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Welcome to Jagged Edge!
Leah, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?
Official bio: Leah Clifford currently lives in Ohio with her (mostly) blind cat and her roommates. In her spare time she loves to travel and has been known to drive over two hours to get kickass quesadillas. So far for jobs she's sold corn at a roadside stand, been a pizza delivery girl, a camp counselor, an extreme cave tour guide, a flight attendant, a waitress (x3), a grocery store clerk and a writer. Out of all of them, writing has been the most fun. She's pretty sure she's gonna stick with it.
I'm also a huge fan of canned green beans.
A Touch Mortal is your first book.
How excited were you when you first received a publish copy?
I can actually SHOW you! This is the vlog of me getting my ARCs! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq0ZD4XuwBI One of the cool things about being a vlogger (I'm Thursday on the YA Rebels) is having footage of these moments.
What authors influenced you as a writer?
Growing up, I read a lot of Stephen King, Ann Rice and Dean Koontz, so they were huge influences for sure. I read constantly as a kid. Anything with a paranormal slant to it wound up in my TBR pile.
What is your favorite Quote?
"It's the silence between the notes that makes the music" which is a Zen proverb and to me is a beautiful way of saying show, don't tell, which is writer rule number one!
What is one book everyone should read?
This is kind of an odd answer but any of the PostSecret books. If you're not familiar with PostSecret, it's an art project where people send in anonymous postcards with their secrets on them. Those little glimpses into someone else's life always get my mind going.
What is the one thing that every writer needs to have or do?
I think everyone's different. For me, I need music. I can't write without it. As much as I love coffee and candy, it's the music that brings me into a scene.
Are your books different to your personal favorite books by other authors?
I think everything you come into contact with influences you in some way, but the goal is to interpret it differently and put your own spin on it.
What lead you to writing in this genre?
I didn't really set out to write in any specific genre. A Touch Mortal actually started as a short story I wrote for a college class.
How long does it normally take you to write a book?
Anywhere from 4-8 months or so. But in there are a lot of false starts and shifts and backtracks. On average I write about 2,000 words a day.
What book do you wish to see come out as a movie?
I'm SO SO excited for The Hunger Games movie, but there are a ton of great YA books being brought to the big screen in the next few years!
What happened while writing one of your books that you did not expect?
I was over halfway finished with A Touch Mortal when I was struck with horrible writer's block. I just could not figure out what my characters were up to, and something wasn't working. Originally Az wasn't even supposed to show up until the second book, but he just popped up, and once I gave in and let him have his say the rest of the book just spilled out!
Do you read the review when they are good and/or bad?
At first I did, but not so much anymore. I love talking about things, parts readers liked and didn't like and why, but it's very taboo for writers to comment on reviews. I find when I read reviews I have all kinds of questions and not being able to talk about them bums me out.
Moujnir asked:
Where did you get the idea for A Touch Mortal?
The book started as a short story I had to write for a college class. The prompt was to write something based on an overheard line. The original line was "Skin and concrete do...not..mix." and that short story is now part of Chapter 21. When I first wrote it, I spent a long time wondering who these characters were, and how they had gotten so jaded that they could watch someone jump off a building and think nothing of it.
What are you writing next?
Next comes book 2 (the title is still under wraps!) in the trilogy, which I'm editing now! I'm VERY excited! It's much more...psychological I think would be a good word, than the first one, but I think it's even more twisted. I kind of love it.
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