About Red Dawn (Crossroads Academy #2)
Katia's done running. She's fought fiercely to protect her identity, her secrets, and those she loves most. And while it hasn't been easy, she's finally making peace with the past. Katia's even looking forward to the start of a new school year at Crossroads Academy.
Too bad things at Crossroads are going to be a little different this fall. There are new rules, new students, and new relationships. Katia quickly discovers that navigating the halls of Crossroads is as complicated as ever.
When a friend's life is at stake, Katia will be forced to choose between the safety of Crossroads and an enemy more dangerous than any she's ever faced. Will Katia have the courage to risk it all -including her life- for a friend?
Crossroads
(Crossroads Academy #1) - Available now!
When
Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t
exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most
powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing
could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she
goes. So does trouble.
Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.
Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.
Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.
Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.
Goodreads: Crossroads |Goodreads: Red Dawn | Amazon: Crossroads | Amazon: Red Dawn
Interview with J J Bonds
Hi Ashley!
Thanks
so much for having me at Fire Star Books today! I’m pretty excited
about throwing caution to the wind and jumping into the inferno with
you and your readers! I can honestly say that the best part of the
Red Dawn blog tour is getting to ‘meet’ bloggers and avid readers
like yourself! Getting to talk about my writing feels an awful lot
like a bonus!
1.
If you could work with any author who would it be?
Is
this stump the author day? Just kidding. There are so many amazing
authors that it would be difficult to choose just one! How about my
top three (in no particular order)? JK Rowling. Veronica Roth. RL
Stine.
I
do! I love the idea that the names of central characters have
significant meaning and can give the reader additional insight into
who they really are as people (or, you know, in this case, vampires).
All of the key characters in the Crossroads Academy series have names
which convey a little something extra. For example, Katia means
‘pure’ and Nikolai means ‘victory of the people’. If you want
to know the rest, you’ll have to check the web!
3.
What advice would you give to people who "run out of creativity"
when writing?
Running
out of creativity? No way. That could never happen to a writer.
*shakes head in disbelief* Seriously though, this probably happens to
all of us at one point or another in our careers. I personally like
to take a step back from my work and try to pay more attention to the
world around me. As a writer, it’s easy to get lost in your own
head or the world that you’ve created, but there’s a lot of good,
inspirational ‘stuff’
going on in the real world too! Sometimes it helps to take a break
and just live a little!
4.
How long did it take you to publish your first book, after you
started trying?
I
spent a few months pursuing the traditional route --querying agents
and seeking representation-- and
although I got a few bites, nothing came of it. When I saw the
success of other indie writers like JL Bryan and Amanda Hocking, I
decided to take matters into my own hands. I hired an editor and a
designer and I got busy researching publication. It turned out to be
much easier than I’d expected, although it’s a LOT of work! I’d
say it was about 5 months from start to finish, although most of that
time was spent on editing. I didn’t want to move forward until I
was certain that Crossroads was the best it could possibly be. For
Red Dawn, the process moved much faster as I already knew what needed
to be done and had contacts in place.
5.
How did you come up with the title?
I
don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say that Red
Dawn is the driving force behind the entire story! Have I piqued your
curiosity? Sweet!
Mission accomplished!
6.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Can
I give a two part answer? I read a lot of Christopher Pike and RL
Stine growing up and they really lit the fires for YA literature and
all things paranormal. Growing up, I devoured just about every book
these authors wrote. I also have to give credit to Stephenie Meyer
and the Twilight series as I had moved away from YA for quite some
time and the series really brought me back to my roots.
7.
What book are you reading now?
I’ve
committed my summer reading list to indie authors and at the moment
I’m reading ‘What a Boy Wants’ by Nyrae Dawn. A few of my
favorite bloggers gave it rave reviews, so I just had to check it
out!
8.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I
love Veronica Roth! I’m so impressed with her writing and the
success she’s found as such a young author. I can’t wait to see
what she creates after the Divergent series.
9.
What are your current projects?
I’m
currently working on the third and final book in the Crossroads
Academy series. It’s still in the very early stages of outlining,
but I can promise fans that the series will go out with a bang!
10.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your
latest book?
No
way! I wouldn’t move forward with publication until I was
comfortable and confident that the story was just right. Otherwise,
it wouldn’t be fair to the readers. I want to know that the book is
the best it can possibly be when I put it out there for the world to
see.
11.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
This
is a tricky question for me. I wrote Red Dawn relatively quickly as I
knew where the story was going, but I quickly discovered that there’s
a lot more pressure when it comes to writing the second book in a
series. There’s the whole ‘second book syndrome’ which weighs
on your mind and which you desperately want to avoid. I’d lay awake
at night worrying that Red Dawn wouldn’t live up to readers’
expectations.
Now
that I’ve finished the manuscript, I‘m not so worried about it. I
feel really good about the book and am confident readers of the
series will be pleased with the newest installment. Red Dawn has a
faster pace, even more action, and some, shall we say, steamy
developments.
12.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
At
the risk of sounding trite, here it is: Don’t. Ever. Give. Up.
Ever. I can’t stress that enough. If you’re passionate
about literature and writing, you will be successful. Writing
isn’t easy. It’s a ton of work. (I’ve never worked so hard in
my life.) It’s lonely at times. (Even for an introvert like me.) It
takes thick skin. (Some people are going to hate your work-- and want
to tell you about it.) But it’s also very rewarding. (You will make
new friends, connect with other writers, and push yourself to new
heights.) I don’t write for fame and fortune (although I’m sure
that would be nice!), I write because I love it. And that’s
what keeps me motivated!
13.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
THANK
YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I couldn’t do it without you guys! Your
support means more to me than you can possibly imagine. I can’t
even begin to convey the feeling of euphoria I get when I receive a
message asking about the next book or giving me feedback on the
characters you loved, hated, or loved to hate!
Thanks
again for the great interview Ashley! I hope I’ve given the readers
of Fire Star Books some insight into Red Dawn and the Crossroads
Academy series. I’m pretty sure they now know more about me than
they ever wanted! ;-)
J.J.
Bonds is an independent author who writes Young Adult Paranormal
Romance & Urban Fantasy. Her debut novel, Crossroads, was
released in fall of 2011. It is the first in the Crossroads Academy
series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her love of all
things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband,
daughter, and two rambunctious dogs.
Connect with JJ:
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
There is a large giveaway for the J.J. Bonds Street Team -- details at this link: http://www.jjbonds.com/streetteam.
I love this cover, it's beautiful and it sounds awesome.. Great interview. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteJenea @ Books Live Forever
Hi Jenea! Thanks for checking out the tour! All of my covers are done by Rachel at Parajunkee design. She's a rock star! Good luck in the giveaway!
ReplyDeletei;m looking crossroad in the book depository but they don't sell it...
ReplyDeletei want to buy crossroad...so sad :(
thx 4 the chance of win...
Hi Nurmawati
ReplyDeleteYou can buy them from Amazon!
You won't be disappointed.
thanks for the awesome giveaway can't wait to read the book
ReplyDelete