Bitten by Books
And one becomes two. When I first wrote The Third Key, I never intended to write a sequel. The book was just an idea I had and wanted to get out. It was supposed to be a standalone YA fantasy and that was that. But then, as is often the case, it wasn’t.I was having lunch with a friend one day and, much to my surprise, she said one of her favorite books of mine was The Third Key. She said she really wanted to know what happened to the characters and how the war turned out. As soon as she said that, ideas started to form. The rest of the series started to build in my head and take on a life of its own. I sat down and started The Fourth Key. As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The book did not turn out at all as I initially intended. In fact, it took a crazy turn I never expected. Now the series is going to be a minimum of three books, but likely at least four. And it will make readers do exactly what I did: drop their jaws and say “No way!”
What’s going to happen with the series? You’ll have to read it to find out! The Fourth Key, book two comes out today! The Third Key, book one, is only 99 cents, so grab your copy today!
Books in the Alaesha Legacy series in the order they should be read:
The Third Key - ONLY - .99 cents!
The Fourth Key - ONLY $3.99!
About Samantha Warren
Author Bio:
Samantha Warren is a fantasy/sci-fi author who spends her days immersed in dragons, spaceships, and vampires. She milks cows for fun and collects zombie gnomes. She has a goat named Stretch and two solid black chickens, Heckle and Jeckle.
Connect with Samantha
| Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Books by Samantha Warren
|
CONTEST INFO: Open to readers worldwide.
Prize: $47.00 Amazon Gift Card
Be SURE to TWEET and FACEBOOK this link using the SHARING is CARING buttons below so your friends can enter too.
What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing process?
Marketing. I really dislike marketing. That’s by far the toughest part.
Who are some of your favourite authors?
Absolutely JK Rowling and Jonathan Maberry. Plus Mary Shelley, Chuck Wendig, The Bronte Sisters, The Brothers Grimm… tons more, of course, but that’s just to name a few.
I would shape-shift into a raven.
Yes, I would like to discover another world and go there.
I would as him if I can I go there, too.
Hey Samantha!
Welcome back to Bitten by Books. It is great to have you back again.
My question for you is what is your favorite kind of snack to eat while writing? Or drink.
Thank you! I’m happy to be back.
My favorite drink is coffee. I like to say writers are people who convert caffeine into words. I don’t generally snack while writing, but if I do, it’s usually tortilla chips or Amish cookies.
To answer your questions that are on the Giveaway Tools Widget
1. If you were a magical shapeshifter, what would your alternate form be?
I want to be an elephant, monkey or peacock OH and a giraffe!
What kind of shapeshifter would you be Samantha?
That answer is easy, Rachel. If I could shapeshift into anything, I’d be a dragon, like the one on the cover of The Fourth Key.
2. Would you like to discover another world?
I think I may just have discovered a new world this week whilst house-sitting. The world of CHICKENS! lol
I think it is so funny you found you had two hens. I am watching over 4 this week, a dog, 3 cats, rabbit and a turtle.
As far as another world, if it was like Narnia or the Shire, that would be cool.
What about you Samantha? I know you find new worlds in your books. But what kind would you like to find in real life?
I love my chickens! We have about 40 right now total. They’re all such varied characters.
Honestly, I’m not sure I’d actually want to discover a new world. While the idea sounds fun, all of those fantastical worlds we love inherently have horrors included with them. I think I’d much rather discover those worlds in books than in real life.
3. What would you do if you found out your significant other was really from an alternate dimension?
That’s a great question. Sometimes I think my partner IS from another dimension. LOL
What would you do if you found out your SO was from a different dimension?
That would be pretty cool. I think I’d ask them to show it to me. And I’d definitely want to know why they left.
Hi Samantha and Congratulations! It’s always great chatting with you! That’s a bunch of chickens!
Who is your all-time favorite book character?
That’s a really tough one, Betty. It’s a toss-up between Snape, Frankenstein’s Monster, and Boba Fett (I’m obsessed with Star Wars books, especially when they include Boba Fett).
Who is yours?
You know, it is a tough one! I really like several characters~big surprise there, huh? I like Kinsey Milhone (Sue Grafton series) because she has one all-purpose black dress that she sometimes carries in her one all-purpose shoulder bag and she trims her hair with mainicure scissors. I think that’s pretty neat to keep things that simple!
1. I’d be a Bengal Tiger shifter.
2. I would not want to discover/explore another world. There is still so much to learn here ;).
3. I’d be fine if my sig fig were from an alternate dimension. If you love one another what’s the difference?
How do you pronounce Alaesha? Is it a long a and silent e? Where did you come up with Alaesha?
Thanks for asking, Viki.
It’s pronounced “Ah-LAY-shuh”. Like a lot of names in my books, I came up with it by just throwing letters together until I find something that looks good. That’s how I came up with the name Chelandra for my NA epic fantasy series, Blood of the Dragon, and many other characters and place names.
My answers:
1. I’d choose cougar.
2. Sure, a world where cougars rule!
3. Well, after lo these MANY years, I’d accept it!
Hi. Congratulations on your new release. What is your favorite book or series that you have written so far and why????
Hi Brandy. Thank you! My favorite series tends to change based on what I’m working on and my mood, but I really love my zombie western. It was so much fun to write and I’m a big fan of zombies. I’m also really attached to my vampire novella series (Vampire Assassin is the first book). That was my first real series and I really love those characters.
hi Samantha
?1 Id choose a wolf
?2 no
?3 if you love em, make it work
whats with the #for $47 gift card?
thinking it is something
Hi Dina,
The $47 is because it’s the 4th key of 7.
awwwww
Given that ereaders have now been out for some time do you think they’ve changed peoples reading habits? Do you think people purchasing for an ereader are a different market to traditional paperbook readers?
I have a Kindle and carry it everywhere, I read a lot before but think I’m reading more though at different times now as also playing mindless games on my tablet.
I absolutely think it’s changed habits. It’s also changed the publishing world tremendously. You no longer have to vie for space in a bookstore to get your book seen. Places like Amazon are focused more on making sure the readers see books they’ll be interested in instead of books the publishers want to push, and with e-readers, the cost of books has dropped dramatically. It allows people to read more, more comfortably (for me, anyway), and anywhere. As long as you have a smart phone, you always have a book with you wherever you go.
If you could only give ONE piece of advice to newbie authors and writers, what advice do you think is the most important one to give? One CON to being a writer? One PRO?
My advice is don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. The only way to fail at this writing game is to stop doing it.
One con to being a writer is that sometimes it makes you crazy. We tend to live in our heads and that can be hard at times. That’s also the pro. Writing helps control the crazy. I know when I don’t write, I’m 10x more stressed than when I do. Writing helps you put all the crazy onto paper so it doesn’t overwhelm you.
1. If you were a magical shapeshifter, what would your alternate form be?
—- Naturally, I would choose my totem and Chinese Zodiac animal, the mighty and majestic fire dragon. Mm, my second choice would be either a horse or raven/crow.
2. Would you like to discover another world?
—- Mmm, if the world has entrenched with magic, elves, and dragons, then heck yes. Kinda wish the world I am writing in was real. It is always a delight and fun to discover that one (from my own imagination)
3. What would you do if you found out your significant other was really from an alternate dimension?
—- Pepper him with questions about his dimension, the differences between the two, the similarities… That sort of thing.
I love goats!
If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?
Probably milking cows. Something with animals, since they’ve always been a huge part of my life. (Though I could never be a vet. I wouldn’t be able to take seeing animals in pain all the time.)
1. If you were a magical shapeshifter, what would your alternate form be?
Dragon , phoenix or griffin
2. Would you like to discover another world?
Yes! I an still dreaming about this.
3. What would you do if you found out your significant other was really from an alternate dimension?
Try to get know it of course.
Congratulations on the release of The Fourth Key! The Alaesha Legacy sounds like an exciting series. If you could travel back in time, where would you go, what would you want to see, and who would you like to meet?
I think I’d like to go back and meet Elizabeth I. She was an amazing woman.
Author questions
If I were a shapeshifter, I would like to be a beautiful jewel colored dragon.
I think it would be exciting to discover another world.
If my significant other was from another dimension, I would ask him to tell me all about it, to take me there and show me the sights.
Do you have a favourite genre to read?
I do. I like YA Dystopian a lot. I’m going to be writing my first book in the genre in November, Zombie Juice.
Where does one go about finding zombie gnomes?
My favorite ones I found on Etsy. Some day I hope to have the whole collection.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChrisandJanesPlace
Author questions-
I’d like to shift into a wolf. Or a house cat.
I think I would like to discover another world; this one has proven somewhat disappointing. The main stipulation is that the new world has to have way less a#$holes.
If my significant other was from a different dimension I would have lots and lots and lots of questions. I think I would mostly just be really curious.
What book or books are you currently reading?
1. I’d be a wolf shifter.
2. I would like to discover/explore another world.
3. I’d be fine if my mate was from an alternate dimension.
For fiction, I’m working my way through the Gameland series by Saul Tanpepper. For nonfiction, I’m reading the Indie Survival Guide by Susan Kaye Quinn.
Who is your favorite Simpsons character and why?
Santa’s Little Helper. He’s just too darn cute!
1) hummingbird
2) I’d be intrigued!
3) I’d ask about safety and logistics, and where he’s happiest…
What is one you would like to write but have not been able to?
1. I would be a big cat shifter
2. On another area, I would like to find some useful plants.
3. I would not care and would love to see the new world.
Being indie, I can pretty much write whatever I want. I have a bunch of ideas in the queue that I’d love to get to, but I can only write one book at a time.
How do you decide if a book is going to be a stand alone or part of a series?
Some ideas are bigger than one book. And generally series sell better than standalone books, so I very rarely write a standalone book.
Are there any other genres you would have an interest in writing ?
I’m pretty happy in speculative fiction right now. Maybe in the future I’ll choose to branch out, but for now, I’m happy where I am.
Are the characters based off of someone you know.. the feelings I got reading while reading the book made me feel like I was right there as part of the group… not all writers can do that for me .. which is impressive.. keep up the good writing and look forward to reading more
Thank you, Corry! I’m glad you got that feeling. That’s what I work for.
Most of the characters are not based off people I know, but a few of them are. Mainly the villains, but I won’t tell you which ones those are.
who inspired you most in life? either as a person or as an author?
There are several people I look up to in the writing industry. Jonathan Maberry has been a huge role model for me, along with Joanna Penn. I’ve also been really inspired by Susan Kaye Quinn lately and the always awesome Chuck Wendig.
I’d still love him if he was from another place and time.when you love you love no matter what.
no I wouldn’t want to find another world I’m still not used to this one
and a lion would be my alternate form.because I’d come in like a lion and go out like a lamb to my other form
Name your top 3 favorite things (other than writing) to do and why
My favorite thing to do is hang out with my animals, especially the goats and horses. We have a ginormous halflinger named Vader who’s a big cuddlebug. I also love to read (of course) and watch cooking shows on Netflix.
What is your favorite food?
Tacos!!! I LOVE tacos.
Hello! What writers have influenced you?
Definitely Jonathan Maberry, George RR Martin, JK Rowling, Stephen King, so many others.
Do you have a favorite stand-alone novel?
Frankenstein is by far my favorite stand-alone novel.
who is your favorite author?
It’s impossible to pick just one. If I had to narrow it down to just a couple, though, it would be JK Rowling, Jonathan Maberry, and Mary Shelley.
wheres your favorite place to write?
Anyplace with coffee!
if you could go anywhere in the world on a Vacation where would you go?
I want to go to England and Ireland.
What types of books do you write ?
If you could live in any fantasy world which would you choose?
Star Wars, for sure.
1. Panther
2. Yeah why not
3. I don’t know ask a ton of questions
Do you have any current favorite shows and books?
I’m a big fan of Doctor Who, and I also really like reality shows like Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen.
1. If you were a magical shapeshifter, what would your alternate form be?
a tiger or lioness
2. Would you like to discover another world?
i would love to discover another world, I would love for the magical world of Harry Potter or Middle Earth to be real
3. What would you do if you found out your significant other was really from an alternate dimension?
Umm ask if I could check out his world and maybe visit for holidays if it’s safe lol
Have your job experiences ever found a way into your books? What was the worst job you ever had?
Sort of, but not in obvious ways. Worst job… I just to be a housekeeper for my landlord. I had to clean his toilets and litter box. It was not fun.
1) A dark tabby cat:)
2) Of course!
3) My reaction would be: “Wow, cool! Can I visit your world too?”
Thank you SO much Samantha!! and thank you Rachel for having amazing authors