 |
| Jessica Thorne - Author |
Hello
Jessica – Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, today. I’ve
been looking forward to hosting you and uncovering some of your writing secrets.
But before we discover more about your latest release, Nightborn, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your
readers and followers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: Are there any
organisations, writing, or reader groups, you belong to? And, how do they
support or help you in creating such wonderful, inspirational novels?
Jessica:
I’m an enthusiastic member of the Romantic Novelists Association and have been
for some years now. I am also one of the organisers of the Irish Chapter which
meets quarterly for informal chats and a social afternoon. I find the RNA to be
enormously supportive. The annual conference is a highlight of my year and it
was such an honour to be nominated for the annual fantasy award this year for
The Stone’s Heart (writing as Jessica Thorne). I work within a couple of
informal writing groups too, my friends and fellow authors who are endlessly
helpful. We chat more or less every day. I’m also involved with the Science
Fiction and Fantasy Community in Ireland and since we had Worldcon in Dublin
last year, internationally.
Although
writing is largely a solitary occupation, it’s really important to have the
support of those around you, and those who understand what you’re up to, and
also those who are just happy to cheer you along. It’s fantastic to have groups
you can turn to if you have business or creative questions, or even if you’re
just worried about something. No writer really works alone.
Arabella: Where do you
read? Sofa or bed or ____?
Jessica:
Honestly? Wherever I can. I got into the habit when my kids were small or
grabbing every moment I could to read and write. I was once reading Peadar Ó
Guilín’s very scary The Call in the car outside my daughter’s school and was so
caught up in it that when she opened the door I screamed out loud. Nowadays
it’s a bit easier – I love to read in the garden, or curled up on the sofa and
I usually read in bed before going to sleep.
Arabella: In your
latest release, Nightborn, who is your favourite character and why?
Jessica:
That’s a tough question. Nightborn is the sequel to Mageborn and all the
characters from that are back. I am incredibly fond of all of them, the good
and the bad. But in Nightborn we also get more insight into some of the minor
characters and I think Ellyn, the wisecracking, badass, best friend and
teammate of my main character Grace, is still one of my favourites. We learn
more of her history in Nightborn, and see more of the secrets she keeps. She
doesn’t suffer fools and is always quick to defend those she loves. And her
lovelife is about to get quite complicated.
Arabella: When writing
a novel, how do you work? Are you a plotter or pantser?
Jessica:
I used to always be a pantser but in recent years I think it’s fairer to say I
fall between the two. A Plantser perhaps. I tend to need some idea of where the
story is going, but not how it is going to get there. Sometimes, if I’m really
lucky, I have some key scenes in mind. But I try to leave things very flexible.
I’m not very good at producing a synopsis in advance and in fact if I do I
always have to add the warning that it’s more like guidelines. I try to write
something every day and keep a very strict record of wordcount. I have a
spreadsheet that calculates how much I’ve written each day, how much I have
left overall and the percentage done which I find very helpful. The main thing
I find is to allow myself to be creative and to listen to the characters in the
story. If I ever find myself blocked it is usually because I am trying to force
them to do something that doesn’t fit. The most magical thing is when the
characters seem to take on their own lives and I’m just following along,
writing up the incident report. This is a sign that my subconscious is more
aware of what’s going on that the rest of me. There’s something of an
instinctiveness to storytelling and when that happens, I know we’re going in
the right direction.
Arabella: Which would
you prefer to do: 1) spend a morning vigorously working out at the gym, 2) be
pampered from head to toe at the spa and beauty salon, 3) indulge and pile on
the pounds with a romantic dinner for two?
Jessica:
Number 3 all the way. I love my food and I love spending time with my other
half.
Arabella: We all have a
long list of books we keep meaning to read but never have the time for ---
which book is a must read for you
this season?
Jessica:
Helen Corcoran’s Queen of Coin and Whispers, O’Brien Press, June 2020. It is an
absolutely amazing YA fantasy full of intrigue, danger and romance. When Lia,
an idealistic queen, falls for Xania, her new spymaster—who took the job to
avenge her murdered father—they realise all isn't fair in love and treason.
Arabella: Which would you rather wear: beach shorts and top, a long evening skirt and blouse, or pyjamas and slippers?
Jessica: Pyjamas and slippers all the way. I love my comfort.
Arabella: What about
your future plans? Any books or series in the making?
Jessica:
I have nothing immediately planned – it has been a very busy couple of years.
But that said, while I’d love to say I’m taking a break, I know my writerbrain
would never accept that. I like to be writing. I love the creativity and
exploring new worlds and characters. I’m hoping to do something a bit different
next. Not sure what just yet. But I’m always looking for a new challenge or a
new way of looking at things. I have an enduring love of folklore and fabulism
so I may see where that takes me.
Thank
you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Jessica. Your latest fantasy
release Nightborn sounds amazing. I’m also intrigued by your spreadsheet that calculates
how much you’ve written, how much has still to be penned and the percentage
done. Where can I find such a marvellous app?
Best
wishes and here’s hoping Nightborn makes it into the charts.
Arabella
About Jessica Thorne
 |
| Jessica Thorne - Author |
Jessica Thorne watched too much Sci-Fi and read too
much fantasy at an impressionable age. And it was amazing. Now she writes
fantasy, sci fi, and everything in between.
Sometimes she is Ruth Frances Long.
Website www.rflong.com/jessicathorne
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JessThorneBooks
Twitter @JessThorneBooks
Twitter @JessThorneBooks
Instagram JessThorneBooks
Book Blurb Nightborn
Like deep dark water, it pulls them
down. The faint fire of magic within them flickers and dies. Their eyes turn
black as night. They are nightborn now.
Grace Marchant has been many things: streetwise orphan, rebellious servant, and
now beloved companion of Prince Bastien, heir to the throne of
Larelwynn. But their sunlit happiness is not destined to last. The golden
magic which brought them together in purest passion is threatened by strange
and ancient forces. Innocent people are becoming nightborn –
cruel, deadly, unrecognisable to their loved ones – and these two young lovers
are the only ones with power enough to stop it.
In times of peace, striking a deal with
their closest enemy would be unthinkable, but now their only hope is to ally
with the neighbouring Valenti royal family: manipulative, cunning, and always
with an eye on the Larelwynn throne. The partnership comes at a devastating
price… if Grace wants to defeat the nightborn, she must watch Bastien marry a
Valenti princess.
Grace knows she must make this
heart-wrenching sacrifice for the good of the whole kingdom – but she also
fears the magic in her veins, usually so warm and bright, is turning cold as
deepest midnight. A beguiling darkness whispers to her from within. Is Grace
herself becoming nightborn?
Time is running out. With Bastien
promised to another, and a stony distance growing between them, will Grace find
the source of the nightborn curse before every last soul is consumed by the
darkness?
Combining sizzling romance, courtly
intrigue, and heart-in-your-mouth action, this dark and addictive fantasy
series is perfect for fans of Graceling and Emily R. King.
Release Date 26th May 2020
Buy Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment