EVANBRIDGE: AWAKENING tells the story of 15 year old Alana Morton, who is forced to move to the seemingly quiet village of Evanbridge. However, Alana soon discovers that things aren’t quite as dull as she had expected when she awakens the terrifying vampire, Lord Nathaniel, from the depths of the Earth. How far will Alana go to face her fears and discover the truth about herself and her new home in order to save loved ones from the evil grasps of the undead?

This isn’t a horror novel, is it?
EVANBRIDGE: AWAKENING is a teen fantasy novel.

If you like: Harry Potter, Twilight, The Labyrinth, The Lost Boys, vampires, magic and mystery, you’ll love my book.

Although EVANBRIDGE: AWAKENING is aimed at readers aged 12 – 16, it can be enjoyed by anyone who likes vampires, magic and mystery.

Tell us about Alana.
Alana Morton, a somewhat troubled 15-year-old from London, is the main character. She is a rebellious goth with a history of hallucinations and night-terrors. Struggling to adapt to life in Evanbridge, Alana falls in with the wrong crowd and consequently puts the whole village in danger.

Have you written any other novels?
Not yet but I do have plans for others, and am working on ideas for the second Evanbridge book.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am an illustrator and animator with a vivid imagination. I have always been fascinated with animation as a way to bring both my stories and drawings to life. Beginning my career as a Flash artist and animator for Educationcity.com (a leading online e-learning company), I was very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to create my own games and write stories, scripts and songs. I love writing – I usually have a pen or pencil in my hand and carry notepads with me.

I always wanted to write a novel and, as I was working full-time as an animator and wanted to focus on writing in my spare time, what started off as a concept for an animated series, soon became my very first book!

How long did it take?
It took me about 3 years to develop and write EVANBRIDGE: AWAKENING, writing for a few hours after work and at the weekends. I then distanced myself from the book, returning to edit it about six months later.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
My website www.amygibbard.co.uk contains information about me and the work that I have done as an artist, animator and creative writer.

Do you use social media?
You can follow me on Twitter: @AmyGibbard.

What’s next?
As Evanbridge is such a beautiful and magical world, I would really love to illustrate it and share my vision with my readers visually. Therefore, I plan to produce a graphic novel version and this will be my next major project.