Talking Angels with Allana Lowe

For those of you who have not yet read The Angel Series by author Allana Lowe,  I urge you to give it a try.  Like Angels & Shadows, there is a struggle between good and evil, a forbidden romance, and of course Angels!  I very much enjoyed the suspense and struggles of the characters in this trilogy.  I recently sent Ms. Lowe some questions about not only her books, but what the writing experience is like for her.  Please enjoy her responses, which I've posted below and don't forget to leave comments to let us know what you thought of the interview!

Allana, where did the idea for this book series come from?

Honestly i was sitting by the water one day and my eyes were closed and it came to me as if it were a dream.

Did you know when you started writing it that it would be a series, or did that happen as you wrote?

I honestly thought it would just be one novel. When i finished the first one i just knew that i couldn't stop there.

When you are writing, what helps you find your muse: do you listen to music, is there a certain movie or person that inspires you, or is it something all together different?

I actually have a playlist on my ipod specifically for when i am writing which consists of both upbeat and tragic instrumentals.

What character in this series do you relate to the most and why?

That would have to be Becca. I can relate with her on so many levels. Feeling alone yet people are always there for her and her heart breaking over and over again.

Which character is your favorite?

I love all of my characters its really hard to choose a favorite but if i had to i would definitely go with Rowan. Every girl can only dream of finding her own Rowan to rescue her.

Who is you favorite author and/or authors?

I absolutely love Stephenie Meyer. Her writing is dark yet light enough for any age group. I also like Nicholas Sparks. His way of putting romanticism in with tragedy has always been an inspiration to me.

Are you writing more books for us to read?

Absolutely. I am currently working on three different projects.

When I was reading the books, I enjoyed the internal battle of the third book.  It was a bit different than the first two in that respect.  What made you decide to take that direction with the third book?

I didn't even realize i was doing it until i wrote it. I got lost in my music and that is what came of it.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to any aspiring authors?

Never give up. Never let anyone hold you back. Only you hold the power to make your dreams come true.

If you were an angel, what power would you have and what color wings would you have?

This has got to be the hardest yet most asked question. I would definitely want rainbow colored wings. Ive always been different. I wouldn't want to be like everyone else. My power is a bit tricky. There are so many choices but due to my big heart I believe I would choose the power to heal.

For further reading and information about Allana Lowe and the Angel Series, please visit her website:  http://www.authorallanalowe.com/

 

The Little Things

I recently moved back to the house of my childhood.  This is a great place of healing and nonstop inspiration.  For instance, just as I was leaving the house this morning, I noticed the way the morning sunlight sparkled off of the frost covered rocks in the driveway.  To some this must have just been an act of nature, frost on rocks.  To me, though, there was a story there.  A meticulous tip-toeing of frost fairies throughout the night, gliding daintily along under bright beautiful stars...dancing and singing in circles, spiraling hand in hand...then there was the scene of the trees.  Tall and dark, against the morning sun, with shadows coldly stretching out past the road, into the field beyond.  What are they reaching for?  I'm reminded of a dream.  These are the things of my dreams. Shadow trees, stretching, invading territory beyond their own lands.  Lurking tall and ominous against a distant light too far away for me to comprehend or fully understand...were there fairies nestled in the shadow trees, waiting to ambush me as I rode to work?  Were they perhaps feeling angry that I left without properly thanking them after they had provided me with such sparkle and shine for my morning, or do they not care either way?  Do they know that I even noticed their hard work one cold morning as I stepped into my car?  Are they perhaps at war with each other, these creatures of light and creatures of shadow?  One can only imagine what lies in the thoughts of invisibles...

...and so begins another story in my head...

Angels & Shadows Trivia

A lot of others don't understand how a story can change its shape over time.  Angels & Shadows certainly evolved between its concept in 1995 to it's second release in 2013.  Here are a few interesting things that you might like to know about the book.

1.  The book was originally a short story concept.  I started writing it in the summer between my 7th and 8th grade years in middle school.

2.  My dark angels were originally vampires, but as it progressed, I decided that what I had created was really nothing like a vampire, so I made them into something altogether different.

3.  In the original story, Sark was not a cold place.  It actually took place in a more temperate climate.

4.  Slatkin was originally supposed to turn to stone when he slept.  The idea was that he was something like a gargoyle.

5.  Amicus was originally a wizard, not a Shean god.

6.  The Shean god Amicus got his name from the word Amigo.  I remember it plainly.  I was sitting in an 8th grade English class and someone said the word Amigo, and the word Amicus just came to me.  I just thought it would be a cool name for a wizard.

7.  The hunters were not even created until many years after writing the book.  Originally, it was just a group of human characters.  (I can't imagine the books without them now.  The second book is grounded in their story!)

8.  The original series title for the book (back in 1995) was Six Kinds, Two Lands, Two Times. (I still have a mixed tape that has that title.  I recorded songs on it that helped me write.)

9.  The original book was hand written in red ink (to be symbolic of blood).

10.  I still have the first pen that I originally used to write the then short story.  (It was a Bic ballpoint pen with a kind of Southwestern type design).

I hope these entertain for now.  It's certainly great memories for me!  Maybe I'll have more to share soon.  

Time Past

I've been thinking about life lately.  It passes before we can get a full grasp of it.  It's here and we're so busy living (or choosing not to live) that it really is gone in a wink.  Looking through old writings today, I realized that I have numerous unfinished works that are really good.  I should get them together and make something of them.  As I searched through old notebooks and scraps of little papers that I had saved, I could remember exactly when some of them were created.  It was almost like they froze that moment of my life.  Many of them went back to (what I could not believe, even as I stared at the date) more than ten years ago.  I started looking back to that time of my life and I couldn't believe how much time had past.  Where have the years gone?

One thing that is for sure, since I graduated high school, the years have passed all too quickly.  And since I got married in 2007, they've gone by so fast that they have all ran together.  That must mean that I'm enjoying my life.  It's true.  I am.  And why shouldn't I?

I'm living my dream...to write books.  It's not exactly how I envisioned it, but that doesn't matter.  What does matter is that I'm finding a way to make it happen.  Now, no one can do things alone in this world, that is for sure.  I have been blessed with a husband who is constantly pushing me to succeed, a daughter who is a muse like no other, and family and friends who are always there to support and love me no matter what else is going on in their lives.

Even those who lived before me, and who I miss dearly, are still guiding me in some way from wherever it is that they vanish to when they leave us. I know this because sometimes I can still feel them, leading me forward, guiding my heart to what is right.  

So, I just want to ask, what is it that I can do for the world?  I have some large shoes to fill if I am to ever be as great as my mother, father, and grandparents before me.  They may have seemed to live small lives, but their love made them great people.  I only hope that I can be as great as they are.  To make the sacrifices that they have made, to overcome the things that they overcame.  Until I can be as great as they are, being just another writer seems a small feat indeed!  Tonight, as I write this, I am thankful that I came from this lineage, and that my ancestors are still with me, guiding me.  

I am thankful.  Truly thankful for my many blessings!