Interview with Ashley Stoyanoff

By: Anonymous on Wednesday, March 27, 2013

A big thanks to Ashley Stoyanoff for joining us on Pure Jonel today for an interview.

Q ~ Can you tell us a bit about yourself?Well, I live in Whitby, Ontario with my husband Jordan and two cats, Tanzy and Trinity.  When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading.  I will read just about anything, but my favorite would be romance with a supernatural twist.

Q ~ What is your most annoying habit? Your most endearing one?

Hmmm … my husband would say its reading.  It drives him crazy when I pick up a book because I won’t put it down until it’s finished.

My most endearing habit is my need to help people, or so I am told.  I tend to drop everything, no matter how important it is, when someone asks me for help.

Q ~ Tea or coffee? Milk or juice?Definitely, coffee and juice.

Q ~ How did you begin writing? What sparked you to publish your work?
For as long as I can remember I loved to write. I’ve always found it therapeutic, whether it’s a diary entry, a story or just jotting down random thoughts.  As for publishing, I just woke up one day and decided to do it. 

Q ~ Who is your biggest inspiration?My biggest inspiration and influence would have to be my Mom.  If it wasn’t for her, I probably would have never finished any of The Soul’s Mark books.  When I got stuck on a plot twist, or a character name, or really anything I needed to talk through, she was there. She encouraged me along the way, and her belief that I could write always pushed me through all the bumps in the road.

Q ~ Can you tell us a bit about your writing style? Do you write from an outline or just whatever pops into your head? Do you have any writing rituals or quirks?

I’m a plotter and I’m crazy obsessive in the planning stages.  I create outline after outline after outline until the story is sound.  And then, once I’m happy with it, I’ll create another outline with new twists and turns. 

But all these outlines pay off because once I get to the actual writing the words come easily.  I know where the story is going, and I can just let myself go and get lost in the characters and the plot.

Q ~ What is the best writing advice that you've ever been given? Who gave it to you?The best advice I received on writing was from On Writing by Stephen King. 

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.”
― Stephen King, On Writing

Q ~ The Soul's Mark: Broken is about to be released, how excited are you about that?Like jump up and down and do cartwheels excited!  It’s always such a rush to see one of my books available.

Q ~ What else should we expect from The Soul's Mark series?Well, I’m currently working on a Soul’s Mark novella featuring a fan favorite, Eric Carter.  It will be out Spring/Summer this year.  There will also be at least one more book in the series, but right now it’s in the crazy outline stage.

Q ~ Do you have a favorite character in the series?

This is a tough one because I love all the characters, but I guess aside from Amelia and Mitchell, Eric would have to be my favorite.  He has a wicked sense of humor and a heart of gold. 

Q ~ Are any of your characters based on people that you know or have met?

Definitely. Amelia’s grouchy morning personality and Angelle’s overly chipper attitude were actually built around my morning coffees with one of my nauseatingly sunny co-worker (and a very close friend).

There was one morning, in particular, that started it. I woke up in a horrid mood. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping but no matter how wonderful everything around me was I felt like a crazy person. Of course, when I got to work, my co-worker was in her usual good mood. It was absolutely sickening how happy and bubbly she was at 7:30 in the morning and all I wanted to do was yell and stomp my feet and tell her not to be so bloody cheery.

When I finally sat down to write that day, I found myself thinking about how my co-worker knew she was driving me crazy but still kept pushing until I smiled at one of her absurd jokes. Before I knew it, I had weaved that experience into my characters’ lives.

Q ~ Do you have anything planned after The Soul's Mark series?

I have a few other things on the go, but they are still in the secret planning stage.

Thanks so much for joining us again today Ashley, and I must say, I'm excited to see what your secret planning stage brings about.

Now, lets take a look at the giveaways for The Soul's Mark: Broken to tide us over until it's release on April 1st.

The first is for participants in Canada & the US only.  Enter to win 1 papberback copy of The Soul's Mark:  Broken by Ashley Stoyanoff, coupled with a 'book cushion' (may not be exactly as pictured).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second contest is open Internationally.  Enter to win one of 3 sets of The Soul's Mark series.  That's right, each of the 3 winners will win a copy of The Soul's Mark:  Found,  The Soul's Mark:  Hunted, and The Soul's Mark:  Broken.

a Rafflecopter giveaway