Today on the blog, I’d like you to meet Leia Stone. I recently finished reading her novel KEEPER which I greatly enjoyed. To share a bit about Leia, she is a full time indie author with several successful novels under her belt, including the well-received Matefinder series.
Her novel, KEEPER, is a fun read that will leave you wanting more. You can read my editorial review on Young Adult Book Central.
Now, let’s ask Leia a few questions, so you get to know her a little more:
As an author, I’m always curious to learn the way other writers go about their craft. Tell us, how does a day of writing look for you? And what makes a writing day IDEAL?
Ideally my kids are not around and I absolutely love writing first books in a series. Those seem to fly out of me at rapid pace. My least favorite book is the final one. So many loose strings to deal with and it’s sad to say goodbye to those characters. I generally write for about 2 hours a day and then do social media for about an hour or so. It’s pretty much the best job in the world.
It sounds like a dream! I love Anya in Keeper, can you tell us how you go about crafting such a strong fictional character?
I was raised by a single mother and my grandmother also was really involved in helping raise my brother and I. I was constantly surrounded by strong women growing up who didn’t take crap from anyone and who had to do everything themselves. I think that definitely bleeds into my
writing. I’m a sucker for a strong female lead.
They are definitely the best characters. Tell us more about the series. How many books will there be? When does the next one come out?
Because this is a spin off series of sorts I haven’t decided if there will be one more book or two. There are definitely some issues in the human world that need to come to a head. My stories have always sort of written themselves, so I guess we will see.
The more the merrier. I’m sure readers won’t complain to have more from you. You are the co-author of the widely successful Hive Trilogy, could you tell us about the joys and pitfalls of co-authoring? And how do you make it work?
I LOVE co-authoring. So so so much. Jaymin Eve is like my long lost sister. When we write together magic happens. Where I am stuck, she figures it out and vice versa. We are nearly done with book one in a new series together (Queen Heir, NYC Mecca Series) and we just started it a few weeks ago. It’s crazy how fast we can write together, we get so sucked into these stories. Plotting is so much easier with another creative partner. There really are no pitfalls. We are both use to being the boss but we also compromise easily. She has great taste in cover design and all of that so we really haven’t had any issues.
That is fantastic! Makes me wish my BFF liked to write 😉
Rapid Fire Questions
Pantser or Plotter?
I actually had to google ‘pantser’ lol but yes I generally wing it. My stories come from a place of creativity that can’t be planned too much.
Favorite shape shifter book that you didn’t write?
Mercy Thompson series hands down!
Favorite Indian cuisine dish?
Mmm Chaat Samosa!
You have twins. Anya and Jaxon in KEEPER are twins. Any relation?
No relation but my niece’s name is Anya =)
Now, If you’d like to win a paperback copy of Leia’s KEEPER, here is your chance.
One winner. International.
Bio:
Leia Stone is a full time writer and mother of twins. When she isn’t writing or kiddo wrangling, her nose is shoved in a good book. She lives with her husband and family in Portland, Oregon. She loves Indian food and is a vegetarian.