Book Feature and Guest Post by Amanda Thomas, co-author of "Warrior Girl"

Today I'm featuring the new adult book Warrior Girl on Now is Gone.

“Warrior Girl is a love letter to World of Warcraft.”

First, some information about the book, taken from the Warrior Girl website:

A beautiful young Korean girl, Sun Hi Kim, is beginning her first year at Oxford University. Thousands of miles away from home for the first time, she struggles to adjust to a different culture. Sun Hi befriends two English boys. Miles is a handsome final year student who is also captain of the Oxford rowing team. Adam, a first year student who is also a hunk, hero-worships Miles, his rowing idol.

Sun Hi knows that she’s naive and has never had a boyfriend, let alone an English boyfriend. Her first forays into desire very nearly end in disaster. Between rowing, her studies, boys, and an arrogant roommate, Sun Hi often feels overwhelmed. Playing World of Warcraft is the one thing she can do to escape her problems, at least for a little while.

Now, here is a guest post from the co-author of this book, Amanda Thomas.

Writing for a Warrior

By Amanda Thomas

I think writing any new book is a daunting experience. Warrior Girl was perhaps a little easier as I had the inspiration and support of my co-writer Matt Lazar.  Getting over that first expanse of blank page was still a hurdle but (luckily for me) once I am off and running, or writing, my imagination seems to take over.  I never plan out what I am going to write in advance.  I have an idea of what sort of characters my subjects are and I let them expand and come to life on their own.  I never force anyone that I have invented into anything that seems unnatural to them.  

A recent reviewer said the heroine of Warrior Girl, the timid and very gentle Sun Hi, was a bit too good to be true. In a lot of ways she might well be, although people like her do exist and through the whole story she was always true to her personality and the way that she had been raised. Her strength only really showed itself when she was playing World of Warcraft. I was pleased that Matt, who was in charge of the ‘gaming’ side of the story, did not make the game scenes too far out of the experience of non-gamers. Because of this, many non-gamers have read it and enjoyed the book.

I know that of all the work I have done, Warrior Girl has been a favourite. I do a lot of ghost writing work but it is nice to have something published in my own name for a change! I have enjoyed writing Warrior Girl and I hope that you enjoy reading it too.

You can learn more about Amanda Thomas at www.amanda-thomas.com.