Author Interview + Giveaway with J.D. Stroube

Help me welcome J.D. Stroube, the author of Caged in Darkness, to The Book Nympho today. She was nice enough to agree to an interview and giveaway (details after interview).


Caged in Darkness, was released on July 30th. Did you have any pre-release jitters?


Yes! The entire week before its release I could barely sleep. The day it came out I couldn’t sit still! I promised myself I would not look to see if it sold or what people thought, until the end of the day. I remember at 10pm, I was sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap, and my husband burst out laughing. I was so jittery that my right leg was bouncing and my laptop was moving with it. I did keep my promise to myself though!

Caged in Darkness is a very dark book; where did your inspiration come from?


My inspiration came from a lot of sources, but mostly my imagination. I have a very creative mind and I have lucid dreams, which helps me come up with unique ideas. As a psychology major, I was able to use that to fuel my story. A lot of the personality traits came from me. My entire life, I have heard the saying write what you know and I took that to heart. Little pieces of information or reactions to situations came from pieces of my own world. For instance: My editor questioned why I had Savannah eating Bosco Stix for lunch. That was my favorite cafeteria food when I was in high school!

Cage of Darkness is not written in the First, Second or Third Person Point of View and I think it really works for the story. I've only read one other book that was written in Alternating Person View; I was wondering, why you choose to use this POV?


I enjoy first person point of view, because it really allows the reader to get into the characters head. I alternated the character, because I felt that there were parts of the story that you couldn't see from just a single person. I want my reader to really connect with my characters and feel like they are fully immersed in the story. I made sure to clearly label each section for the reader to easily recognize which characters POV it is. Caged by Damnation (Caged: Book 2) will have the alternative POV, but only between two characters. :) I think it's something I want to do for the whole trilogy. I'm not sure if I will do it in my other series yet...

So why witches?


On my mother side of the family many of them know or are fascinated by divination. My great grandmother used to read tea leaves, my grandmother reads palms and runes, and my mother reads tarot cards. I grew up with that and it made me curious. When I was a little girl, I met a psychic who said I had a very old soul and was destined for great things. I don’t know if I really believe in all of that, but I find it interesting. When I was in junior high, I discovered the Wiccan religion and I researched it for a long time. I guess you could say that the idea of a witch is miraculous to me and I wanted to translate that miracle to my book.

I know that Caged in Darkness is the 1st book in the Caged series. What tidbits can you tell us about series without giving away too much?


The book begins with Savannah’s childhood, which is told in a series of journal entries. I then delve into her teens. The darkness she was subjected to as a child continues to haunt her, but she pushes through. Each day is a fight for her, but she finds comfort in her two best friends and her new family. Savannah feels as though she is tainted by her blood. That somehow, she is at fault for the horrible things her parents did. She has a constant fear that her taint will spread to the ones she loves.

Also, while the book is mainly about witches… there are other supernatural creatures in it too! (just a little teaser)

Can you tell us a little bit about being a self-published author?


I never tried to be traditionally published. I have been writing for so long and finally decided to put myself out there. I like self publishing because I am in control of my own book. I like having the final say on my cover too! It is a lot more work than being traditionally published, because I don’t have a huge team of experts working to advertise, edit, etc. I am lucky to have found my own small team, who I am so grateful to!

Would you like to share with my readers any other books that you have in the works?


I have Caged by Damnation (Caged 2) that will be released on October 14, 2011 and Caged in Spirit (Caged 3), which will release on April 18, 2012

Death’s Leash, which is the first book in the Hellhounds series. It’s an adult Urban Fantasy series and will be released on December 16, 2011.

       

               


And, lastly Ms. Stroube, thank you for stopping by The Book Nympho today to answer a few questions and to give my readers a chance to win your wonderful new book, Caged in Darkness.

About the Author:

J.D. Stroube is a debut author, who is coming out with her first novel on August 1st. Caged will be her first series. Although, she will be coming out with three more series and a stand alone novel within the next year and a half.

She is a psychology major, who attends Roosevelt University and intends to open her own practice in the future. She lives in Naperville with her husband and is extremely close to her family.

She loves hearing from bloggers and fans. So, feel free to send a contact form or comment on her blog! She tries to respond to each query, as quickly as possible.

For more information on J.D. Stroube, visit her at:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook 

August 9th - August 11th
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