Emily's Trial by Natalie Wright

Please welcome Natalie Wright author of Emily's Trial.

Natalie will award an autographed copy of "Emily's House", a handmade Celtic-inspired armlet, similar to one worn by Emily in the books and book swag to one randomly drawn commenter (US only -- an eBook of "Emily's House" will be substituted as the prize for an international winner).

Emily’s Trial

by Natalie Wright

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INTERVIEW:

1.    What or who inspired you to start writing?

I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. As a child, I wrote stories, poetry and plays. In first grade, I won a ribbon at the county fair for one of my short stories about my pet rabbit and his tea parties with the other animals on our farm. I remember being praised for my vivid imagination. But in my own mind, I remember thinking, “What imagination? It’s real!”

And it’s still a bit like that! I live much of the time in an imaginary world.

In 2002, I gave birth to my first and only child. That amazing miracle of creation inspired me to get back to my creative self. I began painting, drawing and yes, writing. Little by little, I began putting down on the page some of the imaginary worlds and characters and dialogue that had lived only in my head.

2.    What elements are necessary components for this genre?

In my opinion, there are very few ‘necessary’ components to the young adult genre. I think you must have a teenager as the main character. And the writer needs to be aware of the age of their audience, so you don’t write graphic sex scenes and tone down the language a bit. But other than that, I’m not sure there are any ‘rules’. Like with adult books, teens and those you enjoy YA want to read good stories.

Something I’ve noticed about YA books is that they tend to be linear and not as complex as books intended for adults. I’m not sure why this is. But one of my goals for future books is to create books for teens that are a bit more complex than most of what’s offered to them – multiple first-person narrators, for example (you’ll see that in Emily’s Heart, Book 3 of the Akasha Chronicles). And perhaps more threads that are set up then come together (likely to happen in my speculative fiction series, H.A.L.F.).

3.    As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

Right now I’m working on finishing Emily’s Heart, Book 3 of the Akasha Chronicles. I’ll release Emily’s Heart in 2013. I’m excited to be finished with my first trilogy because I have so many other stories clamoring for my attention! But I’ll also be sad so say good-bye to Emily and the other characters. I’ve spent a lot of time with them, having first met them in 2007!

I have a new series in the works, working title is H.A.L.F. This will be a speculative fiction trilogy. Here’s the setup: Ever since the UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, the U.S. government has had a top secret program to breed alien-human hybrids as weapons to be used in a secret war. At the dawn of the new century, the program succeeded and the first H.A.L.F. (Human Alien Life Form) was born. The H.A.L.F. escapes the government facility and flees into the dangers of the surrounding Arizona desert. When Erika Holt and her friends have a chance meeting with H.A.L.F. in the desert, her choice to help him escape pits her and her friends against the U.S. government. And when they find out the truth of what the government has been hiding, none of their lives will be the same again.

I’m super-excited about this one! It is sooo much fun.

4.    If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

Hmm, a tough question. If I had to pick one, I’d probably be Emily. Her mother is dead and she doesn’t feel at home in her own skin (not yet anyway), but she has magic! Who wouldn’t want to be able to read people’s minds? And make objects move with your mind? Not to mention be able to phase shift to other dimensions or times! And I suspect that Emily hasn’t yet learned all of the magical abilities she possesses ;-)

5.    Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

In Emily’s Trial, Emily is now sixteen and no longer hides her special abilities. She entertains other bored teenagers at lunch with displays of her powers of levitation and object manipulation. She has a loyal following of sycophants and curiosity seekers, but being truly ‘popular’ and accepted by the ‘in’ crowd has eluded her.

For reasons she doesn’t quite understand, Owen Breen, Mr. Hottest-Senior, suddenly takes an interest in her. Emily falls hard, and finds Owen’s charms irresistible. When Owen asks Emily to open a portal to the Netherworld, she acquiesces, despite misgivings and warnings from her two best friends, Fanny and Jake. Her decision will lead all of them to a world where their worst nightmares come true.

Will Emily’s loyal friendships survive Emily’s Trial?

6.    Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I do not belong to a critique group. I’ve tried to find a critique group in the past, but it just never happened for me. At this point, I have developed some friendships with other writers and they are my ‘beta’ readers. I also rely on paid freelance editors and paid beta readers to provide critical feedback before I finalize a book.

17. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Best Advice: READ! Read, read and read.

I’ve always been a reader, but I read a lot of non-fiction books and articles. When I first started writing back in 2007, I read only about 3-5 novels a year. The advice to read came to me from several great writers. So I amped up my reading – a lot! I began reading lots of books in my genre (Young Adult and Paranormal Fantasy), but I also books in other genres.

And I read with a ‘writer’s eye’. You pay attention to plot, structure, character, and all of the other elements of writing. You pay attention to what works – what about the book is making you, as a reader, want to turn the pages. Or you ask yourself why you keep putting the book down, and don’t feel enthusiastic about picking it up again.

Now I see reading as part of my job as a writer and I read fiction every day J

Worst Advice: Honestly, I’m not sure that I’ve gotten any bad advice, or if I have, I probably ignored it! There are a lot of people who claim to know the ‘way’ of writing. I take all advice with a little pinch of salt. If it resonates with me, I take it in. If it doesn’t resonate, I forget it.

8. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I don’t outline, but I do plan. At the end of last year, I used the Snowflake method for the first time to plan Emily’s Trial. It worked well for me so now I’m using it to plan all my novels. The Snowflake begins with the big picture – putting the entire beginning, middle and end into one sentence. Not easy to do! Then you expand into a paragraph, then a few pages hitting the major plot points and how the book ends. My favorite part of this work is writing a synopsis of the story from each major character’s perspective. This helps to create a more character-driven story – something I strive for.

After I have the novel planned out, I begin writing. Usually, my characters stay with the plan for about a third of the book, but then take the story to unexpected places. I love that! When I wrote Emily’s Trial, I had several unexpected plot turns – including an ending I hadn’t planned. I had to re-write the beginning to match what happened at the end! So I plan, but keep myself open to ‘hear’ the characters as I write and follow my intuition.

9. How do you maintain your creativity?

It’s not always easy! Life can seriously get in the way – if I allow it. I usually use music to get into the creative mood. I create a ‘soundtrack’ for my books that I listen to during the planning phase. I find the creative genius of the musicians inspires my creative side. But while writing, I listen to music without words – more ambient stuff – so I don’t have other people’s words cross-pollinating in my head!

I also find daily walks, meditation and yoga help me tune out the clutter of life and get into the creative zone. And, when I’ve tried other things but still don’t feel the creativity flowing, I get a new perspective by trying something new. I may go to a new restaurant in another part of town, a concert, an art show – even reading a book in a genre I don’t normally read. Anything to shake up my routine.

When all else fails, I grab a Diet Coke and some dark chocolate J

10. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

Emily is probably my favorite character. She’s a normal teenager in our modern world, but with a legacy of ancient magic. I think a lot of people could relate to her – she just wants to be ‘normal,’ and to fit in. But she keeps being reminded of how not ‘normal’ she is. I’m writing the third book right now, and it is interesting to see how what happened in book 2 has changed her.

But I also enjoy writing Ciardha, the antagonist in both Books 2 and 3. In book 3, I’m exploring the bizarre relationship between Ciardha and his ‘pet,’ Dorcha. I haven’t explored a dark and somewhat twisted relationship before – it’s deliciously fun!

And that’s the great joy of writing. I get to go to imaginary places that I haven’t actually been – and some that I sure hope I never see for real! I hope my readers have as much fun exploring the sometimes dark worlds my characters find themselves in, and root for them – like I do – to find their way back.

BLURB:

Two years ago, Emily’s journey began. She learned the ancient magic of her Celtic ancestors,and became a modern Celtic Priestess. The golden torc, forged by faerie hands, is still wound around her arm, fused to her soul. She was entrusted with powerful magic – secret knowledge.

But even a Priestess can feel desire – temptation – and the quest for love. Will passion entice

Emily to use her sacred magic in a forbidden way?  Can new love take root in a world of nightmares? And will her friendships survive Emily’s Trial?

The Journey Continues . . .

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Excerpt:

From Ch. 1:

The Apocalypse didn't start with four horsemen, harbingers of the horror to come. It didn't start with a plague, or pestilence, or even zombies rising from the dead.

It came slowly, and without warning. It crept up on people in the shadows, no more than a vague darkness that spread like an unseen cancer.

And it wasn't set into action by a divine hand. A teenage girl was the catalyst for the End Times.

I should know. I'm the one that started it.

I didn't plan to. I didn't want to start the End Times, and I'm not evil.

Madame Wong taught me to tell the truth, and so here it is. I'm the one responsible for the Apocalypse. And this is the story of how I unwittingly unlocked the door to the darkness; of how a Priestess of the Order of Brighid, entrusted with powerful magic that was supposed to be used for the benefit of all humankind, unleashed a force that would destroy it instead.

And it all began with desire.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Natalie is the author of The Akasha Chronicles, a young adult fantasy trilogy. When not writing, blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting, Wattpadding or eating chocolate, Natalie nurtures her young daughter, feeds her dog too many treats, and can’t resist watching Ancient Aliens, no matter how absurd the show becomes.

Natalie enjoys travel, good wine, and excellent food shared with family and friends. She was raised an Ohio farm girl, now lives in the desert Southwest, and dreams of living in a high rise in a big city.

“Books are my friends, ideas my passion.”

Natalie enjoys chatting with readers, so stop by and say hi:

Blog: http://www.NatalieWrightsYA.blogspot.com

Twitter: @NatalieWright_

Facebook: NatalieWright.Author

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Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/NatalieWright_

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/natwrites/