In a bookish world: Book Tour: Ignite by Lily Paradis + Giveaway & Interview!

Synopsis

After her father’s untimely demise in a mining accident and her mother’s abandonment, Lauren Lindsay is no stranger to loss. She’s used to living l
ife for one person: herself. That is, until another family tragedy thrusts three children into her care and uproots her life in ways she could never imagine.

Lauren's first instinct is to run, until she meets their striking, mysterious neighbor Dean Powell. Their immediate chemistry and his connection with her late father just might be enough to keep her in town long enough to uncover pieces of her past that she never had answers to. Dean’s shady past and her reluctance to trust him could cost her the life she's always been searching for, but will she run back to her old life?

Or will she choose to stay and live the life her father always imagined for her?

My review

I published my review here. This is such an amazing book and I rated it with 5/5 stars!!

Interview with Lily Paradis

Me: First of all, I want to thank you for agreeing with this interview. I read Ignite and I’m so happy and excited for you! I can’t imagine how you must feel. Releasing a debut novel must do strange things to your emotions right now, so tell me: how does it feel? ;) How did you feel when your book was out on the market? Were you relieved, anxious, scared, happy,…?

Lily: I was extremely excited, but it was kind of anticlimactic as well! Before Ignite, I didn’t quite realize how long publishing takes. I had seen the cover, and I knew what the content would be long before I could hold it in my hand. Sometimes I think it still hasn’t hit me yet! Maybe once Volition comes out I’ll finally feel like it’s real!

Me: How did you decide you wanted to be an author?

Lily: I’ve been writing little stories for as long as I can remember. When I was in University I finally started writing short stories, and then full-length novels.

Me: Is there something or someone who inspired you while writing Ignite?

Lily: I stayed with a family for about a week while their parents were out of town. There were two girls and one boy, and Callie, Chase, and Emma are very similar to their real-life counterparts! I started to wonder what it would be like if this was my life, and how I would react!

Me: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?

Lily: It definitely depends what book I’m working on. For Ignite, I mulled the idea around in my head for a few months before I finally wrote a solid outline of events. Then I filled it in with things that popped into my head along the way. I hate completely outlining something with every detail because I think it takes the fun out of it!

Me: Do you see yourself in one of the characters? If yes, who?

Lily: Certain characters were taken straight from my life, so if these people read it… I’m in trouble! ;) I think I see myself most in Lauren. I’m sarcastic and sassy at times, but I hope people see the strength that she gathers within herself by the end.

Me: Is Ignite the first book you ever wrote or do you have some unpublished books saved somewhere?

Lily: Ignite is the first book I’ve published, but not the first I’ve written. The first book I ever finished writing is called Equilibrium, and I’m not sure when that will be out. It’s more of a Science Fiction/Fantasy novel. I have a ton of mostly finished and partly finished manuscripts that need work. My next book, Volition, will be out in January! It might be my favorite book that I’ve written so far.

Me: What was the hardest thing about writing Ignite? Did you struggled with a writer’s block?

Lily: The editing process was the most difficult for me for many reasons. There are some parts in Ignite that weren’t fixed after the file was corrupted, and that’s my biggest regret! I wish more than anything that it was absolutely perfect. I did have a little bit of writer’s block, but I worked on other novels to try and keep it fresh when I went back to Ignite! I’m a brat when it comes to writing. I won’t write it if I don’t feel it. I want everything to be genuine because I’m feeling it in that moment. I’ll just go write something else until I can get myself to the right place to right a certain scene. I think that if the author isn’t feeling it, the readers won’t either.

Me: Tell us more about the cover of Ignite, because I love it! The colors are beautiful and I like the explanation of the title. How did it came out? Who designed it?

Lily: Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations designed it, and it is brilliant! The definition on the cover was her idea. I recently had a comment from E.L. James (of Fifty Shades of Grey) who said she loved the cover! That was surreal.

Me: Can you tell us something more about the sequel, Arclight? Or is it still a work in progress?

Lily: Arclight is almost finished, but it still needs a bit of work. It happened by accident when I was writing a scene that explained why Dean was at the DMV that day from his perspective. It didn’t feel like it belonged in Ignite, so I decided he would have to get his own book.

Me: Thank you so much for your time. I wish you lots of luck with your next books!

Lily: Thank YOU so much, Melissa!

More about Lily

Lily is 22 and recently graduated from the University of Colorado where she earned a degree in English Literature. She lives with her family and loves reading, running, and hiking. Although she’s a Colorado native, New York City is her favorite place in the world and fosters her borderline unhealthy obsession with the Empire State Building and F. Scott Fitzgerald. IGNITE is her debut novel.