Interview:
1. If you found yourself unable to write for any reason, how would you choose to tell your stories?
If I was unable to write I would most likely try my hand at drawing or do some roleplaying. Usually when I roleplay and take on a character, it helps me to get back in the groove for writing and even gives me a few new ideas to play with.
2. What was your favorite book/series when you were young, and how do you attribute that book/series to your style?
Wow...there were actually a few but I would have to go with Christopher Pike. Anything by him really, his young adult ones really caught my attention and is pretty much what started me off on my fascination with Vampires. From there my horror obsession only grew as I got older and started on my Stephen King kick and that lead to a whole new world for me involving creatures, gore and many ways to slaughter and maim....lol
3. If you were challenged to write something COMPLETELY outside your comfort zone, what would the piece be about?
It would most likely be either a children's book or spiders. I know, it's sad that I can write horror, mad blood and guts but ask me to write about spiders and all bets are off.....lol Maybe one day I will tackle it if I really wanna see if I can be the ultimate writer and hit my fears head on, but until then I will stick to my fictional loves.....lol
4. If you had to pick one genre to write about for the rest of your days, which genre would you pick and why?
I would definitely pick Paranormal. There are so many different avenues it can be taken and not all of them have been touched yet. I would love to dive into research on all the different kinds of paranormal creatures there are through history and pill out a random one and try my hand at something nobody has tempted yet. Not to mention it leaves me able to write about my pure loves of Vampires and Werewolves.
5. What is your dream goal with your writing - what is your "I've made it" mark?
My I've made it mark...hmmmmm......That's a biggie. I guess for me, my big mark would be sitting in a chair, at a table in Chapters in my hometown, signing copies of my first novel for family and friends....lol I know it seems so cheesy and small, but for me getting one of my books into somewhere I know my family and friends will see it is a BIG deal to me and will change everything.
6. When did you have your "aha" moment that you decided you wanted to write, and what was it?
Wow...that's a tough one actually. My moment came when a really good friend of mine, who is like a sister to me, challenged me to write something and submit it to a publisher. I had never thought of myself as a writer, and really doubted I could do it, But I took the challenge head on and wrote my first short story called, A Cupids Time in the Anthology Cupid's Chokehold. I wasn't with that publisher long, but it still gave me the courage, just seeing the contract and seeing my words published, to take another step and join a publishing company. I now have a bunch in the process and three waiting to be re-released into the world.
7. What was your favorite subject in school?
That was most definitely English.....lol I have always been writing, mostly poems, but it all started there. Any project we did I wrote all original stuff for my classes, never using anything from books or other authors or poets, everything was my own. And it really got me interested in the subject just being able to show what I could do.
8. How did you decided to start writing?
I decided to start writing after seeing the reaction to my short story. Since then stories have been popping into my head one right after the other, and even going so far as to challenge myself to write pieces I never thought I would write. Thanks to my love of the paranormal most of my stuff is in that genre, but it's where I am most comfortable and I never run out of ideas.
9. What is your reasons for writing?
My main reason for writing is pure entertainment. I love knowing that someone out there, somewhere, is either in a warm bath, or snuggled up in their bed, and the possibility that they are reading something I wrote gives me chills. Just knowing that someone who loves to read could be holding one of my books either in their hand or on their tablet puts such a huge smile on my face and makes me believe that I can do it and only makes me want to write more.
Bio:
Crystal Barnard is a woman who loves anything paranormal. She especially has a fascination for Vampires and Werewolves and often considers herself an Alpha Female. Having grown up surrounded by the horror genre and having to deal with her own twisted and gruesome thoughts, she often found herself sitting down and writing.
Living and growing up in Canada, she often finds herself in wooded areas, feeling more at home then anywhere else. Her stories tend to run on the paranormal side, but also have been known to hit very graphic horror right down to the last eyeball falling out and blood spattered walls.
At the young age of 35 she is enjoying her time writing and spending time with family and friends, and yes, that includes those who turn furry and go bump in the night. Her childhood was normal like anyone else's, with the exception that her grandfather had a habit of waiting until the quiet parts in a movie and scare her. This went on till about age 8 and then her mind took over on it's own and what would normally be gorey and sickening to most is what she thrives on.
Now when she watches movies, it usually consists of watching them, laughing, and rating the blood and gore factor to see which has the most guts falling out of bodies and which made her fall asleep. Most people find the monsters scary, but not Crystal, she pretty much has them over for dinner to discuss techniques and helps them with their ideas, needless to say dinner parties are never a good idea.
I am a huge horror lover, and of course anything paranormal is first and foremost on my watch list, but the horror factor helped shape my devious mind and create the illusion of innocence meanwhile secretly twisted and deranged.
Links:
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCrystalBarnard
Facebook Author Like Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crystal-Barnard-Author/477839412269980
Twitter: https://twitter.com/catrinwolfe
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/crystalbarnard
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7020002.Crystal_Barnard
Website: http://crystalbarnardauthor.wix.com/crystalbarnard
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/112803417695630856847/posts
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/catrinwolfe/
LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=260501922&trk=tab_pro
Email: crystalbarnardauthor@gmail.com
Thank you for spending another Monday, getting to know yet another staff member and Author. We are so glad to have you with us. Come back next week when we bring out yet another member for you to find out about.
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