Author Interview/Giveaway: C.A. Kunz - The Childe

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday! Hopefully you all enjoyed your weekend. I'd like to help you enjoy your Sunday just a little bit more!! I was given the opportunity to read and review The Childe by C.A. Kunz, a mother and son author team! They sent me the book and some fab swag that I would like to share with you! They also agreed to an interview. But first, here's the book cover and description:

• Pub. Date: February 18, 2011
• Publisher: C.A. Kunz
• Format: Paperback 402pp
• Age Range: Young Adult


Cat Colvin is pretty much your typical run-of-the-mill teenager growing up in the small port town of Astoria. Sure, she is taller than average, has a mane of fiery red hair that is impossible to tame, is left handed, and has one eye that is sky blue and one that is amber, but that is where the differences end . . . unless you include the “minor” detail of her slow metamorphosis into the Childe.

We all know how difficult high school can be, and for Cat Colvin it is no different. Except for the fact she has the daunting task of trying to hide her budding Childe traits as they begin to reveal themselves at the most inopportune times.

This first book in this coming of age fantasy series follows Cat's life through the twists and turns toward finding out what and who she really is. Come and take the plunge with Cat into a world filled with biting humor, darkness, and yes, a few life lessons as well.

Interview:
Mickey @ imabookshark: For those who don’t know about you, please tell us a little bit about yourselves.

Carol: I’m half English and half American. I was born in the United Kingdom, 54 years ago. I saw my first ghost at the young age of 8 and have had several paranormal experiences since. I have two grown children who have gone out into the world on their own, and three four-legged ones still living at home. I’ve been married for 35 years to my husband Bob, who is also one of the main illustrators for our series. My life could make for interesting reading, so unbelievable, that if I did write it down, nobody would probably believe me. I have been writing with my son, Adam, for just over two years now, and this wonderfully enjoyable experience has brought us closer together.
Adam: I was born in New Port News, Virginia and have traveled coast to coast with my parents, living in several places due to my dad being in the military. Growing up, I was a huge fan of creature features and books about things that go bump in the night. When I’m not busy writing, I enjoy my job at a certain theme park in Orlando, Florida as a décor consultant. This job brings me face to face with all sorts of nightmarish creatures, especially when I decorate the haunted houses for the park’s annual Halloween event.


Mickey: Where did the idea for The Childe come from?

Adam: Two years ago, I was rummaging through a box my mom had labeled as my “OLD SCHOOL STUFF”. Inside I found a notebook containing ideas from a creative writing exercise from my senior AP English class. As I perused the pages, one of them really struck me, and that idea eventually became the plot line for our Childe series. When I came to my mom with the idea, she was immediately sold on it, since it was right up our alley in terms of favorite genre (to read/write). Through outlining and discussion, our series has grown from a three book series to a now planned five book series. The story has been fleshed out considerably, and has changed quite a bit from its original version, but that simple notebook idea was a wonderful place to start from though.


Mickey: How does this collaborative effort make it easier/harder to write a novel?

Carol and Adam: Some aspects of it are definitely harder. For instance, Adam may have a different view on how a scene should play out that I wrote, and vice versa. So, we end up working it out until we meet on some kind of common ground. It may take a while, but we always find a way. Also, having a male counterpart helps keep the novel from becoming too much like ‘chick lit’. It also works the other way as well. I try to put a feminine touch on it, so it’s now too masculine. We’ve learned so much from writing together on the first book, that the second book was a lot easier to collaborate on, and practically wrote itself.


Mickey: In the novel, Cat thinks she’s a normal teenager starting at a new school. Did you draw from a personal experience to write about her new start?

Carol and Adam: Growing up, both of us had a great deal of experience with starting new schools. Carol’s dad was in the Air Force, and so was Adams’s. So to say the least, we moved around a lot. Most of our relationships with friends were fleeting, and school was hard because of it. This is probably why we were both great students in school because we really only had our school work to focus on. I (Adam), always tried to start over at every new school I attended. It was like a clean slate, and that is what I feel Cat is doing in our story. She is leaving her preppy snobsville school behind and starting anew. At least Cat has friends to back her up, which unfortunately we both didn’t really.


Mickey: If you could pick the actors to play your characters, who would each of you pick?

Carol: I thought of only one actor to play one of our characters, and that would be Sean Connery as uncle Aldon. I would love him for that role! Of course, I would be on the set every time he was in the scene, drooling. Sorry, I love Sean Connery. He definitely gets better with age!
Adam: This is such a great question! So, I would have to agree with my mom’s choice of Sean Connery to play uncle Aldon. I think I would cast Nathan Fillion as Sam Colvin. Rachel Weisz as Rachel Colvin. Drew Roy (Falling Skies) as Taylor Colvin. Either Glen Close or Meryl Streep as Gretchen. Michelle Williams as Miss Amaya. Cory Monteith as Ryan, because he is not supposed to be the super hunky/hot football player, and I think his character, Finn, on Glee is pretty close to how Ryan is in our story. David Henrie (Wizards of Waverly Place) as Isaac. Chloe Moretz as Hannah. Now, when we get to Cat’s friends, and Cat herself, I have a really hard time choosing. At the present moment I would have to say they should be unknown actors/actresses. I can’t think of anyone that could play them (Cat especially) that are well-known (or not) young actors. Wow, I could go on and on with this question. As you can probably guess, I haven’t really put much thought into this at all haha.


Mickey: I am a big fan of audio books. Any chance we’ll be seeing an audio version of your book? And if you could pick the narrator, who would you pick?

Carol and Adam: That’s something we’re definitely looking into. As far as a narrator goes…hmmm, that’s a real hard one. I (Adam) would think Anjelica Houston would make a great overall narrator for the story, and with her British accent it might sound really neat. I (Carol) on the other hand haven’t a clue, haha.


Mickey: When you two aren’t writing, what are you most likely doing?

Carol: Reading and Twittering. Truly addicted to both!
Adam: Writing, editing our current WIP, hanging out with friends, and working at my full time job as a décor consultant.


Mickey: How do you handle disagreements? Rock paper scissors? Flip a coin?

Carol and Adam: Haha, we do time outs. We take a break, then take a deep breath, and then resume. We have a very good rapport with one another, and most of our disagreements are dissolved rather quickly because of this fact.

Mickey: Did you set out to write a YA novel? Do you think you two will collaborate again for a different genre?

Carol and Adam: Yes we did, right from the get-go. We both believe that young adults need to read more (which they are) and we’re happy to be a part of that movement. There are so many YA novels out there, spanning many genres, that there is something for everyone. At the moment, we both are determined to stick with YA literature because we’re just having too much fun writing for this age group. We actually have ideas for three other series (all YA) that we wouldn’t mind visiting after we wrap up Cat’s story.


Mickey: Do you have any separate solo projects going for the future?

Carol: Well, I am actually in the process of compiling a history of my mum and dad’s life to eventually turn it into a biography/life story for our family to have. In fact, my mum has already started jotting many things down, and searching her memory banks.


Mickey: What can you tell us about what is coming up next for Cat, Ryan, and the whole gang?

Carol and Adam: We’re almost finished with the next installment in The Childe series, and it is in the hands of our second editor as we type this. The sequel picks up right after the conclusion of the first novel, and begins answering all of the first book’s unanswered questions. It is much faster paced than its predecessor, and ramps up the tension, action, and thrills. We think people will be pleasantly surprised where we’re taking this series, especially with how we develop Cat and Ryan’s relationship. With our first book, we really wanted to take it slow so that we could spend a good amount of time setting the stage, developing our characters, and focus on the metamorphosis Cat was going through. Now with the second book, we going to begin delving into this huge back story that is heavily steeped in the mythology we’ve created. Good thing we have planned out five books for this series, or else we wouldn’t be able to fit it all in, haha.


Mickey: Okay, now for some fun – What’s your favorite dessert?

Carol: English Trifle
Adam: Anything with peanut butter in it.


Mickey: If you could live anywhere and/or any time where/when would it be?

Carol: England in the 1960’s
Adam: New Zealand (now)


Mickey: What movies can you watch over and over again?

Carol: My gosh, that list is so long, but here are a few: Dirty Dancing, 27 Dresses, Bridget Jones Diary, Pretty Woman, Titanic, Jaws, Halloween, Psycho, The Birds…and on and on.
Adam: Hmmm…well this list is too long for here, but here are some: all of the Harry Potter films, Big Trouble In Little China, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Halloween, Jaws, The Lost Boys, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones (first three), Star Wars (original trilogy), Nightmare on Elm Street (original), Gremlins, Hocus Pocus, The Craft, Labyrinth…and the list goes on. We are quite the movie family, even though we also read a lot of books.


Mickey: Which novel do you wish YOU would have written?

Carol: Dracula, definitely!
Adam: Harry Potter, because J.K. Rowling single handedly rekindled my love for reading! There was a time period where I stopped reading because of school, but when that little wizard came along, school work took a back seat.


M: Rank in order of importance/preference: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert.

Carol: breakfast, dessert, dinner, lunch
Adam: breakfast, dessert, dinner, lunch


Mickey: Finally…what’s your favorite supernatural being?

Carol: It would have to be the vampire.
Adam: I would have to say either the witch or the vampire.

*Thanks so much to Adam and Carol for the interview!! It was great getting to know them better!*

Giveaway Alert!!

Who wants some The Childe swag?!?! Here's what I have to give away: 3 buttons, 6 bookmarks, and 2 bags with bracelets and happy face pennies!

Note: The book is NOT included in the giveaway. So sorry, folks. They sent it to me personalized and autographed. I'd love to provide you with a copy, but that's all I have :o)

• Leave a comment with your name, email address/twitter handle, and what swag you want and you're entered.
• You can pick more than one item, that's fine. If random.org picks you, you win whatever you asked for. SO ASK! :o)
  
• Leave a separate comment for one extra entry if you tweet about the interview/giveaway. Please include direct link.
  
• Must be 13 or older and live in the US.
  
• You don't have to be a follower, but it's appreciated of course!
• Ends at 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, 7/17/11.
  
• Winners will be picked with random.org.
• There will be multiple winners, but it all depends on who wants what!
• Questions? Email me at imabookshark AT yahoo DOT com!