Author Interview: Mary Ting

Claudia Emerson has a good friend who shares the same first name and last name. That friend unfortunately dies in a tragic accident during homecoming dance. Claudia is distraught at the loss of her friend, but is even more disturbed by her dreams, which seem to take her to another place called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth. It is where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander. Where, Claudia meets Michael, a nephilim, a half angel, half human, whom she often meets in her dreams. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit to Crossroads, which is an enigma for no human can ever travel there until Claudia.

Now the fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special and it is up to Michael and the other nephilims to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed, about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should?

                                                                                      

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1.  If you could work with any other author, who would it be and why?

I would want to work with Stephenie Meyer because reading Twilight was how I got back into reading. It would be an experience of a lifetime.

2.  What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you write?

Now that I stopped teaching to become a full time author, I work in the morning when my children go to school. Sometimes I write all day, but it’s spread out…in between cooking…after kids go to bed…while watching television with my hubby…after he goes to bed.

3.  What is the hardest part of the writing for you?

The ending is the hardest part for me. This is when I have to make a decisions for my characters…do I kill him/her…do I continue the series and if I do, do I leave a cliff hanger…what do I say at the very end to wrap up the story. Decisions…decisions…too may decisions.

4.  When and why did you first start writing?

I started writing Crossroads to help me grieve the loss of my grandmother. When I was writing, I’d stopped crying. 

5.  How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I started writing Crossroads from a dream I had in high school. Chapter one and two are based from my dreams. I truly believe I crossed over and the angel told me to go back because it wasn’t my time. I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if I had stayed so I made the rest up. Too bad there was no Michael in my dream…lol!

6.  Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now?

I enjoy reading, but I enjoy writing more. Recently, I’ve been interested in writing a NA novel so I’ve read a few. Though I enjoy young adult novels, I have to be interested in the plot. If any of the stories doesn’t capture me in the first two chapters, then I stop reading.

7.  Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers?

Don’t think about it, just do it. Start writing from any point of the story that drives you or that great idea that popped in you head. Find couple of reading buddies. Ask them to read your story and give you feedback. And no matter what…have fun and don’t give up. It may take a year or more, but if the passion is there, your ideas will flow.