Author Interview: Ashlynne Laynne

Our interview today is with Ashlynne Laynne, author of The Progeny.

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


Ashlynne: At my author blog http://authoraslane.blogspot.com/, on Twitter @qlane, on my book's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Progeny-Series-by-author-%20Ashlynne-Laynne/129418917161599, and on my Facebook author page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Ashlynne-Laynne/118945981513261. The Progeny will be available, as an e-book, on February 15, 2012 on my publisher's website http://www.novelconceptpublishing.com/, through Smashwords (Sony, Kobo, Itunes), Amazon as a Kindle book, Barnes and Nobles as a Nook book, Bookstrand and All Romance.


Jennifer: Tell us about your book.


Ashlynne: At its core, The Progeny is simply a story about a man and woman who fall in love, and the fact that he’s a half-blood (half-human, half vampire) and she’s a Wiccan human are secondary factors. It started as research about the Salem witch trials, some rough sketches of a special family heirloom that my guys would wear and two names—Ascher and Shauna. In the beginning, of the book, Ascher is grumpy. Frankly, who could blame him? He’s engaged to seal to Ursula—a cold and careless vampire who wants nothing more than to get her hands on a bloodstone— and he feels conflicted about his existence. All of that changes when he meets Shawnette McCutchin. She’s beautiful, intriguing and possesses some of the most potent blood that he’s ever smelled. A war immediately begins inside Ascher. He craves Shauna’s blood just as much as he craves her body and the closer they get, the harder it is for him to control his urges. After Ascher calls off the sealing to Ursula, the trouble begins. His family’s peaceful period ends when Ursula’s army attacks the Rousseaus. Kidnapping, some steamy love scenes between our hero and heroine and Wiccan rage complete the plot.


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


Ashlynne: I've always loved the horror movie genre and I have to admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for vampires. I figured if I was going to take a crack at my first novel, I'd write about something that I loved. My research started with a way to explain why my vampires are walking around in the daytime, which lead to research about the witch trials and the subsequent creation of their amulets. The rest is history.


Jennifer: What other projects do you have coming up?


Ashlynne: I'm currently working on the sequels to The Progeny. And when I tell you that they are going to be great, I'm not exaggerating. Book two is going to have more excitement, more romance and an unusual party that you won't want to miss out on!


Jennifer: Do you write full time? If not, what is your day job?


Ashlynne: Unfortunately, I am only able to write part-time right now. My goal is to be able to write full time, successfully. I'm so neurotic that I'm not sure I'd ever quit my day job. I've worked for a major power company since 1998.


Jennifer: What is your writing process like?


Ashlynne: Before each book, I do a chapter by chapter outline. It rarely holds up but it’s nice to have a stopping and starting point in mind. Most times, I write the first three or four chapters, skip to write the end then fill in the middle of the book. It’s weird—I know—but it just works for me.


Jennifer: If you had a piece of advice for authors, what would it be?


Ashlynne: Write every day, even if you don't feel like it.


Jennifer: In your opinion, what is the best movie adaptation of a book that you've read?

Ashlynne: Without a doubt, The Shining. That was some spooky stuff to read and what Stanley Kubrick, as the director, and Jack Nicholson, as an actor, did with it on the big screen was amazing. No matter how many times I watch it, I still get the chills.


Jennifer: If your book was being made into a movie, who would play the lead roles?


Ashlynne: I wrote The Progeny knowing that Ascher would resemble one of my favorite young actors, Thomas Dekker, so I always knew he’d be the one if it ever got a movie option. As for Shauna, I never had a clear view of who’d play her until my very talented artist, Faleasha, suggested Zoe Kravitz as a Shauna reference, for the beautiful cover she created for me.


Jennifer: What made you become an author? At what age did you begin writing?


Ashlynne: I think the fire to write sparked in me when I placed third in an oratorical contest when I was eight. I’ve always been inclined to write poetry and have since I was a teenager. The epilogues of The Progeny, and its sequel, are my original poetry. Writing poetry started as a type of therapy for me to get whatever I was feeling out. I never really thought myself patient enough to write a novel. I got serious about writing in October of 2010 and I never looked back.