Jennifer Wilson's Blog - Posts Tagged "review"
Interview with It's a Book World
I had the complete honor of being interviewed by the fabulous Vienna of It's a Book World. If you haven't found her blog yet, swing by. She has read so many epic books and shows great insight into every story.
Here's a sneak peek at the interview:
1. How did you come up with the story? What books inspired you to write this series?
''I have always had a bit of an overactive imagination. My mind tends to wander and being a very visual person, I generally get these flashes of scenes¬—a girl on a rooftop, an action-packed fight sequence or an impassioned kiss. From there, my mind melds around these moments and a basic plot begins to develop. As the plot matures, so do my characters. I tend to have a really loose technique when it comes to writing. I always have an idea of where my story is going, but often the journey getting there is just as unexpected for me as it is for my readers. I jot notes on everything and anything within reach when inspiration strikes, old receipts, paper bags, or on my hand. I find these moments of epiphany are where some of my best ideas originate—not forced but inspired.
New World: Rising was born out of an epiphany moment for Phoenix. I could see this girl racing on rooftops, hiding in the shadows, being kind of a badass. The opening scene in the first book is the moment Phoenix was born in my mind, a dark shadowed figure standing on the ledge of a building as her hair whipped around her face in the wind, the city below her in ruin. The world just spiraled out from there, shaping around her.
I am sure this is cliché, but Harry Potter inspired me to write. Not because of the fame or money, but this was the first series I fell in love with and because of how many lives J.K. Rowling touched with her books. To reach that many people and inspire them to dream and read… that is a true gift. So obviously, J.K. Rowling’s books are at the top of that list, but there are many other authors I look up to: J.R.R. Tolkien, Rick Yancey, Dan Brown, Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Clare and Diana Gabaldon, to name a few. Alexandra Bracken and Marie Lu are also recently added to my author crush list—I love that they too write about strong female leads, who are imperfect and vulnerable at times.''
2. To which character do you relate the most?
''Phoenix, for sure. While a little of myself goes into every character I write, Phoenix holds the largest part of me. She and I think similarly, we are very calculated. While she is colder than I am, there is a comradery I feel between us. She is fiercely realistic about every situation, but also has this can-do attitude that she can take on the world. She is not perfect and at times a little unlikeable, but that’s what makes her so human. She is not your average hero, and I like her even more for that fact.''
3. What is your favorite part about the books and what is your least favorite?
''Great question!
I love seeing Phoenix’s relationship with Mouse and Triven. They both bring out a side of her that is more likeable. She grows and blossoms under their influence, and it was nice to see her experience love for the first time. I also thrive on the action scenes. I nerd-out on action movies, so getting to write these epic fight scenes is heaven for me. It’s like my mind sets on fire and I can visualize the whole thing as it’s happening.
The worst parts for me were the scenes with Maddox in the first book. Even as his creator, he made my skin crawl. Just writing the shower scene made me extremely uncomfortable, but that was the point.''
4. How long did it take you to write the first two books in this series?
''New World: Rising was written in about six months, not including all of the editing. Once the story came into my mind it flowed easily. New World: Ashes took me a little longer, about nine months. It was a challenge to decide where to end that book and how much I wanted to give away. Plus, an entirely new city and cast had to be developed and take on a life of their own. I found the second book more challenging..."
Check out the full interview on It's a Books World
Here's a sneak peek at the interview:
1. How did you come up with the story? What books inspired you to write this series?
''I have always had a bit of an overactive imagination. My mind tends to wander and being a very visual person, I generally get these flashes of scenes¬—a girl on a rooftop, an action-packed fight sequence or an impassioned kiss. From there, my mind melds around these moments and a basic plot begins to develop. As the plot matures, so do my characters. I tend to have a really loose technique when it comes to writing. I always have an idea of where my story is going, but often the journey getting there is just as unexpected for me as it is for my readers. I jot notes on everything and anything within reach when inspiration strikes, old receipts, paper bags, or on my hand. I find these moments of epiphany are where some of my best ideas originate—not forced but inspired.
New World: Rising was born out of an epiphany moment for Phoenix. I could see this girl racing on rooftops, hiding in the shadows, being kind of a badass. The opening scene in the first book is the moment Phoenix was born in my mind, a dark shadowed figure standing on the ledge of a building as her hair whipped around her face in the wind, the city below her in ruin. The world just spiraled out from there, shaping around her.
I am sure this is cliché, but Harry Potter inspired me to write. Not because of the fame or money, but this was the first series I fell in love with and because of how many lives J.K. Rowling touched with her books. To reach that many people and inspire them to dream and read… that is a true gift. So obviously, J.K. Rowling’s books are at the top of that list, but there are many other authors I look up to: J.R.R. Tolkien, Rick Yancey, Dan Brown, Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Clare and Diana Gabaldon, to name a few. Alexandra Bracken and Marie Lu are also recently added to my author crush list—I love that they too write about strong female leads, who are imperfect and vulnerable at times.''
2. To which character do you relate the most?
''Phoenix, for sure. While a little of myself goes into every character I write, Phoenix holds the largest part of me. She and I think similarly, we are very calculated. While she is colder than I am, there is a comradery I feel between us. She is fiercely realistic about every situation, but also has this can-do attitude that she can take on the world. She is not perfect and at times a little unlikeable, but that’s what makes her so human. She is not your average hero, and I like her even more for that fact.''
3. What is your favorite part about the books and what is your least favorite?
''Great question!
I love seeing Phoenix’s relationship with Mouse and Triven. They both bring out a side of her that is more likeable. She grows and blossoms under their influence, and it was nice to see her experience love for the first time. I also thrive on the action scenes. I nerd-out on action movies, so getting to write these epic fight scenes is heaven for me. It’s like my mind sets on fire and I can visualize the whole thing as it’s happening.
The worst parts for me were the scenes with Maddox in the first book. Even as his creator, he made my skin crawl. Just writing the shower scene made me extremely uncomfortable, but that was the point.''
4. How long did it take you to write the first two books in this series?
''New World: Rising was written in about six months, not including all of the editing. Once the story came into my mind it flowed easily. New World: Ashes took me a little longer, about nine months. It was a challenge to decide where to end that book and how much I wanted to give away. Plus, an entirely new city and cast had to be developed and take on a life of their own. I found the second book more challenging..."
Check out the full interview on It's a Books World
Jennifer Wilson's Blog
Author of the New World series and The Chosen series.
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