Thursday, January 5, 2012

Blog Tour: Damian's Oracle by Lizzy Ford

This virtual Book Tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!
I am pleased to present Lizzy Ford!

Lizzy Ford is the hyper-prolific author of the "Rhyn Trilogy" and "War of Gods" series, both launched in 2011, as well as multiple single title young adult fantasy and paranormal romances. Lizzy's books have reached into the bestseller lists on both Amazon US and Amazon UK in multiple categories. Through her unconventional online marketing strategies, Lizzy has gone from selling 20 books in January 2011 to around 5000 books in September 2011 and from over 7,000 free downloads of her work in January 2011 to over 40,000 downloads in September 2011.

The Lizzy Ford team consists of: Matt, IT and search engine optimization expert; Christine LePorte, freelance book editor; Dafeenah, graphics artist; and Toni, English-Spanish translator.

Lizzy is considered by most to be the ultimate writing freak of nature for her ability to write and epublish a new book every 30-45 days. She is also a regular contributor for the Curiosity Quills website and is an active member of a small guild of nine passionate, talented writers, the Indie Eclective. Lizzy's books are available from Amazon, BN, Smashwords, iBooks/iTunes, and all other eReader libraries.

Amazon Product Description:
Caught in the war between the White and Black Gods, Sofia and her rare gift bring victory to he who grabs her first. Her difficult transition from human to oracle forces her into a new world, where she struggles in her role as Damian’s mate and to help a mysterious man who’s supposed to be dead.

My quick review:  Lizzy Ford has created incredible characters!  Her well-developed, strong characters carry the story, which is creative, intriguing and original.  The plot draws you in and holds you.  It is well written and nicely paced.  Totally worth the read!  I can't wait to start book two!  

Damian’s Oracle links:

Lizzy has graciously offered an interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Technically, I knew I could write in the third grade!  It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I decided writing was my calling.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
I’ve worked full time since I was 17, so I wrote whenever I had a chance, until recently, when I lost my job about a month ago.  Now, I’m hoping to make writing my full time job.  I probably had about 10 jobs before I finally realized it’s time to do what I’d always dreamed!

? How long does it take you to write a book?
It really depends.  The quickest I’ve ever written a novel has been a week, so between a week and a month, sometimes six weeks.  I write, have edited, and publish a new book every 30-45 days.  Now that I’m a full-time writer, I hope to do this consistently every 30 days rather than 45, but we’ll see.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if it’s a quirk, but all my writer friends call me a freak of nature for being able to write so much.  My books are like movies in my head, and I’m trying hard to write fast enough to keep up with them.  Haha!

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
I usually have a cup of tea when I write.  If I’m hard core writing, as in, 10,000 words a day, I’ll put on headphones with my favorite songs replaying.  If I’m just normal writing, then I’ll just have my tea!

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Much of the inspiration for characters come from seeds planted during dreams.  I’m a really active dreamer, and some of my best characters and scenes have come from dreams.  Another source is emotion, like if I’m feeling frustrated or happy or going through something rough.  Characters are born from strong emotion, too.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I have two ongoing series right now (Rhyn Trilogy and War of Gods/Damian series), so I’ve been fluctuating between writing the books in those series and single-title stories that I like.  Most of the time, I just write whatever my dreams tell me to, though my readers are really great at providing feedback about sequels they’d like to see. 

? What are you reading right now?
I’m finishing up Julia Crane’s “Conflicted: Keegan’s Chronicles.”  I love her little series, and she’s releasing the third book in the trilogy next month, so I’m excited.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I have two dogs and a cat, so I walk the dogs or play with them.  I’m also online a lot doing social media to support my online presence and expand my platforms, and I talk to readers and other writers a lot.

? What is your favorite comfort food?
Anything chocolate or pastries or sweets in general!  I’m so bad with sweets, which is why I weigh a million pounds!

? What do you think makes a good story?
Strong characters and plot are tops.  I try to kidnap my readers from the first page and take them with me through the story, so I think engaging readers from the beginning is another key trait of good stories. 

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?
Pride and Prejudice.  LOVE that book!  Every time I read it, I discover some new little detail that I missed before.

Fun random questions: 
·        dogs or cats?
o       Dogs! 
·        Coffee or tea?
o       Tea
·        Dark or milk chocolate?
o       Depends on the brand.  Godiva: milk chocolate!
·        Rocks or flowers?
o       Flowers
·        Night or day?
o       Day. I’m totally solar powered!
·        Favorite color?
o       It’s a tie most days between blue and pink.
·        Crayons or markers?
o       Crayons
·        Pens or pencils?
o       No. 2 pencils.