Today I’d like to welcome Liss Thomas to Off the Page chatting about her new book, Finding Monsters.
Liss Thomas was born and raised in Georgia without inheriting a Southern accent. Now she travels with her husband’s job across the country. She started writing a few years ago after having a vivid, grape soda induced dream! That lead to a 75K manuscript and a new obsession to write fun fiction.
You can find Liss online here:
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1. Tell a little about yourself, what you do when you’re not writing, what are your aspirations for the future?
I’m currently traveling with my husband who is a traveling nurse. We traveled from Georgia to California for his first stop! When I’m not writing, I enjoy the beach and bike riding. I’ve tried writing at the beach but I get distracted by people watching :). I hope in the future to be able to travel the country and even outside the country with my husband’s work. Writing while traveling would be the best occupation for me.
2. When and why did you start writing?
I started writing a few years ago. I had a weird sci/fi dream that my sister attributed to drinking grape soda at night :o). I wrote 75K words of a novel. Taking the advise of many authors, I put this ms away and started something new based on a writers prompt which has blossomed into a YA series.
3. If you could only read one book over and over again for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Belgarath the Sorcerer by David Eddings. It has fantasy, humor, thrills and a bit of romance. It’s also the first fantasy novel I ever read. I remember I was feeling sick and my sweet hubby started reading it to me. I loved it so much I had to finish.
4. Give us some back story about Finding Monsters, where and when did you write it?
This book started off as a series of short stories. I didn’t think about it as a novel until I was on a tweet chat with literary agents and received a suggestion to write my stories as a novel. Great advise! I started writing it probably about 2 years ago and am so happy to have it finished.
5. What inspired your story?
This story stemmed from a writers prompt.
6. What was your favorite part of Finding Monsters to write?
Mmmm, that’s a tough question. I think the best part was the world building. Creating a new world that is unique and beautiful and magical was probably the best part.
7. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Finding Monsters is the first novel in a series. I have currently completed two additional manuscripts and have outlined four additional books. I also have two prequels in the works.
8. Are you a Pantser or Plotter? Why?
I’m definitely a Pantser. Sometimes I layout what I want to happen but often the story knows which way to go better than I do.
9. Do you have any tricks to your trade, bottomless coffee, a magic pen, a special muse?
I think one of the things I do that help me write is to write what’s in my head at the time. Sometimes I have multiple stories in my head so if I’m writing book 2 and it’s just not coming together because my head is on book 4, I just switch over and start writing that book. I always have multiple books going at the same time. I follow the muse to whichever book my brain wants to write.
10. If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would it be and why?
Wow tough question. I like watching movies where women kick butt so I’d have to be one of those characters. I would probably be a X-men character Jean Gray (or the Phoenix without going crazy!). Or Black widow from the Avengers.
Feel free to leave a comment for Liss and don’t forget to check out Finding Monsters!
Missy is a fighter and a survivor but when she finds herself in a realm of unique and sometimes deadly monsters, the fight intensifies. Her monster, who accidentally brought her here, is weakened and unable to protector her. The only way she can increase her strength, and his, is to become a monster herself. But an unknown dark stalker watches her progress and if he steals her power, he will unleash it on both his world and the world she left behind.
