The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: Interview with Lindsey Pogue and Lindsey Fairleigh Author sof After the Ending

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

LP: We just released the sequel to After The Ending in November. Into The Fire picks up where AE left off, and as anticipated a book as it was, we’re ecstatic about how well it’s being received. In book two, lingering questions are answered, shocking secrets are revealed, and although the cliffhanger isn’t as substantial, the reader will definitely be left with more questions and intrigue. We can’t wait to get started on book three. It’s going to be awesome!

LF: I also recently (in August) released my first solo book, Echo Prophecy. It’s a historical time travel romance based in Egyptian mythology. The second and third books in the Echo Trilogy should be released in 2014.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

LP: I used to be a cowgirl. I grew up with horses-LOVED them! So my goal is to one day have horses again because there’s nothing like the feeling of riding on the back of a horse, really riding. Also, when I was little I knew two things for certain: I would marry Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Home Improvement, and I could actually become a Disney Princess if I watched enough Disney movies and sang all the songs…repeatedly.

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

LP: I love hanging out with the ladies, drinking wine, talking books, and watching movies. In fact, wine, cheese, and movies are probably THE best combo for girl’s night. Outside of that, I recently got engaged to the love of my life and after eight years together, I finally get to start planning a wedding J

LF: I love the science fiction and fantasy genres, so when I’m not writing, I’m most likely reading, watching a movie or TV show, or playing a video game within the genres. My current favorite VGs are Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas. I’ve also got my eye on Bioshock: Infinite, but I’m a little hesitant after the huge uproar that inundated the internet regarding the ending. I also cook, a lot. Oh, and I’m totally obsessed with audiobooks—Audible is one of the greatest creations ever!

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

LP: I want to stay in the romance/fiction category for sure, but I’m not set on anything specific. I’ve already got a bit of New Adult and Sci-Fi under my belt, and I’m currently working on a historical/adventure/survival/romance novel. However, I have definitely considered dabbling in erotica. I’d like to challenge myself to take romance writing to another level, to see if I can have a compelling story amidst the explicit sex and scandal, but I’m undecided. I think mostly I just want to use my awesome pen name. J

LF: I really want to write a more conventional vampires/witches kind of paranormal romance series eventually—something along the lines of Kim Harrison’s Hollows series. I’d also really like to write an epic fantasy series that follows the “heroes journey.” I love the idea of creating my own world from scratch.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

LP: After The Ending is book one in The Ending Series, a total of four books. In fact, book two, Into The Fire, which has already received great reviews, was released November 22. So it’s all really surreal and fun, and we’re beyond excited to get started on book three, which will probably be out in late 2014.

LF: The third book, Out Of The Ashes, will delve further into survivalism and what it takes to keep moving forward in a world that has become so backward compared to what we’re used to.

What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

LP: Although book three in The Ending Series has been outlined, we’re taking as short break from it. With Into The Fire just released, the two of us have been focusing on our solo projects. For me, Wrecked, a historical romance meets adventure and survival, is my current baby. It’s sort of a scandalous Jane Austen meets Swiss Family Robinson novel.

LF: I am SO excited to read Wrecked, I’d just like to say. It’s going to be amazing! I’m currently working on finishing up the Echo Trilogy, so I can get both of those books into readers’ hands in 2014. They don’t have definite titles yet, but “Echo” will definitely be in there somewhere. J

What book are you reading now?

LP: I’m reading The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley, just finished reading an advanced copy of Carly Phillip’s Dare To Love. Plus, I’ve been following LF’s serial, Lady of Stone and Darkness.

LF: I’m about to start The Rose Garden as well, which is actually for the book club LP and I (LP, mostly) started. I’m also in the middle of listening to the fourth book in Keri Arthur’s Dark Angel’s series, Darkness Hunts.

What is in your to read pile?

LP: I’m trying to reacquaint myself with A Discovery of Witches so that I can start book two, Shadow of Night. I hear it’s AMAZING. Plus, I’d like to read the final book in my favorite YA series, Finale (book 4 in the Hush, Hush Saga), when I have time.

LF: This is pretty far down the road (like 2015, most likely), but I’m waiting until the thirteenth and final book in Kim Harrison’s Hollows series is released to re-read all of the previous books. I’ve actually only read through the tenth book, and it’s been such a struggle to not give in and read the eleventh book, Ever After, which is already out. The twelfth book, The Undead Pool, is being released in February, and she/Voyager tends to release one of her books every year, so my fingers are crossed that I’ll finally be able to give in come 2015. I’m such a dork.

After The Ending

The Ending Series

Book One

Lindsey Pogue and Lindsey Fairleigh

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

“Emotionally-charged Science Fiction”

Publisher: L2 Books

ISBN: 978-0615719740

ASIN: B00BJDUBLU

Number of pages: 400

Word Count: 154,000

Cover Artist: Lindsey Pogue/Lindsey Fairleigh

Amazon BN Kobo Smashwords

Book Description:

The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.

When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now—broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamil-iar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

And more than anything, we have to find each other.

EXCERPT ONE (ZOE)

Looking around apprehensively, I made my way toward the convenience store in hopes of finding a bathroom. The vacant world around me was eerily silent. All I could hear was the creaking of a giant wooden billboard being assaulted by the wind.

How long has it been since anyone was here? Through the dark windows I saw a bathroom sign that looked promising, but I couldn’t bring myself to enter. I wonder if it’s safe…

As I stood outside of the store, I noticed a newspaper box still filled with papers. I leaned closer. The headline read, BILLIONS DEAD, and the paper was dated December 9, right before everything had started to shut down. I inserted a quarter and snatched out a paper. Scanning its contents, my mouth grew dry and my body stiffened.

…the H1N1/12 pandemic…
…looting and riotous outbreaks everywhere…
…end of civilization as we know it…
…survivors losing their minds…
…governments can’t control…
…the Apocalypse…

The newspaper slipped from between my fingers. Frozen in place, I was suffocated by the reality of our situation.

This isn’t going away.

The world ended.

Thinking of the strange feelings I’d been experiencing, I once again questioned my own sanity. My thoughts were too loud to silence. My heart thudded, and I couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat. Looking out into the abandoned world around me, I realized how alone we really were.

I bent down to reclaim the paper and turned on my heels to head back toward the truck, completely awestruck as the words I’d read replayed in my mind. Each was a reminder that the only world I’d ever known had ended.

About the Authors:

Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused cats. You can visit Lindsey’s blog at www.lindseyfairleigh.blogspot.com

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, compiled books of collages as a teenager, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man. You can visit Lindsey’s website at www.lindseypogue.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheEndingSeries

Blog: http://www.aftertheending-ae.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.theendingseries.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfterTheEnding

Lindsey Pogue: www.lindseypogue.com

Lindsey Fairleigh: www.lindseyfairleigh.com

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The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom