Courtney Allison Moulton Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

Courtney Allison Moulton lives in Michigan, where she is a photographer and spends all her free time riding and showing horses. She has always loved reading about ancient mythologies, studying dead languages, and telling scary, romantic stories. ANGELFIRE is her debut novel.

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

That I like horses. Just kidding. That’s Courtney 101 and kind of a gimme. Something about me that would surprise readers… I yodel. There you have it.

What was the greatest thing you learned at school?

The greatest thing I learned at school was not to listen to those who told me it was too hard to do what I wanted to do: be a published author. While they weren’t wrong about it being hard, it wasn’t impossible.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?

Carrie Ryan was the first author I’ve ever met and she asked me to pitch my book to her, then proceeded to tell me I’d better get used to random pitches because everyone will want to hear it. She was absolutely right. I could probably pitch my book in my sleep by now. This is something I tell every new author I meet: get really good at your pitch and get used to telling it to everyone.

What are some of the common challenges that new and experienced authors face and what advice do you have for over-coming them?

I’m sort of in the between stage right now – I’m not an experienced author, but my third book comes out in a few months so I’m not exactly new. I think something that gets to us all is disappointing our editors. My editor’s opinion of my manuscript is so important to me and I don’t want to disappoint her. She’s the one who took the chance on my book. I want to do the very best I can and make her proud. Sometimes it really freaks me out and I don’t think I’m doing well enough, but then I remember that when she took that chance on me, my manuscript was an unpolished baby book and she STILL loved it. Now that I’ve grown up and learned so much, my manuscripts are leagues better than her first impression of my writing and will always be leagues better.

For those who are unfamiliar with your novel; Wings of the Wicked, how would you introduce it?

Again with pitches! Wings of the Wicked is about an archangel who was made mortal and given a human soul when she was sent to Earth to defend Heaven and humanity against the reapers, monstrous creatures who kill humans and drag their souls to Hell.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Ellie?

When I created Ellie’s character, I made her VERY human. As an archangel, she is emotionless, lacking compassion, and borderline cruel, but when she was given a human soul, she was also given everything that comes with being a young girl. She has empathy, passion, and some serious guts, but she’s also insecure, can second guess herself, gets afraid sometimes, and wants to be normal. She has emotions and personality traits from across the board, because that’s what it’s like to be human. When I put all of these things into Ellie, I learned that some readers are very unforgiving of a character’s mistakes. They expect a heroine to make all the right decisions, but who does that? What person has never slipped up in their lives? I also learned that it’s okay for some people not to get that. Ellie will keep being herself and make her mistakes and learn from them, just like I will because I’m human.

Why do you feel you had to tell this story?

One of the biggest themes in this book is the strength of humanity. In the paranormal and fantasy genres, our human characters are surrounded by immortal creatures of immense power. The humans get overshadowed. While my reapers and celestial beings can punch through walls and punch your jaw right off your face, my human characters have a different kind of strength. They have heart and soul, and their compassion makes them fight a million times harder for what they believe in. There are many instances when Ellie fights harder than her supernatural enemies because she was an archangel made human and she’s got a lot more to lose, like her family, her friends, and her home now: Earth.

Do you have a favorite quote that you keep visible in your work environment to help inspire you?

There’s a picture taped to my lamp of Batman pointing at me and saying, “Quit procrastinating.” So… yes?

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

There are quite a few characters I’d like to introduce Will to so he can show them how to properly dispose of literary bad nasties. He slices, dices, and makes Julienne fries.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?

I can’t talk about my future projects, unfortunately. I can say that with my new project, I get to play with my love of history and Indiana Jones-esque adventures. There’s nothing else out there like this project and it’s pretty crazy. I’m beyond stoked about it!

What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?

That’s a good question I’m not sure I have an answer to. I think that voice and style of each characters comes naturally to every writer and you have to let it appear organically in your writing. Maybe my advice would be to just write and don’t worry about voice. Just write the character the way he or she needs to be written and don’t confine yourself to any parameters. Your characters are people, so let them be people.

Where is the best place in the world you’ve been?

The barn where I keep my horse in the best place in the world. No matter how terrible a day or week I’m having, I’ll drive to the barn, ride my horse, and visit with my riding friends, and everything is fixed. It’s like a break for my soul.

What book are you reading now?

Right now I’m devouring Jocelynn Drake’s Nightwalker series. It’s so deliciously dark and brutal.

What do you think is the most useless class in high school?

Planning Your Future was always a waste of time for me. I knew I wanted to be an author, but my teacher told me I couldn’t do that and needed to pick a real job.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

When someone asks me how I’m doing I always say I’m great. I don’t like to broadcast or talk about my bad day. The suck has already happened and the best way to heal from it is to move on. If you dwell on the suck, the day will just keep sucking and you will never escape.

What's the worst summer job you've ever had?

I’ve never actually had a job. I horse showed. Writing is the only thing I’ve ever paid taxes on.

When was the last time you cried?

I just took my horse (whom I’ve practically had since she was born) to her first big A circuit show, where she got lots of ribbons. I’d just taken her in her first class where we jumped around some big fences for a baby horse and she went so well and I was so happy that I might have cried a little. I’m not a crier, so it was just a pathetic sniffly little thing that barely counts.

Where can readers stalk you?

I’m pretty stalker-friendly. You can find me on Facebook, my website (http://www.courtneyallisonmoulton.com/), my blog (http://courtney-allison.blogspot.com/), my twitter (https://twitter.com/CAMoulton), and my tumblr (http://piaceri.tumblr.com/)

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Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.

Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven's warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell's strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She's been warned.

Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian's new plan to destroy Ellie's soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian's schemes, the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She'll be betrayed.

Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be Hell to pay.

The action-filled romance inside Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton is the sequel to her book, Angelfire. The book is based on the relationships formed in Angelfire and provides more aspect and backstory. Readers will have a better understanding of Ellie, Will, and their relationship. Courtney gives readers a closer look into Ellie’s normal life and her struggles to maintain it. The evil forces are far more sinister this around.

The plot progression is amazingly executed with tension building up to the climax. Wings of the Wicked is like its predecessor except that it is darker. The pace is faster and readers get a different look at the relationship of Will and Ellie. Courtney takes it up a notch with more depth in the world of angels. There is so much new things to explore in a story that is already been established. The battle scenes are vividly described. The attention to detail that Courtney lashes out is remarkable.

Courtney has delivered a book that is truly a one of a kind adventure. One thing I noticed about this book is the pace. Once you read it, it automatically draws you in and you will want to continue further. The writing style fits perfectly with the book’s theme. This is a great continuation in the Angelfire Series and I am certain readers will be in for a treat for book three.

You can purchase Wings of the Wcked at the following Retailers:

    

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And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you Courtney for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Signed copy of Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton.

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