I have a wonderful treat for you all!!!
An interview with Jenetta Penner, author of Configured! So come on in, grab a cup of coffee and meet Jenetta!
I had the wonderful opportunity to read Configured before it's release in 2016. I fell in love with it! You can read my review HERE. Now I am waiting on Immersed, which sounds a-mazing. Jenetta is the second author to do this review. I had asked if she could share with us a teaser, however, Immersed is still in it's editing stage and she said she would love too once that is done. So we all have to wait in anticipation! *screams with excitement*
As an Author:
What was your inspiration on writing? I stopped reading for pleasure for a very
long time. One day toward the end of
2014 I picked up Hunger Games and loved it so much it prompted me to read 40
more YA books. In the middle of that was
when I started writing Configured on a whim.
Does writing energize or exhaust you? Writing is so
difficult for me. I procrastinate
sitting down and doing it every day. But
I keep it up because I'm an end product kind of person and want to get to the
finish line.
As a writer, what or who is your mascot? Ha. My dog Flynn is my biggest fan. He can't read, but it doesn't stop him!
*Look at this cute ball of fluff!!!!*
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend
researching before beginning a book? I do a lot of research on the fly. So if an idea comes to me, I'll go and
research as I'm writing. I also try to
contact experts and let them read the scenes to make sure everything looks
real.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing a futuristic
world? Coming up with future tech that doesn't sound hokey…lol. I also don't want everything to sound
outdated too quickly.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or
good ones? I do read my reviews. I think you have to take them in stride and
realize everything evens out in the end. A few of my critical reviews don't
give much detail so I can't learn from those but a few do, and I understand
their points. You can't be everything to
everybody; it's impossible. But if a critical review has something I can learn
from it I will.
What is your way for relaxing between writing? Ha… too much
Facebook!
What inspired you to write Configured? My two
daughters. They are adopted from foster
care, and I had the question "What would happen if it was normal in
society to not be allowed to raise your biological children." I'm a big
fan of sci-fi and dystopian stories, and the question fell in line with those
perfectly.
In Configured, you have a love interest between Avlyn and
Meyer, was that intentional or did it happen as you wrote? I knew Meyer would
be Avlyn's love interest.
How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
Well, Configured was my first book.
Writing and publishing it took about 22 months. But much of this was due
to learning not only how to write, but work with editors and book vendors, and
publish independently. It was a lot to learn and take in. I've been able to streamline the process a
bit and should have Immersed written and published in about nine months.
Hopefully, book three will be a little faster than that.
In Configured, what was your hardest scene to write and why?
The death scenes were all hard on me. I
don't want ANY of the good guys to die.
I cry for them when they do.
How do you select the names of your characters? Only two of
the names were chosen purposely. Avlyn's
was the first and her full name, Avlyn Joy, is a mix of my two daughter's
names. The other is Darline. That is my mom's first name. The rest were simply me researching names I
liked that somehow fit the characters they were attached to.
Are there any current books that you have planned in the
future? Can you tell us if you are currently working on one? Yes. I'm currently co-authoring on a Sci-fi Fairy
Tale crossover book called NeverSea with David R. Bernstein (who wrote Influence). NeverSea is the Little Mermaid and Peter Pan
set in a future flooded earth. Think
X-men meets Fairy Tale (with snark).
What
did you do with your first advance? Ha. Put it in the bank to pay bills. My husband and I were supposed to go out to a
special dinner bit life got in the way.
Check out Configured HERE on Kindle Unlimited for FREE or for 2.99 for Kindle.
As a Reader:
What was the first book/series you ever read? Growing up I
loved the Chronicles of Narnia.
What is your favorite bookish memory? I think it's
recent. I love that I picked up Hunger
Games. Reading it changed my life in so
many ways.
If you could live in one book world, which one would it be?
Ha. Most of the books I read are
dystopian, and I don't want to live in ANY of those!
Who are some of your favorite authors? Suzanne Collins,
Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer
What is your favorite genre to read? Dystopian and YA
sci-fi.
What is your biggest bookish pet peeve? Setting up a good
guy to make you love him/her and changing her into a bad guy later. I hate that.
I also am a big fan of redemption so if there is room for a character,
good or bad, to find some sort of redemption I want that to happen. It's terribly sad for me when it does not.
Which book to movie adaptation is your favorite? I enjoyed
Hunger Games a lot. It wasn't perfect,
but a good adaption. I also enjoyed the
Martian.
Have you ever reread a book? I read the Chronicles of Narnia
several times as a kid. As an adult, I have not had a lot of time.
What book(s) are you looking towards in 2017? I loved
Jennifer Brody's The 13th Continuum series.
Her final book The United Continuums comes out summer 2017.
What is your favorite under-appreciated novel? I kind of
combined this answer with the question below.
Do you prefer ebooks over physical books, or vice versa? The
both are good for me. I love holding
physical books and looking at the covers.
But ebooks are very convenient. I
often read on my phone while I'm waiting.
Are there any recommendations you have for your readers as
they anticipate your next novel? Sure, there are SO many great indie and
traditional authors that are under appreciated.
David R Bernstein- Influence
Jennifer Brody- The 13th Continuum
Joanne Macgregor- Recoil
Norma Hinkens- Immurement and Girl of Fire *check out my review for Girl of Fire HERE*
Those are just a few that might keep you busy.
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