Please Welcome Author Charlotte Abel!

As part of our Indie month celebration, Never Too Old for YA Books and I have the pleasure of interviewing Charlotte Abel!

You may know Charolotte's books:

Sixteen year old Channie Kerns leads an idyllic life of seclusion and magic deep in the Ozark Mountains ... until her family is forced to flee for their lives.

They leave everything and everyone behind to start over in Louisville, Colorado. Magic is forbidden while they are in hiding, but Channie can't resist the temptation to enchant a group of local boys. When her overbearing parents catch her flirting with these "sex-crazed, non-magical delinquents," they slap a chastity spell on her to protect her virtue.

The spell is triggered by lust, so just navigating the halls at her new school is an ordeal. She can't even touch a boy she's attracted to without blasting him with a jolt of magical energy that feels like a taser.

When Channie falls in love with Josh Abrim, a BMX racer with dangerous secrets of his own, she rebels against her parents and turns to dark and forbidden magic to break the chastity spell ... with disastrous results.

and

Bound by love and magic. Betrayed by those they trust. Not everyone survives.

Gasp-out-loud action, heart-pounding romance and an OMG ending that leaves you hungry for the next book.

And if you don't know, this is what Charlotte looks like!

Charlotte's Website

Charlotte on Goodreads

And now for our interview of Charlotte:

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

I had some short stories and poems published in an anthology in high school. Seeing my work in print for the first time was such a rush, I wanted to do it again … and again … and yeah, I'm totally addicted.

2. How long does it take you to write a book? 

It depends on the book ;-) "Enchantment" took a year from initial concept to publication. It started out as a short story I wrote during Orson Scott Card's Literary Bootcamp July, 2010. The first draft was done by the end of October. It took another nine months of rewriting and editing before I felt it was good enough to share. Book two, "Taken," was much faster. I already knew the characters, had the magic system worked out and outlined it before I started writing. (I wrote "Enchantment" by the seat of my pants.) 

3. What do you think makes a great story?

Characters that feel so real you think about them, even when you aren't reading; a plot with high stakes; a touch of humor and a romance that makes you sigh out loud.

4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing? 

When I'm home, I write (or do writerly things like this interview) for eight hours a day six days a week. I try to take one day a week off to spend with my husband. But when I escape to the mountains, I'll write for fifteen hours a day, seven days a week.

5. How do you balance family and writing?

Balance? What's that? 

My (adult) son came over today and dragged me away from the computer. He said he was here for the intervention. My kids are all grown, so I don't have the same responsibilities a lot of younger writers have. 

I do have a husband so I make a point of taking a break when he comes home from work. We eat together and watch TV or a movie until he falls asleep on the couch. I'm a night owl, so I get another couple of hours of writing in before I go to bed.

6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 

I get an idea for a character and then they take on a life of their own. I originally wanted Josh to be a cheerleader, but he threw a fit and insisted he was a BMX racer, which made my job a lot harder since I knew nothing about BMX racing.

I went to the track in Dacono, Colorado to research the sport and David Herman was there. I'm embarrassed to say I had no idea who he was at the time (He's on the USA BMX olympic team and will be competing in a few days!) He's a super nice guy, and reminds me a lot of Josh.

7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? 

That there is real power in fiction. I'm an extreme introvert and have a hard time connecting with strangers, but I've found it's a lot easier to talk to people that've read my books (and liked them). One of my earliest readers is now a life-long friend. She lives in California, but we try to see each other at least once a year. I'm going to the Decatur Book Festival with her at the end of August and can't wait to meet some of the other writers I've met through their stories and mine. Nancy Straight, Shannon Dermott, Amy Bartol and Shelly Crane will be there and I can NOT wait!

8. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I've published the first two books of The Channie Series and have two other series that are "mostly" written, but they're in rough shape and need lots of work. I'm almost done with "River's Recruit" the first book of "The Sanctuary Series."

9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?

Nope.

10. Do you have a favourite place you love to write?

Yes! We have a condo on the Blue River in Silverthorne, Colorado. I love to go there in the early fall, before ski season starts. It's so peaceful. 

11. How hard is is to get published?

Not hard at all, as the gazillions of eBooks on Amazon prove. The hard part is getting your book noticed so readers can find it. It doesn't matter if it's the greatest book of all time, if no one knows about it, no one will read it.

12. What do your family and friends think about your books?

My mom loved Enchantment and Taken, but thought they were a little too steamy. She wanted to edit out the "naughty bits and swear words" with a black magic marker, but Taken isn't available in print and it would ruin her Kindle ;-) My husband liked Enchantment, but he loved Taken. No one else in my family has read the books.  

13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

READ! I love to lose myself in a good book. I also enjoy archery and biking although I don't do much of either anymore. 

14. Do you have any suggestions to help aspiring writers better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they? 

Get these books and STUDY them: "Story Engineering" by Larry Brooks; "Writing Fiction for Dummies" by Randy Ingermanson and "Characters & Viewpoint" by Orson Scott Card. Go to a writers' workshop or two. But don't wait until you think you're "good enough" to start writing. If you have a story inside you just bursting to get out, set it free. You can always rework it after your skills improve.

15. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a horse. Once I figured out that wasn't going to happen, I decided I'd have to settle for being a ballerina. 

16. What are your favourite books and which authors inspire you?

"The Destiny Series" by Nancy Straight; "The Cambion Series" by Shannon Dermott; "The Significance Series" by Shelly Crane; "The War of the Fae Series" by Elle Casey; "The Grey Wolves Series" by Quinn Loftis; I could go on and on. There's so many great indie authors producing great stories at affordable prices. I adore my Kindle ;-)

17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published?

Do hire a professional cover artist and editor. Especially the editor. If your cover is crap, no one will buy your book, which is sad … but if you publish a book full of typos, plot holes, and inconsistencies it can ruin your reputation. So DON'T do it! If you can't afford to hire an editor, save up until you can or barter services. I can't emphasize this enough. It's impossible to edit your own writing. Your friends and family won't want to hurt your feelings so they won't tell you to rewrite the entire middle section of  your book because it's boring. I use and recommend Kris at www.final-edits.com

18. What are you working on now?

"River's Recruit" the first book of "The Sanctuary Series" is  a New Adult Paranormal Romance. 

Devastated by the death of his identical twin, Jonathan McKnight flees into the Sawatch Mountain Wilderness. He seeks redemption, but all he finds is trouble … and a beautiful young woman named River that belongs to a primitive and dangerous cult. 

Jonathan wants to rescue River and take her back to his world. River wants to recruit him. Fate has other plans for both of them.

Thanks so much for the interview, Charlotte. If you want to buy Charlotte's books, just click on the links below and show her some love!

Enchantment on Amazon

Taken on Amazon