How did I get so lucky? Aneta Cruz is here!

Good people!

I am so excited to have Aneta Cruz on my blog! You may remember her stopping by back in September 2013, promoting her insanely awesome book, Heartbreak Hotel. And now, she's here once more, having cranked out another glorious story called, The Guardian.

Hey, look! Here she is!

 

 

 

Aneta! How are you? Thank you so much for joining us today! Here, have some cupcakes *passes plate* and perhaps a nice, hot beverage *passes cup of Earl Gray with milk and honey*. I hope you’re doing well. It’s so awesome that you here again! So let’s get right to it, shall we? Tell us….

 

Please give us a synopsis about your new release, The Guardian.

Jeez, when someone tells me “give us a synopsis” all I hear is “sign your death sentence”. I know for a fact that I’m not the only author who hates writing a synopsis because our stories are so much deeper than just a this person meets this person, this is at stake, and then they go do this and that, and then they live happily ever after. Or not. [laughs] Okay. I’ll try this. Here’s a little teaser:

You are in Prague, 1939. Dr. Josef Stein, the ambitious seeker of otherworldly beings, is ready to take you on a quest in which solving a murder and discovering the veracity of a thousand-year-old myth are just two of his many pursuits. Keep your eyes open wide. You never know who’s lurking in the shadows by the door. And be very careful out there. While you are searching for something otherworldly with doctor Stein, the Nazis are searching for you. Who will complete their quest first? You and the ambitious doctor or the Nazis with their own ambitious agenda?

 

When did you first decide to sit down and write this story?

This story sort of flashed through my mind in its entirety, with the cast of characters, settings, plot, climax, and resolution in a split second when I got out of the shower one day 4 years ago. I remember it so clearly. I barely wrapped the towel around me and yelled at my husband to bring me my notebook and pencil, and right there on the bathroom counter, I scribbled everything down. I have a notebook in which I keep all my notes for all my stories. If anyone ever finds it, s/he’ll think I’m a crazy scatterbrain. But the notebook only looks disorganized to an outside eye. I know exactly where what is or isn’t and why.

 

What inspired The Guardian?

A scary ballad called the Noon Witch (in translation) by K. J. Erben, a Czech author (1811 -1870). I’d read it a thousand times, but that day…well, I guess some neurons just made wicked awesome connections and sparked the creativity.

 

Do you like to write with noise? No noise?

I never really thought of that. When I write, I completely tune out. I totally submerge into the story and feel like I’m really there. I’m in a different world, detached from my body, if that makes any sense at all. The house could be on fire and I don’t think I would notice.

 

Are you a paper-and-pen type of gal or strictly on the computer?

Both. When I get an idea for a story, I immediately write it down. I identify the characters, they’re desires, the main plot, and the ending. I always know the ending before I begin to write. It gives me the motivation to search for the antecedent scenario. I’m like a detective trying to solve a mystery. How did this happen? And why? I ask myself before I write. Then I head to the computer.

 

What’s your favorite snack to munch on while you let the creative juices flow?

I don’t eat. It’s like my body shuts down and only my inner eye that sees everything that is happening in the story exists. I’m not hungry or thirsty or anything. I’m not even sure I breathe. J

 

Do you have one of those nagging little voices in the back of your head, telling you that you can’t do it? If so, how do you shut it up?

The only nagging voice I have is the one that yells: “Hurry up. Finish. What’s taking so long?” I am not a patient person. If I had a magic wand, I would just wave it and the story would be there from start to finish. The only way to shut up that nagging voice is to write and write and write until I’m able to type THE END. And then it begins nagging again because there are other WIPs waiting to be finished. I don’t think I could ever get rid of that incessant yeller in my head. [sighs]

 

Does your story come from personal experience or have you had to do some major research?

My uncle is Schizophrenic. I dedicated the book to him. I’ve seen him on his good and bad days. And I’ve always wondered whether he really sees those which he speaks to. He sounds so convincing when he does. And when he does, the hair on the back of my neck stands up as if there truly was someone invisible only he is aware of. Quite spooky, I tell ya. But very intriguing and fascinating as well. So, yes. There’s a lot of personal experience there. But, I did do a huge amount of research into the Nazi era and the behavior of patients with certain mental illnesses.

 

What kind of books do you like to read? E-books or the real thing? J

I’m a sucker for paper. I love to turn the pages, smell the books, touch the print, stroke the spines of the books in my own library…yes, I have a book fetish. E-books are not for me. I need the real deal.

 

 

So how awesome does "The Guardian" sound? Check out this bad-a** cover:

 

 

Purchase links:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

 

Ways to stalk...er, I mean, contact awesome Aneta:

Her website
Twitter: @AnetaCruz
Instagram: @AnetaCruz
Facebook
  

Thanks for stopping by, Aneta! Come visit again soon!