{The Golden Apple}

Faerl, the author of The Golden Apple,  has been a follower of Whim of the South for a few months now and reached out to me to read her book, The Golden Apple. After sending over the manuscript, I quickly dove into the book. The tale is an overwhelming mix of emotions from being sad for Poppy and the loss of her husband and being thrilled for her as the book drew to a close. After I started reading, I had to see what happened next. Within two days, I finished the tale of heartbreak and readjustment with a curveball of new romance. The story is a realistic one set in Georgia and New York City, but I won't give away any more details! I'll let the book speak for itself! "The Golden Apple" is available on Amazon for Kindle, Barnes and Noble for NOOK, Kobo (with the gold cover), Smashwords and iBooks. It's also available on GoodReads. You can follow Faerl on twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, and visit her website.Inspiration for The Golden Apple...

Inspiration forThe Golden Applecame after a trip to New York city with my best friend who was living there at the time. I was working as the stylist and makeup artist for an exercise video shoot and she was part of the cast (so it was a lot of fun)! During that trip I was confronted with a situation that had me pondering the idea of "instant" love, infatuation and the lifespan of such feelings. Poppy and Austin came out of that but it evolved to include Josh's death over the months and months that I spent thinking about it. I live and relive scenes and mull over stories for a very long time before I ever begin typing. I've been fashion and clothes minded for a very long time--working as a stylist (my friends call me a style therapist) and personal shopper. As someone deeply interested in psychology, especially as it relates to self-esteem and self-perception I've come to believe that our clothes, especially for women, are deeply rooted into our self image. When we feel bad we are likely to either dress poorly/sloppily/carelessly or compensate by dressing extra sharp/sexy/stylish. When we feel good we dress well and when we look good we feel good; it's a very significant life cycle for most women. Because of this belief I had a very clear idea from the beginning how Poppy's dress would reflect her grief process. Many of the scenes inThe Golden Apple started with what I knew she would be wearing and circled out from there. Outfit ideas and inspiration are a major catalyst in my work. Style is a life catalyst for me so it's appropriate that my writing would be so heavily influenced by it. 

Faerl on a trip to NYC with her best friendAdvice from the author...

My best advice for young or aspiring novelists is to write. It seems obvious but it's the hardest part--harder than finding an agent (which I'm still looking for) or being published and getting people to buy your book. If you want a career as a writer you have to treat writing like a job. Period. Remember that your standards and your abilities will not meet up in the beginning. The only way to write as well as you would like is to write often, give yourself grace and believe that your next work will be better, more mature, more consistent and more you! I probably went through a dozen drafts of The Golden Apple before I had it edited and then half a dozen more before it went to publication and there are still things I read in it that I would change, but at some point you have to let it go and let go of the fear that no one will love it. I already see progress in my writing as I work on my second and third books so there's hope!

A few thing about Faerl...I was born and raised in Houston, Texas and lived in New Mexico for a few years before moving to Atlanta, Georgia. I moved back west half-way through college and love it here, though I dearly miss my family. I have a degree in Psychology with minors in English and Social Welfare from the University of New Mexico. I'm married to an amazing guy that I've been friends with for longer than I haven't and been in a relationship with for more than a decade. We've been married for four and half years and have a dog that we treat like a child (she spent a day Christmas shopping with me last week). I love beauty and being surrounded by beautiful things. I love nature and collect birds nests that fall out of the trees (finding an intact egg is like hitting the jackpot), feathers and seashells. I have a house full of orchids and love being home where I can write for hours without stopping (until I realize my legs are asleep and I'm on the verge of dehydration). I also like to take long walks and hikes with my dog and husband and I'm training (without a lot of diligence) for the La Luz Trail Run in 2014. _______________________________________It was such an honor to be able to work with Faerl on this post and to read her book! Make sure to follow the links to check it out! It's the perfect read! xoBCC