Feature: Karen Y. Bynum and her book WITCH WAY TO TURN

Hello friends!

This is the last week of August and I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU! We've been live for 4 months and have over 400 followers. That's awesome!

Now, I brought to the blog a friend of mine,

Karen Y. Bynum 

Her book Witch Way to Turn was released in the beginning of August by Lyrical Press.

Can you tell us a little about your book?

Love to! Witch Way to Turn is about a witch-halfling, named Breena Cross, whose life gets uber-complicated when her desire to protect her sister unleashes her own dark nature, gets two hot supernaturals fighting over her and initiates a plot to assassinate her.

Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser?

I’d say I’m a little of both, but more on the pantser side. I almost always start out knowing the heroine’s goal and how the story will end. It’s a journey of discovery for me to find out which paths my characters will take and how the plot will unfold. Most of the time I’m really surprised where things lead. J

What books are sitting on your TBR pile that you can’t wait to read?

Omigosh… I wish I could read all day! There are so many wonderful books out there to discover. Three young adult/new adult books that I’m really excited to start are: The Space Between by Yovanoff  Brenna, The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell and Paradox by Patti Roberts.

What’s your favorite quote from any book?

I can only pick one?! *shuffles feet…if I must* I love this line from Fallen by Lauren Kate: “He kissed her as if she belonged to him, as naturally as if she were some long-lost part of him that he could at last reclaim.”

Who’s your hero crush of the moment?

A crush that really stands out to me—not so much because he was a total hottie but because of his confidence and care for the heroine—was Cabel from Lisa McMann’s Dream Catcher series. He was an outcast with a secret mission pretending to be the bad-boy all while being exactly what the heroine needed. The way he provided for Janie (brought her food) and made her be her best (no matter how much she fought it) was a brilliantly written hero. And there’s something about a boy bringing you food…ya know?

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m writing book two in the Witch Way series and am about 45,000 words in with a goal of 70,000 words for the rough draft (my word counts normally increase on the second and third drafts). I’m really excited where things are leading!

If you decided not to be a writer, what would your other dream job be?

Hm. Good question! I haven’t really thought about it before. lol I’m just so happy to finally know what it is I want to be when I grow up…a writer! But if we’re dreaming… I would say either a professional ballerina or a food critic. Ballerina because I absolutely loved taking pointe ballet when I was younger (sometimes I still do the steps when I’m doing housework). A food critic because, well, I love to eat and talk about restaurants and I’d be getting paid to do so! Besides, then I could put my culinary degree to good use since my husband does all the cooking now J

What is one talent that you’re hopeless at, but you wish you had?

I would love to be able to sing on key. Yes, I sing in the car, but it’s bad. Epically bad. Hah. I so cannot carry a tune.

What does New Adult mean to you and why do you write NA?

For me it’s the genre for those characters who are not quite adults yet, but who are dealing with adult issues in very adult ways. In my Witch Way series the heroine is an eighteen-year-old working a full-time job, going to college part-time and trying to get custody of her foster sister all while dealing with boy troubles and discovering her magical powers. For me the NA genre bridges the gap between young adult and adult fiction.

What are some words of advice that you would offer to aspiring authors who are writing in the NA category?

Write the story you’re in love with. It sounds so simple, but it isn’t always. Sometimes we try to write things to please others…to fit into a certain market/niche. If you write the story you want to read and are passionate about, others will be too. Don’t stop. Ever.

Can you give one guy your heart and another your soul?

The last thing eighteen-year-old Breena Cross needs in her life is more complications. It’s all she can do to balance studying, working, trying to keep her foster-sister safe and drooling over the new guy at work. But things go from complicated to crazy when a fit of rage ignites the dark magic inside her and she finds herself fending off the supernatural underworld.

Myles, Breena’s drool-worthy coworker and vampire convict, is carrying a load of secrets--one of which is that he’s fang-over-lip in love with Breena and in danger of violating the terms of his sentence.

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

Karen Y. Bynum is an author of young adult paranormal fantasy.  Her novel Witch Way to Turn is published through Lyrical Press.  She grew up in Hickory, North Carolina where mountains and magic surrounded her.  Even as a child, she wrote her own faery tales and prattled incessantly to her imaginary friends.
After graduating from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Communications, she went on to become certified in culinary arts from The Art Institute of Charlotte.  But it wasn’t until her aerospace engineer husband accepted a job in Virginia and they relocated that she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up.
With the support of family and friends, Karen embarked on a journey with the voices in her head.  They wouldn’t stop talking (yes, she does answer back) and their stories took shape.
Karen currently lives in coastal Virginia and enjoys reading, tweeting, writing and spending time with her husband and their spoiled rotten Vizsla named Rusty.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

PS: be sure to come back tomorrow for a special post!