Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Truth About Air & Water by Katherine Owen interview and contest

The Truth About Air & Water by Katherine Owen
(Truth in Lies #2)

Synopsis:

The Truth In Lies Series. READ This Much Is True, book 1 first, although it’s been written as a standalone. Readers say, don’t do that.
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” -Ernest Hemingway ~ A Farewell To Arms
They share an epic love but one moment changes everything. A life together that seemed certain is shattered. One learns you never love the same way twice; the other learns what it means to come home. You only think you know how this love story goes, but do you really know how an epic love can end?
“There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
She is living color, and I’ve been in a black-and-white world for far too long without her.
Powerful stuff. It surrounds me. I’ve felt it since I first arrived. The forcefield of her. The magnetism of her. The power she wields over me. I’m alive again because of her, like a dying plant that finally gets some water. I’ve got it bad for this girl.
Reality dawns.
The light comes through the darkness and shines on me.
She’s my water.

-Lincoln Presley
The truth is I breathe with him. He is my air. Raison d’etre.
-Tally Landon

Author’s note: This novel is part of the Truth In Lies series. It can be read as standalone, however, fans of my fiction already are highly recommending that those new to my work, READ This Much Is True book 1 FIRST.
As Lincoln Presley would say, “do as you must, Princess.”

Purchase:

AUTHOR BIO: 

Katherine Owen writes contemporary edgy fiction, which translates to: she writes love stories that are contemporary in setting and both edgy and dark. Some readers term her books emotional roller coasters. With her writing, Owen admits she has a fondness for angst, likes to play with a little drama, and essentially toys around with the unintentional complications of love. She contends this began early on when she won a poetry contest at the age of fourteen and appears to be without end. Owen has an avid love of coffee, books, and writing, but not necessarily in that order. She writes both Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction which includes her bestselling TRUTH IN LIES Series (a series despite despising 'series') beginning with This Much Is True and her latest release, The Truth About Air & Water. The TRUTH IN LIES series is fan-driven. So. There will be a third book about Linc and Tally released in 2015 titled Tell Me Something True.

About Owen's fiction...This is NOT the light trope stuff. She travels a unique, writerly path and enjoys writing dark and angsty (a "non-word" she is fond of) emotional love stories. She often warns readers to be prepared with: time, tissues, wine, Advil or your drug of choice. And, as her most favored character, Lincoln Presley, would say, "do what you must, Princess."

Author Interview: 


Please start by telling us a little about yourself (education, jobs, significant other, children, pets, etc.)

I went to the University of Washington and graduated with an editorial journalism degree B.A. Communications and promptly went into high tech sales. I made a lot of money, spent a lot of money and eventually pursued my dream of writing books for a living when the timing was just right. I spent a few years in public relations as well as sales, which fully prepared me for a career change as a writer/author/entrepreneur. I’m married to an airline pilot and wish everyday that I had the kind of job that I left behind at the airport. Instead, it plagues me every waking minute and interrupts my sleep. But alas, I must write. I have two kids. A boy and a girl. One is a freshman in college, the other is a sophomore in high school. Ask me. I know.

Tell us about your latest New Adult book and what inspired you to write it.

My latest novel is The Truth About Air & Water which is a follow-on storyline to my first new adult book, This Much Is True (released last year August 2013). This is a continuation of the two characters, Tally Landon and Lincoln Presley, from that first bestselling book. I wrote it as a standalone but most fans of my work insist new readers read This Much Is True FIRST.

Here’s the blurb for The Truth About Air & Water, book 2 in the Truth In Lies series.

They share an epic love, but one moment changes everything. A life together that seemed certain is shattered.
 One learns you never love the same way twice; the other learns what it means to come home.  
You only think you know how this love story goes, but do you really know how an epic love can end? 

She is living color, and I’ve been in a black-and-white world for far too long without her. 
Powerful stuff. It surrounds me. I’ve felt it since I first arrived. The forcefield of her. The magnetism of her. The power she wields over me. I’m alive again because of her, like a dying plant that finally gets some water. I’ve got it bad for this girl. 
Reality dawns. 
The light comes through the darkness and shines on me. 
She’s my water.
 
-Lincoln Presley 

The truth is I breathe with him. He is my air. Raison d’etre. 
-Tally Landon 

Author's note: This novel is part of the Truth In Lies series. It can be read as standalone, however, fans of my fiction already are highly recommending that those new to my work, READ This Much Is True book 1 FIRST. 

As Lincoln Presley would say, "do as you must, Princess."

The New Adult genre is fairly new. What's your definition of it? How does it differ from Young Adult or just regular Adult books?

New Adult is fairly new. My definition is probably different than everyone else’s. I’ve watched it evolve quite a bit over the past few years. I would say it deals with young adults (late teens to mid twenties in age) who are experiencing life and love for the first time. In that realm, they have a tendency to make mistakes and the ability (sometimes) to learn from them, and those experiences become the mainstay for the storyline which is almost always centered around the theme of love. I think NA largely differs from YA books because there is sex in most NA books and there is colorful language as well. YA fades to black on a lot of that stuff. I’m not sure it’s all that different from regular adult books, but I think NA books tend to “swim” in the adult pool while centering more around the characters who are still striving for maturity. If that makes any sense at all.

Do you belong to any critique groups and/or do you have other people read your work as you're writing it? Who's brutally honest and who's a cheerleader? Which do you prefer?

I had beta readers for my first couple of books and found them mostly unhelpful. For the Truth In Lies series, I wrote it the way I wanted to although a few avid fans clamored for the right to read The Truth About Air & Water just before I released it. I was prepared to make changes, but they didn’t provide me with any for this particular storyline. Yay!

What are your all-time favorite authors/books?

The Time Traveler’s Wife, Gone Girl, Falling Under, April and Oliver, The Truth About Delilah Blue, The Sea of Tranquility to name a few. I have a running total on Goodreads of my all-time favorites which includes all of these named.

Do you outline before you write or just dive head-first into a manuscript? Do you maintain a schedule for writing, or is it more haphazard?

I am attempting to change my ways as a discovery writer by outlining, story boarding, and indexing cards. None of that is really working right now, so yes; it’s all the more haphazard.

Where do you do your best writing? (Ex: desk in your office, public library, under a tree in the park, in front of a Real Housewives TV marathon, etc.) Do you like music or some other background noise, or do you need quiet?

I have a writing area set up with all the accoutrements that one could ask for from favorite pens, lined paper, story boards for the outlining, In Design, Scrivener, and Word loaded on the laptop. I have it all. Sometimes, it really just does just come down to words on the proverbial page.
As far as music? It’s really quiet when I am not into the heart of the book and writing. Then, when I finally get it together, music plays a huge part of my process. I have massive play lists that ultimately represent the book I’m writing.

What are the best and worst parts of writing a book?

The best part of writing a book is getting into the throes of it and re-reading it back and knowing it is good. The worst part is getting started, getting stuck in the middle, and writing the ending because that means that whole other process of starting again is out there just waiting to shred your ego.

When you're driving and you have a sudden, brilliant idea for the new manuscript you're working on, what do you do? (Ex: pull over and fire up the laptop, keep driving while scribbling on a McDonald's bag, tell Siri, etc.)

I tend to think in scenes, so I’ll describe it out to whoever is lucky enough to be riding in the car with me. If it’s a strong enough scene, it stays with me.

Imagine you have a whole day free for shopping. Where do you go? (Mall, unique boutiques, flea market, antique shops, bookstore, home improvement store, etc.)

I would never spend a whole day shopping. That’s what Amazon and Amazon Fresh are for. I can whip into Trader Joe’s and spend $200 on groceries in less than a half hour. I spend the majority of my time with the writing. With it. Not necessarily writing. There’s a difference.

What are the top 5 titles in your Netflix queue? (Be honest.) Or if you don't have a Netflix queue, which books are on your bedside table? (Again, be honest.)

Gone Girl (for re-reads), The Sea Of Tranquility, Techniques Of The Selling Writer, On Writing, The Truth About Air & Water (re-read exercise to get into the groove).

Do you prefer to read ebooks or print?

I read a lot of ebooks. I used to prefer print, but that has gone by the wayside in recent years because I LOVE having my iPad with me, so I can read whatever I want wherever I am. Love it!

Where is your favorite place in the world?

My favorite place to be in the world is Pacific City, Oregon looking out at the Pacific Ocean.

Do you have any advice for people who want to write a book?


You must constantly work on craft. Take classes. I took mine with The Writer’s Studio. Hands down it made me a better writer. Just studying other writers’ work is important so reading is also essential.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for asking such thoughtful questions about my writing process and my latest novel, The Truth About Air & Water. Love the blog!

    ReplyDelete