Author Interview: A.M. Hargrove

Hello everyone, as promised I have another author interview! I hope your enjoying them but I'm running out of authors to interview! I could go through goodreads looking for more but I just don't have the time so if your an author and you want to be interviewed get in touch. Anyway along with the interview!

Tell me about yourself

Here are the basics:  married, two kids and a dog that’s quite old but still loveable!

I worked as a District Sales Manager for a large pharmaceutical firm for years before launching this career.  The humorous bio that’s on my website (www.amhargrove.com) and other places has a grain of truth to it, but the whole story is that the company I worked for was taken over by a larger one that basically chewed up my division and left most people without jobs.  I was in a unique situation where I could take advantage of it and pursue my dream career, which is what I am now doing.  And, by the way, I’m loving it!  What could be more fun than creating new worlds with characters to inhabit it?

Tell me about your book/s

The series is YA and it’s called The Guardians of Vesturon.  Its focus is on a family of six siblings.  They are from the planet Vesturon and their species has strong ties to Earth that date back 5000 years.  The books are written about each of the siblings. The first one, Survival, is about the oldest one Rayn, and his relationship with a human named Maddie.  The second one, Resurrection is the culmination of their relationship.  The series is really a hodgepodge of sci-fi, paranormal and fantasy and of course, romance!  They are pretty pristine as far as language and sex are concerned so they are suitable for teens. I’ve also had preteens read them and like them, and I think their moms liked them for the above reasons!

What are your favourite books?

There are so many, it’s hard to say.  But I love the Harry Potter series, I am hooked on Bones and Cat, I love the Fever series and I also loved the Millenium Series (Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, etc).  My tastes are pretty varied.  I just now finished reading the Fifty Shades series and loved it too!

Who is your inspiration?

Any time I read a good book, I am inspired to become a better writer.  But it is really “the what” and not “the who” that inspires me.  I love to trail run and when I’m out, I get all kids of ideas for plot lines, conversations, scenes, you name it.  It’s crazy!

Are you working on any books we should look out for in the future?

Oh yes!  I am getting ready to release the prequel to Survival and it’s called Beginnings.  It’s a novella that tells the story of Rayn’s parents and how they met and fell in love.  It should be out by the end of March.  And the good news is that it’s going to be a freebie!  I am also working on #3 in the series, but I haven’t named it yet.  I hope to have it published by June.  My goal is to have a book for each of the siblings.  But, I’ve said from the start that if the series becomes overworked, I will end it.  I think some series far outlive their entertainability, and I don’t want that to happen with this.  I also have a couple of ideas spinning in my head that veer away from the Guardians of Vesturon and the YA genre.  One would actually be a spin off of the Guardians.  But…they are just thoughts right now.

What is your favourite quote?

There are so many that I love, but one of my favorites is, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” by Albert Einstein.  I used to tell my employees that all the time.  If something isn’t working, stop doing it!

If you could be any character from any book who would you be and why?

Just one???  That’s not fair, lol!  Ok, how about this?  Can I choose one male and one female?  A male character that I would want to be is Harry Potter.  Harry was the embodiment of good and he was psycholigically strong enough to fend off the worst kind of evil imaginable.  It’s hard not to admire a character such as Harry.  A female character I would want to be is Cat.  She is mentally tough, morally sound, physically strong, beautiful, fiery and best of all she has Bones!

What is your favourite genre? 

I love paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi because anything goes.  It can be immortality, traversing the universe, beauty, wealth, anything.  Talk about entertaining!  And who wouldn’t want to have all of that?

Who are your favourite authors?

The list is endless, but I’ll start with these:  JK Rowling, Jane Austen, Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett, Jeaniene Frost, John Locke, just to name a few J

What tips would you give young aspiring writers?

Read as much as you can and write as much as you can—even if it’s only a hundred words per day.  Don’t make the mistake I made. I stopped writing.  I never thought I’d get the opportunity to write.  I minored in journalism in college, but took a different road for my career.  Because I was so busy working, the only writing I ever did was job-related business writing.  My skills were over-the-top rusty so when I lost my job and started writing again, it was a giant work in progress… and still is.  I should have been writing all along— articles, short stories, novellas… anything.  The more you write, the more you love writing and the better you become.  And ironically, the more ideas flow through your mind.  

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK