It’s the end of the world as they know it, will they be fine? 12-time author, Christy Sloat took some time with me to talk about her writing and her latest work, “The Survival Pact“:
Tell us about, “The Survival Pact”, how is it different from some of your other works and how is it similar?
I had this idea about what I would do if the world ended and I brought it up to my two prepper friends. As we talked about our abilities and what we could all bring to the table, the thought of three women, all from different backgrounds and beliefs, surviving together became a story for me.
In The Survival Pact, the dead begin to rise out of the ground, in morgues, and hospitals, but it’s not a virus and they’re not zombies. Their sole purpose is to destroy mankind and kill them all. So my friends and I came up with what we would do if faced with the same fate. Our conversations were very weird and funny.
The Survival Pact is very different from anything else I’ve ever written before. I think that the idea of writing about the proverbial ‘end times’ never occurred to me before my chat with my friends. My main characters might have some similar qualities to other characters I’ve written, but other than that, it’s a very unique book for me.
What authors do you like to read? What book or books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?
I started writing after I read the Twilight Saga. I thought if Stephenie Meyer could write such a phenomenal Young Adult series I could too.
I absolutely loved Harry Potter and I am really into the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I read pretty much all YA books that are really huge right now. I read anything from fantasy to contemporary; it depends greatly on my mood.
I know you draw inspiration for your writing from some very personal places, do you find yourself writing about or focusing about a specific period or time in your life?
I did write a book, Who We Were that was basically about the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. I of course changed a lot, but it was such a life changing summer for me that I couldn’t help but write about it. I absolutely adore that story and it means so much to me when my readers love it too.
You’ve said that the three main characters of your next book, “The Survival Pact” are based on you and two of your best friends, do you ever see yourself writing yourself as the mother or mentor role in any upcoming projects?
You’ve said that the three main characters of your next book, “The Survival Pact” are based on you and two of your best friends, do you ever see yourself writing yourself as the mother or mentor role in any upcoming projects?
Well, I am a mom of two beautiful young girls, so I wouldn’t ever rule that out. I have to say that I have never pictured myself as the mother or mentor in a story before. That’s a good question though!
Just like songwriters have favorite lyrics, I bet authors have some favorite bits that have come out as beautifully as they were intended, what are some of yours?
I have so many favorites! To list them all would be hard. So I’ll list a few:
Slumber-book 1 of The Slumber Duology
Walking the small path from the castle to the village of Ancora, she could have sworn she smelled the peaceful happiness in the air.
“Oh, no. This will not do,” she said aloud to no one. “They need some fear today.”
Awaken-book 2 of The Slumber Duology
“It was many years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. You said, ‘If I can teach you one thing, Aurora, it’s that you never venture somewhere like the Dark Woods without a fight in your heart. And never let anyone tell you that just because you’re a princess that you can’t be a warrior, too.’ ”
Do you have any specific music or artists that you like to listen to while you are brainstorming or writing?
I listen to all kinds of music when I write but for The Survival Pact I mostly listened to, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, Korn and Metallica. I had to channel the anger and badassery that my characters needed to fight the dead.
What’s on your, “to be read” list?
OMG, so many books! I’ll give you my top 5:
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating the separate “worlds” for your books?
That I wanted to escape this one and live in them instead. I really adored creating the world of Ancora for my Slumber Duology and if I could, I’d move there in an instant. Not sure I would live in the dystopian world I created for The Survival Pact, though.
Who would be your DREAM collaboration?
Oh man! I would be so intimidated but I think Victoria Scott. She is so sweet and down to earth and I know I’d love to work with her but she’s written some ah-mazing books and is way cooler than me.
What are your favorite book, body of work, and underappreciated novel?
Asking favorite book isn’t fair because I love them all but I’ll say my favorite that I read last year was Undertow by Michael Buckley.
Favorite body of work: Harry Potter Novels
Do you have any writing rituals?
It must be nighttime. My kids must be asleep. And I must have a snack. I usually go with Goldfish or any other orange cracker.
What are your favorite qualities about your leading characters? (Avery, Ianni, Rory, Brylee, Kami, Emma, Lou, Sadie, Kayla)
Avery: I love her spirit and undying faith that everything happens for a reason.
Ianni: The best quality is how she values friendships and how much she gave up to be with the humans she grew to love.
Rory: Oh, Rory! She has so many great qualities. She’s a character I loved writing. Her best quality has to be her strength.
Brylee: I love how Brylee takes life and runs with it. No matter what’s thrown at her, she handles it. She may not handle it calmly but she gets it done.
Kami: I adore Kami. She’s brave even when she thinks less of herself.
Emma: Emma is a total bad-ass. My favorite quality about her is her devotion to her friends and her country.
Lou: Her nurturing soul.
Sadie: I love how real she is. She is who she is and she won’t change for anyone.
Kayla: She has the best humor of all of my characters. She’s sassy and edgy, even in death.
Have you ever written a character that you don’t connect with? If so, how did you find their voice?
I have had a few characters like that. I think that I just tried to put myself in their shoes and imagine what I would do if I were them. I think the most prevalent character that I didn’t connect with was a guy named Aiden from my Slumber Duology. I sat back and waited before continuing on with his character until I ‘got him’. I connected so well that I planned a whole spin-off story with his character.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about, “The Survival Pact”?
It’s not like any dystopian novel you’ve read before. I really tried to set it apart from the norm, and I think that the story as a whole is very original. It’s more than the end of the world; it’s the tale of friendship and whether or not that can survive in the worst of times.
“Three friends. One promise. One goal. Survive.
Kami thought she’d seen it all as a small time reporter for a New York Paper, but after hearing reports of the dead crawling from graves and attacking humans, she realized the world she once knew would never be the same again. Forced to flee the city, she heads south where her two best friends, Emma and Lou, reside in search of answers.
As a drunken joke ten years earlier, the three friends made a vow that if the world went to hell they’d survive it together, no matter what. With the pact now a reality, they are forced to face a never ending tidal wave of the dead, tornadoes, earthquakes, and massive storms with hundreds of miles to go. Along with their new dog, Snack, the girls get closer to their destination but no closer to the answers as to why their world is filled with such evil. Will their plan of survival keep them alive or will they drown in the sea of the dead?”
Publisher: CHBB
Editor: Cheree Castellanos
Cover Designer: Rue Volley
Get your copy today: Available now from Amazon | Free for Kindle Unlimited
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