New Adult Book Club discussion

This week Author Shay Savage is with us for a Q&A. She is the author of the Caged Trilogy Takedown Teague, The Evan Arden Series Otherwise Alone, and the Surviving Raine Series Surviving Raine. Look for a post about a fantastic giveaway Ms. Savage is offering our members.

What was your inspiration for Transcendence?

On a scale of 1 ( children's book) to 10 (word porn) where does your Caged Trilogy fall?

What book are you currently reading?

Who has been your favorite character to write?

whats your favorite movie ?

What's next for you?

Are you inspired by music when writing ? If so, do you have any go to bands?

What made you want to be a writer?

Loved Takedown Teague ! Cant wait to read Trapped and Released !
What inspired the Caged series ?

First off love your books! Which character do you relate to most?

Where is one place you have never been but would love to go?

Who are your favorite authors that inspire you, any genre? What is your all-time
favorite book to read?

Which book (series) of yours have you most enjoyed writing?

If you could be one of your characters for one day, who would you choose and why? :)

Karina wrote: "What was your inspiration for Transcendence?"

There was a group of women talking about males in various books behaving like cavemen. I went looking for a book about an actual caveman, and couldn't find any. What I usually do if I can't find what I want to read is to go write it myself. :)

Kelly wrote: "On a scale of 1 ( children's book) to 10 (word porn) where does your Caged Trilogy fall?"

Maybe a 6 or 7. It's very adult themed (language, violence, drug use), but like most of my books, the sex isn't the main point. :)

♈Ariel wrote: "What book are you currently reading?"

Driven by K. Bromberg. :)

LeAnn wrote: "Who has been your favorite character to write?"

Evan Arden. He's so wonderfully damaged and unpredictable.

Hi Shay!

Brandy wrote: "whats your favorite movie ?"

Star Wars! Any and all of them. I'm a big sci-fi buff. Most recently I really liked the new Mad Max movie.

Sharon wrote: "What's next for you?"

I'm currently working on a book titled Commodity. Here's the prologue. :)

***
No one ever saw them.
We didn’t know where they came from or why they came here. We only knew that in one blast, the planet was left in ruins. For weeks, the bodies of men rotted in the streets.
Men. Not women. Not children.
The women and children were gone.
With the cities destroyed and communication impossible, we could only guess what happened. Men gathered in loose tribes, trying to get answers, but there were none to be found.
As the weeks turned into months, survivors emerged from secluded, rural areas, underground shelters, and subway systems in the larger cities. Only a handful of women were among them. Men outnumbered them a thousand to one.
During the first year, the weather warmed. Rainfall nearly stopped. Lights began to appear in the sky, moving slowly over our heads, but they never came down. We had no face for our enemy, so we turned against each other.
Fights broke out as survivors struggled for resources. Clean water and food were at the top of the list and would only be traded for fuel, guns, or ammunition.
The few, unfortunate females still to be found became the most prized commodity.
***

Danny wrote: "Are you inspired by music when writing ? If so, do you have any go to bands?"

I often get inspired by songs when I'm driving around in the jeep, but I don't listen to music when I write - it has to be quiet. More often than not, I'm inspired by a single line. Example: Evan Arden books. I was listening to a lot of She Wants Revenge during that time.

Shay wrote: "Sharon wrote: "What's next for you?"

I'm currently working on a book titled Commodity. Here's the prologue. :)

***
No one ever saw them.
We didn’t know where they came from or why they came he..."

Oh holy crap Shay! This one is going to be intense!

Shelby wrote: "What made you want to be a writer?"

I think I've always enjoyed it, but never got much encouragement as far as making it a career. I was chatting with Michael Stackpole one day (sci-fi writer - he's done a lot of books in the star wars universe) and we talked about the difference between a writer and an author. He made me see the light and I finally gave it a try.

Neha wrote: "Loved Takedown Teague ! Cant wait to read Trapped and Released !
What inspired the Caged series ?"

A friend tweeted that she wanted to read a story about a cage fighter. The first scene popped into my head immediately. The book is dedicated to her. :)

Tiffany wrote: "First off love your books! Which character do you relate to most?"

Considering a lot of my characters are on the edge of being sociopaths, none of them (I hope!). Part of me relates to Chloe in Alarm, but only very loosely. My life isn't really all that exciting. Ha!

Shannon wrote: "Where is one place you have never been but would love to go?"

Romania and Fiji. Egypt, too.

Cathy wrote: "Who are your favorite authors that inspire you, any genre? What is your all-time
favorite book to read?"

I think my all time favorite books are the Dirk Gently books by Douglass Adams. Incredible stories with fabulous characters. I'm also a big fan of Stephen King and R.A. Salvatore. For Romance, I love Christine Reiss. She's the queen of metaphor.

Miranda wrote: "Which book (series) of yours have you most enjoyed writing?"

I think I've enjoyed writing all of them, but Evan Arden will always hold a special place in my heart. I have a lot of military friends who were overseas and came back from those wars changed. PTSD is a serious issue for them, and they'll never be the same. One of them in particular really poured out his heart to me and helped me understand the condition.

I LOVE writing Ehd as well. He was so wonderfully different. Writing without dialogue was a huge challenge, and I love a challenge.

J. wrote: "If you could be one of your characters for one day, who would you choose and why? :)"

Wow - I'm not sure. I put my characters through hell and back. I don't know that I'd want to be in any of their shoes! LOL

Kimberly wrote: "Hi Shay!"

Hi ya! :D

Kimberly wrote: "Shay wrote: "Sharon wrote: "What's next for you?"

I'm currently working on a book titled Commodity. Here's the prologue. :)

***
Oh holy crap Shay! This one is going to be intense! "

Yeah - it really is! LOL! Hope to have it out end of October/Beginning of November.

Does music play an important part in your writing process? Do you make playlists for each book you write?

Do you plot out a whole book before writing so you know where your characters are going or do they surprise even you with their adventures and self-discovery?

Hi Shay! *squeal* Thank you so much for answering our questions. I've got a (hopefully) fun one...

When it comes to your Hero's, which one would you—fuck, marry, kill?

Brittany wrote: "Does music play an important part in your writing process? Do you make playlists for each book you write?"

I don't create playlists for my books. I'm just not that organized. :) I do tend to have songs (or a line from a song) that represent a book to me. I do a lot of writing in my head while I'm driving, and sometimes I'll play the same song over and over again to keep the mood in my head.

Jessica wrote: "Do you plot out a whole book before writing so you know where your characters are going or do they surprise even you with their adventures and self-discovery?"

I usually have no idea where a book is going when I start it. I'll add plot points to my notes as I'm going, but I'm usually pretty surprised by what happens! My characters tend to take on a life of their own.

Jabberwocky wrote: "Hi Shay! *squeal* Thank you so much for answering our questions. I've got a (hopefully) fun one...

When it comes to your Hero's, which one would you—fuck, marry, kill?"

Oh, I'd fuck them all, no doubt. ;)

Marry? Ehd, definitely. Probably Hunter as well (I hope he doesn't read this - ha!). The rest of them are way too psychotic. lol

Kill - none of them. Not in my nature. :)

Where do you work? What does your workplace look like?

Peggy wrote: "Where do you work? What does your workplace look like?"

I've got an office in my house where my laptop and monitor sit on an old kitchen table. It's not too exciting. I don't usually do a lot of writing elsewhere, those I sometimes write bits on my phone if I'm out and about and something comes to me.

I also really like writing while looking at the beach from a balcony. Unfortunately, I live in Ohio. LOL

Tiffany wrote: "If you had to date one of your characters who whould it be and why"

This is probably similar to the question about who I would marry... Most of my "heroes" are pretty messed up. I wouldn't want to date any of them! Ehd is a complete sweetheart though. I'd date him or Hunter. I'd also date Falk, who is the main dude in my next book. :)

Do you have a routine you do after you hit The End

how old were you when you began writing? and what was the first thing you wrote?

What actor /actress would you like to play your characters in your books, if (or when) any are made into a movie?

Lisa wrote: "Do you have a routine you do after you hit The End"

Yes! I head straight to my local watering hole for Sex With Hunter. (That's a DRINK!!! I swear!!) I also usually plan on having lunch or dinner with friends.

The day after, I hit the gym and try to make up for the lost time there.

Laura wrote: "how old were you when you began writing? and what was the first thing you wrote?"

I have no idea. I remember writing a story about an elf in the third grade. Does that count? I wrote a lot in grade school and college. Finished my first full-length novel in 1996, I think. It has not (and will never) see the light of day. lol

JMV wrote: "What actor /actress would you like to play your characters in your books, if (or when) any are made into a movie?"

I don't usually have a particular person in mind for my characters. I've got a few favorite actors I'd love to have portrait characters of mine - primarily Liam McIntyre. The current book I'm working on I'd like to see Cillian Murphy in the lead role. :)