BRIGID KEMMERER-Interview and Giveaway with the Author

With the September 2012 release of SPARK The Reading Cafe would like to welcome the author Brigid Kemmerer.

TRC: Hi Brigid and welcome to The Reading Café.  Congratulations on the recent release of SPARK and FEARLESS.  We would like to start with some background information.

Please tell us something about yourself?

Brigid: My name is Brigid Kemmerer, and I live just outside Baltimore, Maryland. I have a full time job and a family (all boys!), so I write whenever I can. Storm, was my debut novel, about a girl who becomes entangled with four brothers who control the elements and their battle with those who want them dead.

LINK to Website

TRC: Your bio states that the heroes for your Young Adult Elemental series –the Merrick brothers-were originally brothers in your original vampire novels.
What was the catalyst that shifted your characters from vampires to elementals?  Was it an easy shift?

Brigid: It actually was an easy shift. I wrote about the brothers as vampires when I was in high school, and in my mid-twenties, I rewrote the book with a different plot — but still vampires. Still didn’t work. I wrote something completely different, but I couldn’t get those four brothers out of my head. I started brainstorming things that went with the number four: four horsemen of the apocalypse, four-leaf-clovers, four, four, four. When I came upon the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water, I wrote a few chapters of a completely new story to see if I could pull it off — and it worked!

TRC: What difficulties or challenges have you faced as a writer?

Brigid: Time is my greatest enemy. There are never enough hours in the day. As such, I have no social life and my house is in a constant state of “meh, clean enough,” but my kids get time, my husband gets time, and books get written. Right now, that’s all that matters.

TRC: The Elemental series focuses on a small town where many of the people have affinities or powers fed by the ‘elements’-air, fire, earth, water and the
5th element.  Would you please tell us something about the premise of the series?

READING ORDER
1. Elemental Click HERE for our review
2. Storm
3. Fearless
4. Spark
5. Spirit

Brigid: It’s easiest to describe it the way Chris reveals it to Becca: imagine a five pointed star in a circle. Everyone on earth lives inside that circle. People who fall on a branch of the star have a strong affinity for that element. People who fall on a point can control that element — the Elementals. Unfortunately, this power makes Elementals marked for death, because the Guides — Elementals who fall on the fifth point, for Spirit — have decided that individuals with so much power are too dangerous to live.

TRC: FEARLESS is the new e-novella (July 2012 release) that focuses on Hunter Garrity.  Would you please tell us about the premise?

LINKS TO ORDER
Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
KOBO

Brigid: Fearless covers Hunter’s back story before he shows up in Storm. He has a unique relationship with his father, but he breaks some rules to get close to a girl from school…

TRC Would you please explain what is the 5th Elemental?

Brigid: A Fifth Elemental is someone who can control all the elements. Fifth Elementals are trained to destroy the other Elementals of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.

TRC: Hunter seems to hover between good and evil, hero and villain.  Did you have difficulty with the character, trying to decide on which path he should follow?

Brigid: Oh, Hunter. His book, Spirit, will be out late next spring, and it’s all about riding that line between hero and villain. It was a tremendous challenge living inside his head for an entire book. While there’s a romance in the novel (I mean, come on), Spirit isn’t about Hunter finding love. It’s about Hunter finding himself.

TRC: SPARK is the latest (August 28, 2012) release.  Would you please tell us something about the premise?

LINKS TO ORDER
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Paper Books
B&N Nook and Paper Books
KOBO
The Book Depository

Brigid: Actually, I can do one better. I can show you: Click HERE-The Elemental Series

TRC: So far, Chris and Gabriel have had their stories told.  Will you be writing a story for each Merrick brother?  How many books do you have planned for the series?

 

Brigid: Right now, I’m contracted for three books, and three novellas. Nick Merrick will have a novella next Spring.

TRC: Michael Merrick was the featured brother in your introductory storyline ELEMENTAL, but is was a novella.  Will you write a full-length story for Michael?  If so, now that he is an adult, how will you handle his storyline in a Young Adult series?

Brigid: I’d love to do a book for Michael. I just turned in Spirit to my editor, and we’re talking about what’s next.

TRC: How much research and background information has been required, especially with SPARK and the fire element?

Brigid: I did a lot of research for Spark. I interviewed the local fire chief and got an in depth tour of the fire house. He also gave me his email address, which I’m sure he regretted later, since I emailed him about a bazillion questions. I also interviewed two police officers about investigation and arrest procedures. Finally, I had to read a lot about Maryland law and who gets charged as an adult and when. All of it was amazing and fun.

TRC: Are you especially fond of any one particular Merrick brother, and if so, why?

Brigid: I love them all! I could no sooner pick a favorite child.

TRC: Writer’s block is a very real phenomenon for many authors.  How do you handle the stress and pressure of writer’s block?

Brigid: There’s only one cure: put your butt in the chair and write. Something. Anything. If I’m feeling blocked with a scene, I’ll go write a blog post or fill out an interview request. (Hi!) That usually loosens me up and lets me write.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Brigid: I just turned in Spirit, so I’m working on Nick’s novella plus a “super-sekrit-projekt,” as the kids say. 🙂

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Popcorn. No, chips. No, popcorn.

Favorite Dessert – I’m not really a dessert person. Is popcorn a dessert?

Favorite TV Show – The Vampire Diaries

Favorite Movie – Runaway Bride

Last Movie You Saw – The Avengers. No, wait, the Will Ferrell political one.

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Both! I mean, honestly.

Favorite Flower – I’m not really a flower gal.

Last Vacation Destination – Great Wolf Lodge in Wiliamsburg, Virginia. It’s an indoor water park.

Do you have any pets? – Yep, two dogs and my husband.

TRC: 😉

TRC:  Thank you Brigid for taking the time to answer our questions.  WE are
looking forward to all of your new releases in the Elemental series.
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Brigid Kemmerer is offering a signed copy of her latest release SPARK (Elemental #2) to ONE lucky member at The Reading Cafe.

1. The giveaway is open to ALL registered members at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a registered member, please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a log-in such as Twitter, please leave your email address with your comment as Twitter et al does not allow for an email address.

3.  Please answer ONE of the LIGHTNING ROUND questions.

4. Giveaway is OPEN internationally.

5. Giveaway runs September 10-13, 2012