So I'm certain you have all gathered by now from my review of Emblaze, I’m a bit
of a fan. Okay, a lot! It's a fun series with a kick-ass heroine, how can it not be anything but? With that I am now extremely thrilled to have Jessica Shirvington join us today
to talk about Emblaze, Violet and the rest of the gang. (And don't forget to check out the giveaway at the end of the interview too!)
Jessica, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview.
You are welcome. Thanks for having me as a guest!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Embrace books and am excited
that we are part of your blog tour! By the way, every time I use honey now, I
think of Lincoln. That is in no way a complaint!
Haha!
Congratulations on getting picked up by CW! How did you
celebrate the news?
There could possibly have been some awkward happy dancing.
But to be honest, there are so many stages to a production getting off the
ground, right now I am just in a holding pattern waiting to see what happens.
Do you remember the moment that sparked the idea for
Embrace?
It was never one perfect moment when the entire story came
into my mind. I clearly remember the day I opened my laptop and typed the names
Violet and Lincoln at the top. I remember that day because it was the beginning
of a major shift in my life. From there it was research and building blocks.
Violet really develops into her own in Emblaze. I’m sure
you’ve had a lot of fun watching her grow up. What’s your proudest moment of
her?
Yes, she has. My intention has always been for her to grow
on the page in every way. And I guess it sounds kind of geeky, but I am proud
of her character. She is strong and determined, but she is heartfelt and
fallible too. She makes big mistakes but she can admit to them too. In EMBLAZE
she puts everything on the line for her friendship with Steph. When others want
to put her safety first she has none of it. I think in many ways, those scenes bring her into her own.
Violet and Lincoln have a very clear sense of what’s right
and wrong. Phoenix and Onyx on the other
hand are wild cards being Exiles. Do you feel you have a wider berth with their
characters because they’re much more unpredictable?
Definitely. And at the same time, I feel that because of
their innate darkness I have to be always aware and true to it. No one just
flips a switch and makes someone who has only ever known darkness suddenly only
choose light. It was very important to me that that never be the case.
Especially with Phoenix. He struggles against who he is, but he is who he is at
the same time (does that make sense...?)
We’re going to have a bit of fun now. Our motto here at
BiblioJunkies is “books, boys and pie”. So … what book had the biggest impact
on you as a teenager?
When I was a teenager, I was reading a lot of Patricia
Cornwell. The Kay Scarpetta books were one of the few series that really held
my interest.
If you could put together your dream cast, who would you
have as Violet, Lincoln and Phoenix?
I really don't know. I get asked this a lot and I have given
answers before like - a Jensen Ackles or Chace Crawford for Lincoln, or
Sebastian Stan for Phoenix. But the truth is I love the idea of unknown actors playing
the roles. It seems weird having actors step into their characters when they
are already famous for playing someone else.
Finally, if Lincoln were to make you a sweet treat, what
would that be?
He'd probably make something relatively healthy, but also
divine. Maybe a perfect apple tart tatin with gooey vanilla ice cream. :-)
