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by: Tammie King
Date: 12/2009
Hello Giovanna,
Thanks for joining me today on Night Owl Romance.
Tammie King of NOR: Could you please tell us a little about yourself?
Giovanna Lagana: I'm a freelance writer and editor. I work for a few
publishing houses. I'm also a mother of three kids, so you can imagine how busy
my day can get. But I love every minute of it and wouldn't change it for the
world. :)
Tammie King of NOR: If you could be one of the characters from this book – Who would you be? And why?
Giovanna Lagana: I'd most probably be Jonathan. I grew up a tom boy with
a very vivid and strange imagination. So I can relate to his introverted
character the most, especially in Book 2 that I'm writing now. He is ten years
older in this story and sees the world in a totally different light after all he
has been through in "The Battle of Armageddon".
Tammie King of NOR: Who or what influenced you when you wrote this book? Did you have a CD, Songs, environment, etc?
Giovanna Lagana: I'm a huge fan of "The Omen" and almost all of Alfred
Hitchcock's movies, so these films influenced me, plus I'm an avid enthusiast of
epic stories.
I wanted to write a series for women who wanted romance mixed equally with
suspense, mystery, and horror. Each genre would be a major factor in weaving the
story, but would never outshine any of the other genres in it.
I also wanted to tell the story in several points of view. I love using POV and
the time line as my tools to develop my characters and the plot.
 Tammie King of NOR: Can you please give us a sneak peek into the book?
Giovanna Lagana: Here's the back cover blurb on the story.
It'll give you an idea of who each character is and what part he/she plays in
the story: A boy searching for absolution finds terror and torment...
Driven by guilt of his father's death and fear of his new found visionary
abilities, Jonathan runs away from home only to befriend pure evil.
A mother haunted by dreams avenges her son's death...
When nightmares of Miriam James' missing son's death invade her sleep, she
decides to go with her deceased husband's friend in search of her son's
murderer.
A man driven by love sacrifices everything...
Alex Thompson has loved Miriam for so long, but she was never his to take. When
her husband suddenly dies and she becomes available, he struggles with his
conscience to honor his friend's memory while he helps her in her quest.
A demon seeks to destroy his formidable enemy...
With an army of visionaries at his side and his supernatural powers, Nathan
searches for his enemy and the secret to destroying The Chosen One.
They all meet in THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
Tammie King of NOR: Please tell us what you have planned next?
Giovanna Lagana: Book 2 "A Child's Secret" in this series "With Black &
White Comes the Grey" will be an evolution, not only for the characters but also
in my writing style. I initially wrote the first story in 2004 and although I
have revised it, strengthened it, and expanded it, it doesn't fully reflect my
evolving writing style.
I have a lot more diversified editing experience as well as writing experience
under my belt now, so this has affected my writing style, I hope for the better.
Science also plays a role in Book 2 that didn't in Book 1, so it's a challenge
to incorporate it into the mix and make it believable. And there are two
antagonists in this story and I'll be telling the story through only one of
their POVs.
Book 2 is the hardest story I have ever had to write so far. :)
Tammie King of NOR: Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder you?
Giovanna Lagana: No, I don't. But I have a few friends who I test my
stories out on. I'm so grateful for all their support and wonderful suggestions.
My stories are a lot better and stronger thanks to them. :)
Tammie King of NOR: What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?
Giovanna Lagana: Through my website
www.giovannalagana.com would be the best way. My e-mail address is on the
site under the 'Contact/Links' button. I'm also on Facebook.
My blog is
http://jjgiovanna.bravejournal.com
I'm planning on getting a Word Press blog, but haven't set it up yet.
Tammie King of NOR: What was your first published work and when was it published?
Giovanna Lagana: "Tribulations of Existence" a chapbook of my poetry
published by The Plowman way back in 1999. It was dedicated to my dad who died
the year before. He was the biggest supporter of my writing. It's been out of
print now for many years.
Tammie King of NOR: Do you outline your books or just start writing?
Giovanna Lagana: If the plot is simple, no I don't use an outline. But
for complicated plots like in "The Battle of Armageddon", yes. This way, I won't
goof up the time line and can see how effective the suspense I'm creating is
coming along.
Tammie King of NOR: Is there a genre of book you would like to write but haven't yet?
Giovanna Lagana: I'd like to write a young adult fantasy story. I have
several ideas fluttering in my mind and would love to write a story based on one
or many of these ideas. It would certainly be a challenge to write and I'd need
to read many YA stories to get the feel for it. There are a ton of amazing YA
fantasy stories and series out there to keep me entertained in my research. :)
Thank you for this opportunity!
Interviewed by: Tammie King
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