I’ll be honest, I forgot I was posting today. Whaaat??? How could you? I know! I know! But I’ve been gone, and we lost our dogs while I was home alone, school, and so forth. But lo and behold! The interview with Tricia Mingerink, author of one of my favorite book series!!

Oh, and you can find the rest of the blog tour here, my review for Dare, bk 1 in the Blades of Acktar series, here, and here is my review for the star book, Deny (that’s what the blog tour’s for, in case you didn’t know 😉 ).

To get started we’ll start with a fairly generic question.

What has been your favorite part of writing The Blades of Acktar?

So far, writing the first draft of Book 3 has been my favorite book. That draft came together so well. But I’ve also enjoyed parts of editing (in between sobbing on my sister-in-law’s shoulder that the characters were not cooperating).

I cry on my little brother’s shoulder (though he’s usually unwilling 😉 )

What books have been the most inspirational for your writing?

Jill Williamson’s The Blood of Kings trilogy showed me that Christian fantasy did exist and was a growing genre. I’d written several fantasy books (some finished, some not) before then, but I always felt like a part of me was missing from those books. Then I realized that I could write Christian fantasy, and started writing The Blades of Acktar almost immediately.

The second series that really influenced my writing was The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight. I’d finished the first drafts of the first three book in The Blades of Acktar, and I was trying to decide where to go from there. Jaye’s books showed me that indie publishing could be done very well, and through her, I met a great online community of other Christian indie authors. Most of my readers are also borrowed from her.

I love the Ilyon books!! But I have yet to read any of Jill Williamson’s books…

What is your favorite book(s) to read?

Besides anything by Jill Williamson or Jaye L. Knight, I’m busy catching up on all the Christian speculative fiction that’s out there now that I’ve found that those books exist. I recently went on a Christian dystopian kick where I read A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes (who also happens to be my amazing editor), Counted Worthy by Leah Good, and Defier by Mandy Fender. I’m currently reading Chasing Secrets by Kim Moss, one of the few contemporary Christian YA books I actually enjoy. As you can tell, I love a lot of books.

Ooh! All those are on my TBR list!

What have you learned since publishing your books?

A lot. I taught myself how to use Photoshop, which has been fun. I learned a lot about writing through the professional edits I received. I’ve learned to be more confident when talking about my books and writing with other people. Finally, I learned better how to give my writing over to God, not just after the book is published, but during the writing process.

That’s awesome!!

What are you currently writing right now?

I’m about a third of the way through the first draft of Book 4 of The Blades of Acktar, though progress has been slow since Deny claimed most of my attention lately.

I SO can’t wait!! Hope you write fast!! 😀 Now onto the fun questions!!!

If you could bring any book character to life, which one would it be and why?

Not my own characters. I think they might resent me too much for what I put them through. I’d have a really hard time picking, but in the end, I think I’d probably choose Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia started my love of fantasy, and Lucy was always my favorite character.

I love Lucy!! She’s always been a favorite of mine as well!

If you could transport to any time, when would you go?

That’s a tough one. Even though I love studying wartime history, I’m not sure I’d want to actually be transported to Gettysburg or the Battle of Trafalgar. If I had to choose, probably the Old West. I’d love to join a cattle drive just once.

Awesome! I take it you love history!! 🙂

What is your favorite part about blogging?

Confession time: I don’t always enjoy blogging, which probably explains my sporadic blog posts. My favorite part is talking about books I enjoy.

At times, I definitely understand!!

And finally, what is the weirdest thing that you’ve ever researched?

Besides researching various places to stab people without actually killing them? I’ve researched how to cauterize a wound, which basically involves burning a gash with a hot piece of metal instead of stitching it. Not the most pleasant version of first aid.

Oh. Agreed. Definitely not the most pleasant. Anywho, thanks for letting me interview you! It was fun! XD

About the author:

dsc09473-2Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn’t writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.

You can connect with her onFacebook, Pinterest, Goodreads,Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!!

Ahem. Anyways, Tricia is giving away SIGNED COPIES OF BOTH OF HER BOOKS! So definitely enter!! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!!

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