Our visitor today is fellow The Wild Rose Press author Chrys Fey. Considering the crazy winter most of us here in the U.S. are experiencing, she must be freezing down in Florida. I read her debut book Hurricane Crimes. The descriptions of being in a hurricane felt like I was actually there. Now I know why.
Welcome, Chrys. Tell
us about yourself.
I
live in Florida and have experienced several hurricanes and tropical storms. In 2004,
three hurricanes hit Florida in the space of four weeks: Charley, Frances, and
Ivan. Hurricane Frances was especially devastating to my city. Then in 2008,
Tropical Storm Fay visited. She actually made landfall four times because she
didn’t want to leave, and during that time I was trapped inside my house while
it flooded outside. These storms greatly influenced my debut, Hurricane Crimes,
a romantic-suspense eBook that is now available on Amazon.
Where can readers find you?
I love to connect with readers and writers.
:)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrysfey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ChrysFey
Google +: www.google.com/+ChrysFey
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
For
as long as I can remember I knew I HAD to be a writer. I loved to write ever
since I was little because I had my mom, an aspiring writer, as a role model.
When I was twelve I started to write my first book. That book spawned into a supernatural-thriller
series that I decided to rewrite when I was seventeen. I have finished all four
books and I am extremely proud of them. One day, they will make it out into the
world.
What did you learn from writing your first book?
I
learned a lot about writing in general, like words I should cut out of my
manuscript to make it tighter, to avoid head hopping, and to eliminate passive
voice. But most importantly I learned to always listen to my gut and to never
give up.
If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it be?
I’ve
thought about this question a lot. At fifteen I had spine surgery and at sixteen
I had to leave high school.
Here
is part of a poem I wrote a long time ago, and it is exactly what I’d tell
myself:
“When you’re fifteen you’ll go through a lot of pain,
but through heavy tears you’ll continue to breathe,
nothing will stop you from healing from surgery,
and the scar soon won’t mean a thing.
When you’re sixteen it won’t be so sweet,
although you had to drop out you’ll continue to dream,
nothing will stop you from becoming the best that you can
be,
and the diploma you don’t have will make you strive for
everything.
Sweet
thirteen-year-old me,
you
don’t believe me,
you
think I’m deceiving,
just remember to be me,
because I’m who you turn out to be.”
What do you enjoy most about life?
My
nephews. The oldest is seven and the youngest is six. I don’t know what I would
do if I didn’t have them in my life. They make me smile and laugh, remind me
about the simple things, and inspire me.
What do you think makes a good story?
Characters.
Plot may push a story forward, but without good characters it doesn’t matter how
exciting your story is.
What do you hope readers will take with them after reading your work?
A
good experience. I want them to be entertained from beginning to end. I also hope
they feel as though they can endure anything. Beth Kennedy, the heroine of
Hurricane Crimes, does some remarkable things that she never thought she would
be able to do, and while I don’t encourage anyone to venture out into a
hurricane, I want them to feel like they have that kind of strength for
whatever life throws at them.
BLURB:
After her car breaks down,
Beth Kennedy is forced to stay in Florida, the target of Hurricane Sabrina. She
stocks up supplies, boards up windows, and hunkers down to wait out the storm,
but her plan unravels when she witnesses a car accident. Risking her life, she
braves the winds to save the driver. Just when she believes they are safe, she
finds out the man she saved could possibly be more dangerous than the severe
weather.
Donovan Goldwyn only
wanted to hide from the police, but the hurricane shoved his car into a tree.
Now he's trapped with a beautiful woman while the evidence that can prove his
innocence to a brutal crime is out there for anyone to find.
As Hurricane Sabrina
wreaks havoc, Beth has no other choice but to trust Donovan to stay alive. But
will she survive, or will she become another hurricane crime?
Book
Links:
BIO:
Chrys Fey is the author of the short
stories—The Summer Bride and Fallen. She created the blog Write with Fey to
offer aspiring writers advice and inspiration. She lives in Florida where she
is ready to battle the next hurricane that comes her way.
Author
Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrysfey
Thanks, Chrys, for being here today. I wish you much success.
