AUTHOR BIO

Casey Bond lives in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She likes goats and yoga, but hasn’t tried goat yoga because the family goat is so big he might break her back. Seriously, he’s the size of a pony. Her favorite books are the ones that contain magical worlds and flawed characters she would want to hang out with. Most days of the week, she writes young adult fantasy books, letting her imaginary friends spill onto the blank page.

Casey is the award-winning author of When Wishes Bleed, Things That Should Stay Buried, and With Shield and Ink and Bone.

QUICK INTERVIEW

Where are you from?
“I’m from Milton, WV and live in a rural area on a small farm.”

When did you first realize you wanted to be an author?
“I’ve always loved to write, but I was in my late twenties when I thought becoming an author might be a possibility.”

What is your favorite genre to read/write?
“My jam is YA Fantasy. It’s my favorite to write and I love reading it.”

Tell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?
“My first published book was entitled Winter Shadows and it was a short dystopian about a future where a mysterious pandemic begins (insert goosebumps here), and the government begins placing people into quarantine encampments. My main character’s family were distrusting and instead of doing as they were told, went to live and survived in a cave complex near their home.”

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
“I’ve written many serial series (that used to be a huge trend, writing episodic fiction so readers could read one episode at a time in short increments), so it looks like I have a ton, but I count those collective series as one full story. I’d say more than 30 books, but I’d have to count. LOL! My favorites are When Wishes Bleed, Frenzy, With Shield and Ink and Bone, and Gravebriar, but I honestly love them all. It’s very hard to choose.”

Who/What inspired you to write Gravebriar?
“A friend and I were discussing stories and she just off-handedly mentioned poison witches. I love witches, so I guess that stuck in my mind. Then I did a title reveal and when I do these, I actually take sign-ups and send a physical sticker to those who sign up, so they can photograph the sticker and help me reveal it! IT’s fun. But anywho, one of the addresses of a person who signed up for a sticker was Gravebriar Road. The two thoughts clicked and Castor Gravebriar was born in my mind.”

What was your hardest scene to write?
“The hardest was near the end when secrets are revealed and a huge twist occurs. I didn’t want to make anything in this book obvious to the reader. I wanted them to keep guessing about the mystery within the pages until the end.”

Is there any new release we can expect in 2021 or in the future?
“Yes! I’ll release two more books in 2021. They are a duology. I haven’t revealed the titles yet, but will begin taking sign-ups for the sticker/reveal soon, so watch social media if you’d like to take place. (wink)”

What do you think makes a great story?
“A character I can relate to. One of my favorite series is The Hunger Games and it’s because of Katniss. The plot is interesting, but she kept me reading, kept me betting on the girl on fire.”

“But the same is true of all books for me. It’s the main character that draws me in and keeps me engaged. Jude of The Cruel Prince, Feyre of ACOTAR, Lou from Serpent and Dove… I could go on and on.”

What advice can you give to an unpublished author?
“Here are four of the best pieces of advice, I’ve received.”
(1) “Never publish your first draft. The story is not ready. Rewrite it if you need to. Scrap it and start over if you must. Carve and sculpt until in your gut, the story is ready and right.”
(2) “Stick to a single genre and cultivate a readership within that genre.”
(3) “Don’t quit.”
(4) “Keep your head down and write. Do not engage in drama. Don’t post anything online that isn’t helpful to your brand. Period.”

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website: http://www.authorcaseybond.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gcAu9v
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorcaseybond
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/authorcaseybond​
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/casey-l-bond
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorCaseyBond/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212486.Casey_L_Bond
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/caseybond
YABC: https://www.yabookscentral.com/search/tag/authorname/casey-l-bond/?criteria=6

We want to thank Casey L Bond for signing up for the Weekly Author Spotlight.

Interview done by HVDB Book Life