Interview with February Grace + GIVEAWAY!

It's a beautiful fall day, here in my neck of the woods, and a perfect day for an interview with author February Grace. 

February Grace is a writer, artist, and poet who lives in Southeastern Michigan. She sings in key, plays by ear, and is more than mildly obsessed with colours, clocks, and meteor showers. GODSPEED is her debut novel.

Twitter: @FebruaryGrace
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FebruaryGrace
Blog: http://www.februarywriter.blogspot.co.uk/



Welcome to We Do Write, February! How long have you been writing?

I was a very early reader, and I’ve been making up stories since before I could write them down. I started really writing in the fourth grade, after a teacher gave me an extra credit assignment to rewrite the endings of fairy tales. I’ve been writing in one form or another ever since.

Tell us about GODSPEED. What’s the story about?

Eighteen year old Abigail Courage is cast into a world of secrets and intrigue when she is sent away

from the only home she has ever known, for reasons beyond her control.

Saved from certain death by a stranger's kind act, she is put into the care of brilliant, elusive Doctor Quinn Godspeed; and it doesn't take her long to figure out why he dwells in secrecy. The mechanical inventions he uses to keep her alive are all against the law: deemed unnatural by the moral code of society.

Through the doctor she is introduced to an unusual group of youths--also his patients-- who call themselves "The Freak's Chorus"; taking the unkind word as their own so 'no one can hurt them with it.'

As Abigail struggles to accept the truth of what Godspeed has done to save her, deepening feelings for him threaten to break her reconstructed, clockwork heart. Every day spent with him her curiosity grows...and she faces an uncertain future, even as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding his past.

That sounds fantastic! How did the idea of the story come to you?

The first ideas for the story actually came to me in the middle of the night, when I was very ill and recovering from surgery. The initial idea was for a much darker story, but the quick notes I jotted down and the line “What is a heart if not the ultimate clockwork?” stayed with me, even as the story took shape later. 

That is an awesome line. It sucks me right in. Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I have a small group of beta readers that I trust, but I self-edit as well. GODSPEED will always be special to me because the book was published by Booktrope with no additional content editing from anyone else— just a thorough proofreading from a professional. Working with an editor is a new experience for me but one that has worked out well on my next novel, OF STARDUST, which will be coming out before the end of the year.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Total pantster. If I try to plot too much it all falls apart. I admire people who can do it.

Oh, so do I. I'm a pantser through and through. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Having enough time where I am feeling decent enough physically and emotionally at the same time to actually do it. My health is bad and continues to be the biggest obstacle to my writing.

I'm sorry to hear about your health. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

My iPad. I don’t know what I did before I had it. I can play music on it, make quick notes, send emails as things come up— I would be lost without it.

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


I would want the power to heal people. There is so much suffering in this world; it’s really difficult to take to see what people suffer through. Yeah, definitely, healing would be it.

I'm a nurse, so I hear you. What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I think that I actually just Googled it ten minutes ago: I was looking up who it was that sang the male back-up part on Lee Ann Womack’s 2000 hit, “I Hope You Dance.” But I must confess, that was just because I was curious, not because I needed it for a writing project. 

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: speedy, rancid, and octopus.

The speedy squid and obstinate octopus fled the rancid reef. (Sorry, that’s all I’ve got. LOL)

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... 

Thinking about writing.

Who would you like to thank for supporting you? Let's hear your shout outs.

Oh, there are so many, and I know that I risk leaving someone out *scared*. I want to thank my team at Booktrope, especially my book manager Wendy Logsdon who I would be lost without. I’m eternally grateful to my dear friend Matt for all his encouragement to keep writing when I didn’t think I could. I’m grateful to all the writers who have cheered me on, to everyone who has beta read for me and to all the readers who have invested time in my work. And of course, I’m grateful to my husband for making it possible for me to do whatever I can do on a given day, whatever that may be.

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

My home online is at www.februarywriter.blogspot.com . I’m on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FebruaryGrace but I prefer Twitter: @FebruaryGrace. GODSPEED is available online from all the major retailers in print and digital formats. My new book, OF STARDUST, is going to be posted in segments on Wattpad.com before you can buy it, so be sure to look me up there too, my username is FebruaryGrace.

Thank you so much for hosting me today!

Thank you for joining us! And now for the giveaway... 

Enter to win 1 x $20/£10 Amazon Gift Card plus 3 ecopies of Godspeed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway