternative education program for high schoolers. Both Heart of Lavora and her first novel, Blood of the Immortal, are available on Amazon and through Barnes and Noble. Thanks to a combination of ADD and OCD, she has several other projects in the works. She currently lives in Michigan with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. Find out more about Ashley's books by visiting her website: ashleyrjeffers.wordpress.com Welcome to author Ashley. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill out 27 Questions so readers can better get to know you and your work!1. What got you started writing to begin with? I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, but started writing in middle school. 2. What was the first thing you wrote? My first book was sort of a cross between Sabrina and Harry Potter, and was only about 100 pages (which I thought was impressive at the time). I’ve since abandoned that story, but may go back and improve it later on. 3. What inspires you? Most of my ideas come from dreams. I’ve had a lot of crazy ones! 4. Do you “people watch” for your writing? For the most part, no. I do have characters in my stories that are based on real people in my life, or a mash of a couple people, but it’s rare that I see someone and think, “Oh, they’d be perfect for this story.” 5. Who are you favorite authors? Growing up, I loved Mercedes Lackey and Christopher Pike. I’m also a fan of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Anne Rice, and Kristen James. 6. What is your favorite book? My all-time favorite book (that I’ve read so many times I can quote parts) is The Starlight Crystal by Christopher Pike. 7. What genre do you most like to read? I like to read paranormal/fantasy romance, though I’m not opposed to others. 8. What genre do you write? Is this reflective of what you read? Actually, most of my work is paranormal romance or fantasy romance. I have a couple WIP that are outside of these genres, but not many. I do tend to read along the same genre that I write. 9. What genre do you have a difficult time with that you wish you could write? Science Fiction. I had a friend dare me to write a short story about robots/androids, and it was torture. There are so many fun things that can be done in that genre, but I just couldn’t seem to get into it. 10. What kind of research do you do or have you done for your story? Quite a bit, to be honest. It really depends on the story, though. For some, I don’t have to do much because it’s my world, not the real world. But for others, I have to make sure I’m staying true to the accepted ideas of whatever I’m working on. 11. Do you have any writing rituals like eating chocolate or lighting incense? I wish I could say I did something interesting, but I really don’t. 12. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind? Yes. The kind depends on what I’m working on at the time. I have a couple WIPs that I’ve created playlists for (with different kinds of music on them), and others I just listen to songs that are along the mood of the story at the time. Sometimes it’s love songs, sometimes upbeat, bounce-around music (ok, pop), and other times it’s hard rock or Emo. I rarely listen to country. 13. Introduce us to your current book. My latest published work is Heart of Lavora. It is a new adult fantasy romance about a 20-year-old college girl discovering that all the things she thought were just myths (love at first sight, magic, other worlds) actually exist, and she’s smack in the middle of a war that could destroy two worlds. 14. How long did it take you to write it? If I take out all the time I spent working on other projects, it was probably about a year. Realistically, it took about two and a half years, since I can never seem to focus on just one project at a time. 15. Which character(s) of yours do you most relate to? I feel like I relate to all of them in some way. With Skye, it’s her independence. She doesn’t like asking for help, and neither do I. Hanna is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and so am I. Aiden, Bryce, and Marek are protective of friends and family. 16. Who is your favorite character in this story? In this story, it’s Skye. Despite everything, she’s strong, and intelligent, and will fight for what she believes in. 17. Which character is the best role model for readers? Again, I’d have to say Skye. Although, Aiden would be a good role model for guys. He is strong and sweet, and won’t let anyone harm those he loves. 18. How did you decide on your cover? I found the image on a file-sharing site, and instantly knew it would be perfect for the story. 19. What do you hope people discover while reading your story? If a reader takes a new look at the world, or at life/love/friendship from my work, I’d be happy. I’ve had a reviewer complain that the love happens too fast in my stories, but I’m a firm believer in love at first sight (I’ve had it happen to me). I really hope others are able to see that love doesn’t have a timeframe. 20. Have you written anything else? Tell us about it/them. I have a paranormal romance published, Blood of the Immortal. It is the first in a planned trilogy, and is about a group of vampires and immortals. Quite a bit happens in the first story, so it’s a bit difficult to explain in just one paragraph. But it’s a story of love, family, trust, and betrayal. 21. Do you experience writers block, how do you deal with it? I think at some point everyone does. When I get it, I either move on to another WIP, or I just take a break and do something else entirely. Unfortunately, this can mean things take longer to complete. 22. What do you not like about writing? I don’t like that it can become an obsession at times. There are times inspiration just doesn’t want to wait for me to be able to write, and that drives me crazy. Of course, there are other times I’m on a deadline, but can’t pull a sentence out of the ether to save my life. 23. Are you working on anything now? I actually have a couple things that I’m working on. I’m hoping to have the second book in the trilogy done by the end of October, a fictionalization of a real love story that I’m hoping to have done by next August, and a few others that are just in the beginning stages. 24. How do you market your work? I post information about my books to different books on Facebook, I have contacted blogs about the books, and I have both books in two local bookstores near me. 25. What would you say to readers? Don’t be afraid to try out new stories. You never know when you’ll find a gem. 26. What would you say to writers aspiring or otherwise? Writing is a lot harder than you’d think. It’s real work, but it’s worth it. Don’t give up. Keep working and keep getting better. 27. Where can one purchase your book(s)? Both my books are available on Amazon in Kindle format and paperback. Heart of Lavora: http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Lavora-Ashley-Jeffers/dp/1508787115/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439921302&sr=8-1&keywords=Heart+of+Lavora Blood of the Immortal: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Immortal-Volume-Ashley-Jeffers/dp/1499176392/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
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