Sunday, July 13, 2014

Author Interview: T R Graves: Author of The Warrior Series and The Secrets Series: NaNoWriMo Winner 2012-14

T. R. Graves, the author of The Warrior Series and The Secrets Series, is a 2012, 2013, 2014 NaNoWriMo Winner. 
She lives along the Texas coast with her husband. Together, they raise her beta-reading daughter and their football-loving son. Besides being blessed with a supportive family, she counts her career as a registered nurse in not-for-profit hospitals high on her list of fulfilling accomplishments. 

Your pen name? T.R. Graves

About your education: I'm a trained registered nurse and an advocate of a world where healthcare is a right rather than a privilege.

What languages you can speak and write? Unfortunately, I only speak English. I was born and raised in Louisiana, and we were required to take French classes until I was in high school. Still, I barely remember anything more than a few of the songs we were taught.


What is your biggest source of inspiration in life? Interestingly enough, I never know what is going to inspire me or where it will come from. It could be a story from a work colleague (Left, Still Standing, #1, was born from one of domestic violence), a need to connect with my daughter in a way that exemplifies admirable morals and ethics without preaching (Warriors of the Cross, Warrior, #1, 2, 3, & 4), or a news article that makes me think about how today's decisions can impact tomorrow's world (Ticking of Time, Longevity, #1).

What hurts you most in this world? Really, there's no way for me to isolate injustices down to just one thing. To name a few and by no means pretending these are the only atrocities that hurt me: domestic abuse, child abuse, war, loss of rights for women, the lack of healthcare to anyone and everyone who needs it, and people who have all the potential and opportunity in the world but fall so far short that I cringe as I watch their failures.


What is the biggest challenge you have faced? How did you overcome it? Without being too much of a cliché, one of the worst things that ever happened to me turned out to be the best. Almost eleven years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through two surgeries and months of recovery/treatments. Three months after I was deemed cancer-free, I was told that after years of trying I was finally pregnant. Ten years ago, my husband and I had our second child, and I'm convinced that without my diagnosis and treatment I never would have had him.

If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why? For me, the position is more important than the person. By that, I mean that I would chose to become the President of the United States, and while one day is not nearly enough to facilitate real change, I would insist that our vast resources be used to make the world a better place. Every decision I made that day would be made without concerns related to political affiliation or future aspirations. In other words, they would be made with nothing more than the best interests of the nation and the world, not my political party's (or my own) plans for the future.


What is your favorite genre and why? This is difficult for me because it depends on my mood. Much like my writing, I like different genres. The story, the writing, the characters, and the creativity are more important to me than the genre. The common denominator for my reading/writing pleasure is romance (paranormal, sci-fi, new adult,....).

Which of your work has been published so far?
Currently Available Books:

Guardians of the Cross (Warrior, #2)



What are your forthcoming writings?
Future Books:

How much real life goes into a fiction writing? Every action and reaction that I've had or that I've witnessed has the potential of making its way into my story. In order for a story to be 'real', the reader has to have a sense that the characters are real. That can't happen unless you use everything you know and all of your experiences.


What is the last book you finished reading? What is the current book you are reading? The last book I read was Apollyon (Covenant, #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The current book I'm reading is Sentinel (Covenant, #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout. All of the Covenant Series books are five star books in my opinion.

Your favorite book and why? There are just too many to list. I read and rate books that I like (never comment on books that I don't like) on Goodreads. Here is the link to my Goodreads bookshelf. For me, Leigh Bardugo and her The Grisha Series are among my all-time favorites.


Your favorite movie and why? More pertinent to me than a favorite movie is one particular television show, Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin is amazingly talented. The show is better than any movie I've ever seen, and I love the fact that it is based off such an complicated and layered series of books.

Some quickies:
·         Sun or Moon - Sun
·         Laughter or Smile - Belly Laughter
·         Morning or Evening - Morning
·         Coffee or Tea - Tea
·         Mountain or Sea - Sea
·         Long Drive or Short Drive - Short Drive
·         Silence or Conversation - Silence
·         Water or Fire - Water
·         Air or Earth - Earth
·         Mars or Jupiter - Mars
·         Tulip or Rose - Rose
·         Red or Blue - Blue
·         Left or Right - Right
·         Glance or Stare - Stare


State your signature line/tagline/best quote:
The day I met you is the day by which all others will be measured. — Levi Ian Bryson, Grave Bound

Links:
Goodreads Author Page

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