Ask the Author: Jeff Zentner

“Ask me a question.” Jeff Zentner

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In the Wild Light is by far the best book I’ve ever read, and the impact it had on my love for poetry still sticks with me. Is there any way I could get access to The Gospel of Winds without making the trip to Tennessee? I can’t get enough of your poetry. In the Wild Light and Sunrise Nights were incredible, and now I’m hungry for more!

Jeff Zentner Hi Malachi! Thank you so much!! Shoot me an email at jeffzentner at gmail dot com and we’ll get you fixed up!

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I just finished "The Serpent King" and "In the Wild Light," and these have to be my favorite books of all time! Your writing is so vivid, and I was wondering if there are any author(s) you have looked up to or gotten inspiration from regarding writing style, descriptions, etc.?

Jeff Zentner Hi Hannah and thank you so much!! What a lovely thing to hear! I’m a huge fan of the way Stephen King writes friendship. I love how Ocean Vuong uses metaphor. And I love Michael Ondaatje’s descriptive, dreamlike language.

Thank you for reading!!

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I just finished The Serpent King, and loved it! Will there be a sequel to this? I want to know what happens to Dill and Lydia.

Jeff Zentner Hi Edie!! Thank you!! The answer is probably not, but in IN THE WILD LIGHT, I sort of try to answer the question of “what if Dill and Lydia went off to school together?”

Thank you for reading!!

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Jeff Zentner Hey thanks Isaac! There are references to Bloodfall in RAYNE & DELILAH’S MIDNITE MATINEE and IN THE WILD LIGHT and Lydia makes an appearance in IN THE WILD LIGHT on her new job! Thanks for reading!!

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I loved the Serpent King. It had everything I want in a novel. The character development was amazing and the story unfolded beautifully. One of my favorite YA books. What is your approach to writing? I just finished a book by C.S Lakin called Layering the Novel and I am going to use that approach for my writing. Outlining my scenes before I begin. Do you use a similar approach?

Jeff Zentner Thanks Stephen! I start with the characters. I figure out who fascinates me enough that I want to live through their eyes. Then I just listen to them tell me their story for as long as necessary until I know them very well, enough that I’m acting as a transcriptionist of their story.

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Jeff Zentner When you read THE SERPENT KING, you’ll see other connections in GOODBYE DAYS and RAYNE & DELILAH!

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Did you know that your book is recommended in the "Bookish People Recommend" section of Bibliophile by Jane Mount (rec. by Jenna Shaffer on p.153)? Legally, I'm pretty sure you have to know, but just incase.

Jeff Zentner I did know, but the reminder makes my day!

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I just finished reading Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee and it was one of the best books I've read this year and I loved it It was funny and sad at the same time. Sadder was when Delia's dad's left her at a very young and when they confronted each other and then her dad told her the truth, Delia was surprised but also sad. Question I have in my mind is, was it hard to write about abandonment in this book?

Jeff Zentner Thank you!! Yes, it was definitely hard. But it’s a feeling I’ve struggled with a lot, so I was able to identify with Delia’s plight.

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I just finished reading "Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee." I had no clue what a horror host was before picking it up, but now I'd like to explore a little. Who are your favorite horror hosts? I'd like to watch a few episodes, if I can find them. Your book has sparked an interest that I didn't know I had!

Jeff Zentner Josie and Delia’s show was directly inspired by a really wonderful, goofy show called Midnite Mausoleum, hosted by Marlena Midnite (who was just inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame). You can find them on YouTube. I’m also a big fan of my Nashville hometown horror host, Dr. Gangrene. Have fun exploring this spooky, kooky world!

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I just Finished Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee the other night, and I loved it so much! It was really funny and heartbreaking at once. It reminded me of myself as a teenager, and to be honest, even now. I identified heavily with Delia. Perhaps this is too personal a question, but was there anything particular that inspired her issues with abandonment?

Jeff Zentner Hey thanks for reading! I’ve always found the idea of abandonment very frightening and I write best about the struggles and fears to which I most relate.

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I had read goodbye days before the Serpent king(I didn't even realized Dill was Dearly in good bye days until afterwords) So what I wanted to ask is something that Maggie Stiefvater had told the kids at my library about her "first thought" the first thing she had thought of before she even came up with her Shiver series was "to make people sad" what was your first thought before you had started to write your books?

Jeff Zentner Thanks for your question! My first thought is always “what is the story that won’t leave me alone?” What is the story I NEED to tell? What is the story that’s been gnawing at me for some time? Often, as in GOODBYE DAYS, the story I need to tell involves confronting some deep fear.

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Your writing intrigued me. I don't always see authors in their words, but throughout "Goodbye Days", I couldn't ignore that there was a person and a life behind the chapters. For all I know, the story could be true; it didn't seem like it was gnawing at the elastic edges of reality. It felt like a conversation - no easy thing to accomplish. I feel that you are like me in your thoughts. Can you share more of them?

Jeff Zentner Thanks Alina! GOODBYE DAYS isn’t true for me on a factual level—I’ve never lost three friends at a go as the result of my conduct. But it’s true on an emotional level. All of what’s in GOODBYE DAYS is stuff I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and reflecting on.

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Hi Jeff! My sister just finished Goodbye days yesterday, (Before that she read the serpent king and LOVED it too)and she REALLY enjoyed it! A question we both have is: Did you ever try kale and ketchup pasta to know it's disgusting? Lol. Love your books! Thanks!

Jeff Zentner Hahaha nope! Just used my imagination.

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I have read both of your books and Goodbye Days is one of my favorite reads of all time! I also thoroughly enjoyed The Serpent King but wonder why you gave it that title since I don't feel that the most important story in the book was about the Serpent King even though it is certainly Dill's history? I really look forward to your next book! Keep up the excellent writing!

Jeff Zentner Dill’s grandfather was the original to be called Serpent King, but his legacy was the battle against the poisonous forces that consumed him. Dill’s father was the next to try to claim the crown, but he succumbed. So the question in THE SERPENT KING is whether Dill will lose the fight against his own poisonous forces, or whether he’ll be the true Serpent King and emerge victorious.

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What was your favorite read of 2017?

Jeff Zentner EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid.

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Are your books available in East Africa? ;-(

Jeff Zentner I don’t know! I think international editions from my publisher might be!

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Jeff Zentner Thank you so much!! And yes, Carver and Jesmyn will appear!

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Hi! I love how musical both The Serpent King and Goodbye Days are! I'm not a musician by any means but I love to listen to music, I can say that reading your books is the closest I've been to understanding how musicians think about the world and about music in general. I wonder about the song that Dearly plays in Goodbye Days, does it exist? I am so curious to listen to it! (or any of his songs really) Thank you!

Jeff Zentner It does exist! “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division. If you recall from THE SERPENT KING, it’s one of Lydia’s favorite songs. (Hint hint)

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