BRoP Interview with Pippa Jay

Hope everyone gets out/ got out and voted today.

Today's guest is Pippa Jay, A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her various characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 19 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
 
Blurb: Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the start with a wave of her hands.
But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through time and space with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?

Part 1 @ Teresa - Thursday, November 1st
Part 2 @ Emily - Friday, November 2nd
Part 3 @ Sandra - Monday, November 4th
Part 4 @ Dean - Tuesday, November 6th
Part 5 @ Terri - Wednesday, November 7th

Today we will visit about about Pippa's current work.  So, welcome to The Write Time and pull up a chair.
 

Tell us about your new book and when it is out? 

Where can people purchase it? Keir came out in digital format in May 2012, and as a print version in August. All the main digital retailers have it, like Amazon, B&N and Kobo. You can find the links on the Lyrical Press page here - http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_32&products_id=513 (pssst, if you buy the print version from The Book Depository, shipping worldwide is free!) 

Is there anything new, unusual, or interesting about your book? How is it different from other books on the same subject? 

I try not to make my scifi too tech heavy, and I use a lot of fantasy elements, so Keir isn't your average science fiction romance. Also my main characters have some unusual talents which have both good and bad consequences. 

What was the hardest part of writing this book? 

Finding the time to spend on it. When I started it, my youngest wasn't even at nursery and my middle child has only just started school. Plus I did most of it by hand to begin with, then transferred it onto the computer, so really I doubled the time it took.  

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? 

Oh, tough one! Um, I think the sections where my two MCs are stranded on a tropical island and have to face some truths about themselves - and each other. Because I don't plot, I didn't really know what was going to happen with them myself until I wrote it, so I was pleased with the result. 

Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it? 

That I'm pretty good at world building but needed to work on dialogue and on romantic tension. 

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this book? 

Yes. I'd remove their ability to time travel. It made it too complicated in the end, and also a couple of people said it wasn't explained well enough. I realised afterward that one of the key conversations about the time traveling rules got edited down, so that's why.  

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 

That beauty is not all about looks, and there's always a light in the darkness. 

Tell us about your book’s cover – where did the design come from and what was the design process like? The cover was created by Renee Rocco, the owner of Lyrical Press Inc. I had a form to fill out with a brief summary of the story, what the main characters looked like, the overall theme, and what ideas I had in mind. I was also allowed to send various images I'd collected as inspiration. The original draft didn't have any tattoos, though, which is an essential part of Keir's appearance, so my editor worked with some images, then ran them past myself and Renee. 

More places to find Pippa on the web:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/60031 

Blog: http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keir-Beyond-Redemption/114058821953752?ref=hl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pippa.jay.9

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5054558.Pippa_Jay

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pippajaygreen

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pippa-Jay/e/B0080QVWEE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/happarose

Other: Google+ https://plus.google.com/app/plus/mp/828/#~loop:a=g%3A101080630877126516448&view=profile

Lyrical Press http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_32&products_id=513

What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)? 

Keir is available in all digital formats and print 

The Bones of the Sea is available in digital formats only via Smashwords.com