Monday, June 10, 2013
Allie Burton Brings The Lost Daughter's Of Atlantis Aboard
Bosun here and today we welcome YA
author Allie Burton to The Revenge to talk about Book 1 in her Lost Daughters
of Atlantis series, ATLANTIS RIPTIDE. Here's the blurb:
Sixteen-year-old
Pearl Poseidon ran away from the
circus tired of her adoptive parents’ abuse of her special skills. As a
runaway, she craves anonymity but when she saves a small boy from drowning she
draws attention to herself and her special abilities. Boardwalk employee and
aspiring investigative reporter, Chase Thomas, helps her with the rescue and
witnesses her amazing dive.
Now, he has questions. And so do the police.
Unbeknownst to
Pearl, a battle rages under the Pacific between Loyal and Non-Loyal Atlantean
forces and each side wants to use her powers for their cause. Will the
commotion in the ocean expose her secrets to the world? Will Chase’s
reporter-determination ruin their chance for a real relationship? Will staying
near the ocean she loves catapult into a battle royale?
That'll
make you want to do a little snorkeling, won't it? Allie, take it away.
Hi! I’m so glad to
join you today at Romance Writers Revenge. Thank you, Terri, for the
invitation. I want to let you in on a secret…
How I Reversed the Aging Process
Miracle, right?
I wish. I’m not
talking about my actual age, but my writing age.
I began writing
romances just after I finished college. With a more-than-full time job, writing
was more of a hobby than an actual pursuit of goals. Something fun to do in my
free time. Those first manuscripts were awful. More telling of the stories in
my head. No showing at all. I had a lot to learn.
Then, a move to
Europe, another move back to the States, kids, yet another move and the writing
sort of fell off my radar. The dream was still there, but not the energy. When
my youngest started kindergarten, a bit of time opened up. I decided to get
real and take a shot at my dream.
After joining RWA,
I attended meetings and workshops and conferences. I finaled and even won a
couple of contests, but my romantic suspense manuscripts weren’t dark, sexy or
gritty enough. Maybe because the kids were always leaning over my shoulder
trying to read what I was writing.
I’d cover the
computer screen and tell them to look away. One day one of the kids said, “When
are you going to write something we can read?”
An epiphany
struck. I knew kids. I had two examples
of what kids were doing and saying. I
had my own target market.
So, I sat down and
wrote a middle grade book. It was like discovering chocolate and fireworks. No
uncomfortable love scenes to write. No blood or murder. No detailed CSI-like
research.
Then, I wrote a
Young Adult book and found my true love. I’m not a dark, angsty person. More
fun-loving and a bit snarky. I still loved adventure, but I could add touches
of the mythical and magical to my stories. I’d found my personality and my
voice.
And the Lost Daughters of Atlantis series was
born. There’s romance and adventure and discovering of one’s self. Kind of like
how I discovered myself through my writing and wrote younger in the process.
If
you’re a writer, how did you decide on what genre to write? And if you’re a
reader, how do you choose what to read? Leave a comment today to be in the
running for a digital copy of ATLANTIS RIPTIDE.
Allie's
Bio:
Allie didn’t realize having so
many jobs would become great research material for the stories she writes. She has
been everything from a fitting room attendant to a bike police officer to a professional
mascot escort. She has lived on three continents and in four states and has
studied art, fashion design, marine biology, and advertising.
When her kids asked, “when are
you going to write a story we can read?” she switched from adult novels to
Young Adult and Middle Grade and hasn’t looked back.
Allie is a member of the Society
of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Romance Writers of America
including the Young Adult, Dallas Area Romance Writers and Heart of the Rockies
chapters. She is also a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Currently,
she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.
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31 comments:
Thanks for being with us today, Allie. I love the way you found your voice. What a great light bulb moment!
As for writing contemporary, it never occurred to me to write anything else. These are the characters and stories that show up in my head. I don't think I ever questioned it.
Oddly enough, I try not to read in my genre while I'm writing. I've been going for solid, character driven historicals and some light paranormal stuff lately. Right now it's Nancy Northcott's The Protector. So good!
Welcome Allie!
As a reader I do mostly choose what to read based on back cover blurbs and the mood I'm in. I read across almost all genres so I tend to hop around and it's really the blurb that has to get me excited.
As a writer, so far I'm jumping around too trying to find where my voice fits.
Welcome, Allie--I love your story of how you discovered your best writing voice/genre. That's wonderful. I love to read YA novels, so I look forward to reading yours. (Although I'm way past YA, I do love the adventure--and as you say, discovering one's self, which I think can be a lifelong process at times and therefore pertinent to everyone. AND everyone likes a blush of new romance too.)
I write contemporary, but if you look at my fits and starts (and stuff that I imagine would be good if I actually finished) I'd be all over the map: historical, paranormal blends, contemporaries, and I have a YA idea or two lurking about (in a Christopher Pike sort of way.)
I think my voice fits mostly with the contemporary--it's where my snark can go without much hassle, and I have my contemporary authors I read who seem to have discovered that exact thought as well--snarky, light, and fun. Kristan Higgins and Jill Shalvis prove that just because you're no longer 17 doesn't mean you can't be geeky, awkward, and weird when it comes to falling in love. *LOL*
Hi Allie, Welcome!
In my younger formative reading years I would browse through second hand book shops and select whatever tile or cover attracted me. So I developed a taste for fantasy, adventure, mysteries, medieval and historicals in general. In my older formative years I added a liking for romance to the mix. Now I tend to use recommendations from other readers as my guide.
If Terri thinks the lost daughters of Atlantis is good then I'm interested!
I thought that Atlantis was supposed to be an island not far from the Gibraltar pillars, possibly Ireland, so how come the action takes place in the Pacific?
I'm probably being a bit dumb here! LOL
Thanks for having me, Terri. Do you not read in your genre while writing because you're afraid it might influence or change your voice? Allie
That's it exactly, Allie. I pick up voices very easily. When I used to write my Monday blogs while watching Masterpiece Theater, they always came out sounding like an ode to Jane Austen no matter what the topic. So I have to be careful.
Ms. Hellion,
I think its fascinating that you can write over several genres. Think of all the interesting twists you can come up with and apply to each of the genres! Allie
Sabrina,
Jumping around can be fun, but when you find what's right for you, whether that's one genre or several, you'll know it. Allie
Quantum,
Great question about why my story takes place in the Pacific Ocean. A bit of backstory from the series is that King Atlas was so angry he destroyed the original Atlantis and the Atlanteans that survived moved on and formed a new underwater home. And interestingly enough, I recently read that Japanese scientists found a "Brazilian Atlantis" off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. So Atlantis could be anywhere. Allie
Hi Allie,
Great interview. I love the Atlantis myth--or truth. :) As for my historical voice, I think it comes from having an old soul.
I love that a question from your kids led you to the right genre for you.
I started out as a poet, and then I got caught up in nonfiction, mostly academic writing, which I still do a lot of as a freelancer. I started writing romance about seven years ago, and contemporary seemed the best fit for my voice. I just started a new project which is general fiction. It’s too early to know, but I’m hoping I will be more successful with it than I was with romance.
My reading tastes are fairly eclectic. I read a ton of romance, mostly historical and contemporary, but I also read poetry, historical fiction, women’s fiction, mystery, literary fiction, and memoirs. I’ve always read YA from my own tween years through more than a decade of teaching high school English and through another two decades teaching college students. Now I read YA titles recommended by the oldest grand. I’m definitely not part of the demographic, but I find that a good story is a good story, however it’s tagged.
For the record, Janga's romance is AWESOME. Don't let her fool you.
Q - I'm only at the beginning of Allie's book, but she sucked me right in.
As a reader, I choose what to read based on whether it passes the first few pages test. To get to that point, however, the book has to grab my interest and that happens in a variety of ways. For example, I'm a sucker for a great cover. Reader recommendations and reviews from trusted reviewers can do the trick. The suggestions over at Amazon, "if you like this, then..." work too.
I read a lot of YA, so Atlantic Riptide sounds right up my alley.
As a writer, I'm solidly SF/F with romantic elements. The one time I tried to write a contemporary, magic snuck in almost instantly,
Welcome aboard Allie!
Great blog!
As a reader, I look for stories with a good strong voice. I'm not stuck with a particular genre. I like all kinds.
Hi Sandy! Sandy Blair writes the best Scottish historicals with time travel elements. Love them! Allie
I thought that name looked familiar. Welcome to the ship, Sandy!
Janga, Sounds like you've had many adaptations of yourself but have also stayed close to the heart of writing. Have you thought about writing a novel in verse? Allie
P. Kirby - I find it interesting that you said magic sneaks into your writing. I find that happens to me a lot. I've got a second series I'm working on that started out to be a thief book but a bit of paranormal has snuck in. Allie
Christie, I love that you read everything that way you will never miss a good book! Then again, I'm sure your TBR pile is high. Allie
Ahoy Revengers!! Hey Allie! Isn't this one of the best group to blog with?
I've read RIPTIDE and loved it. Now I can't wait to read REDTIDE, the 2nd book in the series.
As for finding my voice or my genre...uhm...I tend to write all over the place, RS, historical, small town contemp, erotica...But then y'all already know that. :)
Hi Allie! I'm deep into Atlantis Riptide and I LOVE IT! I'm really glad you "reversed the aging process."
...My need to write western historicals started with my love of history--and my grandmother's wonderful stories of life on the North Dakota prairie.
Suz, Thanks for compliment. I'm really excited about this series. The third book Atlantis Rising Tide releases later this month.
And I've read Suz's book CLOSE TO HOME and loved all the quirky characters.
Sounds like you know how to multi-task with all the different genres. Allie
Hi Tracy! Your western historicals are so authentic. Maybe because you do that old-time western shooting group. Thanks for the kudos. And I can't wait for your next book. Allie
Hey there, Suzanne! We have a Bandit aboard! You're kicking butt. I can't even keep up with how fast you're turning out new books. Is there a pill I can take to help me write that fast?
Welcome aboard, Tracy. I'm loving the comeback that westerns are making. And it's especially cool to see that much of the spark behind it was self-pubs who put their work out and found the readers for it. Such fun changes happening these days.
Welcome, Allie! I love the idea for this series.
I've been around. I mean, around different genres. I started with a paranormal regency. Then a straight paranormal. Then a straight regency (with action and suspense). Now, I'm writing a contemporary upper YA.
I'm more comfortable here than I've been in a long time. We'll see how it goes. :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Marnee! Glad to hear from another YA writer. My YA's tend to lean toward the younger side of the genre. I was just talking to someone who's doing a regency YA. You could try that genre next! Allie
Hey Teri! I wish I could write this fast, too! I've had some of these books written for a number of years. I'm just about to the point where it's all new product now.
This is why I should have started writing years ago. :)
Thank you, Allie, for being with us today and for being such a great guest. You're welcome on this ship anytime, and I hope you'll come back to celebrate your next release.
Thanks Terri! I enjoyed the discussion. Allie
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