Christian – Amy Brock McNew ~Author~

Today I have another special guest on Guts on the Page, author S.D. Grimm. Plus, a giveaway!

S.D. just released her latest fantasy, Scarlet Moon, Book One in the Children of the Blood Moon series. I’ve just started reading and, trust me, you’re going to want to get your hands on this book!

I took this opportunity to ask a few questions and find out exactly what makes this promising author tick. Here are the results. 14658376_10210665510698298_1074934663_n

First, I got the scoop on the real S.D.! You know, all those important, burning questions.

~What’s something we wouldn’t know about you just by looking?

Well, I do like Brazilain jiu jitsu, kickboxing, fencing, and shooting. Archery is next.

A woman after my own heart. This chick is dynamite in a small package. Don’t set her off!

~If you were a superhero, what would be your super power?

Invisibility. But that’s not the superpower I’d want. I’d want to be telepathic.

Hm. Not sure I’d want to know what most people are thinking! If I had to choose, I think I’d go for telekinesis. Who wouldn’t want to be able to move things with your mind?

Now let’s get to what we all know is one of my favorite topics, in addition to fighting. Which we covered. 😉

~Do you listen to music while you write?

YES! But not while I edit. I need to hear the cadence of the sentences when I edit.

I can see that. Myself, even if I’m doing an out loud read, I gotta have the tunes. It’s like oxygen for me.

~Name one song/artist you’re embarrassed you like.

Haha! “Call Me Maybe”

Wow. Okay. So maybe I’m wishing I hadn’t asked that question! But, sometimes there are no explanations for why a song resonates with you. Or just gets stuck in your brain.

~Here’s the question that really tells us a lot about someone. What’s your favorite fandom?

I have way too many. I love Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, a bunch of anime, the first seasons of the Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, DC and Marvel, Harry Potter, some 80s cult classics, Buffy. I mean, I’m pretty well-rounded when it comes to this kind of thing.

I am right there with you on LOTR, Supernatural, and Buffy. Now I understand a little more of why we get along so well!

Now on to a little more serious type questions.

We all know I live and breathe speculative fiction. I read it, watch it, write it, and sometimes, live it. I’ve always been drawn to the strange, paranormal, and wonderfully weird. So I gotta know,

~Why do you write speculative fiction? What draws you to it?

Magic. I love the endless creative possibilities of fantasy and sci-fi. Something about this genre sparks to life the kid inside me that makes me want to share the wonder I experience in believing and hoping and knowing the impossible is somehow possible. I like to encourage others to embrace that inner child and believe it too.

It does have unlimited potential, doesn’t it? Nothing is too far outside of the box. The only limit is your imagination.

~When did you start writing?

In elementary school. I wasn’t serious about trying to get published until seven years ago, and that’s when I started writing Scarlet Moon.

~What’s a normal writing day like for you?

I’m not sure normal is the right word, but when I write I sit with my laptop somewhere or in my little cubby in the basement, and I turn on some music and I write. Prepping for that includes thinking about upcoming scenes, which I do while I do chores, or take a shower, or right before I fall asleep. I have been caught brandishing a wooden spoon in the kitchen while simultaneously cooking dinner and “head-writing” a fight scene. *blushes*

Yay! I’m not alone! Why is it that the best scenes, especially fight scenes for me, come to you at the weirdest times? And, then there’s the fact that I can’t seem to just think them, I have to act them out.

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~What was your inspiration for writing Scarlet Moon?

I love animals. The novel I wrote prior to this one (which sits in a proverbial dark, secret drawer) was about animals. All the characters were animals. And one day I decided to get serious about publishing. Then I decided I was going to write about people. I still wanted animals to be a big part of the story so I chose to write about a race of people who can commune with nature. These people basically get certain talents or abilities from animals—and they reciprocate, giving animals certain abilities too. Then I researched some really cool animals, including mythological ones, and the story world really grew from there.

~What is Scarlet Moon about? Told from multiple point of view characters, Scarlet Moon is a young adult fantasy about Jayden, a seventeen-year-old, dagger-wielding, storm-detecting orphan who can save the race of people known as the Feravolk from a sorceress queen bent on annihilating them. Maybe they should have thought of that before they killed Jayden’s family.

It’s sounds amazing. I can’t wait to dive in deeper.

~Where can we learn more about you and your book?

My website http://sdgrimm.com

You can order it here: https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Moon-Children-Blood-Book/dp/1683700503/

And you can totally come to this facebook party and try to win a copy. 😀 https://www.facebook.com/events/183601465406699/

Thank you so much for letting me pick your brain today!

If you would like to win a signed copy of Scarlet Moon, all you have to do to be entered is like mine and S.D.’s Facebook pages! Her link is above, mine is below. Once you’ve liked, comment here to let us know so you can be entered.

Amy Brock McNew Author

If you would like to know more about S.D. and her stories, check out the links above and below. And definitely get your hands on a copy of Scarlet Moon!

14642713_10210665491337814_440895232_n S. D. Grimm’s first love in writing is young adult speculative fiction. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency and her debut novel, Scarlet Moon, is slated to be published in October 2016. When she’s not writing or editing, Sarah enjoys reading (of course!), making clay dragons for her Grimmlies store on Etsy, practicing kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, training dogs, and doing anything outdoorsy with the family. Her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large-sized dog.

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/SDGrimm/

Twitter http://twitter.com/SDGrimmAuthor

Website, blog, and newsletter. http://sdgrimm.com

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/SDGrimmAuthor/

Scarlet Moon on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Moon-Children-Blood-Book/dp/1683700503/

I am delighted when I get to make a trip back home to Arkansas for a happy reason. I miss the fresh air, the mountains, the pine trees, the rivers, the lake and most of all the many people there that I love. The dirt roads and little country stores in the middle of nowhere. The supremely curvy roads where there is seldom an opportunity to pass the creeping truck you inevitably seem to get behind when you’re in a hurry. The slower pace that beckons you to slow down with it. When I go back home I always feel welcomed and peaceful. It makes me feel like I can breathe and relax. I can be myself in those woods or discover who I am again if I get confused and lost. There’s just something about the place where I grew up. It’s comforting and intoxicating. It is my happy sanctuary on this earth.

It hasn’t always been that way. For most of my younger years it was the place I desperately wanted to leave. It was the backwards, boring, and lackluster area that seemed to be frozen in time well behind everywhere else. Most of all, it was the place I made some of the biggest mistakes of my life. There, I hurt everyone I loved and that loved me. It was in that place that I slapped away every hand stretched towards me to guide my steps and lead me from danger. It was there, where before it had been so easy to find myself, that I got lost. Then I tucked tail and ran. I ran far and fast, trying to elude the heartache and darkness I had brought upon myself.

But that wasn’t the end of the story and home wasn’t done with me yet.

In a few years I returned. I had created a new life for myself and had a family of my own. Deep inside though, there was still an ache. A shadowed place I hid deep and refused to confront. Something had begun stirring in me though. A flicker of light was trying to dispel the darkness and hurt. And it started to burn brighter when I came home. Not just to that little town in Arkansas and my earthly family, but to the place where my Christian journey began as well. Suddenly home wasn’t just my family and the houses we lived in, the schools I went to or the friends I cherished. Home was deeper. Home was the things I had been taught by parents who shared the Word with us daily. Home was the place I was saved and baptized. Home was Him. The One I had been running from. Suddenly I realized home had come to me. And when it knocked on the door of my heart this time, I finally welcomed it in.

The process of healing and forgiveness was difficult. It took a long time before I accepted His forgiveness and was able to ask forgiveness of others. Even after it was given, there were wounds to heal. But through love and grace, heal we did.

So you see, as much as I love the physical place where I grew up and as much as I enjoy my too seldom visits there, I know now that home is always with me. It is a part of who I am. It is love, laughter, mistakes, tears, forgiveness, grace, healing, and second chances. It’s family and friends. It’s blue lakes and mountains and pine trees. You can run away, you can think you’re leaving it far behind, but home will always find you. It will beckon you back with warm, open arms. And no matter what, you can always, always go home.