Interview Christine Manzari

I promised you all an interview of Christine, so here it is!

1. What do you do, when not writing?

When I'm not writing, I'm usually either at the gym or taking care of my kids. I have three kids, and I'm a stay-at-home-mom, so they take up a lot of my time. But, I'm a very active person so I spend every weekday morning at the gym exercising. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie and I wish I had more time for things like snowboarding, rollerblading, ziplining, ropes courses, rock climbing, etc. If I could, I'd probably join a roller derby team. 


2. Who did you stumble upon writing in that genre you do?

I read a lot of books in a lot of different genres. The Sophisticates Series is a young adult dystopian. One of my favorite authors in that genre is Tahereh Mafi. She wrote the Shatter Me series and it is amazing. I totally fell in love with her writing and the unique language she used to describe things. Her books are gorgeous. Since I also write in the new adult romance genre, I can tell you my favorite author in that genre is Colleen Hoover. I love the way she is both a master of humor and at pulling a reader's heartstrings. I will read anything that Tahereh or Colleen write.


3. Is there anyone who inspired you to get into writing? 

I've always enjoyed writing and reading since I was little, but I think the author who actually inspired me to write was JK Rowling. I've read the Harry Potter series so many times I've lost count. I wanted to write a story that people would fall in love with as much as I fell in love with Harry Potter. And once I found out she wrote the books while juggling the pressures of being a parent, I was inspired to do the same.


4. What was your inspiration for The Sophisticates Series? 

The Sophisticates Series was inspired by all of the news I constantly heard about terrorists. I'm a natural worrier and I wondered if it was possible for a terrorist attack to truly shatter the United States by causing millions of deaths. And then I wondered in what form that terrorist attack might take and what lengths the government would go to in order to retaliate and also preserve the safety of the country. Once I came up with the problem, I created the solution—The Sophisticates. My characters for The Sophisticates Series are genetically modified teens who have unusual skills. I've always loved super heroes and characters with unusual powers, but I didn't want to do the same powers for my characters that had been done in movies and comic books. I did some research on animals with unique defense mechanisms and skills. Once I discovered some of the amazing things that some animals could do, the Deviant Dozen were born. All of the code names and powers of my characters are based on real creatures and the incredible things they can do. My favorite creature that one of my characters is based on is the Indonesian Mimic Octopus. It is seriously cool.


5. Is there anything you would change in deviation?

If I could go back and change anything in Deviation, I would make the beginning a bit shorter.


6. What's your favourite part in Conviction?

My favorite part in Conviction is that the reader gets to see Ozzy's point of view and why he likes Cleo so much. I really enjoyed writing the dungeon scene as well as the scene where Ozzy and Cleo play Two Truths, One Lie.


7. Which of the characters is your favourite? Who and why.

My favorite character is Arabella because she is so fun to write. I don't have to be careful with her. She can say or do whatever she wants and I enjoy having the freedom of not worrying whether the reader likes her or not. Writing snarky dialogue is one of my favorite things to write, and Arabella is always a source of snark. Plus, if I could have a deviation, I would choose to be the Mimic Octopus. Who wouldn't want to be able to change their looks with just a thought?


8. What project are you working on now?

I'm working on a couple of projects right now. I'm finishing the last book in The Sophisticates Series, which will be called Redemption. I hope to have that published in early summer. My first new adult romance, Hooked, will be published on February 3, 2015 so I'm finishing up edits on that book. In addition, I'm co-writing a book with Laura Ward. That book is also a new adult romance. I enjoy that project because I get to write the male's perspective while Laura writes the female perspective. I never know what is going to happen in the story until she sends me her chapter. My writing for that book really is a reaction to what the other character does. It makes the story very real for me. Lastly, I'm writing the second book in the Hooked series, but that one won't be published until late in 2015. 


9. As a writer I assume you have long nights sometimes, so what is your favourite mid-night snack ?
Being a stay-at-home-mom, I don't start writing until 9pm and I'm often up until 2am, so I definitely have some late nights. My favorite midnight snack while writing is a can of Coke and some Cheez-its.


10. How do you find time to write and spend time with your family?

It is definitely hard to find time to write when you have a family so I only write at night when my kids are in bed. The days and weekends belong to my family. I've discovered that giving up sleep is worth the opportunity to follow my dream of being an author.


11. Is there anything you would like to tell your readers?

First of all, I would like to tell my readers thank you for reading my books, reviewing them, and telling others about them. My stories would be nothing without readers to fall in love with them. Secondly, I would tell my readers to read as much as possible. Books are magical and there are so many good ones out there. Try different genres, you might discover you like a book you didn't expect to. And lastly, I'd ask readers to share. If you find a book you love, tell others about it. Helping an author you love succeed is the best way to make sure they keep writing books you can love and enjoy. 


"Thanks for interviewing me!" 
Thank you Christine! 

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