Interview with Claire Davon, Author of Air Attack
Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets find out a little more about Claire Davon and see what Air Attack is all about. Thanks for joining us!
Claire what inspired this particular story? The Elementals series has been in process for a long time. I don’t even remember where the original idea came from ten years ago but I do remember kicking around plot ideas with my brother back then. I wrote about half of what became Fire Danger before I hit a plot wall and stopped. When I picked it up again a few years ago that plot wall dissolved and I was able to move forward. The idea of a hidden, unseen world of paranormals around us with powerful immortal Elementals who are trying to protect the human race was one that I never forgot. I am glad I was able to bring it to fruition.
Do you have a secret to blast through writer’s block? I take my machete and hack away. I have a few methods I use, but the biggest one is to sit down in front of the computer and start writing. My brain may be telling me it’s terrible but I usually find that if I force myself to continue when I look back at what I’ve written it isn’t too bad. My first drafts are always a bit of a pastiche anyway since I’m a devoted pantser. The other method I use is to write around the block. In other words I will write on the other side of whatever is stopping me from continuing that particular scene. I may not know how they got from situation A to plot point B but I know they are going to get there so I can write that continuation and circle back to the original issue later. Often times writing that downstream stuff will let me know how to resolve the plot block.
Did you tell friends and family that you were writing a book? Or did it take a while to come out and tell friends and family you were a writer? I’ve been writing since I was ten or eleven and wrote throughout high school and college but stopped several years ago. When the writing bug finally shook me down and forced me back to the computer I had all these first drafts of stories that I wanted to do something with. I edited them and got generic covers and put them up on Amazon without telling anyone. Then out of the blue a college pal of mine who always supported my writing back then reached out to me on Facebook and said “ er, Claire, I was on Amazon…” She convinced me that I needed to move to the next level. I credit her for a lot of the online presence I have. As far as the daily process goes, I don’t tell most people (outside of my critique group) what I’m working on, because I’m a fast writer and I’m always working on something new. When stories are accepted then I will tell people the good news, otherwise it’s a bit of a moving target. I do tend to keep it low profile. I had a co-worker walk into my office after Fire Danger was released and pick up the book with a quizzical expression. I prefer to show results rather than deal in possibilities.
Where do your story ideas come from? If they come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down? My story ideas come from pretty much everywhere. I can be watching a Science Network show like Strange Evidence and a plot idea will come to me. If an idea comes to me in the middle of the night I have to write it down—thank god for the note app on my phone. I have lost many a good idea by thinking “I’ll remember that in the morning.” Yeah…not so much. Dreams are another place I get inspiration, whether or not they make sense. The kinds of dreams I have usually find their way into something paranormal or fantasy that I am working on. I recently wrote a dream down that I want to find a way to incorporate into a story. It’s about angels and threads of life and…well I’m not quite sure what it will be but the dream was compelling enough to get me up so there’s got to be something there.
What’s your favorite part of being an author? That I know it’s all going to work out. In life things are so mysterious and we never really know how things are going to go. Things may be going swimmingly one day and then the next…POW!…everything changes. Whether for the good or the bad it’s change out of the blue that you never expected. As a writer I strive to include those changes but I know they’re coming and how it’s going to work out (mwa ha ha).
Now my favorite part!
Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>
Favorite movie: Return of the King
Favorite book: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
Last book read: The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemison
Favorite color: Blue
Stilettos or flipflops: flipflops
Coffee or tea: coffee
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: audio
Pencil or pen: pen
Favorite song: Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars
Streak or not: nopers
Favorite dessert: chocolate cake
Favorite junk food: ice cream
Favorite thing to do to relax: watch TV
Champagne or gin: gin
Paranormal or Historical: paranormal
Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman
Favorite TV show: Lucifer
Hot or cold: hot
POV: 3rd
I’d die if I don’t have: my kitties
Review or Not: review
A Peek Between the Pages of Air Attack, Elementals’ Challenge Book 2
Currents of wind blew around and under them. Clea reached out to test the air. There was no need to supplement his gust with her own; he had more than enough. She cursed herself, wishing she had used her time to do more research before she had fled to the Elemental. She needed to know what Griffin’s strengths, and more importantly, what his weaknesses were. Only then would she know what to focus on and how she could help. She couldn’t lose any more family.
Inch by inch, her fear began to leave her as Griff’s strong wings beat in the currents. As they grew nearer, Griff again made the same hand motion he had before, and the sliding door pulled back.
“Neat trick.”
A rumble of laughter echoed in him.
He deposited her on the floor, landing her gently on her feet. Clea’s hands and face lost their chill in the warmth of his remote home. To her dismay, her heart was pounding and when cold left her, beads of fear sweat bloomed on her body. Griffin poured her another glass of wine from the same bottle as before, saying nothing. His wings once again folded against his back.
“That was interesting.” Small ripples danced across the red wine as Clea curved her free hand around the stem. In another moment, she would be shaking. Too much had happened too fast. “Why keep the basket?”
“He doesn’t need it to maneuver in air, but he likes to let the unwary believe what they will. Don’t underestimate Amai,” he said, steel in his tone. “The basket may look stupido, but he is ruthless and dangerous. He didn’t kill my predecessor by being a fool.”
Hoping her voice was level, Clea met Griff’s gaze. “I have learned not to misjudge anyone. Danger comes in many packages. Still, you’ve got to admit, it’s ridiculous.”
He flashed something that might have been a smile, but it was gone before she could be sure. “That’s the point. It’s a natural tendency not to take the ridiculous seriously, and he has caught many people by surprise that way. He was made into his current form by the primitive people of Mangaia, and he chooses to keep the trappings of his creation.”
Griff didn’t move, but he was in her mind, beating at her shields.
“Let’s talk, Clea. Who is Patrik?”
She opened her mouth to speak but before she had any words, there was a crack of thunder. It was followed by another one, and another, until their surroundings seemed alive with electricity. Clea’s hair floated out and Griffin’s feathers stood up. There was a fleeting impression of a hooked nose on his face, like a beak. For an instant, he looked like the half lion/half eagle that was his other form, before it faded to his normal countenance.
Wind kicked up and swirled outside the house, whipping small trees at the bottom until their branches bent close to the ground. It picked up snow, sending it coursing through the air, and bits of debris whirled in the currents. Griffin still hadn’t moved, cocking his head to one side.
“Amai’s parting shot. He can be a child,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
Griff’s power grew, almost a tangible force in him as he took in a deep breath. When he exhaled, the wind stuttered and then stopped swirling. It began churning in the opposite direction, rising away from the house. Lightning streaked down, but before it could crash to earth, Griffin caught it mentally and sent the electricity back up the path it had followed, lifting his hands as if to direct the path. In the distance, Clea heard a yelp before the storm ended as fast as it had manifested.
The buzz in her body subsided. There was no need for it yet. It may be best to keep her powers hidden until she had need of them. Amai was not the only one people often underestimated.
body subsided. There was no need for it yet. It may be best to keep her powers
hidden until she had need of them. Amai was not the only one people often
underestimated.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Air Attack!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Air Attack, Claire Davon, Elementals' Challeng Book2, Paranormal Romance by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
