Hey, everyone! Today, I'm interviewing Apryl Baker, author of The Promise. I'm really excited to have her on the blog. And I know that everyone always says that, but I really am. I wouldn't have accepted the request had I not been, and I hope that you guys already know that.
The laydown:
Apryl will be regular font.
I will be bold and italicized.
Hi, Apryl. Thanks for being here today. To start off, would you give us a brief idea of The Promise?
I call The Promise my Post-It Note idea. I was driving home from work and listening to Theory of A Dead Man’s Not Meant to Be. I passed this little community called New Salem and the image of a girl sitting beside a gravestone popped into my head. I couldn’t shake it so when I got home, I jotted it down on a yellow sticky and stuck it on the wall beside my computer. Over the next few days, I kept jotting down ideas and before I knew it I had a complete outline of a book on a wall of yellow, purple, and pink.
So what is The Promise about? In a sentence: Armed with kick-ass shoes, can CJ stop a maniacal coven leader, save the town, and still get Mr. Melt In Your Mouth Gorgeous while surviving the darkness coming for her?
Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up the only non-believer in the town Coven. When a stranger comes to the sleepy town of New Salem, NC, everything she thought was true unraveled around her. Ethan made her question everything, even her sister’s death. Clues start to pile up and Cassie is determined to find out if the Coven was the real reason her sister died. What she uncovers terrifies her. Her fate lies in 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 starts it all?
Have you always wanted to be a writer or is it a fairly recent goal?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember in one form or another, but The Promise is my first published book. I was slightly terrified to see if I could get it published, but now I am so glad I had had the courage to start submitting it to agents and publishers.
A lot of authors have playlists for their books. Do you have one? If so, would you mind sharing a few of the songs?
Here are a few of my favorites and many, many ideas were born out of these songs. Music inspires a person as much as anything else and helps you to figure out sticky parts that give you trouble.
Theory of a Dead Man: Not Meant to Be
Dashboard Confessional: Dusk and Summer
Fall Out Boy: I Don’t Care
Thriving Ivy: Angels on the Moom
Buckcherry: Sorry
Dashboard Confessional: Stolen
Describe your main character in three words?
Sassy, shoe-a-a-holic, sweetheart
Have you ever had a moment, while writing, when you felt like it'd just be easier to give up? If so, how did you get through that?
All the time…lol. Sometimes you get stuck or you write yourself into a corner you can’t get out of. I tend indulge in good old fashioned retail therapy. Shopping helps relieve stress, at least for me. There is nothing like the rush of fighting with someone over the last sale item. Get out of my way when I am on a mission to Target! My head clears and I can think again, plus being out in the public around so many different people can inspire you where sitting at home staring at a wall can’t.
Would you like to give any advice for aspiring writers?
No matter how hard it is or how often you find yourself wanting to give up, don’t. When you get told no, go back and just keep working on it. Many agents and publishers will give you good advice on what they didn’t like about it. Find the things that are consistent and rework them. Just keep plugging away and eventually you will find a home for your book. There are great books out there and soon yours could be one of them.
Also find yourself a great writing group. The people there will help you to grow and hone your skills to an art truly worthy of the written word. The best advice I was ever given was to check out www.thenextbigwriter.com. The folks I met there are the main reason I am published today. They are brutally honest, but they will support you and give you the help and encouragement you need to finish your work and make it the best it can be. I owe them a lot.
Anything else that you'd like to add?
I love to write and if my writing can make one person smile or laugh or cry, then I’ve done my job. I hope you all enjoy reading The Promise as much as I did writing it. I laughed, I cried, I blushed as I wrote, and I loved every minute of my time in New Salem with Cassie and her Mr. Melt In Your Mouth Gorgeous. I hope you do as well. Thank you all for reading and being a part of The Promise Blog Tour.
You can find me here:
Twitter: @AprylBaker
Thanks for the awesome interview, Apryl!
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--Brielle