Emily White Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Friday, August 10, 2012

Emily White Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

Emily White lives in NY, wedged between two of the Great Lakes and a few feet of snow and ice. She's spent most of her life running away from the cold, and even spent a year in Iraq, but now contents herself with writing her characters into warm, exotic places in faraway galaxies. When not tapping away at her computer keys, she can be found reading, reading, and reading some more. And when she's not doing that, she's usually playing video games with her husband, peek-a-boo with her kids, or walking through her garden, wondering why the bugs insist on eating all her vegetables.

Social Media

Website

Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

Oh yes, absolutely. My maiden name is Emily Dickinson, so everyone always told me about this woman, but I never really understood she was. When I was finally old enough to understand what a poet was and what a writer was, I knew that's exactly what I wanted to do.

What’s one thing that readers would be surprised to find out about you?

I know how to kill a man with my bare hands. 'Tis true.

I served eight years in the U.S. Army and my MOS (occupation) was Civil Affairs, which is a Special Operations occupation. We were trained to be able to keep up with all military types (Army Rangers, Special Forces, etc.), so we had a lot of hand to hand combat training.

What was the greatest thing you learned at school?

Life is unfair. And then I learned how to deal with it.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?

Keep at it. Don't give up. I hit a lot of lows when I'm writing (I think most writers do), so it's very important to just keep working, even if it feels like everything I'm writing is crap.

Can you tell us when you started Elemental, how that came about?

Elemental came about after my first child was born. I'd been working on another book for a few years and I'd gotten as far on it as I could. So I decided to work on something else. There'd been an idea brewing for a little while about fairies that teleported rather than flew with their wings. And then Ella showed up! And everything took off from there.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Ella?

How different she was from me. Just starting out with the book, I didn't know if I'd be able to write a character who was totally herself. I was afraid I'd put too much of myself in her. It's nice to see that she came into her own and started making decisions that I wouldn't necessarily make.

If you could introduce Ella to any character from another book, who would it be and why?

Mackie Doyle from The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff. I think they'd get along very well. Also, I think Ella needs to meet someone who's as broken as she is.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be?

Probably the same great advice I'd received: don't give up. If you want something, go for it. Even if you fail and you fail and you fail, keep trying. Giving up is the worst failure you could ever do for yourself.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

Hmmm...that's a hard one. I don't know if I have anything I always lie about. I'm pretty open and don't really care if people know the truth about me.

What’s your most missed memory?

Probably the day some evil punks had smashed my very first pumpkin when I was four. I don't miss it because it's a good memory, I miss it because I wish I'd done more than run down the stairs, screaming. I wish I'd kicked them in the shins.

What's the worst summer job you've ever had?

The only summer job I'd ever had was babysitting and I have to admit that I loved it. The kids were always great and I had a lot of fun.

When was the last time you cried?

Just the other night.

Most horrifying dream you have ever had?

A few weeks before my wedding, I dreamt I saw my fiancée getting eaten by a lion.

Where can readers stalk you?

My blog: www.emilytwhite.blogspot.com
Facebook (me): https://www.facebook.com/authoremilytwhite
Facebook (Elemental): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elemental/212879475408278?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Emily_T_White
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emilywhite24/

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should. But she wants to. For ten years--ever since she was a small child--Ella has been held prisoner on an interstellar starship. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? Is Ella the prophesied Destructor. or will she be the one who's destroyed?

You can purchase Elemental at the following Retailers: