Blog Tour: Starlight by Alexandra Richland Interview

Posted April 25, 2013 by Literati Lovers in Author Interviews / 0 Comments

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Starlight CoverTitle:
Starlight (Starlight Trilogy Book #1)
Author: Alexandra Richland
Release Date: May 1, 2013
Genre: Historical Romance
Cover Design by: Rakestraw Book Design

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Book description:

October 1952 finds eighteen-year-old Marie Bates relocating from her rainy hometown in the Pacific Northwest to the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles, California. Marie’s plans for a teaching career take an unexpected turn when she’s asked to take a screen test at a major motion picture studio.

Renamed Elizabeth Sutton by the studio heads, she lands her first role as an extra. On set, Elizabeth spies Aidan Evans, a rebellious, twenty-three-year-old Method actor from New York. Aidan is branded as a stuck-up troublemaker by his famous Hollywood peers, but Elizabeth suspects a tragic secret lurks behind his steely facade.

As their careers hit the fast track and friendship evolves into romance, the expectations of Hollywood stardom threaten to shine a spotlight on Aidan’s dark past before he can make peace with it. Elizabeth must help Aidan confront the painful event that shattered his life and conquer a terrifying truth before it destroys him and their future together.

The first book in the Starlight Trilogy, Starlight is a story of love and redemption set against the backdrop of the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

1. What’s a typical day like for Alexandra Richland?

I do shift work as a nurse, both twelve-hour days and nights, which means my schedule is all over the place and no day is similar to another. I absolutely love it. During my free time, I enjoy running, writing, reading, and expanding my vintage Hollywood memorabilia collection.

2. Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

My boyfriend. I always enjoyed writing, but my interest in science during high school led me on a different path, and I stopped altogether (I am not counting research papers). After high school, I completed a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Chemistry. It was a lot of time spent isolated in a lab setting. I really missed the human interaction component, so I completed a second university degree, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

When my boyfriend and I started dating almost five years ago, he would send me photographs and encourage me to write short stories, using the images as inspiration. It was an activity he enjoyed, and after I shared my interest in writing again, he thought it would be a great reintroduction for me. I wrote three short stories using different photos. Reading them now is embarrassing; they were poorly written, but the creativity was definitely there, and the exercises did reignite my passion for story telling. Around this time, I was hit with an idea to write a romance set against the backdrop of 1950s Hollywood, now known as The Starlight Trilogy.

Since I started The Starlight Trilogy, I’ve been writing continuously and have expanded my resume to include a modern day romance/mystery, Frontline, which will be released later this year, and an angst-ridden rock star/romance short story, Gilded Cage, which is available on Amazon now.


3. Are there any authors or books that influenced you in any way, either growing up or as an adult?

There are many books I’ve enjoyed and many authors I admire, and obviously, on a sub-conscious level, they have probably influenced me in some way, but I’d have to say that not one author or book stands out in particular. Fellow authors have told me they must read a lot in order to get inspired to write their own stories. While I enjoy reading, I tend to draw upon my own feelings and ideas, and what I wish to accomplish in a story, rather than refer to other works for inspiration.

4. What do you do to prepare yourself before writing? Do you listen to music? Do you look at visual aids?

When I first started writing The Starlight Trilogy, I wrote in silence. In the last two years or so, I have been writing while listening to music. Music creates emotion, which is very helpful for me, since my stories cover a broad spectrum of feelings. It helps me get into certain moods, depending on what is required for each chapter. Now I can’t write without it. I also like to have a mug of coffee next to me and often drink one or two of them in one sitting. Along with music, coffee helps to kick start my creativity and launch me into the writing process.

5. What motivated you to write Starlight?

I’m a huge classic film fan, and I especially admire Method actors like Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, and James Dean, and director Elia Kazan, who co-founded the Actors Studio in New York. The Starlight Trilogy was a great way to explore my love of film and writing.  I was also fascinated with the psychological effects of fame and the art of acting, which I was able to incorporate into the story as well.

6. Give us the 140 character TWEET description of Starlight.

Rebel Method actor, Aidan Evans, meets Starlight Studios’ newest ingénue, Elizabeth Sutton. A story of love & redemption set against the backdrop of 1950s Hollywood.

That’s 141 characters (Can I use Twit Longer? 🙂

7. What part of the writing process is the hardest for you, whether it’s first draft, rewriting, or editing?

The hardest part of the writing process for me is opening a blank Word document and writing the first paragraph of a chapter. Whether I have a specific story/chapter outline or not, it is always challenging. I must also have a mental picture of the “scene” I’m about to write. The Starlight Trilogy played out like a classic film in my mind, complete with dramatic dialogue and a musical score in the background. This helped me visualize each chapter and execute it in words. Thankfully, once I start writing, chapters tend to come quite easily. A lot of editing and rewriting always follows the first draft, but as long as the chapter is there in rough, I can fix it up and create a final draft I’m proud of.

The most enjoyable part of the writing process for me is editing the first draft of a story. I edit my friends’ school papers, other people’s stories, and my own stories (though I rely on a professional editor, Toni Rakestraw of Rakestraw Book Design, for the official editing and approval of the final draft, since I believe a writer should never be the only editor of his/her own work).

Editing also helps me improve my own writing. I’m a perfectionist and a stickler for details, so everything about it is rewarding for me. This also means I will never be satisfied with the final draft of my stories. There comes a time when, after the final third-party edit, I just have to let go and realize there will always be small changes I want to make to the manuscript. The most important thing is whether the story is grammatically correct, void of spelling errors, flows well, and told the way I want it to be told, with no plot holes.

8. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

I love writing angst and darker emotions because they are far removed from my own personality and entertaining from a creative standpoint. This is why Aidan was such a great character to write. He’s complex, conflicted. Never boring, always experiencing extremes of emotion. In contrast Beth is straightforward, uncomplicated, and optimistic. The juxtaposition in their characters, as well as the complication fame and the structured studio system introduce, are what make their romance so intriguing, I think.

The tender moments between Beth and Aidan were also enjoyable to write. Aidan is typically tough, moody, and standoffish; Beth is his weakness. It was great to explore the more sensitive side of his character, especially as he grapples with superstardom and the lingering effects of his tragic past.

9. Name one thing Beth would not leave home without. How about Aidan?

The answer will be different for each book in The Starlight Trilogy, so I’m responding according to Starlight (book #1) only.

Beth: Beth would most likely carry a picture of her parents. Inasmuch as she left home to start a new life for herself, her family is still very important to her and thoughts of them bring her comfort while she’s on her own for the first time in her life.

Aidan: A package of Winstons (cigarettes), matchbook and/or lighter, and whatever film script he’s working on at the moment (which you can bet will be heavily marked with personal notes on his character and revisions to his lines).

10. What project are you working on now?

I’m actually juggling several projects at the moment. I’m approving the final edits on Starbright, the second book in The Starlight Trilogy, as well as my modern day mystery/romance, Frontline.  My plan is to release Frontline after Starlight, and then release Starbright. The final book in The Starlight Trilogy, Stardust, is also already written, so that is the third task on my agenda. Then I will start writing the sequel to Frontline, which I already have outlined.

It took me four years to write The Starlight Trilogy and two years to write Frontline, so I’m really excited to finally make them available to the public. Now that I feel I have a better grip on writing novels, I’m excited to see if I can speed up the process while still working at a creative pace and not sacrificing any of the standards I’ve set for myself. It’s going to be a very interesting challenge!

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