Indie Zone: Talking with Alexandra Engellmann

I love interacting with authors on Twitter. I  like the ability to get near instantaneous feedback. So, when I mused openly over the idea of doing author interviews, I was quite happy to find someone willing to be my first victim almost immediately. Now, the idea of doing a ‘normal’ author interview bored me, and luckily this particular author thought the same way. So we were able to collaborate and set a fun tone for my first foray into interviewing…

Alexandra Engellmann is author of the Sky Ghosts series.  Currently there are two books available for purchase. Sky Ghosts: All for One and Sky Ghosts: Marco.  You can find the link to both of these books here . You can connect with Alexandra at her official site ( http://www.engellmann.com/ ) or on Facebook .

Talking with Alexandra Engellmann

S&S: What was your reaction when you “officially” finished writing your first book?

AE: Honestly? “Oh crap, how am I ever going to translate this??”

S&S: Readers/Writers and drinks (coffee, tea, beer, etc) go hand in hand. What’s your drink of choice when you’re writing? What’s your drink when you’re reading?

AE: Writing and reading are the two things that I can’t combine with food or drinks. It’s too distracting. In fact, when I write, it has to be dead silence and no human beings in ten mile radius.

S&S: Have you ever had a reading or writing related pick-up line used on you? If so, what was it….and did it work?

AE: Sadly, no. Men here are really far from being that creative. Now that I think of it, the pick-up lines I used on them were way more original. Maybe that’s the reason I’m still single huh?

(S&S: I tried really hard to think of a cheesy pickup line to include here…and couldn’t. I fail. )

S&S: How many hours per day do you spend daydreaming about your characters/story?

AE: 24 hours. Because it’s absolutely normal to wake up in the middle of a dream thinking “This is what she’s gonna do in that scene!” and start typing on my smartphone.

(S&S: Honestly, I give Alexandra major props for this. The idea of typing out more than a couple sentences on my smartphone just makes me shudder in revulsion. Stupid little tiny keyboard. )

S&S: The strangest thing you do when writing?

AE: My poses. I have a very uncomfortable workplace, so when I have to sit here for hours without any breaks, it can get really ugly. I could probably write a Modern Writer’s Kama Sutra and it would hit the bestseller list in no time. 

S&S: What’s your “dirty little secret” book? The one you love but hope no one ever sees you reading?

AE: Twilight. I was 17 when I read it, and no matter if the books I’d read before were way more serious, I enjoyed it. But every time I mentioned it people would start whining. It’d go like this:

– Wow, you’ve learned English on your own, what’s your secret??

– I read Twilight in English 3 times.

– Eeeeww, Twilight is such a crap book! How can you bring it up in my holy presence?? Everybody says it’s bad! You don’t exist for me anymore! *never actually read it to even know what it’s about*

So yeah, it’s the only book that I avoid mentioning so I don’t have to listen to this all over again.

S&S: How long would your latest book’s protagonist survive in a zombie apocalypse? What would he/she eventually die from?

AE: Well, I have two of them, so I’ll have to pick one. Let’s go with Pain.

She’d outlive everyone on the planet, seizing control over all zombies and first becoming their queen, then killing them all in cold blood at night. (Do zombies sleep?) Then she’d spend the rest of her days enjoying the absolute peace on the planet, until eventually she would die of boredom because duh, Marco’s gone.

S&S: When you’re on a writing spree, do you still read other books?

AE: Absolutely. Reading is my only rest during the day, and besides, it always brings new ideas. They’re not connected in any way with what I read or watch; something just pushes my brain in the right direction, and I suddenly have a whole new twist that falls right into its place in the puzzle. Besides, I keep a fat handmade English dictionary for new phrases, and I need new words all the time.

S&S: Anything you would change about books you’ve already released, if you could?

AE: If I were writing the first book now, I’d make it completely different. The storyline was created 5 years ago, and I realized that it could be stronger too late. However, people still love it, and I’d rather move forward. The next book in the trilogy will be a hundred times more complex.

And Sky Ghosts: Marco is perfect just the way it is. It’s a fun read, and it shows how Pain and Marco began, and nothing more. I wrote it in 7 days, and it was the best writing experience ever (even with the bronchitis).

S&S: (Final Question) What kind of people would you recommend NOT read your books?

AE: Those who are looking for a quick entertainment, but don’t really live in the world that a book shows. Those who don’t like character driven books and prefer non-stop action instead of getting under the character’s skin and being happy to discover yet another layer. Those who don’t have the patience to let the characters become a part of them before something heartbreaking gets to happen. I think everybody else can safely give them a try 🙂

S&S: Thanks, Alexandra! You’re awesome and fun to interview!

See my review of Sky Ghosts: All for One!