Thursday, July 1, 2010

Questionable Contest

It's July!
Nightshade is on the shelves in 3, yes 3, months!!!

To celebrate the new month and the holiday weekend I'm combining two features: Monthly Q&A and a contest.

Here's how it will work: To enter all you have to do is ask a question in the comments below. I will pick 5 random questions and answer them in next Tuesday's blog - July 5.

And the writers of those 5 selected questions will each receive a signed Nightshade ARC.

Yes! You heard that right. I'm giving away 5 ARCs this month. (Thank you, Penguin!!)
Looking forward to your questions :)

79 comments:

  1. I hate going first on things like this but someone has to get it started eh? ;)

    I'm a bit of a nerd about where people's names came from or in the case of characters in books what inspired the name of a hero or heroine. So my question is what inspired the names of Calla and the other characters in Nightshade?

    Thanks for answering Andrea! :D

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  2. How the frak did you come up with the idea for this wickidly awesome and totally random yet justified contest?

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  3. Great questions :) Khadija - bonus for the Battlestar Galactica reference.

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  4. How are you balancing teaching, promotion, and writing?

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  5. When I read Goodreads reviews of Nightshade I found two reviews using Twilight as a sort of comparison/reference. In my mind that can turn people onto your novel or off of it. What do you think about being compared to other novels (not just Twilight but anything)? If you had a quote on your front novel saying for fans of _____, would you want that or would you rather a quote just talk about how good "your" novel is without name-dropping?

    * Links to two reviews:

    http://brookesboxofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-nightshade-by-andrea-cremer.html

    http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/105089018

    NOTE: In my opinion this isn't bad, I'm just wondering your opinion :)

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  6. This is actually not a book related question, just one that I'm curious about.

    If you could have any mythical creature for a pet, what would you choose and why?

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  7. My question to you Andrea is-
    If Nightshade is made into a movie(yay!),whom would you cast as the leads and why?

    Thank you so much for this contest! So much fun!

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  8. Hello Andrea, Dee here @GCReading...

    My question is:

    Let's say there was a big battle and you and one other person was left on the planet, who out of all your characters would that be and why?

    @GCReading - Twitter
    Dee - http://goodchoicereading.blogspot.com
    GoodChoiceReadin@aol.com

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  9. Oh fun contest! But 3 months is still too far away.

    Who is cuter, Fizzgig from The Dark Crystal, or Gizmo from Gremlins? :) Because I have a soft spot for both of them and could probably never choose between them.

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  10. Oh, wow! I'm really crossing my fingers for this one. :)

    My question: what's the biggest misconception of being an author/writer?

    Thank you very much both Andrea and Penguin for the opportunity! Ya'll guys rock!
    Love, Hannah

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  11. I was just wondering what inspiration brought about Nightshade. Some author's say that they had a dream of a certain scene or one of the characters just really spoke to them.

    So, for you, what was your inspiration in writing this story, and were there any scenes that really stood out to you?

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  12. WHOOO! 3 months isn't long to wait at all! It's suddenly grown even more exciting! Congrats Andrea! I can't wait to own Nightshade :)

    I could ask a million questions, especially ones like how you felt when you saw that amazing cover (hands down the BEST for the 2010 YA releases if you ask me!).

    But I think I'll ask this - Was there any part of your publishing journey from original manuscript to final, sold product, that changed your life? And if so, how do you feel about where you are now?

    I'm always so curious as to how being published changes someones life, especially as I'm hoping to turn my own writing into a career soon! :)

    Congrats Andrea! Looking forward to the answers of the questions! :D

    Emma :)

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  13. Oooh, yet ANOTHER fun contest. Okay, here goes nothing. . . .

    My question: when did you realize you wanted to become a writer (and a potential author)? Was it a lightbulb moment or was it one of those slow realizations over many years? Did you ever at some point think, "This may not be for me"? (I hope you'll forgive the multiple-question way I posed this. Sigh.)

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  14. I love that fact that you have Butter's alter ego Professor Chaos on your blog. I have been dying to get my hands on your book. It sounds so freakin awesome....^_^. What I want to know is: What do you hope people can take away from your story when they finish reading it? Also just because I am curious If you were stuck on a deserted island what 5 must have items would you have?

    skyla11377(At)AOL(Dot)Com

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  15. If you could spend a week in any story (book only), what story would you choose & why?

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  16. Following on from Skyla...If you're Professor Chaos, then who is your General Disarray? ;-)

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  17. Okay... while I am tempted to ask if you would let a wolf lick you in the mouth since it's a thing of dominance for them (and not the cutesy kissing us know it all humans think)... I've been informed that's not appropriate. So. Let's go with: Why are manhole covers round?

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  18. I hope this hasn't been asked already.

    If you could take one fictional character from any book ever written and slap them into the Nightshade series, who would it be and what would you do said character?

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  19. How do you separate your books from all the other YA out there?

    Alex
    alexreadsbooks at gmail dot com

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  20. Hey Andrea I'm Jessica @ Confessions of a Bookaholic!!! I would LOVE to win this!! I've been trying to think of a good question and I'm going to go with something I really would love to know myself.

    What has been the most shocking part of this process for you? From the writing, publishing, and now promoting of Nightshade? What has left you thinking "Wow, I never thought it would be this way?"

    Ohhh I hope I'm picked *crossing fingers!!*

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  21. What made you want to write a novel about traditional werewolves and not only that but having the lead character be female?

    jeremywest91@gmail.com

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  22. What novel have you re-read more often than any other?

    theeagerreaders[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  23. Great contest!

    My question is...how did you come up with the idea for Nightshade? And how did you go from there...with the developing of characters and the story and twists etc? And do you already know how the series os gonna end?

    Another question: What's your favorite food? lol

    Thanks!

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  24. OMG I've been trying to get hold of your book for a long time now and I still haven't managed it so fingers crossed! Thank you for the contest.

    My question is - what book do you WISH you had written? It can be any book out there in existence. I also love the question what do you wish people would ask you? (so you can talk about something you want to).

    Thanks Andrea! Still counting down the days LOL
    Lynsey(AT)Narrativelyspeaking(DOT)com

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  25. Oh my God. I so want one!

    How does your mood affect your writing?
    Thanks!

    precious_shusky@yahoo.com

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  26. Hmm...these questions are probably just a result of a lack of reading of interviews, I haven't really seen many around for Nightshade. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.

    1. How did you come up with the name "Nightshade"?

    2. If you could live one day in the life of one of your characters from "Nightshade", who would you pick, and why?

    3. What was the hardest thing that occurred while writing/publishing your debut novel, "Nightshade"? What advice would you give aspiring authors something you wish you had known beforehand?

    4. How do you go about writing something that is of such a popular genre right now (paranormal YA is on the rise) without "overlapping"? Did you "borrow" any ideas froom other YA titles?

    cc932005[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  27. 1. What were you doing when the idea of Nightshade popped into your head? what inspired the novel?

    2. Do you already ahve a new idea for another book? If so, can you tell us just a bit, just a tiny teaser what it will be about?

    3. Is there anyone you consider your "writing fairy godmother"? Someone who either helped you by giving you faith and unconditional support, or someone who actively helped you, or gave a great idea or advice that made you succeed?

    4. What question is it that you wish people would ask you in interviews so you could tell them about?

    5. What is your alltime favourite book/story? Can be a childhood favourite read, or a story of a movie, or a song.

    Thank you! :-)

    stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

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  28. Books are the best influence for writing, but what else inspires you? Also, how did they steer you in the direction of writing fantasy?

    Thanks!
    Natasha
    nheck AT natashamheck.com

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  29. Congrats on the upcoming release! I'm very excited for Nightshade to be on my Nightstand!

    My question is...How did you find writing characters of the opposite sex? Was creating your male characters easy for you or difficult? Did you research/chat with teen boys/stalk (err, shadow) a young man to get the feel for how he operates?

    Thanks again for this opportunity!

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  30. What novel do you recommend to read?

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  31. Wow. These are all such amazing questions. Picking five for the contest is going to be hard. Though I will try to answer all of them in future posts :)

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  32. What is harder for you to write, the beginning of your novel (getting started) or the end (wrapping everything up perfectly)?
    Thanks!

    sports[dot]erikalynn[at]gmail[dot]com

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  33. How do you get ready to write? Do you have any rituals, or specific settings that you prefer when you write (music, space, etc...)?

    wheems01(at)gmail.com

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  34. My question is:
    Is there a message in Nightshade that you want readers to grasp?
    I love reading the answers that this question gets.

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  35. Ok... So, I want to know if it's hard to keep secrets/spoilers from friends and fans? And, for fun, is there a juicy bit you could share with us about future books without giving too much away?

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  36. Do you ever find that some of your characters seem almost real ... that you frequently catch yourself thinking about them, even when you're not writing ... that you want to write them in all over the place, even where it wouldn't make any sense at all? Which characters capture your heart in this way? Also, which characters have you read about, that you wish would crop up more often, because they're almost more interesting than the mains? (or, they could be the mains :)

    I'm seriously excited for Nightshade (",).

    Hope you're having a lovely week xx

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  37. From @thekams (sorry for blogger woes):

    You're chosen to pick two books to send on the next Voyager space craft. In the hope that aliens will find it and the items - what two books would you pick and why?

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  38. Thanks for doing the contest. ;-) I cannot wait to read your book. I'm so excited for it.I love werewolves. My question:

    What is your favourite food? To cook or eat out, whichever you prefer. :D

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  39. Haha what a wonderful idea! My question is:

    If you could have lunch with whoever you wanted (whether they be alive, dead, or a character) who would it be? And where would you take them for lunch?

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  40. I just discovered Nightshade today and thought that the cover was very pretty.. (It was actually what made me read more about the book.)
    So my question is do you think that the cover fits Nightshade well?

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  41. I've been lusting after your book for months (shiny glitter- drool), and I can't, repeat CAN'T, wait to read your book. So in hopes of getting to read it early, here goes:

    My question is, with all of the Twilight and werewolf hoopla out on the shelves, what do you think sets your book apart from said hoopla?
    (I am in no way complaining about the amazing werewolf hoopla. This question is just for fun, how tall are the characters?)

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  42. Only 3 more months! Congratulations!

    What's the best way for a writer to know that his/her MS has been properly edited/revised/rewritten and is ready to query agents and subsequently go out to publishers? (In a related question, what's the best way to find your alpha and beta readers?)

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  43. Oooh, congrats on only three more months ! I can't wait for your book to release!

    -Would you switch places with the main character of Nightshade if you had the chance?

    -Did you like the cover for Nightshade at first, or did you want it to be something else?

    ~Alison
    lostinbelieving(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  44. Three months! So long, so so soon!
    Heres my question:

    How important was it for you to get Nightshade published?

    Thanks!

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  45. Hey! Thank you for the contest!!! I literally cannot wait for Nightshade!!!!!!

    How many times did you have to rewrite Nightshade before it was absolutely perfect? Or did you have to rewrite it all and if you did, did you ever feel like giving up?

    Thank you!!! :)

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  46. Oh and in the excitement, I forgot to leave my email address!

    the-sweet-bonjour@hotmail.com

    :D x

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  47. Congrats on writing and publishing what looks to be an amazing read!

    Question:

    Since writer's always have to cut, are there any scenes and/or characters in Nightshade that were cut but you wish could have been included (whether or not they moved the story along)?

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  48. ok since i really really want this book i am going to give it my all!!

    question - Calla seems fierce headstrong and a girl that we can envy for her strength , shes promised to Ren , mysterious and sexy most of us would be content with a man like that but knowing that she shouldn't she saves a human boy and starts to fall in love, take me inside Callas head that moment what makes her fall for him is there a particular moment that she thinks im in love?

    fantasy4eva@hotmail.com

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  49. What books/authors are your favorites?

    thenerdswife@gmail.com

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  50. Yo, questioning for you is:

    What is it that inspires a person to create novels, such as the one up for grabs here. I mean, does it start with voices in the head? A dream that you had?

    Thanks for the contest, you rock awesome socks!

    desertlion91@hotmail.com

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  51. With all the hype out there on vampires and wolves (shifter and were) what sets your wolf story aprart from anyone elses?

    Thanks!
    Crissi

    @CrissiC on Twitter or Book CLub on facebook. ;)

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  52. if you're planning a dinner party and you can invite the follow: 1 celebrity, 1 character from your book, 2 writers (one dead & one alive, and 1 musician. who would they be and would they get along?

    if you could meet 5 werewolf characters in person from any book who would they be and why?

    what is a weird quirk that you have? did you give it to one of your characters?

    thanks for this giveaway! :)

    -Michelle

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  53. Hmm, let's see.

    There are a lot of werewolf novels out there that cover all different myths. Why is yours so different? And why does it make me want to read it even though I don't like wolves?

    Nightshade's a debut novel and many debuts don't get much notice. So how does it feel to have written such a highly anticipated debut novel?

    Can't wait to see your answers!

    Julie
    breakingdownslowly@gmail.com

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  54. What made you decide to go with werewolves and is there any other paranormal creature you would like to write about or just like?

    Cassandra C

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  55. What is your definition of love?

    I ask everyone this question and it's one of the featured interview questions on our (me and my co-bloggers) book blog.

    No two answers have ever been the same yet, which is kind of fascinating considering love is like a universal thing; everyone feels it in some way at some point and writers write about it... and from the sounds of it, it's a factor in Nightshade too so I'm curious about your answer. :)

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  56. Hello Andrea!
    First of all if I do win, Could I just get a signed bookplate/bookmark and you could give the ARC to someone else? Since I was already lucky enough to win an ARC^^

    My question is, since you are a wolf pro, I was wondering if wolves can swim? I know it's totally random but I was thinking about it like 2 nights ago and now it bugs me lol

    <3

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  57. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  58. Hello Andrea.

    Nothing like an ooopsy to start things off!

    I've been hearing about your novel for months and am anxious to read it. I've taken a class with Jill Santapolo at Philomen and I think she is awesome.

    Really would love to read your ARC and get a jump start...

    If you were to describe your muse, what would he or she look like? I wondered one--since s/he came initially from pain and boredom? And two--how did that muse change as you expanded your writing wings and were mobile again?

    If you don't envision a muse, I've wasted a question, but with your story premise I figure your imagine has some pretty vivid images of this muse... :-)

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  59. Would love to win a copy of Nightshade, it sounds awesome! And the cover is beautiful.

    Um, I'm not very good at coming up with questions though, so here's a random one for you: are you a cat person or dog person? Or neither?

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  60. Hi Andrea, Christinabean here from The Paperback Princesses. I just started a blog with a friend. We are two librarians hooked on YA. Here is my question for you -

    What kind of quirky writing habits do you have, if any? (For instance, do you snack or live off slurpees when you write? Does disco music put you in an inspirational mood? Do you have a tennis ball that you bounce against the wall when you need inspiration?)

    Would love to win a copy of Nightshade! It looks fabulous!

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  61. Hi Andrea . Please entre me if the contest is open internationally. Thank you!
    Here's my question-
    What made you choose young adult/fantasy as your genre?

    Misha
    mishamary@gmail.com

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  62. i just wanted to but in and say if you have a hard time choosing you can always do what many of us bloggers do (and if you already know about this i tried to help :P) use random.org its a randomizer for the entries- then you can answer the questions that where randomly picked its also a bit more fair that way!

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  63. If you could compare Nightshade to a food, what food would it be? For example, would it be something light and fluffy like a lemon meringue pie, or would it be something dark and dangerous like wine and chocolate?

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  64. I have two questions :

    1. If you could go back in time and meet your younger self, what advice would you give yourself regarding writing?

    2. What's your writing mantra in 15 words or less.

    Thanks.

    lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  65. Hi khadija,


    Yep I'm a regular user of random.org. :)

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  66. Hi Andrea,
    Ok here are my questions for you.
    1. Why should I read your book? I mean with all the paranormal YA books out there what did you do to set your books apart from the others?
    2. Who was the first person you shared your book idea with?
    3. Was there any deleted scenes you really hated to see go?

    Ok I have tons more but I will stop there. Thanks for the chance to win an ARC.

    Trini @ A Book Lovers Review
    abookloversreview@gmail.com

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  67. Hi Andrea!
    Do you like to travel to get information for your books, or do you rely only on your imagination?
    Is there something or someone that has influenced you to become a writer?
    What do you think about book cover influence on readers?

    Thank you for this chance! :)

    Giada M.

    fabgiada (at) gmail (dot) com

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  68. I have heard a ton about your book so I cannot wait to read it, sounds amazing! I was kind of confused by the rules, are we allowed to ask just one question or more? I went for multiple...
    1.Do you believe in Magic?
    2.What is the one thing you want most to accomplish before you die?
    3.What is your typical writing day (or day in general) like?
    4.(this one is more for fun) How many words is Nightshade?

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  69. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  70. Here are my questions...

    1.- Which character was the most difficult to write?
    2.- If you could be any paranormal creature. Which one would you be and why?
    3.- What other projects are you working on that you would like to tell us about?
    4.- What influences and inspirations (both literary and non-literary) did you draw from while writing Nightshade?

    Great contest!

    E-mail: itzel_library@hotmail.com

    Best Regards

    ~Yelania

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  71. These questions are so awesome!!! I'm looking forward to writing up answers :)

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  72. Great contest. If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the main characters and why?

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  73. Are your satisfied with Nightshade? Do you think there are any improvements that could be made on this book? I really love the cover, by the way.

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

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  74. I know that in general most authors don't get much input when it comes to their covers. So, how much say did you have?
    I love the cover, by the way! And thanks for this contest! :-)
    -Caitlin G.
    caitlingillbert@yahoo.com

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  75. how did you get the idea to write nightshade
    ps thanks for the contest

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  76. How much do you think getting published is down to luck just as well as talent?

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  77. How did you decide you wanted to do a werewolf book rather than any other choice such as vampires?

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  78. How has your life changed compared to before you were published?

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  79. How are your werewolves different than everyone elses?

    What is your favorite werewolf or shifter book?

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