The War Inside by M. Kircher -- Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I write sci-fi and fantasy because I genuinely love to be sucked into another world. Even as a child I gravitated more toward fantasy and science fiction than anything else. I enjoy using my imagination and creating pictures in my head of what I think scenes and characters look like.

And there’s also something about young adult fiction that just grabs me, even as a thirty-year-old crone. I think that inside, we’re all about sixteen. The adult world sucks the wonder out of us, but reading a young adult novel can put us right back into that season of life. The emotions that teens feel are so strong and they have such a zest for living. When you’re a teenager you truly believe that you can change the world – and you can!

When we become adults, we forget the amazing power we have to effect change - and so we stop trying. I hope that more teen novels inspire young people to hold onto that attitude of hope and courage as they enter into adulthood. The world needs some changing!

What research (or world-building – for fantasy/paranormal/Sci-fi) is required?

I think it depends on the type of world that the author wants to create. For The War Inside, I didn’t have to do too much make-believe because I was working with earthy elements that most people could relate to. My Earth was torn apart by neglect and pollution, but the landscape itself, in terms of soil, trees, clouds, insects, animals, etc., was all recognizable. But if an author were to create an alien planet or race, I would think that there would be a fair amount of research that they would have to do. You can fabricate many things, but certain base elements should make some kind of sense. Like, if an alien had another kind of skin - what would that skin feel like? What would it look like? How would it relate to the climate of the planet that the alien was from? And so forth.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

One of the main characters in this book, Caden, is an inherently flawed person who finds redemption through “learned humbleness”. He doesn’t change his faults all at once, but sort of learns as he goes. Caden has definitely taught me that I need to do a better job of being humble. I need to acknowledge my faults and work on them as they pop up in my daily life. It doesn’t mean that all my darker bits will suddenly disappear, but I won’t be ignoring them either, as I have been known to do. It’s very freeing to allow yourself to be a work-in-progress.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I do, yes. I’m this crazy neat freak, so whatever room I’m going to be writing in must be clean. I will literally spend thirty minutes making sure everything is in place, before I’m able to sit down and write. Something about clutter makes my mind hazy, but a clean room is a nice, calm place to create. I’m so weird.

I also must completely outline a book or a novel, before I begin writing it. The outline is messy, and peppered with typos and grammatical errors, but it prevents me from getting writer’s block. One time I decided to start writing a novel without finishing my outline, and I totally regretted it. I got to the middle of the story, scratched my head, and went, “Uh, now what happens?” Having an outline is just part of my Type A/Free Spirit personality mishmash, but it’s what works for me.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m definitely a plotter, as stated in the question above. I have to have everything organized before I can let my mind drift over into the creative chaos it takes to actually write a story. For me, having a basic structure in place actually sets me free to be creative. I know that many other writers work much more effectively when they wing it, but I figure it’s whatever gets the job done for each person.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Oh geez, now I really do feel old. I’m writing the answers to these questions in my third floor hideaway – which is a finished master suite that my husband and I turned into a guest room - slash - play room. So, sitting to my right is an orange and blue plush dinosaur with wheels on the bottom. The theory is that a child could ride the dinosaur, but my toddler mostly falls off of it and giggles. I had a baby this past June and we adopted our foster son in July, so this summer the young and free thing went out the window and now I live with orange, rolling dinosaurs! (Which is both appalling and completely wonderful.)

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m actually working on a couple of things right now, including the second book in this series called, The Gray Horizon. The story that’s begun in The War Inside, and centered on the character of Thea, will be continued from Caden’s point of view and focus more on his development. I’m really excited to be writing from a male perspective this time.

I also just finished a YA science fiction/romance novel called Dreamcatchers, which is currently being reviewed by a publisher – so we’ll see what happens there! And I’m in the beginning stages of a novel about a group of utterly normal teenagers in a world where everyone has superpowers. So I’ve definitely got my hands full at the moment.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Absolutely! Wonderful readers, I would love to know: If you could “commission” a novel what would it be about? And why?

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; eking out her miserable life on the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year-old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.

Don't miss THE WAR INSIDE, an exciting young adult dystopian/fantasy novel by debut author M. Kircher. Buy the book at Amazon

About the Author:

M. KIRCHER graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Gordon College and is currently an author and artist. "The War Inside" is her first novel, but there are more to come including the second book in The Horizons Trilogy, "The Gray Horizon" and "Dreamcatchers", a futuristic twist on the legend of Rip Van Winkle. She devours YA, science fiction, fantasy, and romance on a regular basis and is immensely happy to pour her time and energy into creating stories for other people to enjoy. Bob Ross and J.R.R. Tolkien tie for her two favorite people of all time.

She and her husband write regularly for Relevant Magazine (www.relevantmagazine.com) and Simply Youth Ministry (www.youthministry.com). They also just had their first book published called "99 Thoughts on Marriage and Ministry", by Group Publishing.

M. Kircher lives in Connecticut with her husband, one energetic son, and a new baby girl.

Website: www.mkircher.com
Blog: http://mkircher.com/blog/
Twitter: @MKircher83
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mkircher83
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7202354.M_Kircher
Amazon Author Profile: http://www.amazon.com/M.-Kircher/e/B00E8AKEGI