Please tell us a bit about yourself:
I’m a geek of many stripes, interested in everything from Doctor Who to superheroes to the odd craft project and slight obsession with personality quizzes (for me and everyone I know). My writing tends to reflect a lot of my varied interests. When I’m not writing or designing book covers, I’m chasing 3 kids and trying not to let the crazy military spouse life obliterate what sanity I have left. :)
Tell us about Evolution: ANGEL:
The goal of the Evolution series is to bring everything I love about comic books into novel format. The characters come from all walks of life, though it is primarily one hero's origin story, and it becomes an origin story for something much larger than that. It's a gamma-radiation-infused journey that looks at what it means to be a hero, including the sacrifices that come with accepting great power and what drives a person to become something more. It is NOT a YA story as it contains graphic language, adult situations, and violence (and all the feels as well).
What inspired you to write this particular story?:
It was one of those things that I never expected to write. I mean, I have an unfettered love for comics and their movies and superheroes, but never in my life did I ever think I’d be writing about them. I guess it just takes the right idea firing in your synapses. My kids were watching the Fantastic Four movie, and, after wandering off to tend to other things that needed doing, BOOM, idea hits me. Funny how those things work, isn’t it?
Please share a favourite snippet from your book:
Her senses exploded in every direction, pulled every which way by the water completely surrounding her. She swam along the bottom, addicted to the feel of the currents moving over her skin. Candace spun below the surface, like she was the center of a tornado, and plowed through to the far wall, finally surfacing with a gasp. She’d given up the swim team in seventh grade for track, but at the moment, she couldn’t imagine why. Now, swimming felt like the most natural thing in the world, maybe more than walking.
Scooping up a handful of water, she shaped it into one of her shimmering vines and wove it through her fingers, considering the weight of it, feel of it, the amount of force required to keep the shape and movement. Amused, she flung it away from her, like slinging spider webs from her wrist. She couldn’t keep from giggling. After a few rounds of that, she was back to swimming laps, twirling and twisting in the water for so long she started to feel overheated.
Candace slung her arms along the ledge, catching her breath and trying to cool down. The longer she stayed that way, the more something nagged at her. It wasn’t her that was overheated. The water was actually warmer than it had been. Frowning, she looked around. Still alone. Then what? Was her presence and ability causing the rise in temperature? She closed her eyes. After a minute or two, she let go of the edge, sinking down into the water to investigate. Her toes touched the bottom and she stabilized herself, letting the liquid surrounding her send the information she needed. Each molecule had a voice in her head, quiet, but there. She listened to them, trying to feel for any changes in their energy signatures.
The world exploded into warmth and motion as someone yanked her up by an arm, dragging her towards the surface. Forgetting where she was, she opened her mouth to scream, but got a huge gulp of water for her trouble. Candace found herself face down on the tiled floor, coughing up what she swallowed.
Terrified there was more coming, she scrambled to her feet to see who was responsible for scaring her shitless.
“Slow down, Sugar Plum. I think you’re safe now.”
She spun on the slick tile to face him. “Jackson? What the hell? What are you doing here?”
He was soaked from head to toe. Had he pulled her out of the pool? Why?
He scowled at her. “I was coming for a swim. That’s what people do in pools.”
Was he kidding? He was still in his clothes, shoes and all. “So, what, you have a thing against wearing swim trunks or something?”
“When I saw you stuck at the bottom I didn’t get that far. Why do you always need rescuing? It’s annoying.”
Her jaw dropped. “Rescuing? You thought I was drowning?”
Jackson looked confused. “You were down there a long time. That’s usually a good indicator of drowning.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You scared the crap out of me. I was fine. I was…” She stopped. How could she explain it?
“What?”
“Practicing,” Candace said with a sniff.
“Practicing?” Jackson chortled. “Practicing what, dying?”
Done arguing, she stomped past him, wrapping her towel around her and collecting her things. She was pretty sure everyone and their dog knew she had a water ability by now, and he definitely would, as closely as he seemed to watch her. The locker room wasn’t far and at least she’d be able to escape him there.
“You’re welcome, Sugar Plum.”
She threw him a withering glance. “I didn’t need your help, Jackson. Don’t pretend like this was anything more than an excuse for you to see me half-naked.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Done with him, she rolled her eyes and pushed open the door. Finally, this was one place he couldn’t follow her.
Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:
It seems to be different for every book for me. With the Evolution series, the first thing I thought of was the end climax of the book. From there, it became a matter of figuring out who those people were and what got them into that ultimate situation. With the Endure series, it was the setting and the main couple. The Steampunk Adventure I have coming out later this year, Master of Myth, it was the personality of my main character. And with the project I’m currently working on, it was the friendship between two opposite-personality women. So, it really varies a lot.
Any tips for aspiring authors?:
Stop aspiring and DO. The best piece of advice you can take to heart is to write and keep writing. The longer you do it, the better you get at it, and the easier it will get. The rest you can figure out using the Internet. ;)
Questions for fun:
If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?:
I prefer not to mess with time travel. Just thinking about it hurts my brain. One cannot calculate all the little changes its possible to make and what consequences those will have on the future. I think most things happen for a reason, and I wouldn’t be who and where I am today without where I’ve been before. And I’m okay with that.
What super-power would you choose?:
The one power I think would come in handy is the ability to temporally reverse non-living things. I’m not a fan of immortality, but being able to “rewind” an object to the moment before something happened to it would be insanely handy. Like that time I spilled coffee on my laptop. Or when a child takes a pair of scissors to the furniture. Now that’s a superpower anyone could use.
If you could have three wishes, what would they be?:
Without being able to wish for more wishes, I’d probably wish for a greater conscience for people who lack it. So much of today’s problems could be solved by people having a little more humanity in their decisions. I’d wish for the world to have greater literacy, and time and desire to read, because it’s scientifically provable that reading fiction makes people more empathetic, increases creativity (thus critical thinking skills to solve problems), and gives more understanding of the world around us. Then I would wish that everyone buy my books to read, because I’m only two-thirds selfless. LOL
Coffee, tea or wine?:
ALL THE COFFEE.
What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):
The Counte of Monte Cristo, followed closely by the works of Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers’ Guide and Dirk Gently series).
Favourite genre and why?:
This really varies for me. I write a lot of science fiction stuff, but my roots are really more in fantasy. Typically when I read, I’m more likely to read something paranormal in nature, but not necessarily romance. I’m not a big lit-fic or horror fan, but there are exceptions to every rule.
Favourite colour?:
Red. Always red.
Upcoming news and plans for the future?:
This year is going to be a big year for me, book-wise. All three Evolution books will be released by July, and then I have Master of Myth (a steampunk adventure) coming in September (Talk Like A Pirate Day!). It’s entirely possible I’ll have a fifth book crammed in sometime before New Years Eve as well, but I think four books in the wild is a pretty good goal for a 12-month period.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!
Title- Evolution: ANGEL
Series-The Evolution Series #1
Author- S. A. Huchton
Genre- New Adult Superhero Romance
Expected Release Date- March 6th, 2014
Blurb-
Candace Bristol has always been obsessed with comic books, but in a world where the nightly news often mirrors these inked stories, her dreams of becoming a real superhero could actually come true. After being rescued by members of the government’s AdvaNced Genetic EvoLution (ANGEL) Project four years ago, getting recruited for this elite team is all she's wanted.
Now 18, she's finally reached her goal after years of study and physical training, but little could have prepared her for life as a genetic experiment. As though coming to terms with her new ability to manipulate water isn't tough enough, she never expected to be swept off her feet by one of her fellow recruits.
With genetic alteration, the threat of physical and mental instability hangs over every superhero like a shadow. When one of their own tumbles over the edge of madness, Candace will have to choose between protecting the world, and saving the one who holds her heart.
Links-
About the Author-
A geek of all trades, Starla Huchton has been crafting stories in various genres since 2007. Her first novel, THE DREAMER'S THREAD was released as a full cast audiobook podcast, becoming a double-nominee and finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. After releasing short fiction of steampunk, noir fantasy, and other varieties, she released the first three books of the Sci-Fi Romance ENDURE series in 2013. All three books of the EVOLUTION series will be released in 2014, as well as a Steampunk Fantasy novel, MASTER OF MYTH (the Antigone's Wrath series, book 1), which was the first place winner of the Crested Butte Writers' contest, The Sandy, in 2012.
When not writing, Starla trains three Minions, a black lab, and a military husband whilst designing book covers for independent authors and publishers at designedbystarla.com.
Links-
Giveaway Info-
INTERNATIONAL-an e-copy of Evolution: ANGEL.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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