Welcome to The Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature shining the light on Indie and debut authors. Today I have the pleasure introducing you to:
DANYELLE LEAFTY
~Author of The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell~
Find her on the Web~Goodreads~Twitter
Hi Danyelle, welcome to TBR's......Please Tell us about yourself?
I have loved language and words ever since I discovered they have the power to transport me to completely different worlds. My favorite types of stories--to read and to write--are fairy tale-type books. There's just something about fairy tales that so perfectly captures human nature and life.
I love learning--especially languages. I hope to be fluent in at least twelve before I die. And I really enjoy making life interesting for the imaginary characters living in my head. ;-)
What inspired you to write The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell?
Nerissa, the fairy godmother, appeared during a long night in which I was fighting a losing battle with housework. (Having lively children, and many of them, can do that to a person.) I loved her no-nonsense approach to fairy godmothering. Unfortunately, the beginning of her story started much earlier than the place she was at when she appeared. That meant I needed to write books one and two if I wanted to delve into the meat of what would become book three.
That's where Catspell comes in. And because I love fairy tales, especially the more uncommon ones, The White Cat was a perfect inspiration for Catspell.
Did any major research or travel go into writing your book?
I wish! One day, it would be nice to travel around the world and pick up bits and pieces of all the wonderfully different cultures and lands. For now, I do all my research through reading: normal books, fairy tales--both fiction and non-fiction. I also follow some great people onTumblr that post incredible pictures that serve as inspiration as well. Pictures definitely are worth a thousand words. :)
What authors or books have inspired you?
J.R.R. Tolkien first taught me how beautiful language can be. Jane Austen is the Queen of Wit and Propriety. Sherwood Smith showed me how the words on a page are brushstrokes to a real, and vivid world that lives beside our own. Patricia C. Wrede fueled my love for fairy tales. Patricia McKillip combines all of the above into something strange and wonderful. J.K. Rowling proved to me that impossible things can and do happen. And Terry Pratchett is an amazing master of all that is words and human.
If you could cast your book as a movie what actors would play the lead roles?
The model on the cover is absolutely perfect for Nerissa's part, so I would definitely either want to cast her or someone who greatly resembles her. Sean Connery (if he was still acting) would be a perfect dragon. Johnny Depp would be perfect as Pickle-Prick and any number of the cats. Olivia Wilde would make a smashing Mara, while Anne Hathaway would be perfect for Breena. Demi Lovato would be a great Natter. I don't see many movies, so I'm going to cheat and say Jimmy Stewart would make a perfect Baldemar and Danny Kaye could help with some of the cats. Myles, as ever, has me stumped. If I could find someone who could pull off a cross between Bradley Steven Perry and David Henrie who had slightly curly, and very thick hair, that would be him. :)
Any future plans you can share with us?
I'm excited that the whole Fairy Godmother Dilemma series will be out by mid-February. During December, I ran into a few health problems, and the reading and writing community was a wonderful support, so I've got something special planned near the end of February to say thank you. (I'll be able to say more about that as it gets closer.) I'm also happy to say that I've moved on to a new series that will debut with book one: Bitten: a novel of Faerie in Spring of 2012.
Your movie sounds exciting!! Thanks for sharing that fun info about Fairy Godmother, here's wishing you big buzz on your book and plenty of success in the future.
GIVEAWAY
Today Thanks to Danyelle, I have one eBook copy of TFGD:C up for grabs in Kindle, PDF or Epub editions. This is open to everyone, please just leave a comment to enter.
Thanks!
The Fairy Godmother Dilemma~Catspell
by Danyelle Leafty
Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail. Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn't meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all......
Great interview! I love the thought of Johnny Depp as Pickle Prick. The books are terrific. I am excited to read the rest of them!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book. I'd love a chance to read it.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds amazing!! I'd definitely be into it, I think. Thanks for the giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fabulous and I love the cover! Great interview too!
ReplyDeleteI love this cover! It's so pretty! And Danyelle's movie cast choice makes me want to read it even more. I love Johnny Depp.
ReplyDeleteGo, movie! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Danyelle, thank u for this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI love your cast choice, because I love love love Johnny Depp. I love him since I saw him in 21 Jump Street when I was a kid.
Catspell sounds very interesting. Can't wait to read it :)
amel(dot)armeliana(at)gmail(dot)com
The Fairy Godmother Dilemma looks adorable. I like the cover and lets be honest, Johnny Depp is a yummy for me! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind words. :)
ReplyDelete