Interview with Juliana Haygert

Today, we are happy to have an interview with Juliana Haygert, author of The Everlast Trilogy.

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting--but equally gratifying--life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Welcome to We Do Write, Juliana. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi there. First, thank you for having me! I’m a writer, author, wife, mom, friend, crazy lady, former ballerina, avid reader.

How long have you been writing? 

Since I was 13yo, but it was just a hobby. It wasn’t until 2009 that I started thinking about the possibility of publishing.

Tell us about SOUL OATH. What’s the story about?

Soul Oath is the sequel of Destiny Gift. It follows the story of Nadine, Victor, Micah, and Ceris, and
some other characters … and I can’t say much more without revealing big things from the end of Destiny Gift ;)

Ahh .... Okay. With that in mind, here's a little blurb of DESTINY GIFT.

Thirty years in the future, a sinister New York City exists in permanent darkness.

A student at the secured NYU, nineteen-year-old Nadine has visions of Victor Gianni, an imaginary guy she has real feelings for. Afraid of being truly insane, she explains the visions away as simple daydreams, but she can no longer deny them when she bumps into

Victor in real life. But this Victor doesn’t know her, and turns her away. After the encounter, Nadine’s visions change to those of eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use … and instructions.

To discover if she’s losing her mind, Nadine follows the vague directions—with the real, rude and reluctant Victor—leading to a man who knows it all: Nadine can restore an ancient creed by unveiling the clues on her visions, and bring sunlight and peace to the world again. But that’s only if the demons and the other evil forces behind the darkness don’t stop her first.

Great premise. I love the idea of New York City cast in total darkness. How did the idea of the story come to you?

My husband. No, seriously, we were talking books and ideas, and he always said I had to write one about gods and mythology, because he loves this kind of stuff. So, he asked, what if you wrote about immortals gods, and then, one of them dies – for real. They thought they were immortal, but they aren’t! And, from that, the rest came to me pretty easily.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I used to have critique partners – I think I still do lol – but everyone’s schedule is so crazy lately. Now, I do a few rounds of critique with my editor. Self edit? Only one round before sending it to my editor the first time and even then I know she’ll find lots of things to work on lol

Oh, I know. Believe me, I know. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A mix of both, though I’m trying to become more of a plotter. Soul Oath had a loose outline and it worked. I guess that when writing series, it’s easier to go with an outline.

Yes, but pantsing is such a hard habit to break. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Editing … I love writing. I could live on it. But editing kicks my butt.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Music. Something to drink (depending on the hour of the day, it can be water, coffee, coke, or wine =P). And for the past couple of weeks, a scented candle …

What are you reading right now?

Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Probably, by the time you post this interview, I’ll have read another 4 or 5 books ;)

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

I want so many superpowers … can I be like Korra and control five elements?

Sure! Why not? What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Hm, bah, tough one. I have a terrible memory for this kind of thing. Seriously, can’t think of a thing.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: soul, swear, and penguin.

The penguin swore to give his soul to the moon! 

Not sure if I could change the tense on the verb, but there you have it. The best I could come up with in 2 seconds lol

That's perfect! Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... reading or dancing. Or cooking. Or playing with my kid lol

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

My family, my friends, my writer friends, the gang from NA Alley and the #row80 sprint. My editor for sure. My cover designer too!

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

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads

Thanks for having me! :)

It was our pleasure. Thanks for joining us.