{Interview} Megan Curd---Bridger

~The Book~

Bridger (Bridger #1)

by Meghan Curd

Buy: ~Amazon~

Also for book #2: ~Amazon~

Ashlyn McVean doesn't believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn't enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what's most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms. {Goodreads}

 ****Ashlyn is my middle name! :O

 ~The Interview~

1. When did your passion for writing begin? I've always loved to read, but during my junior year of college, my friend pushed me to try my hand at writing. I'd never tried to write before but it sounded fun, so I tried it. That was what spurred me to start writing. When Bridger went on sale and people started saying how much they enjoyed it, I knew I wanted to write as much as possible. I loved writing for myself, but knowing others enjoyed it as well made it that much more compelling. I hope I can write loads of stories for people to jump into in the future.
   
2. Do you and your protagonists relate in any way? How? I really do try to relate the protagonists to me or to people I know in little ways - certain nuances or quirks - just so I can have a feel for how they'll react in situations I put them in. As I've written more, the characters don't have to have as much of a basis on friends' personalities as they used to, but I always try to incorporate someone's name or a personality trait in a character or two. :) As for how they relate to me personally, well, Ashlyn has quite a few personality traits that stemmed from me when I was in high school...but she speaks her mind a lot more than I do. :)
   
3. What is your favorite board game? I really enjoy Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Ticket to Ride. We have game night with a couple of our friends on a regular basis. If we're not talking board games, I love poker. :)
   
4. What inspired the writing of Bridger? Like I mentioned before, my friend pushed me to try writing. I remember calling my mom that night and telling her my idea. We bounced thoughts and ideas off each other. Initially I really wanted to do something with Ecuadorian legends, because I've visited there multiple times and I love the culture. I'll eventually probably write one based on a legend from there. :) But as for Bridger, my mom and I started Googling "Cool Legends" (super scientific, right?) and came up with the Irish Fae folklore. I was instantly intrigued and loved the idea of it. The rest is history, as they say!
   
5. Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Explain. That's super hard. I've been really blessed and gotten to travel quite a bit before I got married, so there's a couple places that would qualify. Quito, Ecuador has my heart because of the people. If I could move there, I totally would. My husband proposed to me in the Bahamas (oh yeah, say it with me...1, 2, 3...AWWWWW! lol), so I really have fond memories of that as well. I'll have to say though, that snowboarding the Alps was probably one of the funnest things I've gotten to do, so I'd say seeing Rome and snowboarding in Italy takes the cake. I hope someday to see France, Uganda, India, and Australia, but I guess we'll see where life takes me.
   
6. If you could have any exotic animal for a pet what would it be? Hmmm...that's tough! I think sugar gliders are absolutely adorable, and I've always had a thing for ferrets, but I'm pretty sure my husband would have a heart attack if I tried to bring any more pets into the house! I love animals. Exotic wise, though, I'd love to foster a baby chimp or something like that to nurse it back to health. I think it'd be fun as long as he didn't go all Planet of the Apes on me. :)
   
7. Can you give us any teasers about book number 2? :D Eep! Oh my gosh, I had so much fun writing Traitor. I feel like you get to know the characters more, and you'll see their imperfections more. I hope that doesn't make people dislike them, but I felt like a lot of times in YA we have these characters portrayed so perfectly that we forget they're human. That they make poor decisions and say things they regret and don't mean. I wanted to bring that to life, so that hopefully readers can embrace them more through their faults. I guess we'll see if I made it work. As for a teaser, I'll share a little bit with you:

"The snarls of the Changelings filled the air, along with the acrid scent of their black magic. Electricity sizzled and made my hair stand on end from the amount of magic in the surrounding area. I wrestled the Changeling on top of me to the ground and pinned him. It struggled against my weight and it took every ounce of my strength to keep the faery down. We tumbled to the side and the Changeling scrabbled to get away, then clawed at me with its talon-like nails until I pinned it again. Just when I thought the Changeling might get the better of me, Aiden’s fist came down on the its chest and it exploded beneath me. When Aiden pulled away, I saw something glinting in his hand.

He had iron.

Aiden seemed to know how to fight them off well. He grabbed another one by the arm, swung it wildly and launched it into the chest of another. Both of them exploded into dust, their expressions full of shock. Aiden definitely could hold his own with these things.

I shifted back into human form without even thinking about it. I focused my energy to the palms of my human hands and felt the fiery sensation of my own brand of magic as it became tangible. The warmth started in my chest and pulsated to my hands where I directed it. Purple wisps began to emerge and crackle in my palms. The electricity from the magic tingled and my fingers curled in on themselves. A surge of excitement coursed through my veins; maybe magic wasn’t such a bad thing. In that frozen second of time, I felt dangerous…powerful. I could take care of myself. All I needed was my weapon of choice.

A moment later I pulled my hands completely apart, and my favorite spear appeared out of the purple light. It was long, thin and bore the marks of battles won in the past. The gouges and nicks made me even more confident in the iron. It had seen battle and lived to tell the tale. My hands gripped the handle with confidence and a smile. Today there would be another story forged in the weapon." ~Traitor (Bridger #2)

~The Author~ 

Megan Curd is a graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While having always enjoyed reading any books she could get her hands on, Megan didn’t begin writing until a friend encouraged her to do so while in college.

When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Traveling and snowboarding are hobbies she loves, and doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself.

Megan currently resides in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with her husband and son.

Find her here: ~Amazon~Goodreads~Blog~Author Site~

~~~~~~~******

Ah! Wasn't that great!!! You my friend really do have a thing with words!! :D I had so much fun with this interview! Mrs. Curd is a great person to talk to and work with!! Thanks so much for the interview! And thank you all for stopping by! :D Have a great weekend! :)