Today I'd like to welcome author Marisa Quinn to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us today Marisa.

To start, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Marisa. I am 28 years old and live in Perth, Western Australia. I am recently married and the second eldest out of five children. My husband tells me I am a big nerd and it's SO true! I'm a big fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, video games, and all things fantasy! I collect Sailor Moon figurines (I have about 60 maybe more), DVDS (I have around 300), Japanese mangas, and my latest obsession is collecting 90's cartoons on DVD!

Could you tell readers a little bit about your current release, Echoes in the Wind?

Echoes in the Wind is a reinvention of the ancient Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus. It shares a lot of the same plot elements from the original myth but it has also has some new things added in to give it a twist!

What was the most challenging part of writing Echoes in the Wind? The most rewarding?

The most challenging part was the fight scenes. There were a lot of them and I tried really hard to think of interesting, things to have the characters do with their powers. The most rewarding part for me, strangely enough, was the ending. It was very easy to write, which surprised me, because I thought I would struggle with it because of all of the emotion involved. But it came to be really quick. I also enjoyed writing the flash forward scenes to Pan's unborn soul mate.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing novels since I was 12. My first one was called The Perfect Prince and was about fairies. It was written in coloured pen on blank paper. I think my Mum might still have it stashed in a drawer somewhere.

What is your favorite type of genre to read?

I really enjoy all sorts of fantasy novels from Harry Potter, to the Hunger Games, to the Sookie Stackhouse books. I read other genres like science fiction, crime, and sometimes non-fiction but my true love will always be with the magical world of fantasy.

Have you ever went back and read your own books for pleasure?

I'm one of those writers that finds it difficult to read their own work for pleasure. I struggle to turn off the inner critic and seem to always spot things that could have been better. But sometimes, yes, I do enjoy reading my own books for pleasure. One of my favourite scenes in Echoes in the Wind is when Nemesis passes judgment on Narcissus.

How important is research in your writing?

Research is important for me when doing basic plotting and character research because I base my stories and characters off those mentioned in myths. Before I begin writing I do a skeleton plot outline and detailed character biographies of all of the characters using information gained through research. I then go back to the outline and flesh it out to around 20 to 30 pages long. Doing this gives me more of an idea of who the characters will be and what will happen to them throughout the book. I always aim to make my stories similar to the original myth at their core but make sure to add my own personal touches to breathe new life back into them.

How long does it take you to actually write a story, and are you easily distracted?

It takes me between a year to two years to write a story. Echoes in the Wind took about two years. I've taken longer to finish others. I'm a very slow writer and prone to lots of writers block. On a good day I can do between 500 to 1000 words in one sitting. I'm not one of those writers that can pump out ten to twenty pages in one sitting. I wish I could but I'm just not that fast. Writing is a long, slow process for me. I'm trying to get my speeds up though. I wrote a novel in just over 12 months after I finished Echoes in the Wind. I was real proud of that. I'm half way through rewrites at the moment and am hoping to have it finished by the end of the year. I do get very easily distracted. I find it hard to focus and sometimes won't write for weeks. Other times I'll sit down to try and write and I'll just end up staring out the window or going on the internet. This is because of a condition I have called Dyspraxia. It is a neurological disorder. One of the ways it effects me is it makes it hard for me to focus on tasks. Writing is exhausting to me.

What was the hardest part of the book for you to write and why?

I always struggle with beginnings. They are so hard to write. There's a quote about writing I read online that I like that says 'Writing is easy. Just open a vein' and it is so true. There is nothing more terrifying to me than that first blank page of what will be a book. You stare at it. It stares back. You have no idea what lies in that white void. All you can do is jump in and hope you can find your feet. I read once the best way to find the true beginning of your book is to delete the first four chapters and there it will be. And it's true. That's what happened with Echoes in the Wind. A couple of publishers had rejected it so I went back and looked at it again. I deleted the first chapter and made the one that started with Nemesis in the bath as the opening. It worked much, much better. Real beginnings are sneaky. They hide from you!

Where would you say that you get your most creative ideas?

I get my ideas from researching mythology. My favorite myths are Irish, Greek, Japanese, Romance and Egyptian. I go to the website Encyclopedia Mythica a lot and sometimes just browse the articles looking for interesting characters and stories that I can reinvent.

If you could ask readers any one question, what would it be?

If you could have any godly power, what would it be? I would want to be able to spread wings and fly!

Could you tell us what you're currently working on?

I am working on a novel called Deep Embrace. It is a romance story between a mermaid sea goddess called Perse who discovers she is the soul mate of Helios, the god of the rising sun. Helios gets kidnapped by Nyx and Erebus, the god and goddess of darkness, and imprisoned beneath the ocean plunging the world into never ending darkness. He must be returned to the sky quickly because without him there will be no sunlight ever again and there will be no one to stop Nyx and Erebus, who both turn to stone in sunlight, from waging war against those who live in the light. All his hopes rest on Perse. Helios and Perse never meet until the end of the book. They communicate with each other in dreams and through telepathic communication. When they do meet in the flesh they have already fallen in love. Deep Embrace can be described as a love story between the ocean (Perse) and the setting sun (Helios).

If you could go back in time, where would you go and when? What is one thing you would want to take with you?

I would go back to the time of Ancient Greece so I could visit all of the temples when they were in their glory! I would take my husband with me, of course! If I'm going to be stuck in the past I would definitely want him with me to share the adventure.

What is the wackiest job you can think of that you would like to do?

I've always thought the people who do sound effects in films have an interesting job! I saw a documentary once about how they made some of the sounds in the Star Wars films and it was two women smashing pots together and playing around in a room full of bits and pieces. I think that would be a real fascinating job.

Is there anything else you would like to add today or any links where readers can find you?

Thank you very much for having me here today. Readers can find me at my blog and on facebook!

Thank you so much, Marisa, for spending time with us today!

Interviewed by: Tammy