Guest Interview with Krista Holle, Author of The Wind Whisperer
We are thrilled to be interviewing Krista Holle, author of The Wind Whisperer, today here on What the Cat Read. Purrs and tail waves to you Krista!
K.H. – Hello, kitties. I’m so glad to be here!
Please share three fun facts about yourself.
K.H. – I collect seashells from all over the world. I’m the mother to four spirited daughters. I’m obsessed with Vampire Diaries, the television show.
Describe your writing style for us. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
K.H. – A plotter. I write a loose outline before starting any novel. I think it’s important to know where you are headed when writing so you don’t spin in circles.
What are some of your must have items while writing? Do you like to listen to music or do you prefer silence?
K.H. – Ha, ha. I put on sound silencing head phones and then descend into my woman-cave when I write.
When you develop your characters, do you model them off of people in your life or do they sort of create themselves?
K.H. – I’ve yet to model a character off a real person. I usually start off with an idea of who I want my character to be and then the character usually takes on a life of their own.
Tell us a bit about The Wind Whisperer. What was your favorite scene?
K.H. – The Wind Whisperer is about a fifteen-year-old girl who can communicate with the wind spirits. She has lots of adventures but along the way she must choose between her best friend Elan and Jayttin, an enemy warrior who’s won her heart. One of my favourite scenes was when Elan kisses Anaii for the first time. Anaii is looking for that exciting sort of love that stops your heart. Naturally she overlooks her best friend Elan who she has known her whole life. After that first kiss everything changes and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.
What 3 words would use to describe Anaii?
K.H. – Spoiled. Courageous. Feisty.
What would you say was the most difficult part about writing this novel?
K.H. – Even though The Wind Whisperer is based on a fictional tribe called the Chippokes, I wanted my story to feel authentic. I researched Native Americans from all over The United States. I was especially enthralled in the customs of the natives that lived locally.
What was your inspiration behind The Wind Whisperer?
K.H. – My inspiration behind The Wind Whisperer was Pocahontas. I lived on land once owned by her when I wrote the book. A lot of the customs and lifestyles of the fictional tribe were inspired by the Powhatan tribe that lived locally.
Favorite genre to read?
K.H. – Paranormal young adult romance!
If you could have written any famous novel, which would you have written and why?
K.H. – Twilight was a huge inspiration to me when I started seriously writing. It has everything I admire in a novel—a great love story, a heavy dose of paranormal, and an actual plot. People give Stephanie Meyers a hard time but her writing style is brilliant.
What can we expect next from you writing wise?
K.H. – The Wind Whisperer can stand alone but it has a sequel that’s already been written. You can expect A New Whisper sometime in fall 2014.
Is there anything you’d like to share with our readers before you go?
K.H. – The Wind Whisperer isn’t like anything else on the market. It’s full of magic and mystery with a unique love story. I hope you’ll check it out.
Thank you again for joining us today, Krista! =^.^=
About the Book:
At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.
As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.
Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.
While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.
Excerpt:
I gingerly took a step backwards, but to my horror, the man’s black eyes fluttered open. I turned and hurled myself back across the meadow, just as the man shot up and flew after me like a predatory bird. My muscles burned and strained to lengthen the space between us, but getting away was hopeless. I was not a challenge to even the young boys in the foot races.
After a few powerful strides, the warrior tackled me to the ground, painfully grazing the skin on my cheek. I wheezed a few times before my lungs filled with air.
“A Chippoke?” he asked between breaths.
I feverishly punched and kicked to free myself. “Get—off—me!”
“Stop! I’m not going to hurt you,” the warrior chuckled as he struggled to pin my arms and legs. His voice was calm and pleasant, but lying was no different than breathing to a Zennite.
“I cannot promise the same,” I wheezed as I fought.
“You’re a bobcat,” he said with a laugh. “A bobcat with no teeth or claws.”
“Let me go!”
“I will when you’re calm.”
Strong hands held my wrists while his full weight pinned my torso against the earth. Fighting him was as useless as running. “You are not a boy,” I spat angrily, fully taking in my attacker. It was little comfort that he didn’t look like a bloodthirsty killer. He was admittedly handsome with an angular face and sleek black hair that hung well past his shoulders. He was not as tall as Elan, but his muscles were narrow and built for speed. There was something different about his eyes too. They were as black as soot—very unlike the brown woodsy colors from our tribe.
The warrior smirked down at me. “My mother will be very surprised to hear that. All this time she’s assumed…”
My face heated, but I fiercely met his gaze. The Zenni were like wild dogs and pumas—they could smell emotions. “What I meant was, you are a man, not a boy.”
“Oh, I see, but you must understand, I’m not a man yet.”
“You must understand I’m a squirrel! Get off! You’re hurting me!” I ordered with a useless heave.
“No,” he said with a smirk.
It was then I realized I might die—right after I was lulled into a false sense of security. My chest pounded as I searched for the killer’s weapon. “Are you going to kill me?”
“I do not feel like killing you just yet,” he said as his long hair swirled in my face. Were we to play a game before he killed me?
“I am glad the mood doesn’t strike you,” I snarled. The warrior studied me with a drawn brow. Was he guessing that I was the forest witch? I didn’t think I looked like a witch, but I wasn’t certain what one should look like—evil at least.
“I don’t understand something,” the warrior said. “Your eyes are blue—the blue of an angry sky. Are you the daughter of a god?”
“Yes,” I said, heaving against his weight again. “Now get off me, or my father Achak will strike you dead with lightening.”
About the Author:
Krista Holle is an award winning author who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love—not just vampires. When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza. Krista currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family’s socks.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
***Giveaway****
GRAND PRIZE: 1 Kindle Fire, $25 Amazon Gift Card and a printed copy of The Wind Whisperer
Runner-up 1: Printed copy of The Wind Whisperer
Runner-up 2: Ebook copy of The Wind Whisperer
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Posted on February 4, 2014, in Authors. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
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