Interview with Tammy Blackwell & a Giveaway!

I picked up DESTINY BINDS on a whim in January (the 17th to be exact). I was on a big "self-pubbed" kick and thought I would give it a go. I was expecting a "good for the price" story jam-packed full of errors (you know how it is) what I got was a smart, fun and original story I fell in love with. Tammy's book is witty and sarcastic and just plain amazing. I loved the banter between the characters and I adored Scout's internal monologue. I purchased the sequel, TIME MENDS, the very next day. I was so sad that I had to wait months for the final Timber Wolves trilogy installment but FATE SUCCUMBS was well worth the wait. I have definitely become a fan of Tammy's and definitely look forward to reading more of her work.

I am delighted to say that the awesome Tammy agreed to let me interview her for A Dash of YA!

Tammy, what inspired you to write the Timber Wolves trilogy?

A lot of things, really. My family. Some awesome teachers. Meeting some fantastic, but very down-to-earth authors at the 2008 YALSA Lit Symposium. A neighbor with a gun. You know, the normal stuff.
My biggest inspiration, however, was the teens at the library where I work. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the coolest kids in the world, and I wanted to write a book that reflected their lives and personalities. Destiny Binds was the product of that desire.

When you started Scout's journey did you already know how her story would end or did it develop as you wrote?

Not to sound horribly didactic, but I knew what I wanted readers to take away from the story and some of the ways I would attempt to accomplish that. Basically, I knew some of the major plot points, but a lot of what really made up the story came during the writing process.

Have you started writing your new Seers and Shifters series yet? I’ve started the research process, but no words have been put on paper (or screen) as of this moment. After putting out three novels in 18 months, I needed a bit of a slower pace for a couple of months. However, I am still writing a little. It’s just that what I’m working on right now is a secret… Shhhhhhhh!

I know you work as a YA service coordinator at a library so that sort of makes you an expert on the genre! Are there any YA authors you are inspired by or just really love?

Oh mercy! There are way too many to name! But in my professional opinion, THE YA writer for this generation is John Green. Not only are his books well-written and entertaining, but they all carry such a powerful message. And that doesn’t even take into account the amazing things he’s doing for YA culture as the original Nerd Fighter.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Read and write every day; finish something, even if it’s horrible; work hard; believe in yourself; and always be kind to others.

Could you tell our readers about your cause Hope Conquers?

Hope Conquers is based on the belief that books matter and that they can change lives for the better. My small community has recently been hit hard with childhood cancer. Four of the people I graduated with have had a child diagnosed with cancer, and currently there are three teens in our county undergoing cancer treatment. Hope Conquers is my way of helping those families. There are two aspects of Hope Conquers. The first is that I’m donating the profit from every Kindle edition of Destiny Binds sold in October to The Ronald McDonald House, which supports families with seriously ill children. The second part is that I’m collecting signed books with inspirational inscriptions from authors to donate to the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. You can read more about the project and how you can help on my website at www.misstammywrites.com.

A big thank you to Tammy Blackwell!

If you haven't had a chance to check out DESTINY BINDS yet I highly recommend you do so! Not only is it a fantastic read and all profit for the month of October is being donated to a great cause, but as an added incentive it is currently only .99! Go get it! NOW!
(You can find it here and here.)

Even though I am already a proud owner of this fabulous book, I really want to help out Tammy's cause soooooooooooo you know what that means! A Giveaway!

Tweet about Hope Conquers and/or share this post on your facebook or personal blog and leave us a comment saying you did so. I will announce the winner one week from today! Good luck!