I recently introduced a new book by my friend and colleague, YA author Andrea Buginsky. It’s called Destiny. I’m thrilled to have Andrea back to tell us what it was that inspired her to write the book. Welcome back, Andrea!

Thanks, Bonnie! The idea for Destiny came from my love of updates to the King Arthur story. I love the newer movies, such as First Night and Avalon High. But my favorite is Mists of Avalon. This is the only version I’ve seen that focuses primarily on the women of Avalon. I loved the story lines of these women. And so, I was inspired to create my own.

I decided I wanted to create my Avalon in the present time, not the past. So, I came up with a plan to do so, using a modern young girl who struggled to fit in to portray my story. Elena is very near and dear to my heart. She reminds me a lot of me… Writing her character gave me a lot of insight into myself. When she learned of her destiny in the story, I could almost feel exactly what she was feeling. It was very easy to write about her, and develop her character.

Of course, there were times when Elena took me by complete surprise and showed me parts of herself that I wasn’t aware of. But that’s my favorite part of writing: when the characters take over. I ended up totally reworking the plot of the story, and that gave me the ability to create something bigger than I imagined at first: a new series. And several additional characters to go along with the series. I loved getting to know these girls and am looking forward to learning even more about them in future books of the series.

Part of my inspiration for creating these additional characters is the friendship I got to develop between them. I love storylines with a group of friends who are inseparable. I’ve had wonderful friends in my life, some of which are still in my life, and I want to continue to portray that kind of bond in my books. Since I write for teenagers, I feel they too will understand the need for this connection. It’s something I hope each of them has in their own lives.

Destiny is very near and dear to my heart. The inspiration behind it comes from so many places, both inside me and in the wonderful creative world we live in. I truly hope my readers will embrace it as one of their favorites. I know it’s one of mine.

It sounds like a wonderful fantasy! Thanks so much for sharing it with us, Andrea! And readers, don’t forget to enter Andrea’s rafflecopter giveaway and check out the other stops on her blog tour, below!

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Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer and author living in Overland Park. “The Chosen,” a middle-grade fantasy novelette, was her first book, and was followed by “My Open Heart,” an autobiography about growing up with heart disease. “Nature’s Unbalance” is the second story in THE CHOSEN series. Andrea is currently working on her new YA fantasy series, “New Avalon.” To learn more about Andrea, visit her on her website.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/Andrea.Buginsky.Author

Twitter: @andreabuginsky

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TO GET YOUR COPY OF DESTINY, CLICK HERE