Author Interview: Jessica Spotswood

Today I am interviewing Jessica Spotswood, author of Born Wicked.

Here's my review of Born Wicked.

Find Jessica Spotswood on:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

What was your inspiration behind writing about witches? What about your inspiration for the time period?

Well, I wanted to write about strong, independent, clever girls in a society that doesn’t respect or value them. Making them witches in a world where only women can use magic gave the men a reason to fear them. As for the alternate 1890s world I built, I love the idea of writing letters by candlelight and having teas and wearing incredible dresses. It seems so lush and sexy, though I’m sure it was less so in reality. Things were changing rapidly in terms of industry and technology and growing freedoms, but that era was still awfully repressive for women. I shifted things to make it even more so in Cate’s society. I suppose I wanted to play with that contradiction – the sensuousness of the high society dress and rituals with the rigid social expectations for women.

Would you ever consider writing in another genre, or do you think you'll stick to historical and/or paranormal romance?

I’ve tried to write a few straight contemporary YAs and I never got more than fifty pages, so I suspect I will stick with paranormal or fantasy elements. Who knows, though? I’m not ruling anything out. Some of my favorite books are contemporary (like LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, IF I STAY, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS).

If you can incite one emotion in readers as they read Born Wicked, what would that emotion be?

Swooning? I love writing the kissing scenes!

What is your strategy on dealing with negative reviews? Do you ignore them, or try to use them as constructive criticism?

A little of both? I've read enough reviews now that I have a sense of what people love about the book, what works, and what perhaps could have used some improvement. The really harsh reviews still sting a little, but I know now that they are outliers, so I can sort of shrug them off.

Can you tell me a little bit about the challenges on getting Born Wicked published? Have you ever tried getting another novel published, or is Born Wicked your first?

This book had a very quick path to publication – it took me about a year to write and revise it, and then it sold in a week. But it wasn’t my first manuscript – that was called INHERITING GAROLASS. After two years of writing and revising, it got me an agent, but it was shelved after nine months on submission, which was a little soul-crushing at the time!

How did you come to realize that you wanted to write? Is writing your only job?

I’ve been writing since I was a wee Jess. I wrote three books in high school, but then I fell in love with theatre and went to grad school for that. By the end of grad school, I was working as a dramaturg, helping playwrights develop their new scripts, and I was miserable. I really missed writing. That’s when I started working on INHERITING GAROLASS – about five years ago. I’m really lucky in that I do write full-time since last summer.

How do you go about writing a new book/sequel? Do you just start writing? Take a million notes?

My editor makes me outline! With the sequel, we spent several weeks brainstorming, emailing and talking on the phone almost every day until we had a solid outline. With a new book, though, the first thing that tends to come to me is a character and a few lines in her voice. With Cate, it was the first two lines of BORN WICKED: Our mother was a witch too, but she hid it better. I miss her.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I love tea! My favorite is Earl Grey in the afternoon/evening and green ginger late at night. Thank you for having me! This was fun!

I want to thank Jessica for taking the time to answer my questions!

Buy Born Wicked on Amazon!

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

Author Interview: Julianna Baggott

Today I am interviewing Julianna Baggott, national bestseller and author of the Pure series.

Here's my review of Pure.

Find Julianna Baggott on:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads


What made you write/want to write a dystopian/sci fi novel? Besides finishing the Pure series, do you think you'd ever write another dystopian/sci fi, or do you think you'll venture out?
As I've written over a dozen books (across genres), I might write just about anything. I've fallen in love with dystopian. (And I don't think PURE can be defined as truly sci-fi.) I'm a buckshot writer. I don't think much of definitions and boundaries. I do think of audience but usually try to narrow that audience (while writing) to one person. (PURE is dedicated "To Phoebe -- who made a bird of wire" -- my daughter who is now 16, the age of the main character.) I've ventured far and wide and will probably keep venturing out and returning to landscapes I love.

Pressia is such a unique name - how did you come up with it?

Names are very strange. They come to define characters, sharpen them, make them real. I collect names just as I collect images and places and gestures and phrases ... Writers are collectors of odd things.

Is there a certain thing you found yourself doing a lot while writing? (listening to music, taking frequent breaks, drinking or eating certain things?)

I do take breaks. I'm a grazer so eat, return, eat, return. I also have 4 kids, 2 dogs and a cat so interruption is part of my creative process. Sometimes I'll crank a song. Things are desperate then, and sometimes I have to go out and drive. Just see scenery shifting by.

How do you handle negative reviews - do you read them or ignore them?

Some are really important to hear, especially with the first book in a trilogy. They sometimes shape the way I talk about a book, too. Others simply don't resonate with me so I can't really learn much from them. And then, occasionally, there will be a line of a review that's really damaging. Writing is such deeply personal and psychological work and writers tend to be the raw types -- born that way. There was a review in 2003 and one line was so devastating -- to me as a woman writer -- that it really changed what I was willing to hand over. It's a strange and delicate process, going public with your work. I know that I'm paid to do it, but that makes it no less personal.  

How much research did you have to do for Pure?

A lot of research went into PURE. In particular, I read a good bit about the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the images of the aftermath as well, which made a huge impression on me not only as a writer but as a human being. And with much of the speculative parts of the novel, I researched a lot innovation in science. Incredible things are already being invented out there. That was truly humbling.

Fun question: If you could write your next book/next addition to the Pure series anywhere in the world, where would you write it?

I can't write in places where I'm distracted by a foreign language -- even accents new to me. I love language so much that it completely derails me... So I'd better -- at least for the writing itself -- not wander too far. 


I want to thank Julianna for taking the time to answer my questions! 

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters...

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash...

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

Buy Pure at Amazon!

Author Interview: Jenna Lynne Duncan and Giveaway

 

 

 

 

  Jenna Lynne Duncan

  Website | Book Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

  I got to interview Jenna and she kindly offered up a swag pack for her first novel, Hurricane. All proceeds of her book go towards the charity, Habitat for Humanity.

 

General Questions:

1. What made you want to be an author? Was there a specific moment where you knew that's what you wanted to do? If you weren't an author, what would you be instead?

I love to read and write. About a year ago, my sister and I were talking about our goals and following our dreams. Mine was to write a book so I went for it and started writing down a story that had been in my head for while. I have always loved to write, short stories and poetry. Hurricane is my first novel.

2. If you had one million dollars to do with what you pleased, what would you do with it?

After paying off school and taking care of my family, there are a few charities I would like to give to. Since a portion of the proceeds from Hurricane are going to Habitat for Humanity, I would like to help organizations that give books to schools in New Orleans and help with the Gulf Coast. I also would want to open my own scholarship program to help disadvantage youth go to college. Sorry, nothing crazy. Maybe if I had a billion dollars I would buy my own island. I love tropical weather and the beach.

3. If you could collaborate on a book with any author, dead or alive, who would you pick and why?

A few authors I had in mind are dead so there would be some challenges in writing from different time periods.

Questions about your book:

4. What made you decide to write a book about hurricanes? Was it from a personal experience or just an interest of yours?

The title is a double entendre. Hurricane both describes Hurricane Katrina, the storm that hit New Orleans in 2005 but also the main character, Adriana Alexander’s, life. I am from New Orleans and so the setting came naturally for me.

5. Are any of these characters based on you or anyone you know? If not, where do you draw your inspiration from for their personalities?

No, they are completely fictional. I’ve tried to base a character off someone I knew in real life but that didn’t work out too well. I felt constricted to do certain things that person would say or do.

6. Was it hard coming up with the characters' names, or did they just come naturally? Were they names you liked before you started writing Hurricane?

I always loved the name Adriana and wanted to use it in a story. The heroes’ names were harder to come up with but I am pleased with them. I always like the names Hayden and Luke. My sister helped me come up with Luke’s name. We knew a Luke and it fit perfectly with his personality.

7. What sort of reaction do you wish for most from the reader for Hurricane? What emotions do you wish to spark in them?

I wish for Hurricane to be a fun, enjoyable read. I hope people will like the love story and fall in love with the characters. If nothing else, readers can gain a new perspective on Hurricane Katrina and the supernatural. It is all set in the culturally rich, mysterious atmosphere of New Orleans, LA. and by transporting readers there, I hope they will love the city as much as I do.

8. Do you have any plans on more novels? Do you think you'd ever stray from realistic fiction?

Yes, I have many more novels planned in my future! I am currently working on Book two, the sequel to Hurricane. I’m also working on another YA novel and have plans for more books in the Hurricane series.

Now for some this or that. I love these sorts of questions:

9. Coffee or Tea? Coffee.

10. Black or White? Black!

11. Hardcover or paperback? Paperback.

12. M&Ms or Skittles? M&Ms. Unfortunately, Skittles have gelatin.

13. Shakespeare or Edgar Allen Poe? Ooh, Poe. No Shakespeare. Ok, Poe!

 

I’d like to thank Jenna for taking the time to answer my questions! I hope she and you, the audience, enjoyed this interview and I really hope you check out her book!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Title: Hurricane
  Publisher: Divertir Publishing
  Published: August 9, 2011
  Pages: 208
  Buy from: Amazon | B&N | Publisher

  Website | Goodreads

I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of them creeping up on me? I’ve had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn’t breathe now.

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One lucky winner will win a swag pack for Hurricane including one bookmark, one button, and one signed cover.

Rules/Information:

1. Must be 13 years or older or have parent permission.
2. Must fill out the form below, comments will not counted but are still welcome.
3. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, October 19th.
4. Giveaway is only open to entrants residing in USA.
5. I will contact the winners by email. You will have 48 hours to contact me back before I pick another winner.
6. One entry per person. All duplicated entries will be deleted.
7. Winners will be chosen via random.org.

Please use this form to enter.