BLOG TOUR: Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki (Interview!)

Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best.

Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home.

Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.

Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win. The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

THE INTERVIEW

1. If you could live in any Dystopian world, which world would you choose and why?
Oh, this is a tough one! I think it’d be hard to live in any dystopian. Maybe Ann Aguirre’s Razorland Series. At least her characters have the chance to fight back. Her main female is pretty kickass too. Abi- None. I would never want to have to endure any of those places.

2. Did you listen to music while writing or do you find the silence helps more? 
Missy- While music can sometimes inspire me, I like it completely quiet while I write.
Abi- I run on my elliptical so I can close my eyes and let my blasting music take my mind where it wants. So when I write I will listen to the song that inspired that scene for me. Now when it’s a chapter Missy wrote, and it’s my turn to add to it. I usually just have noise in the background. Or I’ll read it and find a song that will help inspire me. It’s funny, I have ADD but I can’t write in dead silence.

3. If you could choose three songs to describe the book, which songs would they be? 
Missy- The three songs that come to mind for me are 1) Linkin Park’s Castle of Glass, Third Eye Blind’s Wounded, and Needtobreathe’s Something Beautiful.
Abi- Kelly Clarkson. Dark Side & Honestly. And the ones Missy already talked about.

4. What were some books or stories that inspired you to write? 
Missy- I’ve always been a bookworm, but writing was mostly a private outlet for me. I didn’t want to write a story until Abi & I started meeting to talk about books we were currently reading.
Abi- We always found something with a book that we read that bothered us. We always agreed on the parts that we would change. So totally joking I said to Missy. “You know the only way we will ever be 100% happy with a book, is if we wrote it.” After that talk I went home and started listening to music and wondering what I would want to write about. And when Branded to came to me, of course Missy loved the idea. We click like that! It’s pretty amazing.

5. What authors do you look up to, currently and in the past? 
Missy- for me, it’s Bodie Thoene and Ann Rinaldi. Their books inspired me when I was a young girl and kept me reading! Currently, I respect all writers… because now I really know how much work it is to be one!!!
Abi- Nicholas Sparks, his story telling blows my mind. And the same as Missy, now that we have gone through the process of writing a novel, you have to respect everyone who tries.

FIND ABI & MISSY: (twitter) (website)