Author Interview: David James

Today I am excited to have David James, author of "Light of the Moon", stop by the blog to tell us a bit about who his book will appeal to, what he is currently reading and what advice he has for aspiring authors! 

Describe LIGHT OF THE MOON in five words or less. 

Beautifully dark tale of love.

Do you work on multiple books simultaneously? If so, what is your process? 

I do to an extent. I tend to write bits and pieces of other books while working on a main manuscript, but I rarely focus completely on more than one book at a time. I couldn’t do it! I’m a very linear writing, so while I do jump around from time to time, I think I would go crazy writing more than one book at a time.

Fans of ___________ will enjoy my books. 

Fans of Tessa Gratton or Brenna Yovanoff will enjoy my books. There’s a similar sense of dark hopefulness in my books that I’ve found in theirs. I’ve also gotten quite a few reader responses that have enjoyed Light of the Moon after reading Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, which I thought was beyond amazing.

What are you currently reading right now? 

I’m currently reading Kristin Cashore’s Graceling and loving it. I love her way with words, and how she creates worlds.

How did you come to the decision to go indie? 

Many reasons, but the main one was that I wanted to get my book to readers. I had a lot of responses when I attempted to go traditional, but none of them stuck the way I wanted them to. Additionally, I’ve come to know so many wonderful indie authors that are doing incredible things. I’m so happy I have a chance to be a part of that.

Are you currently a full time author? If so, how did you come to the decision to do so? 

I am, though I do contract writing on the side for local businesses. Before this, I taught high school for over three years. In the end, I decided to follow my heart. I’ve always wanted to be an author. I’ve always wanted to help people, and my ultimate goal is to provide a positive impact on the youth of today.

Being an indie author what impact (if any) have book bloggers had on your career? 

Book bloggers are beyond amazing, let me tell you. I continue to be impressed by the lot of them and the way many of them use their influences in positive ways. The entire writing, blogging, and writing community have all been so supportive. In my opinion, book bloggers have an incredibly difficult job. It’s hard to stay so positive and keep up with blog posts and reviews, but they do it well.

Where did your inspiration for LIGHT OF THE MOON come from? 

Looking up at the stars, I always used to wonder what was up there. One day the idea of using constellations as the paranormal aspect of the novel just came to me, and I started to write what later became Light of the Moon. I love the idea that there’s a whole world in the sky we just don’t know about.

How do you respond to maybe negative (or not-so-nice) reviews?

I respect everyone, so when someone writes a negative review (about any book) I have an understanding that their views may differ from mine. The negative reviews I really respect are the ones that say exactly how they feel about a book and not just voice their hatred. If there are reasons behind the negativity, then those reviews are actually making a positive impact by making educated points on books. I appreciate and respect those reviews, even if I don’t agree with them.

Any advice for aspiring authors? 

Don’t give up and don’t follow the rules. There are no specific rules when it comes to writing a book because every single person has his or her own way of doing things. Take advice from others, but take your own as well.

This or that?

Monsters under bed or monsters in closet? Oh. My. I don’t even know what to do with this question. I might have just looked in my closet, so I vote for monsters under the bed! I feel like I would have a better chance to escape.

Hot chocolate or chocolate milk? Neither! I’m actually not a chocolate fan.

Kindle or Nook? Kindle all the way.

E-Book or physical book? Let’s get physical. Physical.

Unicorn or Sasquatch? Uh. Unicorn. For sure. Because don’t they fly? Or am I making that up. I think some unicorns fly. I think. Either way I’m sure a Sasquatch can’t fly.

From Goodreads: "Stars. Fire. Blood. Magic.

One night long ago, a constellation disappeared and fell from the sky in the form of a boy.

Secrets are being kept in the sleepy town of Lakewood Hollow, Colorado. Nothing but pools of blood and dripping words are left where bodies once were, and no one but Calum Wade seems to be worried. Life unfolds in shades of red for Calum, until a mysterious girl named Kate Black enrolls at his school and everything changes. Suddenly a dangerous world of dream demons, elemental enchanters, and blood witches unfurls before Calum. He learns that the stars have forever held his destiny, and that the constellations above are much more than what they seem. As Kate and Calum sink deep into a paranormal war, they realize that an ancient prophecy might hold the answers they seek. But life is not so easy for Calum, and he can feel his heart beat faster whenever Kate is close. Worse, Kate's blood holds a dark secret even more dangerous than the war between the demons and enchanters. Soon the two find that there are worse things than loving someone you shouldn't. For Calum and Kate, even love and the fiery power of stars may not be enough to break a curse as dark as the blood that binds their destiny.

A romantic story of true love and dark curses, LIGHT OF THE MOON will leave you breathless."

About the Author: David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer series, as well as the companion novella, THE WITCH'S CURSE. A second novella for the series, THE WARRIOR’S CODE, as well as the sequel, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in 2013. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Be sure to visit David’s blog and facebook to learn more about his various addictions and novels.