Interview: Amy Lignor + Until Next Time

Today I'm excited to welcome young adult author Amy Lignor to the blog to answer a few questions about the first book in her new paranormal series, Until Next Time. I've been reading a lot of angel stories lately and always enjoy the different mythologies the author creates for this paranormal entity, so while I haven't read Until Next Time yet, I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Amy writes her angels!

If both Matt and Emily had to summarize their experiences with the events that take place in Until Next Time in only one word, what word would each use?

Emily: Learned
Matt: Emancipation

Would you rather be the warrior or the angel half of a team?

I wish I could say the angel, but I don’t think I have the strength to be that calm for that long without sparking, or demanding to know what the heck is going on around me, so I would have to say the warrior. This is a job of defense, protection, strength and the ability to save the ones you care about. It’s a job written in stone.

What aspect of the angel mythology you’ve created is your favorite or the most interesting to write?

How an innocent has to deal with human emotions. Unless you’re an infant, you’re not innocent. We learn with our eyes, and ears, and the everyday situations we get stuck in as we grow up. So writing Emily and Matt is almost like a new, mysterious path for me to walk down, being able to get inside the minds of completely unhindered and unaffected souls and see how they deal with running face-first into things we take for granted, like battle, love, romance, fear, anger - all of it. With Emily and Matt they were created, taught and trained as each other’s soul mate, so they went down knowing only one thing - that they were by each other’s side and protected. Hence, when they were split apart, keeping that faith in each other in a chaotic world was a very cool experience.

Let’s say your part of the world of Until Next Time and one half of an angel/warrior pairing with a new “life” to which you’ve been assigned. What single human emotion do you think would be most difficult for you to understand in general or most difficult for you to deal with when faced with it directly?

The most difficult to deal with would be love. There are so many facets that you need to know and understand. All of those ‘mental’ and communication skills are in your head, but that overwhelming emotion comes directly from your heart and you end up racing into that ‘dream.’ The great things that come from it are absolute heaven, but the downsides that can come with it are nightmarish.

Which really leads to the one human emotion that I don’t understand, which is hatred. I mean, Contact was a movie that had this incredible line where a ‘being’ was speaking to a human and said that he was absolutely amazed by our species, because we could have the most incredible dreams and the most horrific nightmares all at the same time. That really struck home. Hatred can come from everything - envy, a battle for superiority, a bad mood, a word that shouldn’t have been said, and then that’s it - we just hate automatically - and I think that’s the one thing that could bring us all down for good.

What would Matt say is his favorite part of spending time in the lives he’s assigned? Is there one life/assignment in particular that stands out most in his memory?

Actually, Matt loves everything about his job. Being the warrior he longed for his ability to be free. The passion he had for saving and fighting was strong, and he kept it. I think what he didn’t expect was having to vie for the girl who was already his. I think his absolute favorite ‘assignment’ comes when he’s in a world on the cusp of change and living in New York City. He goes into a life that’s beyond interesting and, with Emily, has a truly amazing experience. In the beginning, Matt was still that young, fresh soul who had the world at his feet. He made all those human mistakes and dealt with all of that pain we have, but in this particular life he was more grown-up. He was already wearing his battle scars outside AND in, which changed him.

When you think about release day, what's the first word that pops into your head?

Hope

Have you ever cheated and read the end of a book first? Do you ever think you might write the end of a book first and work your way back to the beginning?

LOL. Actually, no. I’ve never understood the point of reading a story if you already know the end. I’m one of those ‘wide-eyed kids’ who still likes to go through the story right beside the characters and have a ball. But since we’re being completely honest, there have been some where I got ten or fifteen chapters into the novel and they were just not my cup of tea, or so slow moving that I HAD to flip to the back of the book to see the end because I just couldn’t take it anymore.

When writing, the end of the book is already in my head - even the end of the whole series. But when I sit down to type, I always begin on page one because you never know when and where those twists and turns will happen when you’re creating the story, and I wouldn’t want to miss one.

If you could give your pre-Until Next Time self one piece of advice about the characters, story, writing process, or marketing process, what would you tell her?

There will be lots of sleepless nights, but if you can create a story that’s unique and touches someone else’s heart out there than keep going, drink a lot of coffee, and stop whining (because the dog is the only one listening anyway and he just wants you to be quiet and give him another treat. LOL)

Thanks so much for stopping by Amy! More information on Amy and her books can be found here:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads

UNTIL NEXT TIME

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.