Author Interview: Apryl Baker of The Promise (The Coven)

Hi. I'm happy to have Apryl Baker on my blog today for an interview. She is the author of The Promise ( The Coven) and a new book, The Awakening. Today we're going to be talking her debut novel, The Promise.

SYNOPSIS

Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up in the sleepy town of New Salem, NC, the only non-believer in the tradition and power of the town Coven. When a stranger comes to New Salem, everything she thought was normal about her life unravels around her. Ethan makes her question everything, even her sister’s death in a car crash years ago. As Cassie discovers the full truth about her heritage, and the clues start to pile up, she becomes determined to find out if the Coven was actually involved in her sister's death. What she uncovers terrifies her.

Her fate lies at the very heart of the secret the Coven protects. It’s the reason she was born. Now, betrayed on every side, can she find a way to survive or will she be the catalyst that triggers a centuries old act of vengeance.

What inspired you to write The Promise, where did the idea come from?

I was driving home from work late one fall afternoon and listening to Theory of A Dead Man’s Not Meant To Be. I passed a little community called New Salem and as the name registered with me, I got this flash of a girl sitting beside a grave. She was all alone and very sad. I kept thinking to myself, why is she there? What is she doing? I couldn’t shake the image so when I got home, I wrote it down on a Post-It Note and stuck it to the wall beside my computer. Over the next few days, I kept getting ideas and before I knew it, I had the rough outline of a story on a wall of pink, orange and yellow stickies. I call it my Post-It Note idea.

Tell me about your main character? What is she like at the core?

Cassie Jayne Bishop is my main character. She grew up in town full of witches as the only non-believer. She is spunky, full of life, and not one of those heroines who sit around and wait to be saved. She saves herself. She is shoe-a-holic and loyal to her very core to the people she loves.

What is the best and worst thing about her?

The best thing about Cassie is her loyalty, her willingness to help her friends and family. The worst thing about her is that she is loyal. So much so that she was blinded by the people who are supposed to love her.

What’s your creative process like? Outliner or pantser? How and why does it work for you?

I get crazy insane ideas and just go from there. I typically don’t outline anything. I have an idea and I go with it for the most part. The Promise was an exception to my non-outlining theory. It was just a bunch of ideas that seemed to form an outline. I firmly believe in just sitting down and start writing. You’d be amazed at what you can do. I have chronic insomnia and I do most of my writing between 3 and 5 am. I do my best writing at that time of night. I’m not really sure why it works for me honestly. I just wake up with some sort of idea and just start writing.

Do you have any go-to releases when you’re suffering from writer’s block or a sticky/muddy plot?

I read. I pick something that is so far off kilter from what I’m writing it’s a complete 360. I get lost in someone else’s hard work for a little while and doing that seems to help more than anything else. I listen to a lot of music too. It always gets me thinking of plot lines.

Where do you prefer to write?

In my bed propped up on my pillows with the laptop in my lap.

Do you like to share your work as your writing it or do you hold it to your chest until it's finished and edited at least once over?

I share. I use an online writing group, The Next Big Writer. I would be nowhere today if not for the people on that site. They took a mediocre idea and whipped into something that I am proud of. Those folks on that site are my best advocates and my worst nightmares sometimes.

What has worked in your marketing plan and what has flopped?

Twitter and Goodreads are HUGE assets to me. Don’t underestimate the power of a blog tour either. They are instrumental in getting word out about your books. Advertising in newspapers flopped. Unless you know someone and they can get you a spotlight, it’s a waste of time and money.

What genres do you enjoy reading?

I read just about anything I can get my hands on, but my favorite genre are the old noir mysteries and paranormal romances. I am a HUGE fan of anything paranormal and straight up horror novels. I couldn’t get by without Stephen King, Jim Butcher, Lynsay Sands, Kim Harrison, and Johanna Lyndsay.

What totally kills a story in your mind as a reader?

Wordiness. I tend to skim if the author lapses into long drawn out nonsense. Stephen King does this sometimes, but I grew up with his books, so I tend to look over it in his case.

What do you like to do for fun or during your spare time?

What spare time? LOL! I typically cook. I love, love, love to cook. The kitchen was the room in our house growing up where everyone congregated and everything that happened, happened while learning to cook with my Mom and my Granny. When I cook, I think of them.

Do you have any idiosyncrasies, super powers or other talents?

I can sniff out a sale if that counts….lol.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Not calling me back if I leave you a message and ask you to call me back. I don’t do it unless it's important as I am NOT a phone person.

Do you geek out or go wild for anything? And if so, what?

Um…I am Treky. I love Star Trek! Yes, I’ve even been to the conventions and worn a costume.

Do you have any guilty pleasures, especially juicy ones that make you bow your head in shame?

Please see above….

Got any other books in the pipeline?

I am working on two more series. The first is Bloodlines and the second is called The Ghost Files. The Awakening, book one of Bloodlines, I just self-published and it is available now, and I think that the first book in The Ghost Files series is one I am going to seek an agent for.

What's your plan for your upcoming titles?

I am currently working on Book 2 of The Coven Series, The Oath. I should have it done and hopefully will start to market it about 3 months before it releases.

Thanks for stopping by, Apryl.

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~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.