Blog Tour: Awaking by Madeline Freeman (multiple giveaways!)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.

You can enter to WIN an ecopy by filling out the form below and

also enter to WIN a print version by filling out the second form!

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!

Featuring an interview with author Madeline Freeman!

Author Bio:

Madeline Freeman lives in the metro-Detroit area with her husband, her cats, her sister, and her sister’s cat. In her spare time, she reads, sews, rides her bike, and watches way too much TV on DVD.

She also loves anything to do with astronomy, outer space, plate tectonics, and dinosaurs. This is her first published novel.

 Connect with Madeline online:

http://www.madelinefreeman.net

http://twitter.com/laurealinde

http://facebook.com/madelinefreemanbooks

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

In a way, I think I’ve always know I was destined to be a writer. One of my earliest memories is of me walking into my bedroom and hearing my mom call something after me. In my mind, I tagged, “mom said,” at the end of her comment. In the fifth grade, I was writing short stories for fun. In middle school, I carried around teal notebooks and wrote longer stories and passed them around to friends. In fact, I started something of a trend among my friends on year, and many of them started writing stories.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Real jobs, or jobs just to work? I had a couple of retail jobs (Gadzooks, Borders) before I finished college. Currently, I’m a high school English teacher.

? How long does it take you to write a book?

Depends on the book! I wrote the first draft of the book that was to become Awaking back in 2002 when I was still in college. Then I didn’t really do much with it for years. When I did come back to it (and completely reimagine it), I only wrote the first couple of chapters. When I finally decided that I was going to finish this book, it took me about three months.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I try to put inside jokes and references into my books. I try to make oblique mentions to things I enjoy. I guess these things are more for me (and maybe some of my friends) than it is for anyone else, but it amuses me.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

I love writing in my comfy rolling chair in my office. I have a wireless keyboard that I usually have on my lap so I can prop my legs up while I type. I work especially well when my cat, Fat Baby, is snoozing on the desk beside me.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

It depends on the story. If the story comes first, then I fill in characters that would fit best in that story. If, as in the case of Awaking, the character comes first (Morgan appeared very clearly to me), then I try to come up with other characters that will complement the first character. Sometimes characters will take on the physical appearance of a person I’ve met. Sometimes characters will share characteristics with people I know. But a character is never a carbon copy of a real person.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

I don’t know if I decide so much as I go with what moves me. I have dozens of first pages of stories or sketchy outlines, but most of them will probably never progress very far. I write the story that is begging to come out.

? What books have most influenced your life?

When I was younger, Just as Long as We’re Together by Judy Blume was influential. I liked how real the story was, how genuine the characters were. I don’t know if there are many books that have really influenced my life, but there are certainly ones that have influenced my style. When I read books by J.K. Rowling or Libba Bray, I’m inspired to write.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?

I have a clear memory of going to the school library in first grade and picking out a Ramona book by Beverly Cleary. When I got back to class, I looked around and noticed that most, if not all, the other kids had thin picture books. I remember being pretty impressed with myself in that moment. I know it wasn’t the first book I read on my own, but it’s the memory that sticks out most.

? What are you reading right now? Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson and Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I like snuggling with my cat, riding my bike, and watching TV on DVD (or on Netflix).

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Ooh… an excellent question. I enjoy mac and cheese, sure, but I think usually pizza is my go-to.

? What do you think makes a good story?

A good story requires excellent characters and a plot that isn’t ridiculously overdone. It also requires writing that is engrossing and that transports you into the world of the story.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

I could go with Jo Rowling, but I think I lean a little more toward Libba Bray. There are other authors I enjoy, but the thing that I really like about Libba Bray is that she’s not one-note. The subjects of her books and the characters in them vary so much, but there’s a consistency in the way she tells a story. I enjoy her work.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

Besides Harry Potter? The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

  

Fun random questions: 

·        dogs or cats? Cats FOREVER!!

·        Coffee or tea? tea

·        Dark or milk chocolate? mile

·        Rocks or flowers? Depends on the rocks and flowers. If it’s lilacs, flowers all the way.

·        Night or day? Night—but only if I’m somewhere away from city lights and the sky is clear.

·        Favorite color? purple

·        Crayons or markers? markers

·        Pens or pencils? pencils

Now for the giveaways - here is the first form:



Here is the second form: 

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole!

Happy Reading!