Grimdol Fair: Guest Feature: Author, Alisa Mullen

1 Hi Alisa, tell us a little about yourself!

I I am originally from Maine, where I grew up on the Atlantic coast. I have lived in Portland, Oregon, Boston, MA and San Antonio, Texas. I have a BA in English from Texas A&M and MS from Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio, Texas. I love working at Farmer’s Markets and being part of the local artisan scene. I paint, make jewelry and read all the time, when I am not writing of course. Most importantly, I have a beautiful family. We are a baseball family. When the Red Sox and Rangers play, tension is high. I love living in warmer climates where I can lounge in my pool and float down the rivers in the area. Although I am no longer right next to the ocean, I make enough trips every year to get my fix.

So I see you're the author of a contemporary NA romance novel, Unsettled. Can you tell us a little about the book?

I It is a first person POV from Lizzie O’Malley. It is your basic girl meets boy romance, except there is an understanding that their relation is very temporary since Teagan (boy) is from Ireland and is in Boston only for the summer of 2000. Lizzie (girl) finds herself in love with Teagan before long. Life gets in the way and it about how they work through those obstacles. “Unsettled” was written in 4 weeks. I am not sure that I even slept. It is a story based on true events that I experienced in Boston. I like to call it my purge novel. It was a bit painful to write, actually.

Who is your favorite character in your story and why?

I am partial to Sean. He is a close friend to Lizzie. I love him because he is a tattoo artist, listens to metal music, down to earth and has real life experience. His character is based on a great friend that was killed by a train two years ago. I wanted to pay tribute to him and how he had always been like a big brother to me. People keep asking if Sean will continue in the next two books. He isn’t in the second, although he is mentioned but he plays a bigger part in the 3^rd.

What do you think about the rising popularity of the New Adult genre? What drew you to that genre for your story?

I actually didn’t know about the NA phenomenon until my editor told me that my book was in that genre. LOL. After I realized that I was a part of that group of authors, I started reading anything and everything NA. Although my sex scenes are minimal (which seems to be a HUGE part of the NA popularity), I belong in this genre because I curse a lot, in my books and in my real life. I love the romance aspect of the NA genre. I actually skim over most sex scenes because after the first few I read, I think I grew immune to it. Writing is for the reader. They need to think and process how they can relate to the book for themselves. I encourage the reader to get to know the characters and then use their own imaginations when I plug in my sex scenes. They are there and people have remarked that they are hot, but they are not Sylvia Day or Maya Banks. I sometimes wish I could write them with ease, but I accept that I love the drama of a true romantic relationship. I did recently hear about a poll that more women are more proactive in bed with their husbands because of the NA popularity. No more “Honey, I have a headache” excuses!

Can you tell us a little about your long term goals with your writing?

I have about three more book and outlines ready when “The Chosen Series” is done. This should be accomplished by this fall. I am really looking forward to that next book, which is basically an NA book but involves a twist of eerie events. I am in love with American Horror Story and recall a memory as a child that will be sexy, fun and scary. I can’t say much about it yet, but it will involve four women – an alcoholic, a sex addict, an OCD workaholic and your average young housewife in an unhappy marriage. I can’t imagine not writing every day. It is all that I think about and I feel like my best self when I am writing. So long term? That would be until the day I die.

What advice can you offer indie authors just starting out in the industry?

Get to know other indie authors immediately. Ask questions. Market, market, market. Teasers, fan pages, giveaways, blog tours and interviews are important. Signing tours are for more exposure but indie authors will always pay their own way. Unless you are signed, an indie author invests all of their time (and any money they can spare) to publish and market. It is also imperative that an indie author shouldn’t edit their own novels. My editor caught so many key points in my work. I can tell the difference when someone edits their own work and there is a big difference.