THE INTERVIEW:
 
Can you tell the readers a little about yourself? 
Hmmm…what to tell and what to keep a secret? Let’s see, I live in Utah right on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. I’m a wife and mother to one very understanding husband and three totally obnoxious yet wonderful kids. All of them, including my husband, love me despite my tendencies to spend all day writing in my PJ’s and discussing fictional people. I love Indian food and could eat that for every meal. I HATE feet. Feet are disgusting and should you try to touch me with your toes I may become somewhat volatile and then I may puke. Just warning you. Otherwise, I’m pretty normal and boring

Do you write full time? 
You mean in between tweeting, facebooking, and blogging? Of course 🙂

What are 5 fun/interesting facts about you? 
1) I hate feet. I will become volatile should you try to touch me with your toes. 
2) I can play a mean clarinet. 
3) I taught myself how to play Pink’s song PERFECT on the piano (it’s the only song I know how to play). 
4) I LOVE Indian food. I could live on it forever. Seriously. So good. 
5) My favorite movies are Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. So funny.

What are the “must haves” for you when you sit down to write a book? 
I love to write while sitting on my bed. It’s my most favorite place to write. I think it stems back to when I was in college and lived in a dorm room. All I had was a bed. I did homework there, read there, and

What made you decide to become a writer and how old were you? 
That’s a toughie. I’ve written since I was a little kid. Probably as a kid I just figured I was a writer. Kids have all sorts of confidence. It wasn’t until I got older and started doubting myself (like adults tend to do) that it took reaching milestones such as getting a literary agent or holding my published work in my hands to truly feel as though I was a “real” writer (anyone who writes is a writer—period, but it took a while to really grasp that concept for myself)

Who or what was your inspiration for writing Desert Rice? 
I don’t know that I was inspired as much as I was led. I don’t know how else to explain it. These characters wouldn’t let me be until their entire story was put down on paper, and even then, Sam went on to demand that I write a sequel DESERT FLOWER which will come out mid January of 2013 (sounds crazy, I know). I have written other books not related to DESERT RICE and never had the same experience as I did writing this book and its sequel—emotionally gut wrenching.

Do you feel that you can relate to one character in Desert Rice more than any other? And why? 
Sam. I totally relate to Sam on some weird child-like level. There’s a lot of me in that little girl. She’s not me, but we’re more alike than we’re not.

What do you Love most about writing? 
I love just being creative, setting aside my internal editor (for a time) and just free form writing. I LOVE it! That’s why I participate in NaNoWriMo every year—just to be free. The part I hate (to an extent) is taking that really rough first draft and editing the heck out it—trying to make sense of what I’ve written. That can be a pain in the toukus, but at the same time it’s kind of magical too, turning a crappy first draft into something readable and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to this year’s NaNoWriMo and giving it another go.

What is your biggest challenge when you write? 
Writing the ending. They are SO hard to write. I spend the longest amount of time writing the ending of each of my books.

Do you have any advice for any other aspiring writers out there? 
You’re always going to suck as a writer. Frank and downright mean, right? But it’s true. And once you believe you don’t suck anymore, then you need to step away from writing and no longer do it. Because no matter how much you learn, how much you grow, how great you might think your writing is, there is always, always, room to improve. Keep learning, keep writing, keep creating, but never ever think you’re done learning. Be humble and continue to improve and improve and improve…

What do you do when you are not writing? 
Not writing? What are you talking about? 🙂

When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read? 
I love a little bit of everything. Doesn’t matter the genre. As long as the characters are fully developed and the story is intriguing and written well, then I’ll read it.

Since becoming published, what has been your favorite part of the process? Hearing from readers is AWESOME! To receive an email or a message from a reader letting me know they enjoyed one of my books gives me the most amazing feeling ever. It makes the whole process, from beginning to frustrating end, worth it.

If you can, tell us what is up next for you? 
My current project is the second book to The Zombie West series. Yep, zombies. That book will be coming out the end of November. Once that is complete, I will be editing the sequel to DESERT RICE with my fabulous editors and that will be released in January. After that, who knows? I love writing contemporary pieces, but having dipped my toes into the paranormal arena, I may have to come back to that and write some more. I’ll just have to see where the voices take me.

THE BOOK:
Desert Rice
Author: Angela Scott
File Size: 422 KB
Print Length: 190 pages
Publisher: Evolved Publishing 
(August 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN: 1622538544
ASIN: B008U04YU4
Summary: 
Samantha Jean Haggert is a beautiful twelve-year-old girl—but no one knows it. All they see is an awkward boy in a baseball cap and baggy pants. Sam’s not thrilled with the idea of hiding her identity, but it’s all part of her older brother’s plan to keep Sam safe from male attention and hidden from the law. Fifteen-year-old Jacob will stop at nothing to protect his sister, including concealing the death of the one person who should have protected them in the first place—their mother.

Sam and Jacob try to outrun their past by stealing the family car and traveling from West Virginia to Arizona, but the adult world proves mighty difficult to navigate, especially for two kids on their own. Trusting adults has never been an option; no adult has ever given them a good reason. But when Sam meets “Jesus”—who smells an awful lot like a horse—in the park, life takes a different turn. He saved her once, and may be willing to save Sam and her brother again, if only they admit what took place that fateful day in West Virginia. The problem? Sam doesn’t remember, and Jacob isn’t talking.

Purchase:  Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela Scott hears voices. Tiny fictional people sit on her shoulders and whisper their stories in her ear. Instead of medicating herself, she decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. She’s not crazy. She’s an author. For the most part, she writes contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, she found herself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West–and loving it. Her zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, she wouldn’t suggest it. She lives on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. She graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of her love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. She can’t spell, and grammar is her arch nemesis. But they gave her the degree, and there are no take backs.

GIVEAWAY:
How would you like to win 1 of 10 E-Books (International)  OR 1 of 5 SIGNED Print Copies (US) for yourself?? Angela Scott has generously offered 10 E–Books and 5 signed print copies TOUR WIDE. Just enter on the Rafflecopter entry form below! If you have any questions or concerns please leave a comment. Good Luck and Thanks for entering. 

Disclosure: This Interview and Giveaway was provided by the Author as a part of the Innovative Online Book Tours. This is NOT a compensated post. Prizes are NOT fulfilled by KUWTR.