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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Q+A with Vanessa Barneveld Author of This Is Your Afterlife

Q+A with Vanessa Barneveld Author of young adult paranormal romance This Is Your Afterlife

Please welcome today's guest author Vanessa Barneveld!  Vanessa is the author of This Is Your Afterlife, a young adult paranormal romance about a girl who can see ghosts...including the ghost of the guy she's been crushing on.

Q+A with Vanessa Barneveld

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Vanessa:
  I first started writing short stories in my early teens. I had a healthy addiction to series fiction, and when I ran out of books to read, I’d try to write my own. Writing is incredibly hard work, but also incredibly fun. What could be better than making up stories for a living?

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Vanessa:
  When I wasn’t reading all kinds of fiction as a teenager, I was virtually gobbling up a collection of magazines called The Unexplained. They were chock-full of eyewitness accounts to nightmarish stuff like spontaneous human combustion, UFO abductions and, my favorite, hauntings. These apparently true stories not only prevented me from having a good night’s sleep, they gave me a story idea or two.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Vanessa: 
I’m about to become a godmother, so I would love to be a fairy godmother, one who can make other people’s wishes come true. I’d do my best to be responsible about it, though. One person’s wish cannot have a hurtful impact on another or cause the stock market to crash or whatever. Hmm, fairy godmothering could actually be a troublesome talent. Maybe it’s safer to choose the ability to fly like Superman instead...

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Vanessa:
  This Is Your Afterlife is a fun, quick read that brings new meaning to “teen spirit.” Sixteen-year-old Keira has finally got what she’s always wanted – the popular, hunky captain of the football team in her bedroom. Problem is he’s not in the flesh. He’s a ghost. Being a practical sort of girl, Keira takes on the job of finding out who killed Jimmy so he can move on to the next world. Readers tell me they love the book’s blend of humor, mystery and romance.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Vanessa:
  During the making of my book trailer, I spent days trawling a stock image site for models who resembled Afterlife’s three pivotal characters. Tough job, but somebody had to do it. You can see my cast here. I think they look perfect, but if I had a Hollywood-sized budget, these are my top picks:

Kate Mulvany as Keira. She’s an award-winning actor friend of mine here in Australia who is the same height as Keira. I’m sure Kate wouldn’t mind dyeing her golden hair black for the part. Kate was in the recent film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
Brenton Thwaites from The Giver would play the ghost, Jimmy. Brenton’s also Australian and has a lovely blend of athleticism and sweetness.
Tom Welling, if he’s willing, should be Dan, Jimmy’s brother. Tom is not Australian, but this Smallville star is rather hot and fits the mental picture I had of Dan when I wrote the book. (And let’s just pretend these three talented actors are around the same age, shall we?)


Q+A with Vanessa Barneveld Author of young adult paranormal romance novel This Is Your Afterlife

This Is Your Afterlife by Vanessa Barneveld.

When the one boy you crushed on in life can't seem to stay away in death, it's hard to be a normal teen when you're a teen paranormal.

Sixteen-year-old Keira Nolan has finally got what she wanted—the captain of the football team in her bedroom. Problem is he’s not in the flesh. He’s a ghost and she’s the only one who can see him.

Keira's determined to do anything to find Jimmy's killer. Even it if means teaming up with his prickly-yet-dangerously-attractive brother, Dan, also Keira's ex-best-friend. Keira finds that her childish crush is fading, but her feelings for Dan are just starting to heat up, and as the story of Jimmy’s murder unfolds, anyone could be a suspect.

This thrilling debut from Vanessa Barneveld crosses over from our world to the next, and brings a whole delightful new meaning to "teen spirit".

Release Date: October 21, 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.

Thank you Vanessa for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Vanessa Barneveld and her books, please visit her website.

Have a question for Vanessa? Ask away in the comments below!

38 comments:

  1. Vanessa,
    I might be a bit biased, but I LOVED your book. :-) Will we be seeing more of these characters,, though? I'd like to see what happens in Keira's world after AFTER. :-) *crossing fingers for a sequel*
    As a hopeful fairy godmother, I think you should make all your readers happy and do that!

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    1. Hi, Kim! Biased or not, I'm so glad you love the book!

      I do have a sequel planned. Let's hope *my* fairy godmother makes it happen!

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  2. This book is on my Kindle and I can't wait to read it!! (I didn't read much of anything last year. I so much need to make some time for more reading this year.) Prickly and attractive sounds like just my kind of hero. :)

    Congrats on becoming a godmommy!! Such an honor and privilege. :)

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    1. Hi, Marnee! Thank you for stopping by. I hear you on the reading! I'm trying to catch up too. EJ has a ton of good reading recommendations on the site here if you need a starting point. :)

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  3. HOW FUN! I would love to be a fairy godmother too.
    Your book premise is darling (on my Kindle as well) and I can see why readers would vote it into the finals. Good luck, Vanessa!

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    1. Sarah, being a fairy godmother would be endless fun! I love seeing people's wishes come true. Thanks for stopping by and saying such lovely things.

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  4. Vanessa,

    I ADORED your This Is Your Afterlife - and, like Kim - would love a sequel.

    As for super-powers...remember Bewitched? I'd like to be able to twitch my nose and have a clean house, washed and ironed clothes, a gourmet dinner and manicured lawn.

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    1. Julie, I so appreciate you reading Afterlife! I'm thrilled to hear you want to see more.

      I'd just love to have Samantha Stevens wriggle her nose here and tidy up for me too. I'd get so much more writing done!

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  5. This book is fantastic! I am with Kimberly - will there be a sequel? Being a fairy godmother would be awesome. Congratulations on being nominated for The Australian Romance Readers Awards! Well deserved!

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, Nan! I'm currently reading and loving your debut, Southern Comforts, right now. So delicious in so many ways. And then I'll get to work on my Afterlife sequel!

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  6. I too loved This Is Your Afterlife! And, like Julie, being able to twitch your nose and have a clean house sounds awesome right now. I think my house is haunted by rabid dust bunnies.

    Picturing you reading that magazine cracked me up. Do they still distribute that, I wonder? Good luck in the Australian Readers contest!!

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    1. Wow, Laura, thank you! So glad you loved Afterlife.

      Oh, I'm still haunted by the magazine's images of charred dismembered limbs (post-spontaneous combustion)! I don't think the series is published anymore, but I'm always on the lookout for old copies!

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  7. Yes, yes, sequel, please!!!!! I adore these characters. I adore Vanessa's writing. When you put then together, magic happens...of the paranormal kind. Congratulations on being a Godmother, Vanessa! You will be fantastic at the job.

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    1. Now I *must* read this book. Thank you for stopping by and commenting! :)

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    2. Oh, Pintip! What an amazing compliment! I'm overwhelmed — thank you!

      Can't wait to be a godmum, and I REALLY can't wait for your big debut this year!!!

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    3. EJ, it was so kind of you to interview me. Thanks very much!

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  8. I love your trailer, Vanessa. Your heroine is gorgeous! Congratulations on your ARRA nomination--so happy for you!

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    1. Hi, Suzanne! Thanks for stopping by and also for checking out the trailer. I had a lot of fun putting it together.

      My congrats to you on your debut this week! So excited for you!

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  9. Hi Vanessa! Great interview! Firstly, let me say how much I loved THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE. I've got a post going up on a blog on Saturday about my fave books for the year and yanno, it just might be mentioned! I'll let you know it's up. Secondly, laughed at you as a fairy godmother. What a morass of moral dilemmas I never thought about. I'm with you - let's go flying instead!

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    1. Afterlife is one of your favourite books of the year, Anna?! A thousand thank-yous! You've just made me a very happy gal. I'd fly anywhere with you now. How about Tahiti?

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    2. Sounds good - especially as it's going to be stinking hot here in South East Queensland today.

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    3. Anna, it's heating up here in Sydney too. Let's go join our cooler North American friends instead!

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    4. I'll take the heat over the cold, if either of you would like to swap places! ;)

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  10. Very fun interview Vanessa and good choices for your book boyfriends. I fell in love with Brenton after seeing him in an updated Blue Lagoon movie and I'm a longtime fan of Tom. Good luck with the Godmothering, both real and imaginary! Amy

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    1. Lovely to see you here, Amy! Thanks for the good wishes. :) I must admit I haven't seen the Christopher Atkins or Brenton Thwaites versions of the Blue Lagoon yet. I'll have to watch and compare!

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  11. Hi Vanessa--what a good interview!I I loved THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE and think I'll have to look at it again with your casting in mind. Brenton Thwaites is new to me, but he is gorgeous. And Tom Welling. Hours of watching Smallville just to watch Tom Welling qualifies me to agree that he is perfect hero material!
    I'm glad to see you're working on a sequel.

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    1. Thank you, Kandy! I loved EJ's questions. Now, I'm sure you'll see more of young Brenton. He's an up-and-comer. Tom Welling does set a lot of hearts racing. Adored him in Smallville.

      Thanks so much for loving my book and for visiting me today!

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  12. HI Vanessa and From-The-Shadows Team! Great interview!

    Vanessa, your book is such a gorgeous read! I loved it!! And I see it's got a well-deserved nomination for an Australian Romance Readers Award so huge congratulations! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

    I'll be looking for your next book!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the interview! :)

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    2. Fabulous to 'see' you, Sharon! It makes me so happy to know you loved Afterlife! Thanks for the good wishes on the ARRA nomination. I'm still floating on air!

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  13. Vanessa, I'm so pleased to hear you're working on a sequel. I adored Afterlife! Seriously great debut - good on you! I'm wondering if you have a series mind or whether it's too early to say.

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    1. Thank you for not only visiting me here but also reading Afterlife, Annie! I really could go on and on with these characters. I loved hanging out with them when I wrote the book and they've whispered a few ideas for follow-up books, so stay tuned! :)

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  14. I struggle with books that feature a ghost love interest because those rarely end well, but I'm open to being proven wrong. Great Q&A ladies, happy Friday!

    Carmel @ Rabid Reads

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    1. Thank you for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the Q+A! :)

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  15. Hi, Carmel. Thanks for stopping by! Totally understand what you mean about romance between ghosts and the living -- seems impractical, right? It'd be a real drag to share your life with a boyfriend no one else can see, someone you can't touch.

    I don't wan't to give away *too* much about This Is Your Afterlife's Keira and gorgeous ghost, Jimmy. But let's just say there's someone much more visible and touchable to pique Keira's interest. :)

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  16. I love this book so much and "lovely blend of athleticism and sweetness" is a perfect description for Jimmy, so whoever plays him in the movie version would need those qualities too. :-)

    Thanks for a great interview!
    -Asa

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    1. Asa, thanks so much for dropping by! It makes me incredibly happy to know you love This Is Your Afterlife! I think Brenton Thwaites would do a great job in the role of Jimmy. Yesterday, I happened to bump into my actor friend Kate, who I mentioned above. She's totally onboard to play Keira. Now, if we could just track down Tom Wellings...

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