I feel I’ve always known that I wanted to be an author. I’ve been making up stories since I was a young child, and trying to entertain people with what I create, whether that’s in theatre, in writing, in art, or music. But being an author has always been what felt the most natural.

I got the inspiration for The Strings of the Violin from my cultural background and where my grandmother grew up. She grew up in Poland and when I was growing up, she lived with me and acted as a second mother to me and my siblings. I was raised on stories of dybbuks and talking trees and animals. I was raised on her superstitions, and on the stories of her childhood. This was what I wanted to write about.

It took me the better part of a year to write, research, and edit the book. It was tough, because I did the bulk of the edits after my triplets were born, and raising triplets, and editing a novel is difficult to do at the same time!

I print it out and go over it with a pen, almost as if I’m a teacher marking someone’s paper. I scribble notes in the margins, cross things out, change words, basically go over it with a fine-toothed comb. Then I go back into the computer file and input all the changes. After I’ve done this, I will send the book to someone I trust and have them read it and make suggestions and comments.

I wanted it to be accurate and authentic to the source folktales, but also entertaining and engaging to a modern audience.

I want to finish the third and (possible) final book in this series. I also want to finish a book that is set in the world my upcoming book Sitnalta is in. If I can get first drafts of those done, I will be a very happy writer.

I am working on a sequel to my zombie novel Bath Salts with my friend An Tran. I am also hard at work on the edits to the sequel to The Strings of the Violin, tentatively titled The Dybbuk’s Mirror. I’d tell you more about it, but… spoilers…

The Strings of the Violin

Title: The Strings of the Violin

Author: Alisse Lee Goldenberg

Genre: YA Fantasy

Seventeen-year-old Carrie is lying in her backyard ignoring all the looming responsibilities in her life, when a fox makes a mad dash across the grass in front of her. After she manages to keep her dog from attacking the frightened animal, the fox turns to Carrie and seems to bow in gratitude before he disappears into the bushes. All Carrie knows in that moment is that something has unexpectedly changed in her life.

Carrie has been best friends with Lindsay Smith and Rebecca Campbell for years. During a summer when they should focus on choosing colleges, the girls suddenly find themselves swept away on the adventure of their lives. The fox reappears three days later and reveals to Carrie that he is Adom, emissary to the king of Hadariah. With his land of music and magic in peril, Adom has been sent to seek help from Carrie and her friends. In the blink of an eye, the three teenage girls go from living an average suburban life to being the champions of a world where they must contend with giants, witches, and magical beings. Will they ever make it home once more?

Author Bio

Alisse Lee Goldenberg is an author of Horror and Young Adult fantasy fiction. She has her Bachelors of Education and a Fine Arts degree, and has studied fantasy and folk lore since she was a child. Alisse lives in Toronto with her husband Brian, their triplets Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey, and their rambunctious Goldendoodle Sebastian.

Links

Purchase Links

http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=67

http://www.amazon.com/The-Strings-Violin-ebook/dp/B00DOIT9PM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372441531&sr=8-1&keywords=alisse+lee+Goldenberg

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1610404947/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1373124932&sr=8-4&pi=AA75

Other Links

www.alisseleegoldenberg.com

http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Alisse-Lee-Goldenberg/254397934598975

@AliLGoldenberg