Cover2CoverBlog: Interview and Giveaway with Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley authors of EXTRACTED

Welcome to Cover2CoverBlog!

Could you tell us a little about yourselves?

Sherry- Sure. I’m a full time author, internet radio show host, and book addict. I prefer Star Trek to Star Wars, but only because I think George Lucas sold his soul to Satan (that can be the only explanation for episodes1-3), I question the validity of Batman's membership in the JLA, I wish they would let the cast of Firefly and the cast of Glee battle it out Hunger Games style for a spot on FOX, and I believe anyone who refers to Link as Zelda should be neck slapped.

Basically, I'm over caffeinated and over opinionated. (Read: Uber Nerd)

Tyler- I’m a Gemini. I’m an orthodontist by day and a writer by night. I have outfit changes for those jobs in my life. So I do kind of feel like I’m a super hero. I’m not a fulltime writer like Sherry, but I’m very jealous of that. I found that writing for me helps me find balance between teeth and other aspects of my life. I love to mountain bike, I own a tractor and I’m a fake farmer but I have a real farmer tan.

What was your inspiration for Extracted?

Sherry- I love the story of the Romanovs, the mystery around it. I was watching a special on TV when the idea of making them time travelers hit me.

Tyler – Sherry was the one who came up with the initial story line for Extracted. It has changed many times since then to what it is now, during that process my research about steampunk inspired me quite a bit.

Which came first – the story or the characters?

Sherry- Ember spoke to me first. In my head, while I was working on other books, she was nudging me. For a while all I had was her name. The story came much later.

Tyler – For me it was a little opposite, Sherry had already mentioned some very preliminary ideas about the story. Immediately my mind went into world creation mode. Steampunk was a new genre for me, and I found it so intriguing that I started imaging locations that characters could be in, and hideouts they could hide in. Character development came later, I always new some of the main character names and genders, but they weren’t fully developed until the world was created.

What is your favorite part about the writing process?

Sherry- My favorite part is hearing from readers. I feel like a book isn’t real until people read it. And I love the feedback, it’s a great feeling when you’ve created something people love.

Tyler – My favorite part about the writing process is being able to get lost in a vivid and fantastical world that I’m trying to create. I love the brainstorming process and if I can find anybody who will listen. I like to talk about my stories.

Do you have a special writing spot?

Sherry- My office pretty much. I go other places when the chaos levels get too high, but my office is decked out to be perfect for all my needs.

Tyler –On a boat, on a train, on an airplane or in the rain. It’s not a structured thing, I basically write wherever I can. I make the most of every minute of the day.

Is there anything about you that would surprise your readers?

Sherry-I don’t know. I’m a pretty open book. I do have a deep and abiding love of classic muscle cars and football. That tends to surprise people.

Tyler – I think it would surprise reader to know I didn’t read my first book, start-to-finish, until I was 21. My ADD made it impossible to stay focused on a book until the end.

What is your favorite random fact? (We all have them, mine is: did you know that the plastic end pieces of your shoelaces are called aglets? I had no idea they had a name)

Sherry: Did you know the term ‘whipping boy’ comes from the middle ages when royal children weren’t allowed to be punished so they kept other children around to take the punishments for them?

Tyler – Banging your head against the wall burns 150 calories an hour, so there’s that.

If you could meet anyone, any time or place; who would it be and why?

Sherry-I’d go with Nikola Tesla because after writing him for so long, I kind of feel like I know him and I’d be curious to see how close I really am.

Tyler - I would want to meet George Lucas during a brainstorming session about Star Wars before it was created.

What are you reading right now? Do you have any book recommendations for us?

Sherry- I just read The White Princess by Phillipa Gregory. Stunning and beautiful. I recommend the whole series.

Tyler – I’m reading Black and Gold Empire Andrian Tchaikovsky. It’s very creative and intriguing with some undertones of race and government.

About the Book:
Welcome to the war. The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it. The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream. Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war. When Lex's girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It's there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both again.

More about the Authors:
Tyler H. Jolley is a sci-fi/fantasy author and full-time orthodontist, periodontist (see: Overachiever). He divides his spare time between writing, reading, mountain biking, and camping with his family.

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full-time writer and internet radio show host with more mouth then good sense. She has a serious book addiction, but continually refuses treatment, much to her husband’s chagrin.

Tyler and Sherry met one fateful day and bonded over their love for books, science fiction, and donuts. Their first co-written novel came shortly after. Now, they still do all those other things, but also go to various steampunk conventions and events under the guise of ‘research’. They can often be found lurking on the Lost Imperials Facebook page or over on the official website, www.thelostimperials.com.