Author Interview: Rachel Wells, author of Enchanted

Everyone, please welcome Rachel Well, author of Enchanted! Thank you so much for visiting The Fairytale Nerd!

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Hi Rachel! Welcome to The Fairytale Nerd! For the first question, tell me about your book. Do you have plans to write another book?
My book, Enchanted, is a YA paranormal romance. More heavy on the paranormal/supernatural side than the romance side though.. It’s about a girl who moves to a beach town from the city and realizes she has some special “abilities”. Although at first she wants more than anything to blend in and nothing to do with the abilities, she gradually learns to accept who she is. Along the way she uncovers some interesting history about the town and helps right past occurrences. I definitely want to write another book and am toying with the idea of making my first book into the first of a series. I have other ideas too, but for right now my main objective is helping my first book find its place in the world.

Give me three of your favorite books.
Little Women, Sister Carrie, and the Twilight series.

What is the worst thing about being a writer? What is the best?
The worst thing is trying to find time to actually write. With three kids it’s hard. The best thing is knowing that other people took time to read what I wrote, and hopefully they enjoyed it!

What is the message (from your book) that you want to convey to your readers?
More than anything, I wrote this book for fun. I didn’t intentionally write it and try to convey any sort of message to anybody. But the one message I do think you can find in it is to accept who you are and to believe in yourself.

Who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve always loved to read and I think reading and writing go hand in hand. It wasn’t any one person or event that convinced me, it’s just something I found I enjoy.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I hate writing with anyone around me. I like to be alone in a room by myself and absolutely hate it if I feel like someone’s reading over my shoulder. I also need music playing!

If you could change one character in your book, who would it be? Why?
I don’t think I’d change anybody. Everybody has a reason they are the way they are in my book and if I changed a person I’d probably change the whole story.

Any advice for aspiring writers?
As I feel that I’m still aspiring myself, it’s hard to give advice! The one thing I would say is that if you self-publish there are a lot of resources out there that I never knew existed, such as book bloggers! I think they can really make a difference in getting the word out about your book.

What is your greatest achievement?
After my kids, I’d say finishing my book and giving it my all! Corny, huh? J

What is the characteristic you most deplore in people?
I hate rude people. I really don’t feel any situation you could be faced with validates being rude to anybody.

Whose is your hero in real life?
It’s hard to choose just one. I have a thing for Abraham Lincoln though. His story just amazes me…how he came from pretty much nothing and worked his way up in the world. The road he traveled was just incredible.

What about in books?
I love Jo in Little Women. She’s a writer and I can totally identify with her.

Give me one memory from your childhood that influenced a character in your book.
I can’t say my characters were influenced by my childhood, but the setting certainly was and a lot of feelings in the book were inspired by my own memories of my teenage years.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Honesty.

If you are invisible, what is the first thing you would do?
Ha, I’d probably go over and snoop through my neighbor’s house! I swear they never leave and I’m curious as to what goes on inside! J

Choose: the one who loves you or the one you love
The one I love

Choose: super strength or super intelligence
Intelligence

Choose: hugs or kisses (the real ones, not the chocolates)
Hugs

Choose: cut or splinter
Ouch! Definitely cut.

Choose: flowers or candies
Flowers

Thank you for your time Rachel! 

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Rachel is giving away two eBooks of
ENCHANTED!

Enchanted
by Rachel Wells
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An Excerpt

Suddenly Mandy remembered hanging out with Ally’s friends and the conversation that had taken place. “Nana, actually I wanted to talk to you…” Mandy trailed off, unsure what to say and feeling almost foolish for bringing up such obviously made up tales.

“What is it? Cat got your tongue?” Mandy’s grandmother chuckled.

“Well, you know I went out with Ally last night and she introduced me to some of her friends,” Mandy began.

“Yes, nice bunch of kids,” Nana nodded approvingly.

“Yeah, they seemed all right. There was one guy, though, Henry…”

“Hank Hinkles’ grandson,” Nana interrupted.

“Um, yeah that’s what Ally said,” Mandy paused.

“So?” Nana urged.

“Well, I don’t know, Nana. It sounds stupid now, but he was saying some stuff. Maybe trying to scare me or get a rouse out of me or something…”

“Saying what, Dear?” Nana’s green eyes looked coolly at Mandy.

“Well, he was talking about some supposed witch that used to live here forever ago…Mary Nasson? He was saying crazy stuff, like we were her descendants and that his grampa, Hank, thinks you’re a witch!” Mandy snickered. Hearing it out loud made it sound even more absurd.

Mandy looked up at Nana, realizing she was not joining in the laughter. She was still looking in Mandy’s direction, but it was as if she was seeing something else. “Nana?” Mandy asked, slightly alarmed. 

“C’mon, Mandy. We’ve got to get these arrangements out front,” Nana responded.

“Yeah, but Nana, did you hear what I said? Hank thinks you are a witch!” Mandy laughed again, weaker this time.

“Well that’s not a nice thing to call someone, now is it Mandy?” Nana shook her head, muttering under her breath. 

“What do you mean it’s not nice? I think it’s just bizarre! I mean, come on! This is not the Dark Ages! Everyone knows there’s no such thing as witches!” Mandy spit out.

Nana eyed Mandy seriously again. “Sometimes, Mandy, you will find that things in this world are not as they seem. Everything is not black and white. There is a grey area.”

“Yeah, we’re in it,” Mandy snorted.

“Child, there is color in everything if you look for it. There is excitement in with the dull. There is light in the dark. There is new in the old. There are things yet unknown. And there is mystery in knowledge.” Nana nodded her head pertly at Mandy.

“What? Nana, really, in English!” Mandy was getting exasperated now. Here she was just trying to clear up some stupid nonsense, and it was like her grandma was just making it more confusing for her on purpose.

“Deary, Mary Nasson was no witch. But she did have a certain kind of ability. She was talented in healing and in helping, and that made people leery of her. Rumors spread that she was a witch. But we prefer the word healer, or if you must, white witch. The term witch just infers a different kind of image, a darker one. Say from a nasty fairy tale…” Nana’s voice trailed off, weighing the different meanings of the term.

Mandy’s mind was beginning to spin again, but she had latched on to one word her grandmother said that seemed to be a door to more information. “We?” Mandy asked.

“We, as in the other healers and I,” Nana said quietly.

“Other… healers,” Mandy choked out.

“Yes dear, I’m not the only one, you know. It’s inherited, usually. But there are other ways.”

“Wait. Nana, what are you saying? You are a healer, or a white witch, and there are others?” Mandy was shaking her head, not quite believing this conversation was actually happening.

“Yes, Dear. Actually I’m quite surprised you made it this long without noticing or hearing!” Nana’s eyes crinkled up in that familiar way again as she laughed quietly. Mandy just stared at her grandmother. She was pretty sure her mouth was open but for some reason didn’t feel the need to close it. “Mandy, didn’t you wonder what made your parents move so suddenly up here when you’ve lived in Boston your whole life?”

“Dad got a job offer…my parents like it up here…you live here…they said it was time we lived closer because we’re family…” Mandy stuttered.

“Well, those things are all true. But there’s one more reason, Mandy. You’re not a little girl anymore. You’re practically grown. It’s time you learned the gift.”

“The gift?”

“Healing, dear. It’s what we do.”

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Giveaway Rules:

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Contest ends on SEPTEMBER 10, 2011.

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