God’s Play by H.D. Lynn: Interview

God’s Play, by H.D. Lynn

Genre: young-adult, urban-fantasy

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release­­: September 18, 2014

Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson 

Description:

Sixteen-year old Toby was trained by a family of hunters to kill shape-shifters — but he has a unique weapon in his arsenal. With a touch of his hand, Toby can lift the magical protection shape-shifters use to disguise themselves as human. It’s an unusual skill for a hunter, and he prefers to kill monsters the old-fashioned way: with a blade.

Because of his special skill, Toby suspects he may be a monster himself. His suspicions deepen when William, a jackal-headed shape-shifter, saves him from an ambush where Toby’s the only survivor. And Toby doubts William helped him for purely altruistic reasons. With his list of allies running thin, Toby must reconcile his hatred of shifters and the damning truth that one saved his life. It’ll take both of them to track down the monster who ordered the ambush.

And Toby needs his unlikely alley because he has a vicious enemy — the infamous Circe, who has a vendetta to settle against the hunters. Toby has to unravel the mystery of his dual nature. And he has to do it on the run — before Circe finds him and twists him to her own ends.

Goodreads

About The Author:

H.D. Lynn is like Harry Potter in one way: she’s currently renting an apartment with a bedroom under her building’s stairs. Other than this, she explores fantasy worlds through storytelling like anyone else. She loves books with a mix of humor, adventure, and horror, and especially enjoys the urban fantasy genre. GOD’S PLAY is her first published novel.

When not writing, she enjoys hiking, climbing, and running. She’s a voracious reader, and has found listening to audiobooks while backpacking to be a perfect mix of two of her favorite things. She currently lives in Connecticut, but finds herself on the road often.

Interview:

Please welcome God’s Play author H. D. Lynn to Diane's Book Blog.

What is your favorite part of the story, God's Play?

The relationship between Toby and William. That was always going to be the foundation of the book. My favourite section in God’s Play is Prisoner because Toby comes to terms with what’s happened to him, and he starts to act on what he’s learned.

How long did it take you to write God's Play?

Originally, it was going to be a shorter novella, and the first half of the book was written within about 2-3 weeks. That’s when I realized I’d written something MUCH bigger than I intended, and I took a break, went back, rewrote, and spent several months thinking about what I’d done and where this story was going. Then I wrote the final half of the book in 3 days!

If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?

Cassie. She’s a survivor and would get us off that island. J

If you could be best friends with one of your characters, who would it be?

William would be a ‘good time’ friend, and he’d be fun for a night on the town, but he’s a bit flaky when it comes to trusting people in the long term. Enid’s someone who’d always be up for hanging out, whether it’s something low-key like movie night or going to a wild music festival. We’d be friends for sure.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Going to say the clichéd writer thing here: God’s Play isn’t my first book. Not even close. Most writers have 4-5 books down before they get one published, and I’m not an exception. A lot of my earliest (complete) original fiction was done when I was in middle school (aka when my family got our first computer so I could type). I wanted to tell stories about space samurai, so I did. Later, I found fan forums and wrote fan fic pieces, and it took me a while to come back to original fiction, but there was a point where I wanted to write my own characters in my own worlds again. There was a safety, a comfort, writing in other people’s worlds that helped grow my story-telling skills, and it took a while for me to re-find my voice in original fiction before I wrote anything worth trying to publish.

What's your favorite book-turned movie?

Princess Bride, Stardust, and The Hunger Games. All three made fantastic movies in their own right; the books were pretty good, too, although don’t get too upset when drag queen Robert de Niro isn’t in the book. J

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’m working the sequel to God’s Play and an adult urban fantasy trilogy. I’m excited about both works a lot, but it’ll be at least another 6 months before you see any of them because they’re not even beta reader ready yet.

What book are you reading now?

I’m not reading it yet, but I’m VERY excited for the Clariel release later this month. I’ve been waiting since I was 15 for that book. Garth Nix and Robin McKinely are probably the two authors from my middle school years that I still love.

What do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks?

 When I read ebooks, I just read more, so for right now, that’s the preferred format, although I do try to get a physical book copy to carry around on places like trains and airports where my mobile devices tend to run out of batteries and die.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Enjoy! Hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it.

The review tour is scheduled for 10.06.14 - 10.17.14; excluding weekends. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up here: https://docs.google.com/a/curiosityquills.com/forms/d/1OBMbZ056k5CYHdtmuilpWkMY85cdL1U9iWVYHz_SOro/viewform