Interview With Apryl Baker + Giveaway!!!

Hey, people welcome the hell back to my blog. Today I'll be interviewing Apryl Baker a Wattpad Star, Ambassador, and USA Today bestselling author! Scroll down below for her bio, then the interview and finally the giveaway! Keep your eye out for a review of her novel TOUCH ME NOT as well (it's the book that is in the giveaway).

Apryl Baker - USA Today Bestselling Author, Wattpad STAR and AMBASSADOR, and author of The Ghost Files series.

So who am I? Well, I'm the crazy girl with an imagination that never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friends laugh at me when I scare myself watching them and tells me to stop watching them, but who doesn't love to get scared? I grew up in a small town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me to go to sleep.

Growing up in a small town, I learned a lot of values , I also learned parents have spies everywhere and there's always someone to tell your mama you were seen kissing a particular boy on a particular day just a little too long. So when you get grounded, what is there left to do? Read! My Aunt Jo gave me my first real romance novel. It was  titled Lord Margrave's Deception. I remember it fondly. But I also learned I had a deep and abiding love of mysteries and anything paranormal. I started to write just that and would entertain my friends with stories featuring them as main characters.

Now, I live in a small town in WV where I entertain my niece and nephew and watch the cats get teased by the birds and laugh myself silly when they swoop down and then dive back up just out of reach. 

I love books, I love writing , and I love entertaining people with my silly stories.

INTERVIEW

Before you read the interview, please don't be mad that this interview took a while to get. Ms. Baker is a very busy woman and has health issues and she was so kind to even respond.

1. What prompted you to start writing?

Honestly, I've been writing since I was old enough to hold a crayon or so says my dad. He tells me I used to scribble on a sheet of paper and then weave outlandish tales from those scribbles. Writing is something I've just always done. It's part of my DNA I think.

2. Did you find Wattpad and then begin to write or after you published your first novel?

I found it after I started writing. I had just written The Ghost Files and over 50 agents told me it was worthless drivel more or less. A friend suggested I put it up on Wattpad to see if it worthless before I did something drastic like delete it from my computer. Best decision ever. I got a publishing contract and a movie deal because of the responses from all the readers on Wattpad.

3. What did it feel like to finish your first novel?

I always feel the same after I finish a book whether its the first book or the 100th book. I feel exhausted lol. Writing will drain you both emotionally and physically. I feel elated, I feel happy, but I also feel a little sad that the story I've obsessed over has come to an end. But mostly I'm nervous about how people will respond to it. I get nauseous on release day.

4. I imagine it was hard to sell your book, can you tell us what that process was like?

First I wrote the book, revised, edited, revised, edited, and then sent it out on it's merry way to the agents. No one liked it at all! I got everything from form letters to personalized rejection letters the gist of which was your book isn't sellable. So it went up on Wattpad. Several of those agents came back and said we want your book after it got over a million reads. Ummm...no! Instead I went with a small publisher who took the time to read my book, discuss it with me, and made me feel at ease. We've had a great relationship since then and it's the most sound decision I've ever made.

5. The Ghost Files is one of the best ghost stories out there, what is your response to its success?

I'm humbled by it honestly. You write this story and can only hope that people will like it. The response has been overwhelming. We have people that are Team Dan, people that are Team Eli. I get emails and messages from readers telling me how much the book meant to them. Some relate to the foster care element, some to the misunderstood teen, some tell me Officer Dan has inspired them to join the police force. I'm just so humbled that so many related to the book and loved the characters as much as I do. All the messages and comments I get mean the world to me and I read each and every one.

6. There is news about a movie? Can you give us any updates?

We just got the money from Sundance to write the script, so hopefully we'll know more once that is done!

7. What inspired you to write TOUCH ME NOT, and its sequel?

I grew up reading romance novels alongside of Stephen King. I love reading them and I just had this idea that wouldn't go away. It took me over a year to write that book. My publisher didn't push me even though most of thier books are romance and not paranormal. I took my time and Lily and Nikoli just spun out of a simple idea of a boy and a girl. Kade who is the star of The Sinner's Touch, kept hitting me over the head to write his story of betrayal and forgiveness. Sometimes,ideas and characters just wont leave you alone until you exercise them onto paper.

8. What was it like to reach the bestseller list?

Amazing! All that hard work finally paid off. It's not just writing as alot of people think. It's about marketing your brand. Some days I spend more time doing that than writing. I felt vindicated to all the people who told me writing wasn't a career but a hobby. It was the best feeling ever.

9. What are you working on right now?

Right now I am working on The Blackwater Legacy, book 2 of The Bloodlines Legacy series. It follows the story of Saidie Walker as she learns to come to terms with her heritage as a necromancer. You can read as I write it on Wattpad. It's titled Necromancer on the site and here is the link:  https://www.wattpad.com/story/69050423-necromancer

GIVEAWAY!!!

This giveaway is for one (1) free eBook copy of 'Touch Me Not'. To enter this giveaway please do the following:

1. Follow this blog
2. Like Ms. Baker's FB page or sign up for her newsletter
3. Contact me via Contact Forum and tell me you did
4. For extra entries write in the email what happens in the end of 'The Ghost Files'!

Good luck! Winner announced in two weeks.

P.S. My debut novel will be coming out for pre-order shortly! It'll be for the cheap price of 0.99$, that's a win-win situation, right?

P. P. S. I'll be posting my child abuse story here soon, in case you wanted to know more about it.

P. P. P. S. You can't expect a interview from Grace Callaway and Tina Folsom!

Any other authors you want on this blog? Let me know!