Rebekah Purdy, Young Adult Author

Rebekah Purdy

Rebekah Purdy was born and raised in Michigan where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. She's lived in Michigan most of her life other than the few years she spent in the U.S. Army. At which time she got a chance to experience Missouri, Kansas, South Carolina, and California. Rebekah has a business degree from University of Phoenix and currently works full time for the court system. In her free time she writes Young Adult stories, anything from YA Fantasy to YA Contemporary Romance. Rebekah also has a big family – 6 kids! She likes to consider her family as the modern day Brady Bunch complete with crazy road trips and game nights. When not hiding at her computer, Rebekah enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games, traveling, and hanging out with her family and gazillion pets. With several recently published books under her belt, the author has a fresh perspective on writing:
 
Rebekah, tell us about your writing  corner: what do you absolutely need to get in the  mood?
Usually I need to have all my notes laid out on my desk, a bottle of lemon water and some snacks (LOL). And I normally throw on some music to fit the mood of the story.

Do you have a favorite character in the newly released THE SUMMER MARKED? Please elaborate!
 Ooh, this is hard. I have a few favorites from this book. But probably getting to write a new character named Darach. He’s a ghost that you meet in this book and when the main character first has a run in with him, the reader will be trying to guess whether he is friend or foe. He’s someone who was killed by the Winter Court and now tethered to the Ruined Kingdom. It was fun kind of trying to figure out the reasons behind his bitterness and the mechanics of him being caught between the land of the living and the land of the dead. And watching him to try help Salome, even though he has ill feelings toward the kingdom of Summer.

Name three things you love about writing.
I love creating characters. I love connecting with readers through my books. And I love seeing my books on the shelves of bookstores!

Name one thing you don't love about writing.
I have a love hate relationship with editing. I love cleaning up the story and making it better, but I hate losing control of my characters and storylines, because if an editor doesn’t like a certain scene or chapter or character, they can cut it. There have been some tears on this front as the story, once it’s written, is no longer yours.

Name one thing you love about our beautiful state.
 The four seasons we have—and I LOVE the U. P. (The Upper Peninsula to Non-Michiganders)

What is your current favorite book?
I don’t really have one—I’ve got “many” LOL. But probably The Summer I turned Pretty series by Jenny Han, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers….

What did you grow up reading with that flashlight late at night?
I really loved books by R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, L.J. Smith, and Richie Tankersley Cusick. As a child I loved Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and any book by Roald Dahl!

If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would it be?
Probably L.J. Smith or R.L. Stine.

Any parting words of advice for aspiring authors?
Never give up. Write, revise, then write some more. And most of all have thick skin. Sometimes it can be daunting and a hard road. But just stay focused on your goal and keep writing and improving your craft.


NEW RELEASE!
THE SUMMER MARKED:
The sequel to the chilling THE WINTER PEOPLE returns to the world of Faerie, and is a romantic and enchanting follow-up.

Fresh off a break-up with her boyfriend, Kadie’s glad to be home from college for Thanksgiving. All she needs is a rebound guy, a box of chocolates, and some girl time with her best friend, Salome. Problem is, Salome isn’t returning her calls, and her family won’t say where she is. Feeling sorry for herself, Kadie ends up at Club Blade, a place filled with pumping music, dangerous guys, and promises of a good time. However, when midnight strikes, Kadie’s fun turns into a nightmare as she’s ripped from the human world into Faerie by a vengeful Winter Prince named Etienne. For the first time in her life, she realizes the monsters Salome always spoke of are real, and they’ll stop at nothing to destroy her friend.

Salome thought the winter curse was behind her. But winter has left its mark. Not just on her, but on the whole summer court. The Kingdom of Summer is falling apart, and Nevin is hanging onto his throne by a thread. With war on his doorstep, he has no choice but to send Gareth into enemy territory, which means Salome will be left alone—vulnerable in a world she doesn’t understand. A place where beauty is deadly and humans are pawns in the macabre games the Fae play. Both Kadie and Salome will have to call on all their strength to survive in a world where humans aren’t meant to be. With death and enemies all around them, it’ll be a miracle if they can survive.

Find Rebekah Purdy here:
Twitter Link:  http://www.twitter.com/RebekahLPurdy
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rebekahlpurdyauthor
Website:  http://www.rebekahlpurdy.com/
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/RebekahPurdy
Instagram:  http://instagram.com/rebekahlpurdy
Link to all my books on my website:  http://www.rebekahlpurdy.com/books.html

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