Featuring Felicia Tatum: An Interview and a Review of The White Aura

My guest today is Felicia Tatum, awesome author of The White Aura series. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her recently, and that included a book swap, where I had the opportunity to read the first book in her series, The White Aura.

Below I have my honest review of The White Aura, as well as an interview with Felicia. Both the book, and the interview, are definitely worth checking out!

If you are interested in being featured on the blog, you can submit here.

The White Aura Review

The White Aura by Felicia Tatum (Book 1 of The White Aura Series)

Olivia is a high school senior who has been having dreams about the mysterious “Mr. Sexy” for months. The dreams leave her confused but also filled with happiness, though she has no way to know if they are real or a figment of her teenage imagination. Little does she know that they are, in fact, real: Scott, a powerful fifth-generation sorcerer has discovered that Livvy is his heart mate, but due to a family curse, he cannot meet her just yet or she will die. He instead visits her in her dreams, and watches over her, keeping her safe.

Meanwhile, one of the most popular guys in the school, Aiden, starts taking an interest in Olivia. She isn’t sure how to feel about his advances, and finds herself conflicted between what is going on in her dreams with “Mr. Sexy” and what is happening in real life with Aiden. As the story progresses, more is revealed about everyone’s intentions- from Aiden to Scott- and Olivia has no clue about the danger she is in.

Tatum had a very interesting premise with this book. She combined YA with paranormal into a story that works very well. There were plenty of times where I thought I knew what was coming next, but her plot twists were both unexpected and believable. She also created a very vivid supporting cast- from Olivia’s best friend, to Scott’s family- that helped guide Olivia through a rollercoaster of experiences throughout the book.

Olivia is a typical teenager in that her thoughts and desires are sometimes all over the place. One of the only places I struggled in the book was with Olivia’s oft-changing opinions of Aiden and his intentions, but, admittedly, its been a few years since I was her age.

The book ends on a heart-stopping cliffhanger, but never fear; the second book in the series, The Vessel, is already out, with the third coming this fall.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I haven’t been fortunate enough to get as much time to read lately, and yet I could not put it down, which is a testament to my enjoyment. I am getting ready to read the second book, and will most definitely also be picking up the third.

A note for parents of YA readers: The book is definitely appropriate for your teenagers.

 

Interview with Felicia Tatum

1. Tell us your name, and a link to where we can find you (blog, Facebook, etc).

   Felicia Tatum present! Find me at www.facebook.com/feliciatatumwriter, www.feliciatatum.com, or http://www.twitter.com/sassybrunette55

2. How many books have you written? This can include both published and unpublished works. Describe each of them in 1-2 sentences apiece (if published, feel free to include the links as well).

   2 ½. The White Aura, The Vessel, and Mangled Hearts. The White Aura and The Vessel are part of a series, books one and two, about sorcerers, friendship, family, and of course, love. You can find them here:  Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Mangled Hearts is my WIP so I’ll tell about it below.

3. Tell me a little bit about your current WIP.

   Mangled Hearts is an adult romance novel about two people who rediscover each other after years apart. High school kind-of sweethearts Francesca and Cade are thrown together in an unlikely situation and both fight for what they want. Cade wanting Francesca, Francesca wanting to not want Cade.

4. What does writing preparation look like for you? Do you do full outlines and character profiles, or do you just start with a general idea and write?

   It’s varied with every book! I made a short outline for Mangled Hearts and The Vessel, but with The White Aura, I just wrote. I had a dream about it and went with it.

5. Editing is a challenge for many writers. Give us some of your tips for editing efficiently and well.

   Well, I pay attention to my editor when I mess up on something over and over. I look to make sure I’m not repeating words too closely together, and just try to do the best I can.

6. Research is another challenge writers face, but is an important part of the writing process. What are some of your research tips?

   I’ve had to research alcoholism, because Cade is an alcoholic. I’ve asked facebook fans for help, I’ve googled, and asked people that have lived in the situation, sadly. They are a lot of help and I thank them so much for reliving the horrid details to help my story.

7. if you have been published (self or traditionally), what type of marketing did you find worked the best for you? What was the least helpful?

   The most helpful is reviews…people like reading them, it helps readers find new books, and it’s a great way to get the book on lists. The least helpful? I’m not sure…I haven’t done this, but I’ve noticed some authors promo their book over and over and over again. I don’t think that’s helpful.

8. What genre do you write in? What are some of the challenges to writing this particular genre well?

   YA fantasy/paranormal romance and romance. I think the most difficult for the YA is finding ways to make the unnatural believable. And for romance, it’s keeping the story real and interesting.

9. What advice would you give to a writer who is starting out?

   Write your heart out and connect with other authors. We’d love to talk to you : )

10. What are your writing, editing, marketing, and research goals for 2013?

    I hope to publish 3 books and get them to as many readers as possible. I’m 1/3 of the way there 🙂

11. Pretend I am from a publishing house and you are looking for me to take on one of your books. Pitch it to me in 1-2 paragraphs.

    Oh gosh, I have no idea how to pitch. Here goes nothing:

Hello, I’m the author of The White Aura, a story about love, friendship, family, and sorcery. I believe it will be very welcomed for the YA genre.

Finally, is there anything else you would like your readers to know?

I appreciate you, I love you, and I love connecting with you! If you read my words, you are a rock star in my world. ❤