Author Interview | Grace M. Morris

Hello, wonderful readers!

After an incredibly long hiatus, I am back with an interview with the sweet, lovely, and talented Grace M. Morris! College has been an absolute whirlwind, and I just haven’t found the time to write blog posts, but never fear, I plan to blog quite a bit in the next two months.

But you’re not here to read my random ramblings (or maybe you are–I don’t judge) so let’s get right to the interview.

1. What is your favorite book and why?

*Starts sweating* YOU WANT ME TO PICK JUST ONE FAVORITE BOOK!!!! DON’T YOU KNOW THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BOOKWORM WOES!!!! *Starts petting books* Don’t worry my babies, I love all of you!

In reality, I really don’t have just one favorite book. As there are so many books that have what it takes to be a good book. If a book is able to get me invested and connected to the characters to the point that I’m rooting for them or crying whenever something bad happened to them, then it’s a good book. If the descriptions describe the world enough that I can close my eyes and envision it in front of me, then it’s a good book (I’m very visual so this is really important to me). I like character driven stories better than plot driven stories, but if a book manages to dive into the plot and solve it while being a character driven story, then it’s a good book. It’s even better if a book manages to wove in an important message without screaming it out.

Probably if I really have to pick JUST one favorite book it would be “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. Though I have a ton of favorite books, “The Hunger Games” is one of the few books that I have reread. There’s just something about the way that Suzanne uses words that is very descriptive and emotional. The characters are very real and even after I have read the books twice and watch the movies multiple times I still think about it.

I honestly spent more time thinking about this question that I probably should have, lol. Picking one favorite is SO hard! And there were so many indie authors I wanted to talk about as well. *Cries in a corner*

2. What gave you the idea to write in “seasons” as opposed to a more traditional format?

I love to read other people’s book related blog posts, but when it actually came to me writing my own I had massive writer’s block. I didn’t want to give up blogging entirely and I didn’t want to leave people hanging from months on end until I was ready to release my next book. So writing these blog serials are the best of two worlds, I get to write what I really want and all of you wonderful people get good quality content to enjoy and to see my writing.

The main reason why I decided on having episodes and seasons is because originally the blog serial was supposed to be released as a drama podcast. I was kinda inspired by old radio drama shows and even TV shows. Unfortunately the idea was temporarily dropped, though there is a possibility that I might relook into it in the near future but that kind of depends on how well the blog serial goes.

3. If you could spend the day with any fictional character, who would it be?

The Daisha from “Moonscript” by H.S.J. Williams. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend time with her? She’s kind of like a dragon, but not really. She has wings, so if I could convince her to, I would have a blast taking flight on her back. She is also very motherly, with a gentle, warrior attitude. And she has a sense of humor. I just think I would have a blast spending the whole day with her.

4. If you could bring any of your own characters to life, which would you choose and why?

Hmm, probably Hunga so I can adopt him as my own son and keep them safe from harm. He has this personality that makes him see the good in everyone and every situation. He’s always happy going, likes to chat a lot. Just having someone like that around on a daily basis would put a huge smile on my face. He’s literally one of those people who would bring you a puppy or pizza and be all cheery when something bad happens. Not because he likes bad things, but because he sees too much good in the world. Yeah, Hunga would probably be my top pick if I could bring one character to life.

5. If you were forced to write one genre for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Fantasy. I love sci-fi, but the cool thing about fantasy is that you’re basically creating a world and it has enough similarities to sci-fi that I would be happy with my decision. There are just so many different combinations and possibilities with fantasy that I would be living my best life. 😉

6. Who is your biggest inspiration as a writer?

This is actually a very hard question. When I was a kid, I first started wanting to write after I had read the “Nancy Drew” books by Carolyn Keene but the books I wanted to write were nothing like that series, sooo…. I really started getting into writing after reading anything by Ted Dekker. And then Suzanne Collins introduced me to books written for the young adult audience. And there are so many people who really inspired me as an indie. So I guess I don’t look up to one person. I don’t even have someone who is my biggest inspiration. I have looked up to several people over the course my life that have inspired me and pointed me in the direction that I’m at today.

7. What fun details can you give us about this latest project of yours?

Hmm, let’s see… Some of the characters in the story are based off of pets I had/have in the past/present.

The main character Colonel Jack Shepherd is based off of my dog Colonel who is a moody Australian Shepherd, Alaskan Malamute mix. I named my character after the character Colonel Jack O’Neill from “Stargate SG1” and Colonel John Shepherd from “Stargate Atlantis”. His navy blue officer uniform is based off of the uniforms they wear in “Stargate Atlantis” and the U.S. Navy blue dress uniforms. I have no idea how to write accents, but I’d always envisioned him having an Australian accent. He is a half elf, half human in the story who has the capability to cause the blue leaf trees to grow in the southern region. He has multicolor hair, white and black, and he works for the Black King.

The Colonel also has a younger brother named Ghost who is 6 inches shorter than him and is a total jerk. Ghost’s real name is Capt. Lawrence “Ghost” Shepherd, though everyone just calls him Ghost because of his lust for blood and his pale blue eyes.

The other main character, Hunga Pana Jr. is based off of my cat, Junior, who is a Bombay. Junior the cat also has this blue collar that he loves to wear when he goes outside, which is the inspiration for the amulet that Hunga wears in the story. Bombay’s were also bred to look like miniature panthers which also inspired the amulet and Hunga’s last name “Pana”. Bombay was also the former name of Mumbai, a capital city in India, which is why Hunga has a darker complexion. Hunga is also a Katinaen elf which makes him quick, strong, with impeccable balance, and the ability to speak with animals to a certain extent (he has to learn their language first). My cat will always respond to me if I call him “hungry” especially around dinnertime which inspired the name “Hunga”.

Thanks for having me Oceane! You asked some really good questions and this was fun. =D

***

A little more about Eye of the Panther:

One wishes for peace, the other longs for love. Together they find adventure.

Fighting an endless war Col. Jack Shepherd begins to question if what he’s fighting for is really worth it. Tired of the bloodshed the colonel tries to fulfill the prophecy given to him. The task seemed simple enough; find the amulet known as the Eye of the Panther. The powerful amulet would supposedly grant the wearer powers that would end the war. But everything changes for the worse when he finds that the current wearer is a young elvish boy.

Getting kidnapped (or adopted) by a moody colonel, Hunga Pana Jr. finally begins to hope that he has found the family he has always long for. He would do anything to win the Colonel’s heart, even use his precious amulet. If only he knew how to use it himself, that is.

Two opposing kings also want the amulet for themselves. Jack finds that he can no longer trust anyone and tries to protect the young boy at all costs.

Content Advisory:

If this was a movie, I would rate it PG13+ for violence, gore, intense fantasy/sci-fi themes, fantasy monsters eating humans, intense war scenes, and a case of a character drinking water that is tinted with blood, as well as other shenanigans that might be considered as content.

The “Eye of the Panther” is a Christian faith based story about the importance of family and doing the right thing in difficult situations.

Read the first episode on Grace’s new website!

New episodes on Fridays!

Before we end, here’s a bit about the author herself. She’s a true gem, folks, so if you aren’t following her blog, then you’d better get on that!

A Little Bit About Grace M. Morris

Every hero has an origin story. Grace M. Morris traveled into a story one time, and no one has been able to pull her back ever sense. It happened kinda sudden, but she found out that she could also create worlds for others to walk in. Ever since that fateful day she has been hard at work creating her own YA speculative stories with a Christian basis. She has self published the books in the “Team Vergate” series “Before” and “The Exile”. She also writes and publishes the episodes of the blog serial the “Eye of the Panther”.

Grace never stops listening to music while writing. When she is not hard at work creating her next world, she is trying to figure out this thing called life. Currently she is helping her Dad repair the house and helping her Mom with their kids craft website. She also loves to bake (especially cakes), draw, read, spend time with her pets, spend time with her family, and watch movies. Now in her twenties she resides in the state of Washington.

Important things about Grace:

Believer in Jesus Christ

Author

Blog Serial Writer

Editor

Artist; Digital and with Pencils

Co-founder of KGMCrafts

Homeschooled Graduate

Night Owl

INFJ

In addition to her website, you can find her on Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest!

To see more of the cool spots on this blog tour, check out down below! Some pretty awesome people are involved, and you might just find a new blog to follow (or even a new read!)

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

December 3th

Grace M. Morris – Blog Tour Launch

December 4th

Grace M. Morris – First Episode of “Eye of the Panther”

Nicki Chapelway – Interview with Grace M. Morris

Jes Drew – Blog Spotlight

Oceane McAllister – Blog Spotlight and Interview with Grace M. Morris (where you’re at, currently 😉 )

December 6th

Shine – Interview with Grace M. Morris

December 11th
Grace M. Morris – Blog Tour Conclusion Plus Second Episode of “Eye of the Panther”