Arielle Strauss is a twenty-two year old
author, actress, and percussionist originally from Freehold, New Jersey. She graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts
from Sarah Lawrence College, where she began to write "The Wraith
Trilogy." She's pleased to finally share her first novel, The
Wraith, and the sequel, The
Huntress, with the world.
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About the Books:
The Wraith - Ophelia Weller never believed in ghosts until
the night she became one. But when the aftermath of a frat party on the most
haunted campus in America
leaves her face to face with her own naked corpse, she really has no other
option. Now a wraith, Ophelia is a spirit hidden amongst the living. Forced to
conceal her undead identity from the world, and struggling to remain visible to
the humans around her, how will she ever manage to convince her dearest friend
of the truth? Or muster the courage to tell her beautiful gym partner that she
just may be in love with her? And, with no memory of her death, how will
Ophelia solve the mystery of her murder?
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The Huntress - Ophelia's been dead for several weeks, but
she's still around. Yet other students at Ohio University are
dropping like flies, never to return. Surely the most haunted campus in America is
home to other wraiths like herself? Ophelia is determined to find them—and to
discover the truth about why she continues to dwell in the world of mortals.
But faced with a mysterious clan of ghost hunters closing in, threatening to
end her unlife, three meddlesome (and crotchety) divine beings determined to
control her new existence, and a best friend with more than friendly feelings
for the love of her life, how long will Ophelia be able to hide the truth of
her death—and her destiny?
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Thanks
for letting us interrogate interview you! Can you
give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
The
only other thing I can do besides write is act and play the bongos. I figured
if I’m gonna write a book, I should do it right away and not waste any time!
Tell us
(we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be? I mean what are the perks and what are the
demands?
The
writing is honestly the best part. Also, hearing your work read aloud is the
best way to see what you’re doing right. My college roommates my freshman year
read the first drafts of “The Wraith” aloud in our room at night, and it’d
leave them shocked and waiting for more. It also opened up a lot of room for
discussion, which sparked even more ideas. I’ve always felt that writing should
be a collaborative process, which is why I dedicated the book to them.
Which
route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the
nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?
I chose
to self-publish through a friend’s company. It’s the least stressful way to go
about it, but it isn’t the most perfect way. Typos are my worst enemy, but of
course both books got published with some of them. My editor and designer are
like magic, but it’s up to me at the end of the day to go back and make sure it
looks spiffy enough. I learned a lot with my first book and even more with my
second.
What’s
the snarkiest thing you can say about the publishing industry (e.g. rejections,
the long wait, etc.)
If JK
Rowling had to go through it, it must be worth it.
Tell us
for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your
book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
They’re
extremely proud of me, but mostly the young adults (ie my sister and my cousin)
have taken the time to actually finish the book and tell me their thoughts,
which is fine by me. They’re my target audience after all.
What
was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing
process?
Getting
to hold my finished book in my hands for the first time.
How
about the social networks? Which ones do
you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
Facebook
is the easiest way for me to promote my book. I’m not so familiar with Twitter.
I’m also into getting reviews on book blogs, which is, of course, the most
helpful way to spread the word. (P.S. Thank you!!)
Book
sales. Don’t you just love them (or lack
of?)? How are you making the sales
happen for you?
Really
gratifying when I that see someone has decided to spend their hard-earned cash
on a little something I wrote. It means more than words can say. I can only
hope that the work perked their imagination in new and different ways and that
they’re excited for the upcoming sequels.
What is
one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
I LOVE
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS! Seriously though. Best TV show ever. (It’s on Netflix
Instant!)
Okay,
too much sugar for you today! Here’s a
nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch
the waves roll in. Now…can you tell us
what you love about being a published author and how all those things above
don’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you
wouldn’t have it any other way?
I think
you said it perfectly. Writing is one of the most calming ways of
self-expression. Though sharing it may take some guts (and some cash), in the
end it’s a priceless investment.
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