WELCOME AUTHOR
R.A. ODUM
Author bio: RA Odum grew up and still lives
in Georgia. Her love for writing and stories started in her grandmother's attic
and never stopped. Born sixteen weeks early and loss of vision in one eye, RA
faces obstacles head on. From the time she was very small, she has had a host
of characters in her head, screaming for their stories to be told. When she is
not writing, she loves to spend time with her family, sing and read. She also
enjoys learning and teaching others American Sign Language. She hopes her
novels will inspire and make a difference.
Personal favs:
Drink – Apple
Juice
Food – Spaghetti
Vacation – New
York City!
TV show – Rizzoli
and Isles, Orphan Black, Downton Abbey
Movie – Frozen
Animal – Cats
Sport – Ice
skating
Book – Hunger
Games
Book title: Captured Minds
Brief synopsis of
your book: For the last decade, famine has had the thriving land
of Zoar in its grip. With money and food dwindling, seventeen-year-old Raven
Montgomery longs for something more than working in the library. Driven by her
love of learning, she enters a competition hosted by the Other World, where she
will test her knowledge in order to win supplies Zoar desperately needs. Before
she can do so, Zoar’s ruler is killed, and hours later the Other World closes
its door. Raven can’t believe the two events are connected. Yet, when she
stumbles across Other World technology that holds classified information, she
learns there may be more to the competition than meets the eye. Sure that her
ruler’s death is somehow linked, she now faces the challenge of revealing the
truth behind the Other World’s sinister ways before both lands are changed
forever.
Current book or
project you’re working on: Editing the sequel to Captured Minds. Also working
on a brand new novel with new characters and places!
1) What was the inspiration for your novel? I wanted to write a book that celebrated being different and
embracing who we are as individuals. I wanted to show people that no matter
what size you are or if you have a disability you can make a difference. I'm not sure how i got the inspiration for
Raven. She just popped into my head three years ago and wouldn't leave. I’ve
always loved unique worlds, like the Wizard of Oz and I'd always wanted to
write a fantasy. I got the science fiction side of it from the TV show
Flashforward. In the show flashforward everyone in the world went unconscious
for three minutes and when they woke up they had no idea what happened. I
thought that idea was so cool and wanted to put the fantasy and science fiction
together.
Please share
three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the synopsis.
1) There is a
secret passageway.
2) There is a
purple sky.
3) One of the
characters rides in a wheelchair sometimes.
Who is the most
complex character from your current novel? Raven, the main character.
Are there any
characters in your book that remind you of yourself? Raven because she’s quiet
and loves to read and faces challenges head on.
If you could pick
any well known or famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
JK Rowling because..well...do I need to explain why?
What, who, and
when were you first inspired you to write? My grandma, age five, telling
stories in her attic.
Genre/Author/Reader:
What genre does
your book fall into? Science fiction/dystopian
Which genres do
you write? Science fiction for now!
What is the first
book you remember reading, that affected how you thought or felt about
something? The Diary of Anne Frank
Is there a book
you loved that was also made into a movie that you also loved? If so, how did
the movie connect with you? The Diary of Anne Frank. I loved the movie *the new
version that came on tv a couple years ago* because it went beyond the hiding
place and told what happened after they were arrested. Truly powerful!
Which three
authors have inspired you the most, and why?
1) JK Rowling
because she wrote in cafe’s while being a single mo.
2) Susan Kaye
Quinn because she made me see that it is possible to be an indie author and be
successful at it.
3) Tess Gerritsen
because she is an incredible writer and I want to write like her one day.
Have you ever read
a book you couldn’t finish reading? Oh yes!
Do you read a
book, while you are writing a book? Yes! But slowly lol!
The process:
How many books
have you written? Which book is your favourite and why? I’ve written twenty one
books and Captured Minds is my favourite because I took time with it. I didn’t
just write the first draft and let it sit. It was the first book I went through
the entire editing process.
Is there anything
that helps get you in the mood to write? Yes! Music! Especially anything that
reminds me of my current project!
What were three
challenges you faced when writing your book?
1) Getting the
pacing right!
2) Figuring out
how to write strong, well rounded characters!
3) Avoiding
repeated words and phrases!
What lessons have
you learned as an aspiring writer? Write for myself and not for others. I don’t
have to be the perfect writer.
Do you ever
experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to ‘overcome’? Of course!
Everyone does! I step away, do something else and what helps me is reading or
watching something similar to my story. I volunteer at my local library and
often work out plot problems while I’m shelving.
What is the most
important thing you’ve learned, either in the self-publishing or traditional
publisher, route? That marketing in either route isn’t easy.
“A New Kind of world, a new kind of heroine, a new kind of
story.”
Captured Minds
Living
a peaceful life is supposed to be ideal, but what if it’s what makes you the
perfect victim? For the last decade, famine has had the
thriving land of Zoar in its grip. With money and food dwindling,
seventeen-year-old Raven Montgomery longs for something more than working in
the library. Driven by her love of learning, she enters a competition hosted by
the Other World, where she will test her knowledge in order to win supplies
Zoar desperately needs.
Before
she can do so, Zoar’s ruler is killed, and hours later the Other World closes
its door. Raven can’t believe the two events are connected. Yet, when she
stumbles across Other World technology that holds classified information, she
learns there may be more to the competition than meets the eye. Sure that her
ruler’s death is somehow linked, she now faces the challenge of revealing the
truth behind the Other World’s sinister ways before both lands are changed
forever.
Excerpt:
Union City, Zoar
“Imagine never opening a textbook or sitting at a desk. Imagine having
the information you learn in school being handed to you without lifting a
finger. For the kids of today and tomorrow, this can be a reality….”
The words blurred together and
Raven Montgomery rubbed her eyes. No homework? No tests? She squinted at the
tiny writing in the right hand corner. New
York, it read.
That’s in the Other World. Maybe it’s magic after all.
On the bedside table, her mirror
flashed green. She snatched it up and found a new message. She touched the
screen, and the Ruler’s face appeared.
“Good evening, Zoarians. I am
pleased to announce that starting at nine tomorrow morning, the Competition
Board will be accepting applications.”
Raven turned off the mirror and
took in her wall-to wall bookshelves. In less than an hour, she’d gather with
kids who owned as many books as she did. Today she wasn’t the lone girl no one
understood, unable to control her need to voice the information running through
her head.
Bet everyone there can pick up one of their books and recall every
single word of information on every page.
She slowly moved to her chair
and was halfway to the closet when her bedroom door opened. Her older sister, Kate strode into the room,
already dressed in a white short-sleeved dress, a black belt around her waist.
She'd pinned her long, straight red hair in a bun. What stood out most was the red lipstick,
almost like blood next to her whitish complexion. Raven bit back a laugh. She
looked like one of those women in the magazines she’d found in the attic
once—perfectly put together.
“What?” Kate cocked her head to
the side. “Stop looking at me like that. I want to look my best.”
Raven’s giggle died, and she put
on her signature pout, used only in the presence of her family. Since when did
Kate care about looking her best?
“And I don’t? Gee, thanks.” She glided her hand along the row of dresses.
“I have no idea what to wear. Where’s Ava? She promised she’d help.” She
usually threw on the first unwrinkled dress, much to her other sister’s dismay,
but today was important.
“Ava said to wear this.” Kate tossed a solid blue short-sleeved dress
onto the bed. “Hurry! Mom said we gotta
leave in an hour.” She patted Raven’s
shoulder and walked out of the room.
Raven peeled off her nightshirt
and slipped on the dress. She ran a brush through her long, straight black
hair, pulled it back into a high ponytail and dug out her heels from the back
of the closet. With the folded
application in her pocket, she made her way into the living room. Ava, Kate’s
twin, sat on the couch with her best friend Maggie Tisdale,who was clad in her
favorite red dress and black heels.
Maggie’s long blonde hair wasn’t in its usual braid, but flowed freely
down her shoulders.
“There you are.” Ava said with a
smile. “You both look beautiful. Blue is the perfect color on you. Brian says
there’s already a line.” She wrapped her
flowered robe around herself, her red hair in a messy bun—a far cry from the
usual dresses, makeup and fancy heels she wore every day.
“Let’s go! We’ll be waiting in line until next
Tuesday,” Maggie said, tugging on Raven’s arm. “I want to get there before I
lose my nerve.”
Raven started for the door, but
a sharp pain slicing through her temple and down her right arm and leg made her
freeze. In all the excitement, she hadn’t anticipated pain this early.
How stupid can I be? Mom will probably make me take my chair, too.
Tears prickled her eyelids, but
she refused to let them fall. She stood at Kate’s waist. People already jumped
to conclusions.
“Here, honey.” Her mother’s
hands were steady as she injected Raven with the needle and took a step
back. “Let me get a picture of you two.”
Raven sighed and put her arms around Maggie’s shoulders, their
heads touching. There was no one else could she stand next to and not feel like
an insect. Since Maggie’s family had moved in across the street four years ago,
the two were inseparable. She was grateful every day to have someone to share
her unusual height, brittle bones, pain that felt like needles down her legs and arms and headaches
with. Not to mention the need of a wheelchair.
I better not need it today.
“Okay. All done. Go have fun.”
“Thanks!” Raven followed Maggie
outside. At the end of the drive a carriage waited, its doors open. Brian,
Ava’s fiancé, stood next to it clad in his green Guard’s uniform. His light
brown hair was slicked back, a mischievous glint in his brown eyes.
“You’re the best guy Ava
could’ve picked to marry,” Raven said. She dangled the folded up piece of paper
in his face. “You think your new job can get me instant results?”
Brian laughed and patted her
arm. “Not a chance, little lady.” He opened the door and helped her and Maggie
inside. “I’ll be up front with the driver.”
She took in the familiar scenes
of the city as the carriage bounced down the street: people walking along the
sidewalks past the one-story brown houses that lined the street on both sides,
children holding hands as they walked to the schoolhouse, parents on their way
to work. It wasn’t hard to pick out those that were turning in their
application. People dressed up for the occasion. To have your name picked to
take the exam was an honor, and everyone took it seriously. The square already
swarmed with people when they approached the palace and the carriage stopped a
few blocks away. The line ran down the sidewalk, past the diner and clothing
store.
The early morning breeze blew a
strand of hair into her face as Brian lifted her out of the carriage. Once
Maggie was down, the two linked arms and made their way to the back of the
line. The sun radiated intense heat from a light purple sky, and Raven fanned
her face.
“I’ll see you shortly.” Brian waved and disappeared through the gate
to join the other guards. The line inched forward and Raven could not hold back
a grin. In a few short minutes they’d deliver their application.
“I’m so nervous,” Maggie said,
twirling her hair around her left hand. “Why did I let you talk me into this?”
Raven gently took Maggie’s hand
in her own. “You’ll be fine. We both will. We can do this.” The line started to
move and she pulled Maggie after her.
“Everyone, please hand your
application to the nearest guard and be on your way,” a guardsman shouted.
Murmurs floated through the
crowd as Raven searched for Brian. He’d know what the announcement was about.
He arrived by their side seconds later, his expression grave.
“What’s happening?” she blurted.
“The Ruler was found dead.”
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaOdum
Website: http://raodumbooks.webs.com/
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