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You're here for the books! Why do you want to know about me? Silly you. :- ) Since you're here, I'll fill you in on a few things. My name is Crystal Ward and no that's not a pen name, it's my actually name. I swear. Ask my mom. I'm not married, no offspring, well. . ..unless you want to count my cat, Princess. She's my little honey, but don't let the name fool you; a princess she is not. I have a strong love for Arizona Green Tea, the color orange, and my home in Southeastern Ohio. We have a ginormous family so I'm only going to mention three of my loves, my nephew and nieces, Cecil, Zalynne, and Bella. They're cute as buttons, perhaps cuter and I love them as if they were my own. I've been working for Applebee's since 2002. Like any job, it has its ups and downs. End of story. ;- ) Before you ask, I never went to college and no, I haven't received any kind of writing training. Therefore, if I ever do make it big and I think I will (I've never been more sure of anything in my life) I won't call myself a writer; I'll stick with storyteller. So yes, you will find grammar mistakes (and LOADS of them) in this bio and hey. . .. I'm okay with it. :- ) On to the fun stuff!

 

I don't remember the exact day I started writing Supernova. However, I do know (by checking my email) that on December 27^th 2009 I sent the first chapter to my good friend, Shelly. She was the only one who knew I started writing this and agreed to read it chapter by chapter as I wrote them. I never told her what it would be about, but she had faith that whatever plot I was going for would be a good one. After a few chapters, my dear friend, Megan, joined in, reading each one at a time. On March 26^th, 2010, I sent them the final chapter of Supernova during my first visit to the small town of Jamaica, Vermont where the book takes place.

 

It was towards the middle of the book that I knew Supernova needed a sequel. I told Megan and Shelly I wouldn't start writing the next one until I found an agent. Yeah, that didn't happen. Not for lack of trying. . .. I simply could not wait to get back to Evania and Desmond. I began the sequel on March 30, 2010. Again, it was in the middle of the book that I realized. . .. I'm still not finished. The third book began on July 2, 2010. Unlike before, I knew how I was going to end these amazing books. . ..they needed just one more. I started writing the fourth book on September 30^th, 2010. Completion happened on December 11^th at 4AM while my nephew slept on one side of me and my niece on the other. :- ) What am I going to do now that it's finished? Go to Disney World? Yeah. . .. no. I'm going to bed! Desmond has made me sleep deprived. On the other hand, I have been thinking about writing a prequel from Desmond's POV. Like before he even meets Evania. That boy has a story to tell. Just throwin' that out there. ;- )

 

Ideas and thoughts for these books sprang from all sorts of places. The songs that inspired the saga are listed under each book's page, but that's not the only place I drew my inspiration. Quotes, conversations, a simple word or sentence from someone, a glance, or sometimes nothing at all gave me all the ideas I needed. I could be standing on line at work, cooking steaks and chicken on a 550-degree broiler and suddenly get an idea for a plot point or twist in the story. I would quickly write it down on whatever was handy and go about my day. This lasted until my purse was filled with pieces of cardboard, beverage napkins, and paper towels with scribbled words on them.

 

All that silliness aside, the original idea for Supernova sprang from the last place you would ever guess. . . My sister's kitchen window. See, I told ya. In 2009, I lived with my sister, Racheal, for a few months. There is this big window in her kitchen / dining room that spawned the saga. When I lived there, no curtains hung and I had accidentally yanked on the blinds too hard, making them fall to the ground. We never got around to replacing them so the window stood bright and open for all to see. Now I didn't stare out of it for hours a day, every day like Evania does, but one day I just happened to be sitting at the table and glanced outside. On this particular day, the view was gorgeous. It was the beginning of summer, the trees were filled with lush green leaves, and a few flowers sprinkled the surrounding area adding just a touch of color. Corny as it may sound, I was mesmerized.

 

Now mind you, this was during my Twilight / I love Edward Cullen phase. Well, I wouldn't call it a phase. I still love Twilight and I'm definitely Team Edward, but I'm not as obsessed with it as I was back then. So of course, my goofy mind started wandering over to the possibility of a handsome, sparkly vampire waiting for me in the woods. Yeah, I said it. Already being in a writing mood, I began a new story, never thinking it would turn into this.

 

So that's it. That's how Supernova, Evania, Desmond, and all this was born. Yes, I'll go into more detail about the reasons why I chose certain names, titles, and blah blah blah on the other pages, but for now. . . this bio is long enough. :- )