Welcome to Heven & Hell Week! ~Interview with Cambria Hebert

Welcome to Heven & Hell Week!

For an entire week, I will be writing about the Heven & Hell series by Cambria Hebert. I will be featuring reviews, character spotlights, sneak peaks, and exclusives from Cambria herself!

There will also be a huge giveaway - prizes to be announced tomorrow (Monday) along with the Rafflecopter entry form!!

To kick off the week, I have an interview with the totally awesome creator of this fantastic series. Thank you Cambria for letting me into your world!

**********Interview**********

First, a quickie: give us the genre of your Heven & Hell series and tagline in 30 words or less.
Heven had it before an accident left her disfigured – an accident she can’t remember. Sam comes to town and Heven finds out there being scarred is the least of her worries.

 
Okay, its 31 words. LOL. 

The tag line I tend to gravitate toward: What will happen when Heven and Hell collide?

Who is your intended audience and why should they read your books?
This book is a young adult book but I think anyone beyond the young adult age can enjoy it. In fact, my grandmother and her friends read the series. LOL!

Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to be aware of?
Actually there is. I think an underlying theme in Masquerade is that beauty and strength come from the inside. It doesn’t really matter what you look like on the outside. You have to find your inner confidence and your inner strength and let that guide you. Also, I think that another message is that people make mistakes, they aren’t perfect and that’s okay. I think just trying to do the right thing makes up for a lot. 

I know that’s not very eloquent – hopefully I say it better in the books.

Are experiences in the books based on people you know, or events in your own life or are they completely organic?

I think that all writers to some extent write what they know… my life in general influences me. Experiences that I have had have shaped my thinking, etc. But with that being said I haven’t based any of my characters off anyone that I know. It might seem a little odd… but I think basing characters off people I know would be more difficult that just writing organically. When you write someone who really already exists you have to really try to capture their essence – I think I would have to know them on a very deep level, especially if I was writing in first person (which I prefer) because then I would have to know how they would react and think. Plus, I think there is an added layer of pressure if I was to write someone I knew. What if I saw them differently than they saw themselves? Then they might be offended by the way I wrote them.

I prefer to let my characters tell me who they are. ;)

Although, I will say that I based the way Gemma looks off my daughter. ;) 

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series.
Well let’s see…. 

*The original draft of Masquerade did not have a Sam POV… I know GASP! Can you imagine the book without his POV?

*My husband is the cover model for Tirade and all my pictures of Riley.

*Some inside scoop: My daughter will be the model for Gemma and on the cover for the next novella released in the series titled Beneath.

*Before every release of one of my novels I read it and reread it and convince myself that it’s no good and no one will like it and I get panicked that I will disappoint my fans.

*I call my editor a Poop head during every edit. (Editor is Amy Eye of The Eyes for Editing) And she tells me my characters are bi-polar then makes me fix them. LOL.

*My book was once mentioned in a church bulletin and then the pastor talked about it in his sermon. (How there was a message of love in the book)

Here is a picture of the program where Masquerade was mentioned (in case you think I’m making up stories!):

If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why? 
You know, my novels aren’t perfect. I try my best to write a story that I think people will love but I know not everyone will. But to be honest, I wouldn’t change anything. I stand behind my books and my writing and I am proud of them.

Which character is your favorite? Will you miss them the most when the series ends?
Oh, I don’t know if I could choose a favorite character. I go through phases with them all. I obsess over them all at some point or another. LOL. At first it was Heven, then Sam… then Logan, Kimber and now I am in love with Riley. I gotta tell you… Riley snuck up on me. I think he’s my guy. ;)

You know I was thinking about wrapping up this series the other day and if I would miss the characters but you know what I realized? They won’t really be gone. They live inside my head so I can talk to them whenever I want. And if I really start to miss them, I can pick up one of my books.

How about your least favorite character?
LOL, my least favorite…. I think my least favorite is China. I won’t go into too much detail about her so I don’t give things away but I would say she would be my least. She’s just not a nice person – she has hidden agendas and there is nothing redeeming about her at all. She was probably the least fun to write too, even though she causes a lot of trouble (you think I would like to write all that!).

Some might expect me to choose a different character--- like the main villain in the books, and I don’t really like him but sometimes he’s fun to write because I get to do things that are creative and nasty. He he he he.

What will be the last book in the Heven & Hell series? 
The last novel in the series will be Renegade. It will be book number four. I do plan to do one more novella after Renegade comes out but that will be all. Also, I may eventually compile all the shorts in the series into one book and put them in print – as sort of a Heven and Hell anthology.

Can you tell us what you have in store for us next?
Hmmmmm…. I could…… I’ve got the last book in the series Renegade to publish sometime in 2013 (not dates on that yet sorry – I will announce after the holidays) and also two more novellas in the series to be released next year.

And…. I am cooking up something new…. But that’s all I say about it right now. J

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
Well yes! I am a terrific dancer! I have my own special dance called the “booty dance”. My kids think it’s so good that when I do it they cover their eyes and say “I can’t watch!” I know it’s because they are jealous I am so good.

It must be a lot of pressure to live up to such a fabulous mother.

HA HA HA HA.

Seriously, I do have some hobbies that I hate to admit I don’t have much time for lately. I used to have more time but it seems that work and life have taken over! When I do have time I like to paint (I’m not very good but its fun) and I also decorate cakes (only for family and friends).

Here is an example of the cakes I decorate:

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Tell people!!! Word of mouth is a great sales tool and such a wonderful help to authors. The more people that know about my books the great chance I have at selling more copies! Lol.

Now that you are self-publishing, what is your advice to those who are looking into that pathway?

Do some homework. I know *GROANS* I hate that stuff too. If it isn’t fun research then no one wants to do it, but this is something you need to do. You need to know at least the basics of publishing: ISBN #’s, Copyrights, Formatting, editing, setting up accounts at various printing and publishing sites… it’s a never ending list and I was just talking with another writer friend who has been really helpful to me – Tish Thawer – she writes the Rose Trilogy- go read it!!! – that many of these sites take a lot of information… I feel like they want my blood, all my money and my first born child…. LOL.

That brings me to another piece of advice ( I know I am SO smart)- get a support system. Talk with other authors and learn what they do. Help each other. The process is easier when you know you aren’t alone. 

How can readers contact you or find out more about your books? 
They can visit my website! Http://www.cambriahebert.com. If you have a specific question you can email me via my contact form on my website or you can find me on facebook. I have a fan page under my name. ;)

 

 Thanks again to the lovely and supremely talented Cambria Hebert!