Thursday, May 29, 2014

Interview with Author Harmony Lawson



Harmony Lawson
Grass Valley, California


Good morning, Harmony.  Welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors.  We're thrilled to have you with us this morning.  Can you tell us what you've written?
I've written Apocalypse of Angels: Seeing Angels and my new young adult novel, My Mechanical Angel, has a release date of June 1st.


How exciting!  What is your favorite genre to write?
YA and New Adult


Favorite food.
It depends on my mood, Mexican, Italian, sometimes Chinese buffets. J I just like food.


Tea or coffee? 
Both actually.


Pizza or ice cream?
That’s a hard question


You can say both again.  I like pizza followed by ice cream. Where would you like to visit? 
Playa Del Carmen…when I go on my honeymoon. J

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write? 
I like Christina Perri…my play list can be found on Spotify under Candice Bledsaw


What makes you laugh? 
My fiancé and my son, my dogs…I laugh easily


Favorite work of art.
I like Thomas Kinkade paintings. Whatever is colorful and catches my eye.


We just did column on Thomas Kinkade yesterday!  I learned so much about him. Colorful.  So, how old were you when you started writing? 
I started writing seriously in 2009…so when I was 32 but I’ve been writing poems and such when I was about 16.


Describe your perfect evening. 
Dinner at a nice restaurant, a nice evening walk, drinks at a bar with live music. Good conversation is easy with my fiancé.


Where do you get your inspiration? 
Nature, angels, God, movies.


What do you do when you get a writer's block? 
I take a break, go for a walk, just take a day or two off.


Who is your favorite author? 
Stephanie Meyer


Best book you ever read. 
Twilight Saga. Couldn’t put them down. Took me two weeks to read them.


Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My fiancé. He offers so much support.


If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 
My grandmother who is in Heaven. I miss her. And my other grandmother who lives a few states away. I haven’t seen her in a few years. Why? Because grandparents aren’t around forever.



What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 
Never give up, just keep writing what you love and know. Keep it simple and don’t over think.


What can you tell us about My Mechanical Angel?
Book Description or Synopsis: The small Wild West farming community of Whitcomb was afraid of Seraphton, the shining metropolis that lies along the horizon. Reverend Archibald preached that the city was forbidden, an abomination to the world, and evil demons lurk inside despite the celestial name. Emmaline had a feeling there was more to Seraphton than the Reverend let on. Emmaline Fortenbury had always felt out of place in Whitcomb and wondered if Seraphton was really like he said. He preached like he held a grudge. What were the secrets of Seraphton and how did it connect with Reverend Archibald?
Then a stranger comes to town and the meeting changes her life. Aleksander Galloway was feared by the townspeople, but she found him fascinating. She wanted more out of life for herself. She wanted the chance to explore the world, and he seemed to be the man to help her. He had silver metal wings and a mechanical eye. He was handsome in a way that wasn’t like the townspeople of Whitcomb. He was sophisticated, educated, and very interesting. How can their love grow when their two towns collide? Can their love bring everyone together for peace?

Do you have any links for us to follow you?
3.     http://www.amazon.com/dp/1938634012 (book page for Apocalypse of Angels)
4.     http://www.amazon.com/dp/1499176325 (book page for My Mechanical Angel)
5.     http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00AZCNXNE (author page)


Author Bio:
Harmony Lawson was born on a naval base in San Diego, California. Currently, she and her family live in Northern California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her education is in drawing, painting, and writing. When she read her first romance novel at age 16, she became a hopeless romantic. 
Harmony is fascinated by angels, and she incorporates research in angels, the Nephilim, and fallen angels into her fictional stories. Many of the descriptions in her books reflect actual documentation found in religious documents. 
While she has endured many hardships in life, she believes life will be better tomorrow. Life has its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and Heaven and Hell. She believes the bad times are a test to prove a person's worth. Her books reflect on that concept. 

A little something extra about Harmony:
I write fantasy/romance for young adults...seems to be the voice that fits me the best. My first book "Apocalypse of Angels: Seeing Angels" was published January 2013 (It was published under a different name in 2009 through iUniverse-the company wasn't working for me)...and I'm told I'm doing well for a first time published author---but I'm still learning the industry. I'm currently halfway finished with the first draft my 3rd novel (8 novels planned all together: not all are in the series: and my ideas keep growing). I've also dabbled a little with children's fiction, I've written and illustrated 3 stories, they aren't published as of yet. I've been writing since I was 16 (poems mainly) and dabbling in art since I was 4. I started writing seriously when I was 20. Most of my experience is self taught but I have taken correspondence courses for writing children's fiction and I've taken several classes for art. My series was mentioned in the Sacramento Bee in May 2013 and I've been interviewed on our local radio station, KNCO.

Excerpt:
“Who’s there?” I say trying to keep my voice calm.
No answer.
“If someone’s there, you’d better let me know,” I call out in a warning tone. I almost sound like Ma for a minute. I can’t help but smile at the thought. “I’ll go get my Pa’s gun!”
Still there is no answer. Maybe it is all in my head, and it is just the wind of the storm blowing things around. I turn to leave, but I’m stopped by an unknown voice that sends a shiver up my spine.
“Good evening, miss, and please don’t get your Pa’s gun,” his voice is soft and calming. I am not afraid of this voice. I grab a pitchfork just in case. I’m not dumb. A girl needs to be cautious. I turn around to see where the voice was coming from.
“You just come out of the darkness, and we shall see.” My voice wavers a little bit, but I hold the pitchfork and try to keep it steady. I don’t want him to see me shaking. I’m not sure if I’m shaking from fear or from being chilled. He is a stranger, after all. I’m not used to having strangers around.
He steps out of the shadows and into the light of the lantern. His dark features are beautiful and instantly has me enthralled, and I know where he comes from. His skin is pale and seems to glow in the lantern light. The light is casting strange shadows on his face. He definitely isn’t from anywhere around here. I’ve been raised to believe the inhabitants of Seraphton are devils, but this tall gentleman looks anything but normal. His dark brown hair is styled in a short spiky way. He is wearing a blue shirt, a shiny black vest with black pants with silver zippers all over, and black leather boots. He looks quite soaked from the rain. One glance from his dark eyes makes my heart do a flip-flop. There is something different about his eyes. And his silver metal wings on his back certainly interest me. How intriguing. I wonder if the wings are attached to his back. Who is this man?
Is this a coincidence or what? Here I am tossing and turning about Seraphton all night, and now one of its inhabitants is standing in front of me. Is this fate?

He steps closer, and I hold the pitchfork tightly. He stops and holds up his hands. “It’s ok, Miss. I’m not going to hurt you. I just crashed into your field, and with the strength of the storm, I had to seek shelter. My name is Aleksander Galloway.”

7 comments:

  1. Thank you, Harmony, for being with us this morning, and sharing a little about yourself and Mechanical Angel. We at Vision and Verse wish you continued success in all your writing endeavors. Come back and see us again.
    Hugs,
    Carol

    ReplyDelete
  2. My Mechanical Angel sounds great! Added to my TBR list.
    Laura M.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Laura M. ! <3 I hope you like it!

      Delete
  3. This is so exciting! I truly appreciate this opportunity! I love this interview!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great Interview!
    Krista M.

    ReplyDelete