Ask the Author: Jacquelyn Benson
Answered Questions (9)
Jacquelyn Benson
At this time, there's no plan for an audiobook for Stolen Apocalypse... but maybe we could make that a future Kickstarter stretch goal.
Jacquelyn Benson
Hey Bailey! Empire of Shadows is actually a reinvention of The Smoke Hunter. Folks who read The Smoke Hunter will recognize certain characters, moments, and plot threads, but the whole story has been significantly transformed. There are scenes, different takes on key characters, and pretty much all of the narration and dialog has been either tweaked, updated, or is entirely new.
I had always intended for Ellie & Adam's story to be the first in a series. When I finally had the opportunity to tackle the rest of their stories, I felt strongly that I needed to bring the first tale "up to spec". (One learns a great deal about writing books after ten more years of practice.)
I believe that the result - Empire of Shadows - is the book that I always wanted to write, but simply didn’t have the know-how to create a decade ago. I'm hoping that readers who loved The Smoke Hunter will find everything they enjoyed about that earlier book here in Empire of Shadows, plus a whole lot more.
And yes... there will be more books for Ellie and Adam after this. In fact, I'll be announce Book Two of the Raiders of the Arcana series very soon... ;)
I had always intended for Ellie & Adam's story to be the first in a series. When I finally had the opportunity to tackle the rest of their stories, I felt strongly that I needed to bring the first tale "up to spec". (One learns a great deal about writing books after ten more years of practice.)
I believe that the result - Empire of Shadows - is the book that I always wanted to write, but simply didn’t have the know-how to create a decade ago. I'm hoping that readers who loved The Smoke Hunter will find everything they enjoyed about that earlier book here in Empire of Shadows, plus a whole lot more.
And yes... there will be more books for Ellie and Adam after this. In fact, I'll be announce Book Two of the Raiders of the Arcana series very soon... ;)
Jacquelyn Benson
As it happens, I am working on plans for producing audiobooks for The London Charismatics now. Those who wish to be updated when the books are available should pop over to https://jacquelynbenson.com and subscribe to my newsletter.
Jacquelyn Benson
What I know at this point is that Book 4 in the series will complete Lily and Strangford's adventures - after that, it's anything goes. I will certainly count your vote in favor of a book for Sam. I love writing him!
Jacquelyn Benson
Harley, you're a peach. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Smoke Hunter! To answer your question - absolutely. Yes. There are actually three more books planned for Ellie and Adam. Due to convoluted publishing logistics issues, I can’t tell you exactly when those stories will be released. But I promise they’re coming, and they will be more fun than a snake in the bathtub.
Jacquelyn Benson
Ellie is an entirely fictional creation--I didn't knowingly steal pieces of any friends, family or acquaintances in her making. She did, however, evolve rather dramatically over the course of writing the book. I started out with the idea of a heroine with a more troubled past and some rather heavy emotional baggage, then halfway through the first draft realized she was starting to depress me! I needed someone with more enthusiasm and spark for this book, and so I came up with the notion of centering the story on a woman who is basically a tremendous nerd with a lot of courage and determination.
Jacquelyn Benson
Being able to work without wearing pants. Not asking permission before taking tea breaks. Endless excuses to geek out with research. Spending all day with extremely interesting people doing interesting things (albeit imaginary). Oh, and I happen to be of the opinion that stories are magical entities capable of changing the world. So there's also the nobility of being part of that.
Jacquelyn Benson
Ideas are everywhere. Most of them aren't actually all that interesting. My stories come from latching on to a notion and then asking myself what I could do to increase the stakes or make it wilder and more unexpected. I try to keep adding complications and layers of intrigue until what might have started as pedestrian turns into something that can keep my interest through everything that writing 400+ pages of story involves.
Jacquelyn Benson
I can't afford writer's block. I have two kids under the age of four. When I have time to write, I'd better be making progress, not staring listlessly at a blank screen.
I've found that 99% of the time, if I'm having trouble moving forward, it's an issue of process, not content. Figuring out what kind of writer I was -- namely an inveterate plotter, not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type -- made all the difference. I need to tackle each part of constructing a story separately: plot, themes, scene planning, dialogue, narrative. If I get stuck, it's probably because I'm trying to jump ahead in that process before I've done the proper groundwork.
I've found that 99% of the time, if I'm having trouble moving forward, it's an issue of process, not content. Figuring out what kind of writer I was -- namely an inveterate plotter, not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type -- made all the difference. I need to tackle each part of constructing a story separately: plot, themes, scene planning, dialogue, narrative. If I get stuck, it's probably because I'm trying to jump ahead in that process before I've done the proper groundwork.
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