Welcome Author Deirdre Riordan Hall!

Welcome, welcome, welcome to our fourth #FallfortheIndieBook2014 author Dierdre Riordan Hall! She's one of my #NALitChat friends that I've made on Twitter.

Deirdre has a series called "Follow Your Bliss," a fantastic new adult series. The second book, In the Desert, was released in June of this year, and that is the focus of today's post! I'll be posting my review at the end of the week; in the meantime, learn more about Dierdre below.

Twenty-year-old fiery film student Brighton Holmes knows exactly what she wants: an epic adventure on the open road in her late father’s 1969 Chevelle, alone. Her quest is to visit all fifty states and find a place to call home.

When a family friend asks for a favor, UK rocker in recovery, Alex Stihl, joins her on the road trip, stirring up trouble; the last thing she needs. It doesn’t help that he has a mob of fans and a crazy ex-girlfriend tailing his every move.

Brighton and Alex clash as they cruise out of New York, she grows resigned in the rolling hills of Amish country, and he crashes hard in a hotel on the edge of the Smoky Mountains. While Brighton seeks a place to wash her mind of the past, Alex dodges reminders of heartbreak.  

They both try to escape everything they have in common: heartache, loss, and confusion about what’s next. But the magic of New Orleans unites Brighton and Alex as they fight desperately for the other until the desert leads them to discover exactly what they’re resisting and missing.

When they reach the Oregon coast, Brighton uncovers her musical talent, bringing them closer together and helping her reconcile losing her father. But the trip comes to an end when they arrive in Los Angeles. Real life intervenes, splitting them apart; she moves into her new off-campus apartment and he has to return to his band.

 And now...for the interview:

Describe your book in gifs

We start here with a wild night of rock and roll, slamming doors, techno, and questioning hearts.

 

Main character Brighton is deffo a wild spirit, ready to hit the road, cruising cross country in her late father's Chevelle. 

Then, unexpectedly, she's asked to take Alex Stihl, of the famed band, The Gracks, along for the ride, and she's all like, "Uh... nuh uh."

But she can't say no. It's complicated. Alex pretty much gets this ^^^ for miles and miles.

But then this happens.

And then this.

And a little of this. It's bad. 

But then music helps her recover. Kinda. 

And in the end it's all kinds of this. 

 *All gifs except the top are courtesy of www.giphy.com 

Your main character is stuck on an island. What things do they bring?

Brighton brings her Chevelle, CC. Never mind that it's entirely impractical. That's how she rolls, literally. She also brings along her guitar and some chocolate, because, yanno.

How long do they survive?

Despite the fact that Brighton can't drink gasoline, eat a guitar, or sleep under chocolate, she is a survivor, so she chills until her mother crosses whatever body of water is surrounding her and tells her to get her butt home.

Be completely honest: how much of your main character is really you?

Only the most stubborn parts. Kidding. There are always bits and parts of what I know, first hand, infused in my writing, but it is also fun to explore the boundaries of who I'm not.

What do you tell yourself before you start writing?

Girl, ya got this!” And also, “Holy #&%, what the &*@^ am I doing?!”

Look to your left, what's there?

Legos, lots of Legos all over the floor.

How long ago did you finish eating it?

That would be disturbing and hard to chew, if I ate Legos that is. But the asparagus, artichoke, olive, and smoked gouda gluten-free pizza I had for dinner was darn good. Yes, I am one of those people with myriad food allergies. And yes, I can use myriad in that sentence because it is indeed a bizarre ailment to have.

Why did you write your book? 

In the Desert is the follow up to To the Sea, the first, and originally only, New Adult book I'd written. But then I had the idea for the Follow your Bliss series, because publishing indie, was me following my bliss.

Actually, this answer is convoluted. After To the Sea, I had the idea for On the Mountain (releasing next month, and the third in the series, though all the books do stand alone.) But On the Mountain is the kind of story you curl up with under a blanket (and then toss the blanket off because it gets a little bit steamy.) But, it felt right to have that come out in the autumn and In the Desert, an on-the-road type story to release over the summer. If you're wondering, they all tie together, but can be read independently. Reading the first only serves to deepen your understanding of the characters, but not at all essential.

It goes like this: 

• To the Sea (with companion novella Surfaced)
• In the Desert (with companion novella Mirrored)
• On the Mountain (with companion novella Kindled)

See how they all go together in the Follow your Bliss vein?

What's the worst part about being an indie author?

Getting sucked into the self-imposed marketing machine and feeling like it's actually a treadmill.

What's the best part about being an indie author?

Having so much creative freedom! And it feels like this:

How do you market your book?

ALL the ways. First, I do hype in the weesks/daysleading up to the release, including teasers, a cover reveal, giveaway, etc. Yanno, the uzh. Then a big release day blast (including an eNewsletter.) After that, it's social media and networking in person and online. It can feel like a constant, to be heard/seen in a sea of other authors who are doing amazing things. However, I've adopted an abundance mentality and believe that there's success enough for all of us. After that, it's all about getting back behind the monitor and writing another story, because that's following my bliss—writing, doing what I love.

Come back tomorrow to see all of Deirdre's social media haunts!