Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring A.L. Davroe + Giveaway!

Bio: 

   A.L. (Amanda) Davroe writes both YA and adult speculative fiction. She prefers revisionist tales in paranormal, romance, Steampunk, and fantasy. By day, Amanda lives in Connecticut with her two feline hench-creatures and makes cheese.  She's a terrible blusher, has a weak spot for cuddly animals, loves Laffy Taffy and Cadbury MiniEggs, and she's a huge advocate of alternative healing methods.  Amanda also wears purple shoes and corsets...Though not always in the same ensemble.  She's a Capricorn, a Hufflepuff, a bit gothic, and a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal.
Author Website: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Twitter: @ALDavroe
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALDavroeFanPage
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5212441.A_L_Davroe
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/RBlXP

What she has written:

   She has written: 

For Your Heart (Hill Dweller -- Retellings #1), 

The Alchemist's Perfect Instrument (City Steam #1), 

The Krie Seekers (City Steam #2),

 Salvation Station, 

and Nexis (Tricksters, #1).

Special GIVEAWAY!!!

   Enter bellow for a chance to win a signed copy of Nexis by A.L. Davroe! (US/CANADA only)

Synopsis of Nexis:

    In the domed city of Evanescence, appearance is everything. A Natural Born amongst genetically-altered Aristocrats, all Ella ever wanted was to be like everyone else. Augmented, sparkling, and perfect. Then…the crash. Devastated by her father’s death and struggling with her new physical limitations, Ella is terrified to learn she is not just alone, but little more than a prisoner.
    Her only escape is to lose herself in Nexis, the hugely popular virtual reality game her father created. In Nexis she meets Guster, a senior player who guides Ella through the strange and compelling new world she now inhabits. He offers Ella guidance, friendship…and something more. Something that allows her to forget about the “real” world, and makes her feel whole again.
    But Nexis isn’t quite the game everyone thinks it is.
    And it’s been waiting for Ella.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now on to the Interview!!!
1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

    I started really writing for my own pleasure and enjoyment when I was a Freshman in high school.  So, about 13, since I started high school a little early.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

    Well, there are a few things that writers want for their readers.  I want them to be entertained.  I want them to push their imaginations and their capacity for human understanding.  I’d love to be able to touch them in a certain way with my message or give them a friend/companion/kindred-spirit in my characters.  I want to make them love reading and to want more.  I want to maybe even inspire them!

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

1.      Don’t be afraid to work hard, put yourself out there, and take rejection like a boss.
2.      Don’t lose the pleasure you get out of writing or sell-out because you want to be published – your work will suffer without the spark that drives your muse.
3.      It’s all about luck, timing, and who you know.  You could be the next J.K. Rowling, but even she struggled and almost didn’t get where she is now, so don’t give up on yourself.

4) What is your favourite novel, why?

    I’m that awful, indecisive type that doesn’t have one.  It depends on the day, the week, the year.  And even then, I can’t even tell you, LOL!  I usually say Wild Magic by Tamorah Pierce because that was the book that got me writing my first novel, so it’s the most influential in my life.

5) Who is your favourite author, why?

   I say Neil Gaiman just because he’s kind of my idol.  I do love his work, but I also love who he is as a person, what he stands for as a creative being, and his mind.  I think that it’s important to be more than just a good writer.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing?

   I do love watching my shows, hanging out with my friends, going to museums and shows, I dabble in the arts and I love to dance.  I also read, obviously, LOL!

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

   Must be my mother.  She always encouraged me to do what I wanted and be myself.  I don’t think she ever really understood me half the time, but she humored it and in doing so, she provided me an infinite, loving space to experiment and grow in.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?

   Visit Disney, learn an instrument, learn a language, learn how to fire-dance, and have a dog.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory?

   I did a lot of sleep walking when I was a child.  My mom was still in grad-school, so I stayed with my grandparents or my aunt a lot of the time when she has night classes.  Once, when I was staying with my grandparents, I slept-walked – somehow moving the chair to the counter, then pouring the gum-drops in the flour container.  My grandmother discovered them the next morning when she was making me pancakes.  When prompted to explain myself, I made up an elaborate explanation (which is recorded on a cassette tape) about having woke up in the night and witnessed “The Gumdrop Monster” performing the deed.  Even as a kid, I apparently was destined to be a spinner of tall tails.

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

   Don’t be afraid to be yourself.  I know that sounds so totally cleche, but I feel like it is harder than ever for people to grow up without being exposed to unrealistic expectations for who and what they should be.  I think there is a lot of pressure on all sides for people to conform and a lot of that pressure comes from people’s own peers.  We see lots of snap chats and instagram photos and we think we need to look like someone or be outrageous and get so many likes on our videos.  We think we need a boyfriend or to be popular.  But, some of the most amazing, influential people were the ones who quietly went about their own business doing what their hearts told them to do -- not doing ice bucket challenges or getting their lips stuck in bottles or acting like someone else to attract the attention they wanted.  So, be yourself so that the people who love you for who you are can find you.