12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza: Author Interview & Giveaway - Amalie Howard

Amalie Howard is the author of Bloodspell.

Goodreads Bio:
AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 

An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie Howard's poem “The Candle,” written at age thirteen, was published in a University of Warwick journal. She was also a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society essay award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed simultaneous Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, “Mothers of the nation: right-wing women in Weimar Germany.” She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, A-level Examinations as well as a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. She is a member of SCBWI. 

Bloodspell is her first novel. 

Favorite book of all time?

The Complete Illustrated Stories of The Brothers Grimm—my copy is 26 years old!

Pen or pencil?

Pen. A purple one.

Favorite movie?

Lord of the Rings. No, Spaceballs. No, The Fifth Element. No, Aliens. No, The Notebook. No Star Wars. No, Harry Potter. What kind of evil question is this??

What inspired you to write Bloodspell? 

Bloodspell technically started out as a short story. Actually, it was a pretty terrible story that I wrote about ten years ago … I recently dug it up and it literally had me snorting and laughing in tandem. Anyway, the good part about the story was the vampire so I used him as a loose framework for Christian’s character in Bloodspell. The heroine needed work and more backstory, so as it turned out, her development really drove the direction of Bloodspell. What started out as a story about vampires evolved into a story about a witch trying to face her fears and embrace what she is, and once I had that idea in hand, it literally just took over. I really identified with it because I loved the idea of my protagonist having this monster inside of her that she had to overcome. Think of Victoria’s blood curse as a metaphor—for example, a disability or an eating disorder or self-image issues—something big and terrifying that any ordinary teenager may have to overcome in everyday life. The overarching message is the same. Bloodspell is Victoria’s story of becoming, where she has to find herself, face her fears, and only then, really own who she is.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I have a few, but I have to say that my hands-down favorite is the fight scene in the end with the other warlocks. I LOVE that Tori is so fierce and fearless and insanely confident. She becomes everything and more that I wanted her to be—to defend and fight for those she loves (even while dealing with the seductive call of her blood that’s ever trying to get her to give in to its demands). She really comes into her own in this scene, and it still gives me butterflies when she whispers to her enemies, “You really should be afraid you know.”

If you could live in a book’s world, what book would you choose?

I know that Victoria is my creation, but if I could actually be her in her world, I think that would be crazy amazing, even with the blood curse. But if I couldn’t choose my own book, I’d be Arwen in Lord of the Rings. The world building by J.R.R Tolkien is just phenomenal. I could also live quite happily in the Harry Potter books drinking copious amounts of butterbeer.

How do you feel about E-Readers?  Do you think they help the industry, or hurt it?

Before eReaders, I think that in general people were probably reading less due to a combination of many things—the economy (when you’re looking for a job, it’s hard to find time to read), family responsibilities, the rise of the internet and availability of television of demand, etc. However, now that books are available in downloadable form for Kindles, iPads, e-readers, and any other media instrument (even a cell phone), we’re going to see an increase in reading on the whole. It’s all about availability of material, ease of use and cost. We’re a consumer-based society—we consume. If something’s available and cheap, we’re going to go get it. Books are now an easily accessible consumable new media, and if that means that more people are going to read more books, then I’m all for it. In terms of personal preference, I’m a print girl. I like the smell of books. I like holding a book in my hand and flipping the pages. But on the other hand, I do enjoy the convenience of downloading a book in seconds at the touch of a button on my iPad. In terms of economics, it’s probably going to hurt certain parts of the industry, for example publishers, who make most of their profits from print media. Over the next few years, we’re going to see a bigger shift in how books are produced or marketed by publishers (i.e., digital format versus print) and there will likely be a measurable change in the whole profit model of this industry as a result.

What do your bookshelves look like?  Do you organize them in a specific way?

Yes! I like to have my books in order. Well, not alphabetically or anything because that would be way too much work. But I do like them loosely organized by genre or age, so they’re broken up into YA and adult, and then sorted into genre, like vampire books, romance books, or educational books. I also like to keep my hardcover collections together. Here’s an idea of what my bookshelves look like. And yes, if you’re wondering whether that’s some of my DVD collection at the top.

What is your favorite part of the holiday season?

The presents! Ok, well maybe not just the presents, but the act of giving and making someone happy, whether that’s family or a friend or even someone I don’t know. I think the holiday season brings out the best in us. People seem to smile more and love more, but that could just be my perception because I’m the one smiling more and loving more.

Favorite Christmas gift you ever received?

Ok, I’m going to go back in the past for this one. Way back. I think I was about eight years old and I really wanted my parents to have another baby. I already had a brother but I wanted a better one … you know, one who didn’t touch my stuff or follow me around everywhere or cry all the time. I even wrote a long and very emphatic letter to Santa. Anyway, Christmas morning came and there in a gaily-wrapped box was the perfect baby. A baby doll, but mind you, no ordinary baby doll. He was so lifelike, it was uncanny. Keep in mind that this was 1984, so life-sized baby dolls weren’t exactly a dime a dozen. My baby was perfect. He didn’t touch my stuff, he didn’t cry, and he stayed where I put him. To this day, I still question whether he had actually been manufactured in Santa’s factory at the North Pole because I’ve never seen one like him anywhere else in the world. In hindsight, now that I think about it, he really was a little scary-looking. Anyway, you’ll never guess what I named him. Christian. I kid you not. How’s that for oddly prophetic? 

Thank you Amalie for joining us and taking the time to be interviewed!

Find Amalie:

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Website

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Amazon

Amalie is giving away a signed copy of Bloodspell, signed bookmarks, a Bloodspell tote and leather bracelet! (US & International)

• There will be one winner for this giveaway.
• The giveaway is open US & Internationally.
• We are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.
• Giveaway ends Dec. 30 at midnight EST.
• All entrants need to be at least 18 years of age.
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond once notified or another winner will be chosen.
• Comments will not be counted as entries, you must fill out the rafflecopter form.
• By entering the giveaway you agree to all of the terms and conditions found HERE.

*For the blog post extra entry, please answer the question in the instructions.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS - Don't forget to check out Books and Barks & Alaskan Book Cafe to see what authors they are featuring today!


Check out the grand prize giveaways: US Only and INTL Only