《Master Adventurers》Author Interview: A Secret Service by @joymoment
Advertisement
Hello and welcome to Master Adventures! Today our guest is the amazing spy novelist , author of the "A Secret Service" on Wattpad's epic "Middle-Grade Adventures" Reading List.
Carter Owens, daughter of a Secret Service agent, is trained to disassemble any weapon, any situation, and anyone. Her biting sarcasm and razor-sharp mind make her impossible to beat in a word fight and when talking doesn't work, she uses her fists. She attends Hamilton Prep, Washington D.C.'s most prestigious high school, where everyone is related to someone in power, except her.
When Hamilton Prep receives a flood of new students, Carter's role as social outcast changes when she makes two unexpected friends. Friends who are hiding a secret. As Carter uncovers the truth, she confronts challenges she is unequipped to handle and finds herself in a dangerous situation.
For a girl trained to see everything, Carter never saw this coming.
I love writing action, so I write it as much as I can. But a majority of my books do not contain action in them.
My favorite genre to read is fantasy. I love the beauty of a perfectly created world.
I don't have a favorite genre to write in. I love mixing it up, it keeps me excited about writing. Currently, I've written Teen Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Humor, and Romance.
The age range for my characters are always between 16-18. My oldest character was 21.
As for the age range of my readers, a majority are between early teens to late twenties. But I've had the honor of a sixty-year-old war veteran reading my books and I think that's one of the best things ever!
I was reading Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series - a series about an all-girls spy school - and realized I wanted to write something like that but with a bit of a more realistic bend to it. Along with that thought came the question: what if a girl went to school with the President's son but didn't fall for him? The idea snowballed from there.
Advertisement
I love the fact that she's not afraid to speak her mind. Yeah, she can be blunt but in a world where everyone is scared to be real, she's very real.
She's a mix of a couple of people. My sister's observant skill. We'd be at a track meet and she'd know something about everyone there. A little of my brashness. My mom's confident personality. But mostly she's her own person.
Technically Carter's father, Steve, was loosely based on Steve from Hawaii 5-0. At least he inspired Steve. But Steve really showed up how he was going to and I went along with it. Same for everyone else.
I'm both. I give myself a rough outline so I know where the story is going and don't have to deal with major plot holes later on. But the outline isn't so strict that I don't have room to explore if something new shows up. For instance, Carter's mother was never part of the story. But once I got into writing I realized how key she was to Carter finally healing from abandonment and learning to accept love from others. She had to be part of the story.
I don't usually have writer's block. If I do it means that I just need to give the story space because either I've missed something or turned the story in the wrong direction. And usually, that space means hopping over to the second book I'm writing and writing a chapter for it. By the time I'm done I've figured out the solution to the first book's problem.
For writer's who struggle with it, I would suggest a couple things. Make sure you know where the story is going. Take a break, give the story room. Check to see if in the last chapter you wrote whether you made the character do something that you know they wouldn't actually do. Your character just might be fighting you.
Advertisement
I don't think I have just one, but the ones I do have are Carter and Steve together. Writing their father/daughter relationship was one of the best things about the story. I loved how deeply they cared for each other but at the same time could taunt each other. Their bond is one thing I love most!
Haha, how can I not say Carter? If I didn't she would never forgive me. I love how flawed she is. She screws up but she also tries to make up for her mistakes. She's not perfect and she knows it, she learns to grow and I'm always proud of her for that.
Lucas!! How can I not say Lucas! Man, that guy is the worst!! Seriously, it took way too long for Carter to punch him. He is a complete pain!
Haha well if you're asking me this you must not know that I've already delved into their future plans. I've written an entire book full of one-shots about them and what comes after A Secret Service ends. Everyone loved them so much and wanted more, that it inspired me to see what would come after. And from the 100+ one-shots apparently a lot comes afterwards! The book is called Open Case File.
I think it was seven months. But at the time I was also writing Mr. Write - one of my other books - so if I hadn't been dividing my time it might have gone faster. Because I do write two books at once it usually takes me this long, maybe longer depending on how intense the book is.
I love the book A Thousand Paper Cranes by . It was one of the first books I read on the app and it made me cry. It's also just a wonderful story.
My favorite author would have to be but considering she's my sister I might be a little biased towards her!
Everywhere!!! There are so many times someone will say a line or make a comment and it will set something off in my brain. I got the idea for a story because my sister loved a side character in one of my books.
Books are also a huge source. Like I said the Gallagher Girls series inspired A Secret Service. A mention of gypsies in Emma by Jane Austin inspired A Vagabond's Tale. The comment of ghosts in Wuthering Heights sparked an idea for a ghost story. Gone With The Wind gave me the idea for a steampunk blockade runner story! Honestly, I never know where an idea will come from, I'm just always open to having a new one.
I did have a specific goal: publish a book!
And I have! A Secret Service is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon. That was something I didn't think would happen. I would love to publish more books but more than that, I'm letting myself keep writing and providing my readers with as many fun adventures as I can!
---
Thank you so much for tuning in! I'm your host , and you have been reading Master Adventurers! Stay tuned for our next edition where we interview an adventurer with a passion for fantasy-filled adventure stories!
Advertisement
- In Serial245 Chapters
I Can Turn into a Fish
A chance to change, to challenge destiny, making dreams a reality, and live a legend! A regular man gains a system that allows him to turn into a fish!
8 615 - In Serial78 Chapters
Shade Touched
A monster is born in the depths of the wilds, but she isn't like her siblings. Curiosity colors her every thought, and a hunger for understanding grows within this little creature. The world is full of wonders just waiting to be discovered! She's not just hunting for her next meal, her prey is something far greater: knowledge. But as wonderful as it is, discovery alone is missing half the point. After all, what joy is there in finding the next amazing thing when there's no one to share it with? Aiming to update Monday and Friday! Cover art by the amazing Kailey!Twitter @kbearart Full-size cover here.Full banner pic here. Gore tag for some somewhat graphic fight scenes. Profanity tag because there may be some explicit language, it shouldn't be excessive.
8 255 - In Serial27 Chapters
System Overclock
Luna Portalla has many skills, but getting herself out of bad situations isn't one of them. She's a wanted criminal, a decent liar, a questionable planner, a technological whiz, but most importantly, a big sister. Sarah is her everything, her umbrella in a ruthless storm. But Sarah isn't afraid to speak her mind, oh no no no; people are people, words are words, and she misses Luna. Everything here sucks. Why does she have to do so much work, and why do all the bad men look like robot zombies? What is that smell? Why is there a tiger locked in a cage, and why are the beds so flippin' hard? There's only one answer: she's been kidnapped, and the only way out is back the way she came. System Overclock is a cyberpunk story told from two perspectives – the kidnapped girl and the sister who will stop at nothing to find her. COVER ART BY HWPERFIDY
8 126 - In Serial6 Chapters
Digital Sorcery (A LITRPG Adventure Series)
New Chapters Release Weekly on Saturday at 2:00 P.M. Eastern. Book #1 is published on Amazon! Get it Here Book #2 is published on Amazon! Get it Here Book #3 is published on Amazon! Get it Here For news and subscribing to the newsletter, please check out my site: http://davidmzahn.com/ Dive in to the Comedy LitRPG series for terrible people! Old and dying, Ryland is ready to start a new life in game so naturally he studies night and day for his new life. He’ll exploit every weakness, get all the legendary loot, and rise to be the most powerful being in all of Alderoth. Just kidding! He’s not even going to read the instruction manual before jumping in and bumbling around. He’ll be joined by a racist NPC, a black man from Mississippi, and the world’s biggest online troll. With such an exceptional group of people and a level of competence to match what could possibly go wrong? Yep he’s probably getting fish herpes… Note: The author takes no responsibility if you get in trouble for laughing yourself stupid. I'm always happy to receive feedback. Thank You all for reading my work and supporting this story!
8 74 - In Serial58 Chapters
Orivar: Deep Black
Atara Korrell, a retired Navy captain, is called back into service after a gifted scientist loses everything. Is she serving her country? Or is she just a pawn in a great game? Orivar is a web novel series set in the distant future. Humanity has all but mastered the exotic material known as omnium, the most common of which is called orivar: the original variety. That clear crystal is a transmuter of mass and energy, and the very existence of contemporary Civilized Space depends on it. Deep Black, the first book in the series, begins a classic story of light versus darkness. A novel variety of omnium–one with the potential of sending Civilized Space crashing down–is stolen from a research station just beyond the Federation border. Atara Korrell, a retired Navy captain, is called to command the fastest starship ever made to chase the thieves and retrieve the stolen sample. Meanwhile, enemies both near and far vie for the omnium sample and the advanced technology powering her ship. Can Atara remain loyal in the face of seeming betrayal?(Cover art by Loputon https://www.deviantart.com/loputon)
8 169 - In Serial11 Chapters
Roki
non ethusiastic, bored, no goals and no dreams. Kichiro wasnt feeling the life of being alive until he was dragged into a new world with dungeons and dragons by his beautiful childhood friend, the story will show the adventure of both of these young hearts as they face the greed of men and also the wrath of monsters. but along the way he may or may not met a few individuals that could make him melts physically and emotionally.
8 199

