Guest Post: Artist Arthur (Manifest)

Today, I'll be featuring Artist Arthur, author of Manifest, which is the first book in the Mystyx series. Thank you to Artist and her publicist Lisa for giving me this opportunity. I'll be reviewing Manifest soon, so make sure you look out for that!

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In Arthur's words, "I am the first born and only girl in my family, and six and nine years separate me and my two brothers. Needless to say, I was alone quite a bit. But being alone gave me plenty of time to indulge my imagination in the world of books. One of the first novels I read was a young adult series that traced the lives of two teenagers in high school, Sweet Valley High. Reading those novels I thought I could do better, and so my quest to write entertaining stories began. Being an introvert, it took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to let others read my work. How long? Well, the first person to read a story I wrote was my husband. Since then, I’ve been writing professionally for almost nine years now. But it was my daughter who encouraged me to write a book for teens—just one of the reasons I love her so dearly. I live in Maryland with my husband and three children. If you take away the opinionated teenagers, family drama, overflowing bookshelves and DVDs, my life is pretty boring. But don’t take those things away, since they’re my inspiration."

For more info on Artist, visit her site(s):
-Website
-Twitter

Books by Artist:
-Manifest (Mystyx, #1)
-Mystify (Mystyx, #2) - Coming out in February 2011
-Mayhem (Mystyx, #3) - Coming out in August 2011
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Manifest (Mystyx, #1) by Artist Arthur
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Kimani
Pages: 256

Summary: When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom’s hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City. But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He’s cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she’d ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal’s ghost-whispering talents soon lead other “freaks” to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren’t the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky’s death, will she lose him for good?

Now Available in Bookstores!

Sequel Cover Reveal:
Coming out in February 2011!

Book Trailer:

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Guest Post:

1) Thank you Artist for taking the time out to do this guest post! This question is a little off topic but you have such a unique first name I couldn't help myself. Why did your parents decide to name you Artist? Is there a reason behind it?

AA: Thank you Eleni for having me. Yes, there’s a reason behind the name, my grandmother was a huge fan of Artie Shaw, the bandleader. My mother refused to name me Artie so Artist was the compromise. It has taken me a long time to grow into it, but now I’m thinking I’ll keep it. :)

2) Now back to your novel, what inspired you to write Manifest?

AA: My daughter, Asia, was a huge inspiration. She named the characters and I came up with their powers. We collaborated on some scenes—she wanted to take some out. It’s been quite a journey. But we both watch the weather channel a lot and thought it would be cool if something was left over after the different types of storms.

3) Since ghosts are part of your book, do you believe in them?

AA: If you do, who do you believe visits you the most? I don’t believe in ghosts, however, I do acknowledge that the spirit of someone who may have been close to you and has passed away, can still live within you.

4) Which character in Manifest did you enjoyed creating the most?

AA: I just love Jake. He’s so complex and yet (when his story comes out) he’ll seem so really simple. I love writing his moods and seeing how he copes with all that’s going on in his life. He’s my favorite…so far. :)

5) I see you wrote a lot of Romance novels, was it difficult to make the transition from Romance to Young Adult?

AA: Actually, it wasn’t. I thought it would be, but after reading tons of YA novels and making it a point to actually sit and talk to a lot of different teenagers, when I began to write it seemed to flow really well.

6) Besides Manifest, do you have any other projects you're currently working on?

AA: Just finished with the second book in the Mystyx series titled Mystify (Feb 2011). Later this summer I’ll start writing Mayhem, book#3 in the series. And, I have a new YA series that my agent is currently shopping. All I can say right now is that it’s definitely a story that’s not of this world. (hopefully I’ll have some good news about that soon!)