Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was raised on the rhythm of night trains rolling through a small farm town in Illinois. My husband and I live south of Atlanta with our daughters. We have two dogs, Ruger, the Great Great Dane, and a Toy Fox Terrier, Bailey. The girls have two Dwarf Lion Head bunnies, Olive and Jo-Jo Fry.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ve just released the third book, Icara, in the series known as the Alison Hayes Journey. I wrote the first book in this series in a college creative writing class and spent the next twenty-five years editing it. It transformed over the years and when I finally decided it was ready I reached out for recommendations for a good editor and negotiated with her to work with me. I chose to self-publish because it gave me so much control, I was in charge of my covers and when I released my books. I also chose to self publish because I didn’t want to wait for a hundred “no”‘s to get to one “yes.” I gave myself a “yes.” The second book was inspired by the responses I was hearing from readers, and I relaized that like them, I wanted to know where Alison went from there. I wrote Purgus in 30 days, and it was an incredible, cathartic experience. I started work on Icara in February and after exceelent work with my editor, it was ready to joins it’s mates in June.
The overriding questions that walk through the series are: Who do you become when everyone around you has made all the wrong decisions? This is the question that Alison Hayes is asking herself through this first book, Intoxic, (released August, 2016). How do you become a person of quality? How do you stop being a have-not and become a have? How do you know what is right? We walk with Alison through her fifteenth year, a year that begins with her mother loosing yet another job, and the eminent loss of yet another live in father figure. The downward spiral escalates from there.
The second novel, Purgus, (released December 2016), steps right on the heels of Intoxic and Alison is released into the world to fend for herself. Her first year as an “adult” is confounded by missteps, by trying to make the right choice, but not fully understanding what that means. By the end of this book she has suffered heartbreak and has made a very mature choice pertaining to an unintended pregnancy. We walk with her through her heartache, through the small triumphs of the year, the beginning of her understanding that choices that will lead to a better life.
The third novel, Icara, (released June 2017), picks up a few days after the end of Purgus, and Alison is set to flee or fly, following a friend to California in hopes of building a better life. She is drawn into the a “big life” of a budding modeling career, and for a time she thinks she can trully escape the taint from her past. Ultimately, Alison’s past catches up to her and the broken shards of her soul spring forth. She finds a safe place to heal and grow and at the end of the novel there is hope, that Alison has finally come to terms with her life, and has matured to the point that she understands she must reckon with her past.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
i call myself a method writer. When I am writing I very much become my character, and it’s almost like some one else is showing me the story and I am simply transcribing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love to read, and read everything. Ken Follett’s epics are incredible. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series in intricately detailed. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is mind blowing. I like a wide range of writers and styles and probably pull a little inspiration from everybody.
What are you working on now?
I just started a new series, the working title is the Dark Edge. I’ve got three book planned for it and am half-way through the first. There is more to come for the Alison Hayes Journey, but she needs to percolate for a while and mature a bit.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, Awesomegange.com, of course! I also have a full website, www.angiegallion.com, where I highlight and review othe indie and small press writers. I’ve active on social media and I love going to local libraries and book stores for author events and to meet readers, face to face.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t listen to the voice inside your head that says nobody wants to read what you want to write. We are always our worst critics.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s not about writing, but still the best advice ever is “Take responsibility for your choices, own them, learn from them, and if you owe somebody an apology, give it.”
What are you reading now?
I’m reading about a book a week write now, and and on my weekend off. I haven’t chosen my next read, but I have several. The one thing I can tell you, it will be indie or small press published.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing. I want to write more, I would love to fid the right literary agent to find my work a home with wider distribution. I love the independence of indie publishing, but I think Alison has a wider audience than I, alone am able to reach.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pillars of the Earth, East of Eden, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and something about how to survive on a desert island.
Author Websites and Profiles
Angie Gallion Website
Angie Gallion Amazon Profile
Angie Gallion Author Profile on Smashwords
Angie Gallion’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account