I met Alicia at UtopiaCon this year. She’s the author of the Crystal Frost series, and she has a new book, Distant Dreams, coming out October 12. Not only does she write excellent books, but she also has her own freelance writing business. Have a look at her amazing work (especially those book covers!):
The Crystal Frost series:
Crystal Frost tells herself she isn’t crazy, but sane people don’t see ghosts. As her psychic abilities manifest, Crystal discovers there’s a much bigger story behind her mother’s Halloween-themed shop than she ever realized. Now blessed with the ability to see into the future, witness the past, and speak with the dead, Crystal must use these tools to save those who have come to her for help.
But that’s not an easy task between learning how to use her abilities, trying to hide them, and uncovering the secrets her loved ones have been keeping from her. Add blackmail to the list of things Crystal never thought would happen to her, and you basically have her sophomore year covered. Will she learn to control her abilities in time, or will the whole school learn of her secret before she’s ready to reveal it?
Crystal Frost recently discovered she can see ghosts and predict the future, yet the mystery of Hope Ross’s abduction still haunts her dreams. While traveling to Florida for Thanksgiving, Crystal’s visions of Hope only grow stronger. She enlists the help of her soon-to-be step-cousin Robin, a decision that complicates the entire picture—and her feelings. Can she figure out what happened to Hope and learn why Robin is so guarded, or will her newfound abilities fail her?
Crystal Frost has grown accustomed to the supernatural, but months of passive paranormal activity have left her believing her mother’s wedding will be a breeze. That changes when a ghost named Melissa shows up in Crystal’s dressing room while she’s picking out her maid of honor dress. Crystal takes on this new psychic mission without question, immediately determined to save Sage, the girl Melissa warned her about. But how do you save a girl from a deadly fate when you don’t know how she’s going to die?
In addition to writing fiction, you are a professional blog writer and freelancer. What do you find most enjoyable about each?
With freelance writing, I have the chance to make money doing what I love: writing! But fiction writing allows me to be more creative. What I love about both is the sense of accomplishment I get after I finish a project. Each blog post that gets published or book that I finally get to hold in my hands is a huge accomplishment to me. Plus, I love the flexibility I get out of all of it.
Flexibility is good! FIRE IN FROST is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree and was named one of the top 50 indie books of 2015 by Readfree.ly. Congratulations! What about ghost stories do you love the most, and what about FIRE IN FROST was the most fun to write?
This is a tough question! I guess I love ghost stories because there’s always something mysterious about them. I also find the paranormal interesting because it’s not something you experience every day (at least I haven’t had any paranormal encounters!), so it puts you into a world that’s familiar but also different and magical.
I think the funnest part about Fire in Frost was discovering Crystal’s character. Throughout my rewrites, she turned into a different person, who I liked better than the way I originally wrote her, and that set the stage for the rest of the series.
It’s great when characters develop that way! And I love the design of your websites. What advice, if any, would you give to authors interested in making a portfolio page?
Put money into it. I see a lot of authors use free websites, and it ends up looking similar to all the other free websites out there. You don’t get as many tools and flexibility as you do if you self-host your site and buy premium themes. However, I realize that not everyone has the money to invest in their site, and not everyone has the skills to build a website. At the very least, buy your own domain name to give your site a more credible appeal.
Wonderful advice. What are some of your other projects? Are you working on any more books?
Of course! Distant Dreams is my next book. It’s a standalone YA paranormal coming out October 12. I’m also working on the fourth and final Crystal Frost book, and I’m writing a short story that will combine the characters from the Crystal Frost series and Distant Dreams. I also have the first draft of a YA paranormal called Split done that I hope to release sometime in 2017. And of course, there are always new ideas swimming around in my head.
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
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