On Sunday, I attended the CT stop at RJ Julia's and it was a blast! Lots of laughter and lots of talking. Here's some notes on the tour. Sorry - the pictures I took came out terrible.
Can't stop smiling when describing her book about death and destruction. Blood type determines course of action. Intruders. Trying to escape to a evacuation site. Put aside issues (drama/romance) to find a way to survive. The storefront came from Target (because she's there a lot with her kids). Inspired by an article on blood types in Asian countries where blood determines your personality (kinda like horoscopes)
On Writing: She tries to write 5-8 pages a day - following a system. Inviting her characters each day to come chat with her, so she had to be there to to listen to them. Last thing she does each day is to read ahead on the outline to get her mental prepared for the next day.
Details outlines and send publishers and then starts to write the book when agreed but still surprised by the HOWs
Next book (after the last book in the trilogy) will be a fantasy
Jessica Brody: Wanted to try something different - a scifi suspense. Blank slate for her character that's inspired by Bourne. It's about a girl who wakes up in the middle of a plane crash wreckage (there's a hidden significance to Flight 121) - unharmed except for the loss of her memories. She has no idea who she is - and no one else seems to either. The sequel will be out in February.
When Writing: She only drinks coffee when she writes and she uses the computer without battery so she must finish writing before it dies. She follows a screenwriting writing technique where she has 15 plot points figured out and starts with those. If something changes (often happens), she replots from that change before starting to write again.
Inspirations: Any book that was done well as you knew you couldn't write it is inspiring, Sophie Kinsella, and
Christopher Pike
She didn't expect to like twitter - but treats it like a game. How can I say something significant in 140 characters or less!
Anna Banks: Mermaids! Merman prince searching for a girl who can communicate with fish. This girls seems to have the Gift of Poseidon, but she doesn't know why she has this rare gift.. He tries to help her figure out who she is, knowing that if she's the girl he thinks she might be - she will have to marry his older brother.
On Writing: Recently quit job and realized that in order to focus, she must actually get dressed and leave the house. She doesn't rely on outlines because she without them. She started reading romances at the age of nine and every book she writes will always have kissy scenes and a love story.
Gennifer Albin: All the names in book have double meanings and she tried to make them easy to pronounce. Space and time can be seen manipulated and changed by young girls.
Adelice has that gift, but her parents have been training her to hide it. They don't want her using her power, but they haven't told her why. On the day of her testing, something goes wrong and Adelice life changes.
On Writing: Used to be creature of habit, but since having kids, she has learned to write anywhere. She completed the first draft of Crewl in November for Nanowrimo. However, when she tried to write the next book in the same manner, she found that it really needed an outline. Each book needs something a little bit different in terms of planning.
Would love to meet J.K. Rowling - who inspired her greatly.
Leigh Bardugo: Her Fantasy novels were inspired by czar Russia. Where Darkness comes with monsters. Alina is the orphan underdog. She a huge fantasy fan. Most fantasy worlds take after Medieval Europe (mainly England) and she wanted to change that - so she made her world Russian.
On Writing: For her first draft, she needs noise, but in revising she using her computer without the internet so she won't be distracted. She sometimes skips ahead in the book to avoid writer's block.
Inspirations: Dune, Wrinkle in time, and George R. R. Martin (whom she's met)
