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Get to Know Author Willow Rose (With Giveaway)

Howdy readers!!

Today we have special guest, author, Willow Rose. She is going to tell us about her book, Daughters of the Jaguar: Savage, and at the end is a giveaway open internationally!
How cool is that?!

First up, let's welcome Willow to Freda's Voice!
Hi Willow, and thanks for coming for a visit. Please tell us about yourself.

I write YA Paranormal Romance and fantasy. I am originally from Denmark but I now live on Florida’s Space Coast with my husband and two daughters. I am a huge fan of Anne Rice and Isabel Allende. When I'm not writing or reading I enjoys watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Now tell us about your book.
In Savage we meet Christian who is a young man torn between the world of science and the world of magic. He has left his country of Denmark and is going to Florida to go to med school. He meets Aiyana who is a spirit-filled girl living in a completely different world than he is. Her family is descendants from the Timucua Indians that lived in Florida before the Spaniards came. They live in a world of magic, music and laughter and Christian feels so drawn to them.  At the same time he has a violent encounter with a savage beast in the swamps of Florida, an encounter that makes him doubt everything he has always believed. 

Who or what inspires your writing?
Anything and everything. People around me or people that I meet, my children, books I read, movies I watch, things that have happened in my own life or in someone else's.
The story in Savage is somewhat inspired by my husband's story. When he was only 19 he was sent to Florida by his parents to live with a very wealthy family. The year he spent there changed him and in many ways formed who he is today. 
The women in this book are inspired from my daughters. I have actually dedicated the book to them. To all of my daughters. I have two young ones of my own and one grown-up stepdaughter. They are all so full of innocent magic.
When did you know you would be a writer?  
I have always been a story-teller for as long as I can remember. I remember telling stories to my friends as a child in school and making them forget that they had to go out and play for recess. Even my teacher would listen in and he told me to keep it up and to write them down. I wrote several notebooks filled with stories that he read. He encouraged me a lot. I went on to become a journalist and wrote my first novel when I was 28. It was published by one of the big Danish publishing houses. 
 How long did it take you to write your first novel? 
Two years! It was a thriller in Danish that was published by one of the big publishing houses in Denmark where I lived at the time. I still love that book even though it met a lot of criticism. I learned a great deal from that experience. Among it that you cannot write books to please people. You have to write a story because you love that story and those characters and then take the beating you get. There will always be someone who doesn't like it. 
I have gotten a lot better since my first novel and now I receive better reviews. Savage has so far gotten awesome reviews that I am very proud of. Someone actually wrote that she was stunned, that I made her think about the message of the book. That's all you can ask for as a writer. That's what it is all about.
 What is the hardest part of writing for you?  
The promotion is probably the hardest part. I don't like having to be pushy and try to sell my product. I am not a salesperson, I really don't like it. But if you want to sell books and make a living of it you have to do that part as well. The rest I love. I adore becoming one with my manuscript. I love getting to know my characters better and creating this world of my own that the reader gets a peek into.
Do you have any writing rituals?  
I have a thing for James Blunt. I have to listen to his songs when I write. I don't listen to him when I'm not writing. It is a little weird. But there is something about the intensity of his songs that always makes me want to write. I love big emotions. In songs, in movies and especially in books.
 Have you written any thing else?
I have written three books in Danish that are published in Denmark, Norway and Germany under my maiden name. Furthermore I have written six books in English under the name Willow Rose. I am currently working on number seven - the sequel to Savage - and I am hoping to have it out in the fall.
 Any advice to aspiring writers?  
Write, write and then write some more. The more you write the better you get. And never listen to anyone who thinks you can't do it.
Who are your favorite Authors? 
 Anne Rice is my all-time favorite. I read anything she writes. And Isabel Allende as well.
What are your favorite books, or which book has impacted you the most? 
"The Never-ending Story" by Michael Ende is the book that opened my imagination as a teenager.
 What are you currently reading?  
I am re-reading "The Vampire Lestat".
How do readers find out more about you?  

Twitter: @madamwillowrose
Goodreads

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY
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Comments

  1. Great interview! The Never-Ending Story is a favorite of mine as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I lived in Florida and have read about the Natives that lived there before so that aspect of the book caught my eye right away.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It began with the trailer & the interview. You hooked me in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Magic! It's what made grabbed my attention and made me want to read this story.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Reminds me of Avatar movie. Struggle between magic and logic i always fascinating.

    ReplyDelete

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