Today I’m participating in the blog tour of my friend and fellow Texas homeschooled author, Claire. I haven’t quite ready any of Claire’s writing yet, even though I have a copy of her first book that I need to review when I’m a little less short on this substance called “time”! But I’m very interested in her series, and so I was excited to hear that she was coming out with a second book, and I enticed her to do an interview with me, even though I’ve been so belated about reading the book she already bestowed upon me.
There’s also a giveaway going on until midnight on March 28th. The giveaway includes two signed copies of Claire’s book The Wildcat of Braeton and accompanying sets of four notecard sized illustrations from the series! See the rafflecopter below to enter. But the long and the short of it is, here is Claire to answer our burning questions about The Wildcat of Braeton.
Hello! Tell us a little about yourself.
Howdy! I grew up in west Texas with seven other siblings. I was homeschooled through highschool and then went on to obtain a degree in Kinesiology from Texas A&M. I’m currently working on my Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Texas Tech. Aside from the academics that I am currently drowning in, I love reading, writing of course, watching movies, doing anything outside especially sand volleyball and horseback riding!
What is your book about?
The Wildcat of Braeton is the second in a series. It follows the journey of Aiden, a young Braeton, who is finally able to return home after seven years of military service in the southern country of Calorin. However, he returns to find his home under attack from within and Aiden becomes determined to return his father to his proper place as Clan Chieftain. We also follow a character from the first book, Corin, a prince of Aredor, who is struggling to rebuild his country after a recent war and defend it against another possible invasion.
What gets you most excited about this story?
I think the characters do, honestly. I had a few great ones carry over from The Rise of Aredor, the first in the series. I also got a chance to work with some new characters, some planned and some that kind of invited themselves along for the ride. Watching characters interact is one of my favorite parts of writing and I think that’s one of my favorite parts of this story with Aiden especially. When he’s in certain situations, you never really know what’s going to come out of his mouth next but it’s usually highly entertaining.
What is your favorite part about writing?
I think my favorite part has to be when that bit of inspiration strikes at just the right time and the story basically writes itself for you. The only bad part about that is sometimes my pen can’t quite keep up with my brain and my characters start tapping their foot in impatience.
What is your number one advice to aspiring authors?
I would say to keep writing, which sounds really obvious. But push yourself outside your comfort zone. Get as many people as you can to read your work which will help improve your writing. And I’d also say to stick to the reasons you wrote the story even if parts aren’t so popular with your readers because you were given that story for a reason. So write it! 😉
Finally, which would you rather be, a shark or a muffin? Why?
I’d rather be a shark because as a muffin I’d be afraid of being eaten all the time. This way, as a shark, I could do the eating because I really like muffins.
Thank you for joining me, and best wishes with your book release!
Thank you!! And thanks so much for having me!!!
Want to keep up with the rest of the blog tour? Find the schedule on Claire’s blog!
About the Author:
Claire Banschbach was born and raised in Midland, TX, the fourth of eight children. She was homeschooled through high school and is now a proud member of the Texas A&M University class of 2014. An avid reader of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and many other adventure novels, Claire was prompted to begin writing her own fantasy novel at seventeen after several years of daydreaming. She continues to write in her spare time (and often when she doesn’t have spare time). When not scratching out stories and homework with pen and pencil, Claire partakes in the joys of watching the Boston Red Sox, Aggie football, playing volleyball, and horseback riding. She hopes her faith and strong foundation in God will continue to help guide her writing. She is currently working on her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center.
Connect with the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clairembanschbach
Twitter: @TheRiseofAredor
Blog: https://www.clairembanschbach.wordpress.com
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105807269877322531706/about/p/pub