Author Interview: Christie Anderson

Today's interview is with Christie Anderson, author of Deep Blue Secret.



Christie Anderson:  Author Bio:

Christie Anderson has gone from a BA degree in Latin American studies at Brigham Young University, to pizza delivery, flight attendant, office manager, and real estate investor, to finally finding her true passion in writing. She loves lounging on the couch knowing her wonderful husband is by her side. She enjoys movies, books, and being outside in the sunshine whenever possible. She misses the ocean like crazy, but is terrified of waves. She's dabbled in photography, drawing, and golf, and she loves all animals. She's still trying to convince herself she likes to cook. Christie grew up in Southern California and currently lives in Salt Lake City, patiently waiting in a tiny, cinder block apartment for her husband to complete his master’s degree in geology. She couldn't be more proud!



Synopsis:

California teen, Sadie James, thinks her life couldn’t get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she’s rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won’t even tell her his name.

Each time the boy appears, Sadie’s unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her. But as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day...why does Sadie need one?

As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn’t as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all.


Jennifer Walker: Where can we find out more about you and buy your book?


Christie Anderson: My Web site is the best place to start, http://christieanderson.org/. From there you can find the link to my blog, my book trailer, the Deep Blue Secret playlist, and purchase links for the eBook and paperback formats at Amazon, as well as Barnes & Noble.


Jennifer Walker: Tell us about your book.


Christie Anderson: Most of the story follows Sadie who thinks of herself as the typical California teenager, having fun with friends and enjoying the coastal sunshine. But her life takes a drastic turn when a mysterious boy named Rayne (pronounced like rain) shows up out of nowhere to help when Sadie falls victim to an accident. Sadie feels an instant connection and attraction to Rayne, although she doesn’t believe in love at first site and attempts to fight the feelings which she believes are illogical. Meanwhile, we get small glimpses from other characters’ perspectives, all who come from a totally foreign and somewhat dangerous background that Sadie will soon be forced to become a part of, whether she’s ready for it or not.


Jennifer Walker: Where did you get the idea for the story?


Christie Anderson: I love stories that I can relate to, but with some kind of element beyond the normal to spice things up and pull me out of real life. I started researching folktales and legends, hoping to come across something that would spark a unique idea in my mind, but most of what I found—faeries, vampires, angels, etc.—all felt overdone to me. Truthfully, my idea for The Water Keepers was first sparked by reading about the fountain of youth online, but really didn’t come together until after a lot of brainstorming sessions with my husband. And of course my own experiences growing up and attending high school in Southern California played a big part as well.


Jennifer Walker: Is your family supportive of your writing?


Christie Anderson: They are incredibly supportive! They’re always the first to send congratulations, offer up advice or ideas, and cheer me along when things get hard. My husband thought I was a little crazy when I first started out, but I’ll never forget the moment he turned to me and said, “Wow, your story actually sounds like a real book.” And from that day forward he was my number one fan.


Jennifer Walker: What other projects do you have coming up?


Christie Anderson: Deep Blue Secret is just the beginning of Sadie and Rayne’s experiences together, and I’m so excited to be working on book two of The Water Keepers series. I have this big story swirling around in my head and I don’t think I’ll be getting much rest until I can put it all down into words. Unfortunately, it will take at least three (but more likely four) books in order to reach this goal, so I guess I won’t be resting any time soon. Hopefully the readers won’t be too frustrated with me, but I definitely think it will be worth the wait! Of course, my opinion is a little biased.

Jennifer Walker: Where is your favorite place to write?


Christie Anderson: I used to dream of writing in strange locations that would inspire spontaneous writing genius, but that method never worked out for me. I’m not great at concentrating with distractions around, so my answer is pretty boring. I always write at my desk in our home office. I listen to music for the first few minutes to get my creative juices flowing, but after that I usually require complete silence. I like to prop my feet up on the shelf underneath the desk where my husband keeps his stack of old textbooks. This is mainly because I’m so short that my feet don’t reach the floor easily. And I always use the same cushy square pillow behind my back to keep me comfy for hours at a time.



Jennifer Walker: When and why did you decide to become a writer?


Christie Anderson: English was always one of my best subjects in school, but I always felt forced to write about topics I wasn’t interested in. It was the same way all through college. Writing a paper under a deadline was torturous. I really didn’t know I was a writer until about a year and a half ago. I was just coming out of some tough years in my life and I was looking for a source of comfort. I won’t bore you with the details here, but I’ve shared more of the story on my blog for those that are interested. http://christieandersonblog.blogspot.com/

Basically, I turned to audiobooks as an escape from real life for a time and a friend recommended the Twilight books to me. I didn’t become obsessed with Edward or Jacob like so many fans, although I did enjoy these characters. It was actually Stephenie Meyer I felt most drawn to. There are people out there with unkind things to say about her or her books, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But her stories were influential in helping me during a rough time, and for that I’m eternally grateful. Something about her experiences inspired me to believe I could create stories too. Soon after this, my mom requested I write down memories for Mother’s Day that year. She mentioned how much she enjoyed my writing and encouraged me to do it more often. Writing a book was already a crazy idea taking over the back corners of my mind, and moms know best, so at that point I was convinced easily.


Thanks to Christie for stopping by!