Interview with Amy Lignor

Happy Valentine's Day, beloved ones! I've brought you a special treat today: an interview with the fabulous author of The Angel Chronicles, Amy Lignor. So sit back, indulge in a box of chocolates, and enjoy!

Welcome, Amy! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am the daughter of a career librarian who taught my sister and I very early on that books were far better than T.V. and video games. (Even though we didn’t like that idea at first, I’m glad we listened). I love to read, and every story helps when it comes to writing your own. You learn more technique, develop skills, and books just take you on this truly fantastic journey that can’t compare to anything else. My daughter, Shelby, is stunning and highly creative (she writes books, as well). I have a loving mother who I look up to and hope to be ¼ of the woman she is someday; and, a huge dog named Reuben who always sits right beside me while I type to give me inspiration.

How long have you been writing?

I began writing when I was 13, when we were on a truly horrific family vacation. It wasn’t just me, my parents were having an awful time, too. I started writing a book of humor called: My Life: A Comedy & A Tragedy, and I haven’t stopped since.

Love the cover of UNTIL NEXT TIME. What’s the story about?

I know, Tribute Books did a fantastic job on the cover! They are the absolute best!


There are a great deal of YA’s out there, and now that the ‘fanged ones’ have started to fade a bit, the ‘winged ones’ are truly arriving in force, and I very much wanted to write a story that would be different from all the rest. My characters, Matt and Emily, were created for a specific job. They are new - ‘fresh’ beings - if you will. They are not ‘fallen’ souls or tormented creatures, they’re just looking at the world through completely innocent eyes.

They are raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, so their job is to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the ‘life’ they’ve been assigned. What they don’t realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache. So the core of their story is how this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that’s ripping them apart.

Sounds amazing! How did the idea of the story come to you?

I'm a big fan of YA books. I had a thought one day, after reading about one of the ‘fallen,’ whether or not an angel - brand new - would come here and even want to help the world, seeing as that everything is so negative down here - war, poverty, pain, anger, etc. Would they want to defend and protect? And if they did, could they survive and want to come back down yet again? So these are some real lessons they have to learn, while trying to understand the love they suddenly feel for others.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

I am a planner. I want to have those character’s in my mind. But as everyone knows there is no way to actually do an “outline” for a novel. Once I get into it, all these twists and turns come up, so even I’m thrilled. I feel like the reader, because I don’t know what’s coming next.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The title. That is the one thing that has to be right and make complete and utter sense to me. By the time you’re done with the book and you write, “The End,” those few small words on the cover have to really sum up what you’ve tried to say. I admire those out there who can come up with the title before they even begin writing. Now, those are planners!

Source: cainhopwood.com

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?
A pen and paper. I know, technology is just fine…when it works, and I do use a computer to create the books. But my mind is working so fast that I need to have that “tangible” writing material so that I can jot down exactly what I want to say three chapters back or three chapters ahead, or an idea I just got for a ‘twist,’ or a special line, etc. You should see my office, there are scraps of paper everywhere with ideas scrawled over them. It looks like I’ve plastered the walls with my hideous handwriting.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Time Travel. There are so many things ‘way back when’ that I would love to see live and in person. I don’t want to see the future, but I would love to see the past.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve googled?

God, I love history. I write a historical adventure series titled, Tallent & Lowery, and I am always googling things like - Aleister Crowley, the Winchester Haunted Mansion, what Plato may have looked like - all kinds of odd things.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: transformer, love letter, and ballet shoes.

Many gifts were given to the mammoth Transformer, Optimus Prime, on his birthday, including the love letter from Bumble Bee and the pair of pink ballet shoes that were definitely NOT going to fit!

(I had to. My daughter plays this movie constantly!)

LOL, it's awesome! Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

Shelby - MY angel.


Mom - the ‘best of the best.’


Michelle Horst (and Sid) - a fellow writer and best friend.


Nicole Langan - she works like a fiend and she truly believes.


Amy Ferris, Syrie James, Pam Jenoff, and all the authors who are so supportive. I can not even begin to tell you how much you’ve helped me along the way.


Connie, Ellen, and all the reviewers and review sites who take the chance, who help and support - and all the bloggers who have gone into this with me!


Marla Mase - music and people don’t get any better than this.


‘The Reaper Cheerleaders,’ and everyone in the Y.A. world on Goodreads…Thank you!


And, Dad - your spirit, your love, your magic - you may be gone from ‘down here,’ but I always see you ‘up there.’ You are never forgotten!

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071LLL2M/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0071LLL2M

Barnes & Noble - NOOK
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&subid=&offerid=239662.1&type=10&tmpid=8432&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%252Fw%252Funtil-next-time-amy-lignor%252F1108191925%253Fean%253D2940014052627%2526itm%253D1%2526usri%253Duntil%252Bnext%252Btime%252Bthe%252Bangel%252Bchronicles

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126226?ref=tributebooks

Also, we have a PDF buy link at:
https://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1554857

Publisher’s Site:
http://tribute-books.com/index.html

And I hope everyone can check out:
http://the-angel-chronicles.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Amy. Your book sounds fantastic, and I wish you tons of success!

Thank you so much!