It is day three of this wonderful book fair and I am honored to feature Jennifer M. Barry, young adult author of The Kingdom and Side Effects. I am also SO excited to be the first to reveal a little sneak peek of the sequel of The Kingdom, The Morning Star! Keep reading to see! :)
First things first, why do you write?
Oh, I really want to say something artsy, like, “I write
because I simply must.” All angsty
and tortured, like. The truth is it’s fun. I get to play with new worlds,
create characters, invent the perfect/imperfect outcome. Who wouldn’t want to
do that? It’s just fun, and no matter
what else I do in life, I know I’ll keep writing.
What do you do to prepare before you actually begin
writing? Music, tea, coffee, etc.?
I used to have this grand plan every time I sat down, where
I’d brew some flavored coffee, create a playlist of songs to fit my mood, close
my eyes and imagine the scene, and then write everything down in a huge flurry
of words. As you can imagine, the process for a few paragraphs took hours. Now,
I’m lucky to get ten minutes here or there, so I keep my documents open at all
times on my laptop and clatter out a few words as they come to me. I kind of
like this process better, even if it takes more up-front planning so I don’t
veer completely off the rails.
Do you have a writing routine/schedule?
Oh, that would be nice.
What’s your favorite part of the creative
process?
Characters. I love to learn what makes them tick and use
those little personality flaws to make them do my bidding. In all honesty, when
you really create a character, breathe life into him or her, and then set them
free, they write the story for you.
What is the book that you are promoting
about?
The Kingdom came about because of a fateful bus ride to
Blarney Castle in Ireland. This little twerp kicked the back of my seat, and
somehow my brain turned him into a fairy. When I got home, I started writing
the story of Rioghan, the fairy prince (who is not the kid that kicked my seat),
and his struggle between finding true love and claiming his throne. Lily, the lonely
daughter of a world-famous opera star, finds herself the unwilling recipient of
his affections. Her apparent disinterest fuels his attraction until he realizes
he’s in love. The problem is that his father, who has a history with unfaithful
humans, would rather Rioghan rule the kingdom. His choice could disrupt the
balance between good and evil on Earth, but he has no idea.
Who is your favorite character from your novel?
As much as I love Lily and Rioghan, my favorite character is
Ciarán, inspired by the kid on the bus. I had so much fun writing him, and he
only grows as a character throughout the series.
Why do you write for the Young Adult audience?
My best memories of childhood were the moments I spent with
a book in hand. Well, that’s not entirely fair to my best friends from seventh
grade, Heather and Ann, but it’s pretty near the truth. I loved the excitement
of the library or the bookstore. When other girls were buying makeup and high
heels, I was devouring books. I discovered my favorite heroines of all
time—Scout Finch and Anne Shirley—when I was a teen, and I’ve carried their
lessons with me since. I want to create that same excitement and attachment for
other teens and young adults.
Any advice for aspiring authors who would like
to be published?
So much advice. I’ve written blogs about it. First, be
realistic. There’s no reason you can’t find success as an author, but you must
make sure your goals are attainable. Second, get help. You need editors, no
matter how high your English scores were in high school. Third, just do it. You
could spend years talking yourself into and out of it. You could take ages to
perfect every last detail. None of this will matter if you never let go to see
if it can fly. For the love of Godiva (as Lily says), just TRY.
Is there anything that you are working on
currently that we can be expecting?
Very, very soon, I’ll release the first in a new series for
teens called The Oracles of St. Ambrose:
Going Under. Our hero, Chase, is the self-assured heir to millions who
moves to Nashville under great duress. On his first day of school, he sees a
vision during swim practice of the Queen Bee dead in the pool. Understandably
freaked out, he’s more concerned with maintaining his new spot with the elite
than solving the mystery until he realizes two things: The visions won’t stop,
and two other students have similar psychic abilities. They’re from different
social circles, so he learns a lot about himself while also chasing down a
killer.
Next in the pipeline, and very close on the heels of the
Oracles, is The Morning Star.
In this, we pick up right where Lily and Rioghan left off in
The Kingdom, as she returns to New
York to start school at Juilliard without her love. It’s darker, deeper, and
had a ton more action. I’m so excited to finally share it with everyone.
If
you stranded on an island and you can only bring 3 books and one CD, what would
you bring and why?
Two answers are probably obvious. I can’t get tired of To Kill a Mockingbird or Anne of Green Gables. I’d probably round
that list out with The Catcher in the Rye,
but there’s a strong urge to take along a romance that makes my heart twist
and breath catch—just so I don’t forget these feelings exist while in exile.
As for the CD, is it cheating to make a mix of my all-time
favorites? I’d have a song each by the Beatles, Phish, Pink Floyd, Daniel
Ellsworth and the Great Lakes, Bobby Long, Swear and Shake, Heyrocco, Jeff
Buckley, the Weepies, the Smiths, French Camp, Oasis, the Black Keys, and
Procol Harum. If I could only take one, I guess it would be Abbey Road.
Quick Fire Questions:
1.
McDonalds or Burger King? I cannot.
2. Coffee
or Tea? Depends on whether I’m in America or Ireland.
3. Book or
Kindle? Kindle (I never thought I’d say that.)
4. Romance
or Thriller? Romance
5. Favorite
book? Gah! No way to decide. I have Forever Favorites and Right-Now Favorites.
Way too many to mention. Fine, fine. To
Kill a Mockingbird. Surprised?
6. Favorite
movie? Siiiigh. If pressed, probably Boondock
Saints. Or Snatch. Or…
7. Favorite
author? Crap. Who can decide? Lately, I’ll read anything by Kate SeRine, Delphine Dryden, Melissa Fox, Elizabeth
Hunter, or Ruthie Knox.
8. iPhone
or Android? iPhone
9. Favorite
color? Red
10. Salty
or Sweet? Both. At the same time, please.
Where can we find you?
Where can we buy your beautiful books?
The Kingdom
Side Effects
About The Kingdom:
Trapped on Earth since the fall of Lucifer, Prince Rioghan
has left thousands of broken hearts in his wake, and he wants Lily’s to be the
next. His father, the High King of Fairies, expects Rioghan to behave like the
royal he is, but the challenge Lily presents is too inviting. Accustomed to
living in her famous mother’s shadow, Lily guards her heart behind a prickly
exterior. The harder she resists, the faster he falls, until she becomes the
very center of his existence.
When Rioghan chooses love over the power of the throne, he
infuriates his father and upsets the age-old balance between good and evil. A
battle is coming–a fight to the death for true love, honor, and The Kingdom.
About Jen:
Jennifer M. Barry knows she’s in trouble when people use her
whole name, so just Jen is fine. In addition to writing and editing, she loves
to drink coffee, consume entirely too much Cherry Garcia, laugh at herself on
her blog, and watch live music. Jen lives in Nashville with her husband, Liam.
They just bought their first house and are freaking out about taxes,
redecorating, return on investment, and a million other grown-up things. Life
is officially weird.
The Morning Star Excerpt
“Ahem.” Whitley cleared her
throat dramatically and stepped aside.
Behind her stood a wildly
beautiful arrangement of morning star lilies. A smile split my face. After the
day I’d had, flowers from Rioghan were the perfect remedy.
I flung myself across the
room and snatched the card from the little plastic holder hidden among the
fragrant blooms. My fingers trembled as I opened the envelope, expecting a
florist card. Instead, a piece of notebook paper fell out, its ragged edges
still intact from where the author had ripped it from the pad.
On some level, I knew Rioghan
couldn’t have delivered flowers with a handwritten note, but my heart still
surged as I opened the folded slip.
I see you even when you don’t know I am there. Your
beauty captivates me, and I will not rest until I can call you mine.
“What is this?”
Rachael and Whitley had no
idea. As far as they knew, I had received an amazing bouquet from my very
attentive boyfriend. My heart had caught up with my head, and both understood
the flowers weren’t from Rioghan.
“Can we read it?” Rachael
asked meekly.
My reaction, or lack of
reaction, had completely baffled her.
“Yeah.” I shoved the note
into her waiting hands. “Here. I need to call Rioghan.”
I left the girls musing over
the slip of paper and crossed the suite to my bedroom. Rioghan’s call from that
morning was the last received, so I quickly hit redial as the door slammed
shut.
“Lily?” The delight in his
voice curled through me, warming chilled recesses in my heart.
“I know the answer is no, but
I need to ask.” I rushed forward without a hello. “Did you bring flowers? Did
you come over here and I missed you?”
Rioghan had nice penmanship,
but the note was written in block letters. Anyone could have written it.
Perhaps he had sent Ciaran or Fechin over with them?
“If they are from you, they’re gorgeous, and thank you, but your note was
terribly confusing.”
After a moment of complete
silence, he mumbled a curse.
“I suppose good boyfriends
would bring their girlfriends flowers, wouldn’t they?” Rioghan sighed. “Forgive
me, love. You deserve that and more.”
My eyes crossed as I huffed a
frustrated breath. “Geek. Listen. Someone sent me flowers. The note is creepy,
especially now that I know it wasn’t from you.”
I recited the message from
memory, talking over the catch in his breath. He pressed me to keep Dave close
by at all times and then promised he would send me flowers the next day.
“You’ll do no such thing,” I
exclaimed. “Flowers will always make me feel squicky now. He sent me lilies, for the love of Godiva.”
No comments:
Post a Comment