Presenting Elana Johnson on the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit!
Why do I love being on the Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit? Because I get to bring you some seriously cool books. Today’s is SURRENDER, the second book in Elana Johnson’s POSSESSION series.
I’m a sucker for a rich sci-fi mythology, especially if that mythology is developed over several books. This is doubtless an extension of the Trekkiness that kept me indoors watching a Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon with a couple friends during Senior Week of college. Elana’s mythology? Totally compelling, which is why I’m so happy to host her here, answering some questions…
Me: If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?
Elana: I would escape to the English countryside, where I’d hole up in a beautiful cottage with Internet access. I’d sleep late, have brunch, and work in writing spurts of 1-2 hours. Breaks in between would be filled with delicious pastries and sitting in a hammock in the garden. I love staying up late, so that would be on the agenda too.
Me: Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor? Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story? If so, tell us about him/her.
Elana: There’s a character in the book named Trek Whiting. Initially, I just threw him in and didn’t think much of him. But later on, I realized that he was important in a lot of different ways. He could fill roles in more than one subplot, and so I developed him more fully from the beginning and threaded him throughout.
One character that I had to cut was Vi’s sister, Tyson. In my head, she was still alive. In my editor’s head, I’d killed her at the end of POSSESSION… So when I got the edit notes, it was like experiencing her death for the first time—and it was sad!
Me: Writing rituals: do you have any? If so, what are they? If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?
Elana: For me, I have to plan my time out. So if I know I have an hour to write during my daughter’s dance lesson, I don’t let anything infringe on that time. Other than that, I’m stealing minutes here and there, so I don’t have time for rituals.
Me: Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind? Tell us about it!
Elana: I get a lot of emails from readers. They are the highlight of my authorly stuff. I love getting them. I got one from an 11-year-old, saying how much she loved POSSESSION—especially that it didn’t end like every other book.
Me: Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU! Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables. Ready? Go!
Elana:
Raine and Gunner fight
The Thinkers from the Inside
Their crush—will it grow?
(And that was REALLY HARD!)
It may have been hard, but it was awesome. Thanks so much, Elana! I’m excited for your book, and also your FAB GIVEAWAY!
Yup, Elana’s hosting a Spectacular Seconds giveaway this week! You can enter to win one of five signed sophomore books by Beth Revis, Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Kristi Cook, and Kim Harrington. CLICK HERE for all the details and to enter.
Now, a little about Elana and her latest book…
Elana’s work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog. She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.
And now, about SURRENDER…
Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.
All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.
Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….
Sounds great, and I can’t wait to read it!
Are you a fan of book series with deep mythologies (like Elana’s, of course) too? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
