Author Interview + Giveaway: K.C. Neal, author of Pyxis

Today, our guest is K.C. Neal, author of Pyxis! She's visiting The Fairytale Nerd for an author interview and a giveaway!

Most of K.C. Neal's days are filled with some combination of writing, reading, gardening, working, and watching stuff on Netflix with her husband and their maltipoo, Oscar. She has an irrational fixation with L.A., and during occasional trips there she pretends her life is more glamorous than it really is ("Entourage" is her guilty pleasure). She likes to surf and hang out on sandy beaches, especially where drinks are served adorned with tiny umbrellas.

Stalk her here: Twitter Blog

Welcome to The Fairytale Nerd! how are you today?
I’m great! Thanks so much for having me on The Fairy Tale Nerd, JoAnne.

So for the first question, tell me about your book.
Pyxis: The Discovery is a young adult paranormal fantasy, the first book in the Pyxis Series. The main character, 16-year-old Corinne, discovers there are two universes - the waking universe we live in every day, and a universe our minds enter when we're asleep. Her destiny is to protect a weakness between the two universes, to keep evil and harm from cycling between them, but the person who was supposed to teach her everything she needs to know died unexpectedly. Her friend Mason has a role in all of this, too, and together they search for answers. I don't want to give away too much, but there are some fun paranormal elements to the story - ESP, pyrokinesis, things like that. I think readers will find it a fast-paced read that's full of mystery.

What is the message (from your books) that you want to convey to your readers?
I’m not sure I really intended a specific message for my readers. But I hope I wrote a book that entertains, and that stands out as being unique compared to other YA paranormal series they’ve read.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’ve discovered I’m kind of a tactile writer. I like to use note cards for outlining. During revision I like to print out pages, cut them up and write on them and rearrange them. I haven’t heard of anyone else who uses scissors as a revision tool! If I could do it, I’d handwrite the first drafts of my books using paper and pen. But that’s probably not practical - my hand would turn into a claw, and I’d have to transcribe the handwritten pages to a computer file.

What scares you the most?
The thought of being alone. Not solitude - I enjoy time to myself - but being alone in life, no family, no close friends.

Who is your hero in real life? What about in books?
Hmm… I don’t think I have a real-life hero. I’m very goal- and achievement-oriented, so I admire people who strive toward their goals through authenticity, and who help others as they’re advancing or improving themselves. I especially admire people with vision, who have the courage to try something new or different, because being a trailblazer means taking on risk and can really open you up for criticism.

One book hero is Ender Wiggin, from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, for the way he gracefully takes on an enormous burden of leadership (and he’s only 7 years old or something crazy like that). Another book hero is Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, because he sacrifices his life for someone else.

The one who loves you or the one you love?
The one I love

Batman or Superman?
Batman

Boxers or Briefs?
How about boxer-briefs? :)

Apartment or dorm?
Apartment

Viral epidemic or nuclear explosion?
Viral epidemic

Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia?
Harry Potter

Fantasy or reality?
Fantasy

Blind or deaf?
Deaf

Christmas or Halloween?
Christmas

What is your next project?
I’m currently working on outlining Alight: The Peril, Book 2 in the Pyxis Series. I left a lot of questions unanswered in Pyxis, and readers are already telling me they’re eager for Alight. I hope to get a good portion of it drafted before the end of the year.

BUY

Pyxis

by K.C. Neal

Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend Mason. Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path. Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world--and the dark world of her dreams. She races to find the answers she seeks before her nightmares break free.