Author Interview & Ebook Giveaway: The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

Welcome to Author G.P. Ching

Bio:

I was born the youngest child of five to a florist and a sheet metal worker. Writing has always been important to me. My first story, The Dog Who Ate Pancakes was about a gastronomically snooty labrador. I was six when I wrote it. I think my mom still has that one somewhere.
I have degrees in Accounting and Nursing and have short stories published in a bunch of places. I’ve worked in an odd concoction of jobs, too. I’ve been a flower salesperson, a christmas tree decorator, a figure skating instructor, a bartender, an IT portfolio manager, a business process architect, and most recently a mom. But none of them define who I am better than to simply say I’m a writer.
I hang out with a bunch of writerly types who have bad allergies and spend too much time in libraries and book stores. I read daily. I like a wide range of music from classics like Aerosmith, to newer classics like Muse, and the ring tone on my iPhone is 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”. I run, bike, ski, and figure skate. I’m bad at ball sports but still play because I like to make people laugh.
Cooking is a hobby of mine, especially asian dishes which my husband appreciates because it reminds him of his days growing up on Oahu. He moved to Illinois to marry me. We have two awesome kids.
Some people are dog people, some cat people, but I’m a guinea pig person. I think they are the perfect pet and spoil ours regularly. (We don’t have a cage, we have a habitat!)

I live in Illinois with my husband, two kids, and Mr.Pig.

Interview:

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?
The Dalai Lama, Oprah Winfrey. Steve Martin, Tina Fey, and Jon Stewart

If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?
A gigantic slingshot, bubble wrap, and a trained chimp with an oversized arm.

If you were a superhero what would your name be?
I am a superhero and they call me "Mom".

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Deans Fannie Mae Mint Meltaway. Yum.

Skittles or M&Ms?
M&Ms. Forget diamonds, they are a girl's best friend.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
The Soulkeepers will both entertain you and change the way you think about love, faith, trust, forgiveness and diversity.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?
The second book in The Soulkeepers series is titled Weaving Destiny and is slated for a Fall, 2011 release. The third book, Return to Eden, is planned for Winter 2011.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
I've received several personal emails from readers who have said The Soulkeepers profoundly affected them. Hearing from my readers and learning that they've connected with the book is the most rewarding experience imaginable.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world.. which would it be?
Harry Potter. I spent Christmas break at Universal Studio's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I might still be living there if my family hadn't begged me to leave.

Who are your favorite authors of all time?
Diane Setterfield, Arthur Golden, Sara Gruen, J.K. Rowling, Jane Austin

Can you see yourself in any of your characters?
There is a little piece of me in every one of them. The Soulkeepers, at it's heart, is about coming to terms with imperfection in self, family, community, and so on. I used experiences from my own life to breath life into the characters.

What's the best advice anyone has ever given you?
The best writing comes from a place inside that you think no one would ever want to see. But it is exactly that gritty individuality that people connect with on an authentic level.

The Soul Keepers:

There are no accidents.
When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor, Dr. Abigail Silva, offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a biologically gifted warrior charged with protecting human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions Dr. Silva's motives for helping him.
The Soulkeepers is a YA Paranormal novel with Inspirational elements. 

Giveaway Details
3 winners will each receive an ebook of The Soulkeepers
Open Internationally
Ends 8/11/11

To enter just leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you if you win