Interview with Jessica Shirvington

Today I have the very talented Aussie author Jessica Shirvington stopping by for an interview.  Jessica is the author of the Violet Eden Chapters, Embrace (review here) and Enticed (review here).  

1. Why YA?

I don't really think there was any other option for me. I read more YA than anything else. They are the stories and authors I love to read and when I started to write EMBRACE, I didn't even pause to consider what genre it would be, I just knew.

  

2. What were you inspirations for this series?

 All the small thoughts.

Little by little I had ideas that I then went and researched, starting with the name Violet and an interest in the angel hierarchy. When I found stories of a group of angels referred to as the 'Grigori' I used that as a base for the story and then built around that. I also think a lot of my inspiration has come from researching many different types of religious text and folklore rather than one specific religion - it has helped to open story lines to many possibilities.

3.  Did you have a clear idea at the beginning of what was going to happen in the series or has it changed while writing each book?

I knew where I wanted the first three books to end (and I thought I knew where I wanted Book4 to end, but over the course of writing the first 3, that has organically changed), but that was it. From there, each time I start the process of writing a new book, I try to look at it with a fresh perspective and find something new to offer. I am definitely open to change as I am writing and find that sometimes even though I had plans for one particular character, somehow they seem to take themselves in a different, more appropriate, direction. That's half the fun.

  

4.  Where is your favourite place to write?

I like to mix it up, depending on what stage of the writing process I am in. Sometimes I just have to lock myself away at home and put in the quiet hours, other times I love to be out and about. I have a few favourite cafes that I haunt and every now and then I will work from the library for a while. As long as I have my laptop with me, I'm generally pretty flexible.

5. What has being the most challenging part of writing this series so far?

As each book goes on, I face different challenges. It's a new experience each time. I tend to get very wrapped up in the characters lives and since I know all their secrets I also know the ins and outs of how each situation affects them and all of their hidden sorrows. At times I find that hard and have to build myself up to writing a certain section.

6.  After Emblaze do you have plans for another project?

Yes. The Violet Eden Chapters is set to continue. It was always planned as a four book plus series and it is important to me to finish the series at the right place for the characters. At this stage, I believe the final number will be six. In addition to The Violet Eden Chapters, I am tinkering with another couple of ideas that I am hoping to give some more attention to shortly.

7.  What are some of your favourite books?

There are so many. Recently, I think the stand out books in YA have been:

Slightly younger end of YA:

Gallagher Girls Series - Ally Carter

The Gone Series - Michael Grant

 Upper end of YA:

Poison Study Series - Maria V. Snyder

The Hunger Games  - Suzanne Collins

Graceling - Kristen Cashore

Anything by Melissa Marr or Holly Black

AND I'm looking forward to reading the debut novel by Veronica Roth - Divergent. I know I am going to love it.

8.  The Violet Eden Chapters has a great bunch of characters (I adore Spence).  Do you have a favourite? 

I'm glad you like Spence. He was one of those characters that almost wrote himself. I love where he is going.

Since I write from Violet's pov, I am most invested in her. That said, I find myself constantly pulled between the three main characters; Violet, Lincoln and Phoenix. To me, each of them has an equally important road to travel / story to tell. Depending on what point I am in each of their stories, I find myself pulled between them. And sometimes out of nowhere, another character will completely blow me away and they become all I can think about - like Spence or Steph, for example. My mind is a busy place sometimes!

Thank you Jessica for taking the time to answer my questions.  I am excited to hear that it looks like there is going to be six books in the series (and hopefully Spence will be in them all ~crosses fingers).

Embrace and Enticed are available now in Australia with Emblaze set to come out in October 2011.

Also Embrace will be available internationally from The Book Depository in October, 2011.

For more details visit Jessica Shirvington's website.  


Check out the German covers for Embrace and Enticed.  They are gorgeous!