Interview Immortal Girl5 by Griffin Stark w/ #GIVEAWAY

Title: Immortal Girl5
Author: Griffin Stark
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Jan 22 2019
Blurb/Synopsis:

THE ULTIMATE IN GIRL POWER!

Rachel, Skylar, Caitlin, Beth and Bethany are all eighteen, immortal and can fly.
But that is where the similarities end for these five forever teenage girls. They were each chosen before birth and destined to become part of the Immortal Girls, put together by their immortal parents, Isabelle and Alistair, to save humanity from itself when needed.
Their story takes you from 1000 AD all the way to present day New York, where the chosen five girls come together slowly through the centuries to form the strongest bond the earth has ever known. Suddenly, they are faced with the biggest threat of their immortal lives. It comes in the form of a secretive scientific research company called Forever Genetics and its brilliant, but unstable CEO, Christian Gruber. Using escaped prisoners that his company set up, he is planning on building an immortal army and taking out the Immortal Girls once and for all.

Being immortal is not forever, neither is survival…

Book Links

Amazon 

What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

I think that the way up and coming writers are treated is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry.  I won’t go into the countless examples of what I am talking about but think the large publishing houses might be in for a rude awakening with the way the publishing industry is changing.

How did you break into the publishing world? 

It took me a very long time and countless efforts to break into the publishing world. I started off at the age of seven charging twenty-five cents to write love letters from my male classmates in school to our female classmates. I have written countless stories and books that were never published but never let that discourage me. Finally, after I completed the first draft of “Immortal Girl5” it was noticed by a few key figures in the literary world and that is where this incredible journey started.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Writing both energizes and exhausts me. When I have what I call a “creative burst” I can go on a writing marathon for a couple of days. Of course, when that tapers off, I need to rest usually for fourteen to seventeen hours. I am always thinking about ideas to write about and that constantly energizes me, but sometimes I just need to turn my brain off for a while from the exhaustion this type of creativity causes. It’s kind of a blessing and a curse all rolled up into one.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

I think that one of the most common traps that aspiring writers face is not emulating what has been done before. Most people think that you can’t reinvent the wheel – those people are not true creatives. When I wrote “Immortal Girl5” I believe that I reinvented the wheel in my vision. If an aspiring writer wants to separate him or herself from the rest of the pack, he or she needs to reinvent the wheel in a way that not only gets them noticed, but also keeps them true to themselves – which is a whole other conversation!

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I would say that I have five unpublished and half-finished books.

How many hours a day do you write?

I write five hours a day, which usually translates into ten pages, every day, seven days a week.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

I used to read my book reviews until a couple of members of my team encouraged me not to. Out of the ones I read most were good and some not so good. The way I deal with good ones is the same way I deal with bad ones. I consider the source and have come to realize that not everyone, no matter who you are, is going to respond to your work. And besides, people who didn’t like your work are a lot more prone to talk about than people who like it.

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Yes, I did hide a few secrets in “Immortal Girl5” that only a very few people will ever find. Some are so deep that I even forget where they are sometimes 😊

What are the hardest scenes to write?

There is one scene that comes to mind in “Immortal Girl5” that was the hardest one for me to write of them all. It was at the end of Caitlin’s backstory when she and Joan were tied to the burning stakes and Joan looks up and smiles just before Caitlin is gone with a huge gust of wind. I can’t really explain it but even when I read that scene to this day I tear up. Other scenes that are difficult for me to write are when I kill off characters. It is almost like having the character on their knees in front of me as I am pointing an imaginary gun at their head and pulling the trigger. For me this is very difficult to do most of the time because I get to know my characters very well throughout my writing process.

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

I would do absolutely nothing. I have been writing since the age of seven consistently in one genre or another and have come a very long way as a result.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

On average, it takes me a little more than two years to write a book. When writing Y/A Fantasy Fiction the author’s responsibility is to create an entire world for his or her readers. Who are the characters? What do they say to each other? Where does the action take place? are a few small hurdles to start with.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I absolutely believe in writer’s block and have suffered through it. On one occasion I suffered three months of writer’s block and could not think of a word to write. Luckily, I have incredible people in my life who helped me though this and got me back on track. My advice to anyone suffering from writer’s block is that “This too shall pass”

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The biggest challenge that I find in my writing is getting into my character’s heads. I use many methods to do so and find myself growing as a writer by successfully being able to transfer what I learn onto the written page.

Did you come across any specific challenges in writing “Immortal Girl5”?

Getting into the heads of five eighteen-year-old girls was the biggest challenge I faced while writing “Immortal Girl5” – especially being that I am a male. Another large challenge was combining the girl’s backstories (the first half of the book) with the action in modern day New York and the modern-day villains that come with it seamlessly.

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

The first story that I ever read that had any type of impact on me was “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton. I read that book when I was ten-years-old and to this day it is still my favorite book of all time. The incredible story and relationships that she built into one-hundred and eighty-five pages is not only timeless but solidified my desire to become a professional author.

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GRIFFIN STARK is an American author who proudly lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Even as a young child, Griffin had an active imagination. As an author of Young Adult Fiction, he has harnessed his creativity to tell a story that is memorable and filled with important life lessons.

Griffin served as a combat medic in The United States Air Force and received several accommodations. He also founded THE SHEEPDOG MOVEMENT to join in the fight against bullying of teens worldwide.