An Interview with Brenda Maxfield

Please help me welcome Brenda Maxfield to my blog today. She has a wonderful interview to entertain us.

BuriedTruthCoverArt_2If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

There are so many places I’d love to live. This week, I think I’d choose Rome. Rome amazes me! The energy is contagious. (Although, in the cold weather, I might opt for the Dominican Republic!)

Are you a full time writer or do you have a “day job”?

I teach high school English right now. Since I write YA, it works out quite nicely! 😀 My students give me lots of fodder for stories.

Tell us about your current series/WIP.

My current series is Ocean Mist which takes place on the Washington Coast. It highlights contemporary teen drama: romance, jealousy, revenge, illness, overcoming. You name it! (And I’d love to hear your ideas!)

What is your favorite part of writing?

I love creating characters and getting to know them. They surprise me sometimes. In Player, which is an Ocean Mist short story, one of my main characters turned out to be a total creep. I didn’t see it coming!

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Trying to fit it all in. I’m petitioning that days be lengthened to 28 hours!

How does your family feel about your writing career?

I’m totally blessed in that they support me and cheer me on. Especially my hubby! Sometimes, I’m holed up for hours in the evenings on my computer, and he flows. Or he comes and joins me with some quiet work of his own.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

Go for it! And there’s a WEALTH of information online to help you. Plus, there are many authors willing to give advice and support. I can’t even count how many times I’ve yelled, “Help!” and wonderful people have come to my aid. I try to return the favor whenever I can. 😀

What did you do to promote your work?

Facebook, twitter, yahoo groups! I’ve started a street team and would love to welcome new members! (http://brendamaxfield.com/join-my-street-team.html) I love to be a guest on blogs. I’m always trying something new and eagerly soak up advice from others.

Do you have critique partners?

I do! I have some marvelous critique partners through my local RWA group. I also belong to an online critique group. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my writing. I learn SO much from these wonderful people.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a plantser! I do some plotting, but I always add and tweak as I go. I don’t have all the details perfectly hammered out from the get-go. As I mentioned, my characters often sabotage my plans and enforce their own. It can be quite an adventure.

Where can readers find you?

I truly love to interact with my readers. If they go to www.brendamaxfield.com, they’ll see lots of ways to find me. My books are also on all the main vendor sites. If anyone would like to write me directly, my email is: contact@brendamaxfield.com Thank you so much!

MaxfieldPhoto_2Author Bio:

My passion is writing! What could be more delicious than inventing new characters and seeing where they take you?

I’m a teacher so I spend most of my waking hours with young people. I love chatting with them and hearing their views on love and life. My students are magical, and I am honored to be part of their lives.

I’ve lived in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Costa Rica. Presently, I live in Indiana with my husband, Paul. We have two grown children and a precious grandbaby, special delivery from Africa.

When not teaching, I love to hole up in our lake cabin and write — often with a batch of popcorn nearby. (Oh, and did I mention dark chocolate?)

I enjoy getting to know my readers, so feel free to write me at: contact@brendamaxfield.com . Visit me to learn about all my books and some smart and sassy, clean teen reads: www.brendamaxfield.com Happy Reading!

Contact Links:
Website: http://www.brendamaxfield.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrendaMaxfield
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6570620.Brenda_Maxfield
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrendaMaxfield
Blog: http://www.brendamaxfield.wordpress.com
Email: contact@brendamaxfield.com

Buy Links:
Player: Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kv2jmrn ;
Buried Truth: Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/nwojo8e ;
Smashwords for Buried Truth: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341243 ;
Ocean Mist Books: http://brendamaxfield.com/ocean-mist-series.html

Excerpt from Buried Truth:
Longacre High’s annual junior class beach bonfire had once again lived up to everyone’s low expectations. I stepped back from the blistering heat and watched the crackling sparks fly upward like disappearing flashes in the night sky. Beside me, Brianna jabbed a gooey marshmallow stick near my face.

I jumped and knocked into Courtney Phillip’s elbow. “Sorry, Court.” I turned to Brianna. “Watch out.”

Being Bri’s friend was like serving combat duty. Duck, hide, defend yourself. You needed to do it all.

“Ooo, sorry you guys. Mags, did I poke you?” She plunged the marshmallow stick into the sandy dirt at my feet.

“No, I’m fine.” Through the shadows, the stick vibrated back and forth like it was alive. “No one will want to use that anymore. Dirty s’mores aren’t exactly appetizing.”

Her dark eyes widened, and she pulled the stick from the ground. I grabbed it before she flailed it in somebody else’s face. “I’ll take it. No worries.”

I needed an excuse to walk over to the picnic tables anyway — Andrew was over there. Nobody surfed on this stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but Andrew still had the body of a surfer and a smile that made my legs turn to gummy worms. I held the stick point down and drifted over.

Andrew looked up, and his eyes roamed over me. At his half-smile, my knees went weak and my breath quickened. I tossed the stick on top of a wobbly stack of campfire supplies. To prolong my stay, I fussed with some graham crackers and chocolate.

“Not much of a s’more without the marshmallows.”

Andrew’s deep voice rolled easily above the joking and laughing around the fire. I opened my mouth, hoping for a smooth reply, but my voice stuck to the sides of my throat. I slapped some broken squares of chocolate onto the crackers and kept my eyes down.

“Are you getting s’mores ready for the entire junior class?”

One sentence and a question. Even though our school wasn’t huge, Andrew and I had never really talked, never really became friends. The most I’d ever gotten from him was a hey or a what’s happening — not that I kept score.

I raised my gaze to his and even in the flickering shadows I saw the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. I stifled a strange impulse to reach up and touch the rugged stubble on his face, but thank God, I kept my hands on the chocolate and crackers.

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