Angela Corbett Author Interview

Photo Credit: Heather Zahn Gardner

As a child, Angela Corbett’s most prized possession was a set of read- along books. She used to follow along with the narrator on the stereo dream of when she would be able to read by herself. Her childhood reading habit led her to consider her future career. However, after consulting with her parents, she realized she had already exceeded hobbit height and since fairies and dragonslayers were tricky jobs to get, she decided she wanted to create worlds of her own.

She is a graduate of Westminster College where she double majored in communication and sociology. She has worked as a journalist, freelance writer, and director of communications and marketing. She lives in Utah with her extremely supportive husband, Dan, and loves classic cars, traveling, and chasing their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin—who is just as mischievous as his hobbit namesake.

She’s the author of Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult fiction—with lots of kissing. She writes under two names: Angela Corbett, and Destiny Ford.

        

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in a small town in northern Utah. After high school, I moved to Salt Lake City to attend Westminster College where I graduated in 2002. I met my husband at college, and we've stayed in the Salt Lake area ever since. 

How long have you been writing?

I started writing poetry when I was 8, then wrote a lot of short stories as a teenager. I discovered journalism in high school and fell in love with writing the news. I studied Communications in college and did freelance writing after I graduated, but my love for writing fiction never went away. When I got the idea for Eternal Starling, I started writing and never looked back.

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?

I was so excited! It was 2 1/2 years from the time I started writing Eternal Starling to when I was offered a publishing contract for the trilogy. I walked around in a daze for a couple of weeks. The first time I saw my cover, I just stared! I thought it was absolutely beautiful! I was lucky because my publisher let me be involved in the cover process. The graphic designer took my vision and my publisher's vision, and made it into art. I love the soft, retro feeling of the cover. It's romantic, and really indicative of the book.

For those who are unfamiliar with your series, Eternal Starling, how would you introduce it? 

I started Eternal Starling as a love story, but it grew into so much more than that. While the love story is still the center of the trilogy, the series is really about my main character, Evie Starling, and her journey. The mythology is one I made up, so it's completely new. The Eternal Starling world centers around Evie. When Evie meets Alex Night and Emil Stone, she finds out she's not the person she thought she was. Alex and Emil both claim to be her soul mates, but they're members of opposing forces: one that helps keep soul mates together, another that tears them apart. Evie has to decide who to trust, who to love, and most importantly, who/what she is. Evie is an important part of the puzzle, and in Eternal Starling, you're just beginning to find out about her role.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing Eternal Starling?

That I love writing dialogue!

If you could introduce Evie to any character from another book, who would it be and
why?

Yelena from Maria V. Snyder's Study series. They're both smart, independent women dealing with unexpected powers. I think they'd understand each other and get along well.

What’s one thing that readers would be surprised to find out about Evie?

Evie has a weakness for Slurpees and Pixy Stix. The sugar high makes her unpredictable. :)

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?

When I came up with the idea for Eternal Starling, the first chapter was the first thing I wrote, and definitely the most memorable. When I write, I need to feel really great about my first chapter. If I don't, I know something is off and I won't be able to write the rest of the book. One of the first things I wrote, and one of my favorite lines in Eternal Starling is: "I licked my lips, without realizing I'd done it and had the fleeting thought that if he wanted to have me for dinner, I'd help him light the charcoal."

What is the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?

My wedding! I was in the middle of planning it when I got the idea for Eternal Starling and started writing.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Hearing from people who like the book! I'm floored every time I get an email, or see a comment from someone. It means so much that people take the time to let me know they liked my book. It certainly helps motivate me to get book 2 done!

Favorite places to travel?

It's so hard to choose! I spent a month in Europe during college and it changed my life and how I look at the world. Europe will always hold a special place in my heart because of it, so I love going back to visit. I also love New Orleans, and any place I can sit in the sand and read for hours.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Read! During winter, I curl up by the fireplace, and in summer, I sit in the backyard under a tree.

What are your current projects?

I'm currently working on book 2 of the Emblem of Eternity trilogy! I also have an adult mystery/romance I'm working on.

What book are you reading now?

Frostbite, by Richelle Mead.

List 3 of your all time favorite books?

Gone With the Wind, Fire Study, The Hunger Games.

What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed?

Once Upon a Time is my new obsession! I also love, love, love Modern Family.

What are 4 things you never leave home without?

My purse, cell phone, chapstick, and hand sanitizer (because I'm a germaphobe).

A love so strong, even eternity can't separate them.

Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men.

For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she's not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn't understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren't the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war

Eternal Starling is part of Angela Corbett’s new paranormal romance series: Emblem of Eternity. This YA book is truly breathtaking! The story follows Evie Starling, Alex Night, and Emil Stone. Although love triangles have been butchered so many times in books, I found myself enjoying their one-of-a-kind, impulsive, and compelling story.

The fact that the three main characters have a history, their current situation presented a unique and interesting ordeal. I usually incline towards one boy but Alex and Emil were so amazing, it was difficult to fully side with one. Typically in a love triangle, you can detect which side the girl will ultimately go for but in this case, Corbett created two great characters that there is no right or wrong choice for Evie.

Corbett’s writing technique and her approach in developing Evie was remarkably brilliant. She is this independent young girl who doesn’t put up with drama. The writing style was realistic, detailed, in-depth, and funny. The soul-mate plot is so exceptionally different from many others that it was so difficult to decide between Alex and Emil. It’s very refreshing! It’ll keep you guessing and questioning what is going to happen, right up until the end. Some questions get answered but it’ll leave you wanting for more. I truly cannot wait for the next installment to see where the three are headed to.

You can purchase Eternal Starling at the following Retailers:

  

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you ANGELA CORBETT for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner receive one copy of Eternal Starling by Angela Corbett,

one Signed Bookmark and one Signed Bookplate.

2 Winners will receive one Signed Bookmark and one Signed Bookplate.

3 Winners will receive one Signed Bookmark.

jbnpastinterviews