GUARDIAN Blog Tour - Interview with Rachel Morgan

Hi blogger friends!

Today I'm so happy to be taking part in the blog tour for GUARDIAN by Rachel Morgan :) Here's a little more about it!

1. Receive assignment.
2. Save a life.
3. Sleep.
4. Repeat.

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until one of her assignments—a human boy who shouldn’t even be able to see her—follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? But Nate and Vi are about to land themselves in even bigger trouble—and it’ll take all Vi’s training to get them out alive.


Now for the interview....

1. First of all, where are you from?
I live in South Africa. I spent my university days in Cape Town, but now I’m back in Durban.

2. What is a random fact about you that most people don’t know?
Hmm... Let’s see. Most of my online friends don’t know that while I was doing my degree I was planning to become a genetic counsellor. It was a big switch to writer and teacher!

3. What genre is Guardian?
Young adult paranormal fantasy with a definite romance element (I adore a good love story!).

4. Who is publishing it? Are you self-publishing? If so, why?
I am! So yes, self-publishing. Now is the time to be e-publishing, and I’ve been keen for a while to try it out. I think it’s a publishing model that will work well for a series of novelettes, as a novelette (a piece of writing generally less than 17,500 words) isn’t really long enough to be printed. Also, I’ve always been a do-it-yourself kinda gal (as well as a control freak!), so being able to control so many different aspects of publishing this series is something that really appeals to me.

5. Who designed the cover?
I did! I purchased a royalty-free image, Googled “how to” tutorials for Photoshop, and used some other simple programs (note: Photoshop is not simple!). There’s no way I’d ever call myself a designer, but I’m very happy with the way Guardian’s cover turned out :-) (If you want more details on how I did the cover, you can check out the guest post I did at In Time... on March 12th)

6. When and why did you begin writing?
Officially (with the intent to actually reach the end of a novel and have it published) I began writing in 2009, after I decided that a Masters in Biochemistry was not for me! It was time to get all those stories out of my head and onto a page!

7. What books have influenced your life most?
When I first learnt how to read I discovered Enid Blyton's Famous Five. I got through as many of her books as were available to me! That gave me a love of adventure stories. In high school I discovered Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, which completely wowed me. I’ve been in love with fantasy ever since. Soon after that came Harry Potter. Need I say more?! I discovered foreshadowing, intricate storylines, complex characters and a love for series. I also need to include Twilight on this list, because it was after reading that book that I decided, “You know what? If someone else can do it, so can I!” And thus my ‘real’ writing began.

8. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
If I think of self-published authors I’ve recently discovered then I’d have to say Susan Kaye Quinn. Her book Open Minds had top-quality writing as well as being an excellent story.

9. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My principal at school. I was going to quit teaching because it left zero time for writing, but she didn’t want me to leave so she offered me a part-time position instead that allowed me to have time in the day for writing and writing-related work. It’s been great! She calls herself my cheerleader :-)

Thanks Rachel!

Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in
a fantasy land of her own making. These days, in between teaching mathematics to high school children, she writes fiction for young adults.

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