Author Spotlight: Casey L. Bond

Casey L. Bond is in the Author Spotlight today at The Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf. She is a New Adult and Young Adult author. Bond is the author of Devil Creek, Shady Bay, The Harvest Saga, The New Covenant Series, and the serial novel The Sin Series. Bond's books have a variety sub genres from Dystopian settings to contemporary romances. She is currently working on the next book in her Harvest Saga.  Bond discusses the inspiration behind her stories and what she loves about the Young Adult and New Adult genres in my interview with her.  It's time to meet, Casey L. Bond, today's Author Spotlight. 

 

Casey L. Bond's Biography

Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband Elton and their two beautiful daughters, Juliet and Eris. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction.

Bond graduated from Hurricane High School in 1999. In 2003, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University in the field of Criminal Justice.

An Interview with Casey L. Bond

Thank you for interviewing with me. Your books are in the Young Adult or New Adult genre, what is it about those genres that inspires you as an author?

Honestly, those are the genres that I enjoy reading, so I love to write within them. There is a feeling of hope and that anything is possible in youth, whether a character is finishing high school, starting college or their first career. It’s a great time in life and one that holds a lot of possibility for the future and for a great story!

What can you tell us about your Harvest Saga series?

The Harvest Saga is a young adult dystopian series. I probably relate more to the characters in it than in any other of my books. I’m not sure why! LOL! Dystopian is one of my very favorite genres to read. I love to create worlds and was able to create a dystopian world of the have’s vs. the have-not’s. It’s rich v. poor, ruler v. those ruled set against the backdrop of an America left in ruins. Reap is the first book in the series. We get to know the characters, get background information, etc.

Resist is book 2 and it basically takes off where Reap left off. Yes, there are cliffies in both books. Reclaim, book 3, will be released this winter!

Here is the blurb for Reap!

The remnants of the United States of America have been divided.
From five enormous, technologically-advanced cities, the Greaters rule over the Lessers. In the Lesser
village of Orchard, things are not as perfect as Abby Kelley thinks they are. When the apple harvest
draws near and the Greater’s engineered fruits become too much for one village to handle alone,
reinforcements from neighboring villages are called upon.

Having to choose between her best friend, whom she has no romantic feelings for, and mysterious
newcomer Crew, Abby finds herself in the middle of a harvest that she had no intention of becoming a part of. She becomes involved in a situation that threatens the strict rule of the Greaters, and just might give the Lessers hope for a better tomorrow. But, can she help the Lessers without losing Crew? And if she chooses Crew, will she lose her best friend?

You also have another YA Dystopian story as well, The Winter Shadows, how much
research goes into books with these kind of elements?

I research basic things that I don’t know about or understand. In Winter Shadows, I did research on cave systems, basic survivalist skills, etc. Other than that, I just let my imagination run wild—which is the fun part! WS takes place in WV in an area that I’m familiar with, so setting the scene was the easy part.

Besides the YA Dystopian books you also have two New Adult Contemporary Romances, Devil Creek and Shady Bay. Was it easy for you transitioning between the
genres?

It wasn’t too difficult. It seems that when I’m working on a project, there’s another one brewing in the back of my mind (sometimes more than one). So, I just mulled over these books as I wrote Winter Shadows and Pariah (which were my first two written, but not published in that order). The characters came alive and wanted to tell their story, so I rolled with it.

Sin is a serial novel you also have. (A serial novel is a story that is released in parts. ) What made you decide to go that route when telling this story?

I enjoy reading serials. Forced Autonomy by Lila Felix is an amazing dystopian serial. It made me think about writing one myself. I gathered tips and advice at the UtopYA Conference in Nashville, TN in June and decided to go for it!

It’s intense and hectic for me and for my editor (Anna Coy) and formatter (Cassy Roop), but they’ve been amazing. They’ve worked with me and supported me every step of the chaotic road that was Sin and I’m so thankful for them, my beta girls, my PA (Giana Racine) and my Bond Girls & Guy!

Do you lean toward one genre over the other?

Dystopian is my fav. I love all young adult books, though. I’ll probably write more in that
genre in the future. It’s just an amazing genre.

Out of all the books you’ve written, do you have a favorite?

Yes. I probably shouldn’t pick from among them, but I enjoy The Harvest Saga the most. It was challenging but amazing to write. I’m working on finishing up the series and it will be bittersweet when I do.

Can you tell us anything about your upcoming books?

Sure! I’m working on Reclaim (Book 3 of The Harvest Saga) now. I hope to release it this winter. I am revealing the cover for Crazy Love (NA Dystopian) on Nov. 5, 2014 and that book will
probably release in the Spring 2015.

I’m working on The Exchange, a YA Dystopian Serial as well! Did I mention that I love
serials.

Who are the authors that have inspired you?

Amy Bartol. She is amazing. I read her books and saw a blog post of hers that inspired me to write. My mother and Amy pushed me to put words on paper, even if they never saw the
light of day.

Rachael Brownell and I hit it off immediately. I met her and we became friends on Facebook. That friendship blossomed and I finally got to meet her in person at UtopYA. I can honestly say that she is my bestie—online and in life. I’m blessed for her constant support and friendship. She’s amazing.

There are a zillion other authors who have helped and inspired me. Here are but a few of them: Lila Felix, Cassy Roop, Delisa Lynn, Annalisa Nicole, Jamie Magee, Mary Ting, Mary Smith, Carol Kunz, Tara Paradise, Alissa Glenn, Effie Grova, Ashley Ragsdale, Kay Manis, Amber Nation, Savannah Stewart, Carlyle Labushagne, Becca Vincenza, Raine Thomas, Nichole Greene, Kelly Risser, Tia Bach, Jo Michaels, Casey Peeler, Cathy Jackson, Desiree DeOrto and Emily Pil. There are so many more. I wish I could name them all.

What has been your favorite part of writing and publishing books?
Writing is cathartic for me! I enjoy it so much. But I love connecting with readers who have enjoyed my books. That means the world to me.

Can you tell readers in 10 words or less why they should read your books?

They’re different and awesome! HAHAHA!

Is there anything else, you would like to say to your fans and/or readers new to you?

I would love to connect with you all on FB, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, or my website
www.authorcaseybond.com!

Books by Casey L. Bond

A coming of age story following Claire, a young lady struggling to find her place in the world after losing her mother to cancer. After a corrupt American government declares a pandemic and forces residents into quarantine encampments, Claire and her father, along with other members of their Church and community, go into hiding in a cave system in rural West Virginia. While coping with the losses of her mother, home, friends, sense of safety and normalcy, Claire begins to pick up the pieces of her past, finding a new normal despite the darkness surrounding her.
While adjusting to a new environment, and the group of people she finds herself surrounded by, Claire is faced with several important decisions that will influence the path her life will take. Who can she trust? Who should she love? How can she survive? Forced to choose between Ethan's steadfast, mature love and the love of mysterious and dangerous Colin who appears. Claire learns the difference between infatuation and love. She becomes self-reliant and strong. Despite her newfound confidence, and the isolation in which she resides, evil is able to find her. While fighting against it, she reestablishes her faith in God and opens her heart to the possibility of love. 

What is your greatest fear? For Aislin, it is the fear of being alone. She grew up in and out of foster care along with her brother, Declan. When he is killed by an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan, she leans on her brother's best friend, Gabriel. The two become inseparable.

When she catches her fiancée in bed with another girl? She isn’t even that upset. Mad as hell? Yes. As angry as she should be? No. That's the moment she realizes that she isn't in love with her fiancée. She is in love with her best friend, Gabriel. The only problem is that Gabe doesn't think he should cross the boundary between friend and lover with his dead best friend's sister. He wants her. He just doesn't want to want her. And, therein lies the problem.

After Aislin is attacked by a man she tried to love with her head in an attempt to heal her heart from rejection, she and Gabriel have one night of bliss together. Only one though. Gabriel gets spooked and runs. He is afraid. Afraid that Aislin will hate him for taking advantage of her vulnerability. Three years and nine months later, Gabe comes home to find Aislin with a dark-haired wanna-be rockstar and a three year old little girl with familiar blue eyes. Seeing her with Jude, makes his blood boil. But does Gabriel deserve her? No. Does he want her? With every fiber of his being. He will do anything it takes to win her heart. He wants a place in her life and in the life of her daughter. What is in the cards for Gabriel and Aislin? Can love survive without trust? Welcome to Devil Creek.

 

Sometimes the hardest thing for a proud person to do is lean on others.

Since her father went to prison, Mercy Taylor’s life has been crap. With forty dollars in her pocket, and a determined look on her face, Mercy decides to do something about it. She hitch-hikes her way to Myrtle Beach to start fresh.

Never say it can’t get worse, because for Mercy, it does. For her, rock bottom consists of eating out of a trash can. But, once you’ve hit bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Jaxon Harrison left Devil Creek, West Virginia for a new start. He’d fallen in love and had given his heart to a woman who had chewed it up and spit it out. He doesn’t need that kind of heartache again. The problem is, there’s a sweet, stubborn girl who refuses to get out of his head.

The moment when you get your feet firmly set on the ground, life tends to throw something else your way. What will the future hold for Mercy and Jaxon?

The remnants of the United States of America have been divided. From five enormous, technologically-advanced cities, the Greaters rule over the Lessers.

In the Lesser village of Orchard, things are not as perfect as Abby Kelley thinks they are. When the apple harvest draws near and the Greater’s engineered fruits become too much for one village to handle alone, reinforcements from neighboring villages are called upon.
Having to choose between her best friend, whom she has no romantic feelings for, and mysterious newcomer Crew, Abby finds herself in the middle of a harvest that she had no intention of becoming a part of. She becomes involved in a situation that threatens the strict rule of the Greaters, and just might give the Lessers hope for a better tomorrow. But, can she help the Lessers without losing Crew? And if she chooses Crew, will she lose her best friend?

Abby Kelley returns home from the Greater city of Olympus to find that things in Orchard Village are bad, very bad. The Olympian Guard has taken over village affairs. The Lessers are being worked to the bone in the coldest winter Orchard has seen. Villagers are being dragged away for the slightest indication of what they call “resistance.” She needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut. But, it’s so hard to do when everything within you screams rebellion.

Kyan is coming on strong, trying to convince her to take a chance on him. Shocking news of Crew’s activities in Olympus sweeps through the Villages. When Abby is taken away by the Olympian guard, Kyan sends word to Vesuvius for help. But, no one could have predicted their idea of help or what they might expect in return.

Who will be left to pick up the pieces of Abby’s heart? 

Coming Soon

My name is Morgan Sinclare. My father is a United States Senator. He’s kept me locked away for most of my life in private all-girl schools, in our home. But I just heard what he has planned for me. He’s sold my hand to the highest bidder. I’m supposed to marry one of his friends, someone twice my age. I’m biding my time, acting like the giddy bride-to-be, like the dutiful daughter.

We are to elope as soon as possible to seal the deal. I acted devastated that I wouldn’t get my dream wedding, so they’re letting me choose the honeymoon location. I’ve always heard that Las Vegas is a magical place. And I think it’s time I disappear....

SIN is part of a serial series. A new part will release each month varying in length from 15-25,000 words. It is comparable to episodes in a television show, with the next part taking off where the previous part ended. 

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