The SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS column on Mondays and Wednesdays is a place at Shannon Muir’s author website showcasing books from a variety of fiction genres, with an emphasis on interviews and guest posts from other authors. One thing Shannon firmly believes in for readers not only to learn about new books available, but about those who craft the tales behind them. As its name implies, SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column features writers from all genres of fiction who want their potential audience to get to know them, and their works, better.
Today, we look at ALL THE STARS ON FIRE.
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All the Stars on Fire
by Beck Medina
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: December 20th 2019
Summary:
Natalia Morales has a secret…she’s kind of a superhero. Natalia dreams of joining the Action Team, the newly banded and young heroes that protect Angel City, and just may stop at anything to make it happen.
Alyse Morales knows her sister’s secret, and wants Natalia to give up on her dangerous dream. When Alyse gets hurt one night while Natalia is crime fighting, Natalia promises to end her run as a hero. But when the Sorceress appears in Angel City, and Captain Force, the leader of the Action Team, enlists in Natalia’s help, she may have to break her promise in order to protect her family and friends.
Will Alyse ever forgive her? Is Natalia actually capable of saving the day? All the Stars on Fire is the story of following your dreams, what it truly takes to be a hero, and leaping into the unknown.
Interview with the Author
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What initially got you interested in writing?
I’ve been writing since I was eight years old. I’m not entirely sure where the inspiration came from, but I started out writing song lyrics. Then came writing books, screenplays, and poetry, but I still write songs, too.
What genres do you prefer to write in?
I prefer young adult, mostly because I don’t feel pressured to be this brilliant wordsmith. I think it’s important to weave poetry into prose, but the beauty of YA is that its readers love straightforward storytelling. They’re in it for the characters and the heart of the story. Within the genre, I like to take a little bit of everything. All the Stars on Fire is a superhero novel, but I was deliberate about grounding the reality and making it about teenagers with very real problems. I’m a big fan of realistic fiction. I like steamy, teasing love scenes that make your jaw drop because you feel like you’re there. I like a good cry scene.
Are there any authors you prefer to read and why?
I’m not a big author person. I’ll read any YA book that has a good reputation and an intriguing storyline.
How did you make the move into being a published author?
Technically I self-publish. I chose that route because I don’t like to run on other people’s timeline. I wanted to release my first book in the late summer of 2016, so I did it and decided I would just learn along the way. I also didn’t want my ideas to be kept from the world just because one person decided it wasn’t what they were looking for. For that reason, I stopped saying that I self-publish. I treat my company (1537 Press) like a true publisher. Like, as an author, 1537 Press is my publisher but I happen to run it, too. I’m very unconventional in that every action I take is lead from my intuition. There’s no concrete evidence that what I decide to write is going to be a success and bring in money, but I hold the mindset that I’m only available for success. Not everyone will get that, so it works better this way.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
I think every writer believes that they will be happy once thousands or millions of people have read their work, but every time one person says they loved my book makes me very, very unbelievably happy. I know the feeling of being swept away by a good story, and I’m grateful I get to do that for a living.
What do you find most challenging about writing?
There’s this period of time when you first start writing where you’re excited about the new story and characters, but I always get to this point closer to completing the draft where I’m like, “Oh god, is this any good? What if I wrote 60,000 words of garbage? I should just delete everything and quit.” It’s so weird. It happens everytime. I like to post memes and jokes about it on Instagram to remind myself that it’s just a fleeting feeling and it’ll be gone with enough distance from the manuscript.
Do you have any tips for writers who find themselves experiencing writer’s block?
I’m really big on neuro-linguistic programming, which is a lot of observing your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and finding ways to psychologically turn them into positive experiences so that you can take action and reach your goals. So I don’t believe writer’s block is even real. There’s always something deeper behind it and you need to observe it non-judgmentally and figure out what that is, so you can change the story that’s playing in your head. I get writer’s block out of the need for wanting what I write to be perfect. So it’s like, okay I want my book to be perfect so I feel accepted, which stems from some childhood trauma where I felt rejected. So now I’m aware that I’m trying to keep myself safe by preventing the past from being replicated. From there, I can I rationalize and talk myself into writing. It sounds complicated and uncomfortable, but it’s quite liberating, because next time you can recognize it and get through it faster.
What advice would you give to people that want to enter the field?
Just do it and don’t worry about whether or not what you write sucks or even wait until you have a plan. I know that’s not the sexiest answer, but you can get a lot more accomplished by just starting. When I put out A Fantastic Mess of Everything back in 2016, I didn’t have any plans on being a best selling author. I was just curious to see how far I could go with writing a book for the first time in awhile. That curiosity is what drove me to complete it. And it’s that same curiosity that got me to write All the Stars on Fire. I’m more strategic and experienced now, but only because I had that initial willingness to suck and not know what on earth I was doing.
What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?
That they aren’t alone in their emotions and experiences. Regardless of our stage in life, we’re all going through the same stuff. Being depressed is normal. Being anxious is normal. There’s nothing to be ashamed of because we’re all secretly feeling the same stuff. I think that’s the most beautiful aspect about being human. That emotions are universal.
Is there anything else about you that you think readers might find interesting?
All the Stars on Fire is intended to be book one of a trilogy. I’m working on the follow up now. I actually started writing it before I finished Stars on Fire, and knowing what would be happening in the next book helped me a lot with character and plot development. It’s called I’d Strike the Sun, which is my favorite title that I’ve come up with so far. It’s based off a Moby Dick quote that I think is so insane and powerful. “Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me.”
About the Author
Beck Medina is a California born and raised author and podcast host. Beck’s work includes 2016’s A Fantastic Mess of Everything, 2017’s Or Best Offer, and her highly anticipated fantasy novel All the Stars on Fire (December 2019).
When Beck isn’t writing, she’s the host of the My Best Life Podcast, a health, wellness, and business podcast for creative entrepreneurs. A few of Beck’s favorite things include pop music, iced coffee, teen dramas, and her two cats, Olivia and Dupree.
Author Links:
Website – http://beckmedina.org/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15609637.Beck_Medina
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/beckmedina
Blog Tour Organized By:
YA Bound Book Tours