Interview/Giveaway: Four In The Morning by Christi Goddard

Four In The Morning

Christi Goddard

Kathleen Hayson thinks her biggest problem is her mother. The only runner up—her mouth. With a wit sharper than her mother's perfectly manicured nails, her clever remarks create more problems than they solve.


But it's not her clever remarks landing her knee-deep in trouble. This time, Josh Colby is to blame. Kathleen's former childhood friend has become the school's most stuck up jerk. Before, she'd have told him to piss off and write his own stupid letter to the town slut/minister's daughter. Now Kathleen's escalating problems at home force her to reevaluate how flexible her principles are. She agrees to write the controversial letter Josh has requested.


Enter Rigel, a smartass magical creature who invades her room one night, promising he has come to help. When a boy Kathleen hates turns up dead and her mother goes missing, the letter becomes a key piece of police evidence—implicating Kathleen. As she fights her way out of a web of lies, the trust she has in those closest to her shatters. In the end, she's pushed to a terrible choice: who lives, and who else dies.

***INTERVIEW***

Fictional Candy: Hello Christi!  It’s so nice to meet you!  Thank you for taking the time to interview with me today!

Christi Goddard: You’re welcome. It’s always my pleasure to meet new people.

FC:First, let’s cover your new release, Four in the Morning.  What can you tell us about this story?

CG:This is always the hard part for me because I feel like anything I’ll say will spoil the many surprises that happen. In an attempt to be brief, Kathleen makes a deal with someone she despises, and that one decision is the catalyst for her life crumbling apart. People disappear and a boy winds up dead, and it’s not long before the police suspect her of foul play due to circumstances. As things start to derail for her, a magical creature shows up, and he needs her help with something. In return, he says he’s going to help her solve her problems as well.

FC: I just checked out your book trailer on youtube, and it’s amazing!  How much input did you have in creating it?

CG: I had input from my publishing company regarding copyright issues, etc., but other than that, I created the book trailer myself. I love making videos, and I was given permission to try to make my own in my own way, and they would decide if it was appropriate for use. They wound up liking it and let me use it. I have since then made trailers for other people, and would be happy to make more.

FC: I’ve also read the first chapter on the Immortal Ink Publishing Tumblr page (I’m not really a stalker).  I’ve not read this book yet, but I totally NEED to now.  How did this idea come to you, and was it an easy story to write?

CG: I’d left a comment on another blog’s post regarding things we did in our youth. I’d told them I used to write poetry for a boy to give to another girl as his own, and the blogger replied with, “Sounds like material for a book,” or something along those lines. It took a couple days, but eventually the story started to form in my head. Granted, what happens in my book is a far cry from what happened in my own experience. It was relatively easy to write. I didn’t write it all at once, but all together it took about six weeks.

FC: Christi, I see Four in the Morning is really getting some rave reviews, so what has been the hardest part of publishing your book?

CG: I can’t really think of anything that was too difficult. The waiting can be pretty rough—I’ve got terrible patience. I was lucky in that things just sort of slid together pretty fast, so my book was actually available more quickly than the average book, but it was still hard for me to wait. I may have even suffered some hair loss from the whole thing.

FC: What is your favorite genre to read and/or write?

CG: I read all kinds of books. I’m most interested in fantasies, though not often high fantasy. I’m a huge Dean Koontz fan and I love a lot of the classics like Lord of the Flies, 1984, Watership Down, etc. I’ve developed a love for manga recently as well, which is Japanese comics.

I only write YA fantasy because I write what I know. I don’t know how to be an adult yet. The only stories that inspire me are stories about kids who are just trying to make it through the world and deal with things as best they can, even when the adults are sure they aren’t ready.

FC: If you could bring any villain from any book to life, who and why?

CG: This is probably the toughest question I’ve ever been asked. I have a habit of liking the antagonist, especially if they are not cliché and we’re given some backstory as to why they have made the decisions they have. The first one that sprung to mind was Lucius Malfoy, but I don’t think I’d actually want to be around him for more than two minutes.

As I mentioned, I read a lot of manga, which is compiled into series volumes and sold in book form. There are so many villains to choose from in this medium, ones who I love as much as the protagonists (if not more than). An excellent example of how the ‘villain’ is based entirely on perspective is Death Note. The main character is actually a bad guy, and his nemesis is a young man (simply named L) who is actually on the side of right. But for the purposes of our protagonist, L is the antagonist to his evil plans. If I could bring one character to life, it would be L. He is one of the most amazing characters I’ve ever read. He is intelligent, funny, and a little crazy in an adorable way.

FC: One of my favorite things is super powers.  I want one (ok, all) of them for myself.  If you could have a super power, what would it be?

CG: I would want the power to talk to electronic gadgets like Micah did on Heroes. That seems like the most useful talent in the world to me, especially when my computer decides it wants to be obstinate. I’d love to be able to ask it what’s wrong so it could get over itself and start working again.

FC: Do you have any upcoming projects or events that you can share with us?

CG: I have another book coming out this winter called, Lesser Evils, and it is the first book in that series. It is very different from, Four in the Morning, and I am very excited about it. There’s all manner of magical creatures, time travel, fighting, and plot twists galore.

Two by Day, the sequel to, Four in the Morning, is slotted to be out in the first half of 2013. It’s not your typical manner of sequel in a few ways, and it introduces many new characters. I’m looking forward to the feedback on that one.

FC: And my favorite question to ask, who would you cast in the movie version of Four in the Morning?

CG: I can’t think of a single actress that would play Kathleen. Most popular actresses are thin and pretty, and she’s not. I’m sure an actress exists that could play her, but I’m just not versed enough in the current actress roster.  When I think of Kathleen, I think of a very young Janeane Garofalo, what she was like in Reality Bites—kind of short, a little chubby, and quick with a comeback.

FC: Lastly, is there any particular message or feeling you would like your readers to take from your writing?

CG: No, I’m not that sort of writer. I just like to tell stories. I’m not trying to pass along a message or have any hidden agenda within the text. I’m just a storyteller. If readers take away something from my stories, then it was an idea they were already open to. I had little to do with it.

FC: Ok Christi, I think that’s about it for now. Thanks again for your time! Please let us know all of your links so we can follow you online!

CG: You’re most welcome. I enjoyed the interview!

My Twitter account is http://twitter.com/christigoddard

My website is www.christigoddard.com

 

About The Author....Christi was born in Arlington, Texas in the early seventies. Her earliest memories are of seeing Jaws and Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the theater. The first was a bit much for a pre-K kid to take, and the second has much to do with what has inspired her imagination. Her father is a bit of nomad, and they moved a lot when she was a kid. She inherited this trait, and has lived many places and been just about everywhere in America. She hit puberty in Colorado, got married in Las Vegas, had her first child in Kansas, her second in Illinois. She returned to Texas just shy of turning thirty and has been there ever since. Books are Christi's first love, followed closely by movies. She loves to be told stories, and for most of her literate life, she's been a storyteller as well. Christi is in her thirties, a mother of two awesome teenage girls, and a geek on many levels. Comic books, Victorian manga, science fiction, fantasy, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars, and renaissance festivals are her greatest loves. She lives in Waco, Texas (keep Waco Whacko) with her family and lovable dog, Nelly. She has a cat named Snape who is black, full of bad attitude, and thinks he runs the place. He was deftly named.

Where to purchase Four In The Morning

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