26/03/2013 - Interview with Ashleigh Neame

By Wattpadder AoiSoraHime

INTERVIEW WITH ASHLEIGH NEAME

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and I still call it home, having lived there for all my life.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

The book I am working on at the moment is ‘The Second Venefica’, and if to sum it up, I would have to say it is a story about magic, finding your true self, and getting a second chance at life to fix your past mistakes.

If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?

If I gave my character Queen Liluri (from The First Vampire) the chance to speak freely, I’m sure she would tell us why she decided to cheat on her husband, why she fell in love with Lord Thaddeus, why she made him immortal, and what it’s like to be reincarnated as Lillian Ra’awa (from The Second Venefica).

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

The book I am working on now is my new book. It’s the first in a series, titled Venefica. There are 5 books in the series at the moment, all of which need to be written.

What books have influenced your writing?

My favourite book series is Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires, because her stories are so relatable, and despite their town being overrun by vampires, they don’t hide away like scaredy cats. They fight, and they survive. I really want my characters to be strong ones that leave lasting impressions, like Ms Caine’s ones do.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?

Rachel Caine, for sure. She came to my country a while ago but I never got to meet her because I was at school.

What book would you like to read again?

At the moment, my interest is divided by two books – A Respectable Girl by Fleur Beale, and Isle of Tears by Deborah Challinor. The reason for that is because at university, I have to read some good books about New Zealand, or by NZ authors for my Reading New Zealand class.

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?

I don’t think so. Books tend to have more detail, and often pull you in more. I’ve never seen a movie I couldn’t walk away from, except for the Back to the Future trilogy, but that doesn’t have a book version.

What book are you currently reading?

Two at the moment – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and James Potter and the Hall of Elders Crossing by G. Norman Lippert.

Are there any Authors that have grasped your interest recently and why?

Andrea Ashworth – for my Reading New Zealand class at uni, we had to read an excerpt from her book Once in a House Fire. It’s surprisingly good, and I really want to get that book out from the library.

Who designed the cover of your book?

AoiSoraHime, of course!

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t stop writing. Even if you get writers block, pick a thing (like sky, or water, for example) and just write nonstop for three to five minutes about that thing. It gets your creative juices flowing, and something in the garbled mess you’ve written might help you come up with a new idea for your story – thus creating an escape from writer’s block prison.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad.

I like to receive reviews – they help me improve as a writer. What I don’t like to see however, is comments like ‘This sucks!’ – ok, it sucked for you, but why? I also don’t like to see reviews like ‘Too short!’ when it is clearly stated that it is a SHORT story, as has happened on a couple of my short stories that I self-published.

List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?

1. A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness.

2. The Life and Times of Eliza Rose – Mary Hooper.

3. And Only to Deceive – Tasha Alexander.

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters?

For Lillian Ra’awa, I would like to see Alexandra Chando play her. I think she’s an amazing actress and fits with my idea of what the second Venefica should look like. Also, later in the series when a third Venefica comes into play, I think Nina Dobrev would be amazing. As for the villain, Lord Thaddeus, I’m not sure. Probably someone like Ian Somerhalder, who is really good at portraying a dark, evil personality. Or maybe Johnny Depp. He’s really good at bringing a written character to life on screen.