Author of the Month~ October

Hello everyone! It's another new month and with that comes a new Author of the Month. This will consist of a post that includes an interview with the chosen author, along with featuring them in my sidebar for that entire month.  New feature I started on my blog in September (Refer HERE if you would like to see the original post & if you would like to be apart of this as an author).

October's Author: Julie Eshbaugh

Julie Eshbaugh once produced an online video series for teens which received several honors from the Webby Awards. Now, she focuses her time on writing. Her debut YA novel, IVORY AND BONE, was released by HarperTeen in June 2016, and its sequel, OBSIDIAN AND STARS, will follow in June 2017.

Connect with Julie on:
 

~Interview Time~

Sabrina: Hello Julie! It is such a privilege to say that you are my October Author of the Month.. It’s also such an honour to have you on my blog as well.

Julie:  Thank you Sabrina!

Sabrina: Who are some authors you have begun to admire over time?

Julie: So many! If I could meet any author living or dead, I would want to meet Jane Austen. Her books are among my favorites and they’ve really stood the test of time. I’d also love to hang out with the Bronte sisters. If I could have lunch with the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, I would be in fangirl heaven!

Sabrina: Where did the inspiration for Ivory and Bone come from?

Julie: I was inspired to write a book set in prehistory when I went to a museum in London and saw an exhibit about the history of the city. It included an animated display that showed London from above, and it slowly moved backwards through time, showing the city in the Victorian age, and the Elizabethan age, the Dark Ages, and on and on, until it was nothing but forest. This was 10,000  years ago. You could see herds running between the trees and I thought, “Well, I guess no people were here yet.” But then smoke rose between the trees from hearthfires, and I realized people were there! So I started asking questions about those people. I wondered how they lived, what they hoped for, and who they loved. That was the beginning of the idea.

Sabrina: In three words, how would you describe Ivory and Bone series?

Julie: Prehistoric fantasy romance!

Sabrina: As you begin your drafting for book 2, which character has been the easiest to write, and which one has been the hardest to write?

Julie: Mya narrates book 2, and she was not easy to write, at least not in the beginning. I feel like I need to get my main character talking to me, and Mya didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to be known. I had to find her voice, but then the story really flowed.

Sabrina: I for one fell in love with the POV chosen for Ivory and Bone. Did you already know when first planning out the book that you wanted it to be like that, or was it something you figured out later down the line?

Julie: Thanks! I’m so glad you liked it! It was somewhat unplanned, in that I started writing the book in Kol’s voice, and that’s how he wanted to tell it. It just naturally flowed as a story he was telling Mya. I wrote a few chapters that way and then tried to convert it to a traditional first person, but I felt it lost the immediacy, so I put it back. I think for the time period especially, it was meant to be that way.

Sabrina: How did you come up with the names for your characters in Ivory and Bone?

Julie: I tried to be sure all the names were written like they sound, since they had no writing. I think Kol came to me first. I think of him like coal, which becomes a diamond under pressure. Mya’s name was originally going to be Nya, but I think Mya works for her because it has the possessive “my” in it. I see Mya as very self-possessed, so I think it fits.

Sabrina: What are two quotes from Ivory and Bone that you are proud to say you wrote and crafted?

Julie: That’s an interesting question. I don’t think about things like that when I’m writing, but afterwards you sometimes see favorite quotes. I definitely have a favorite scene. It’s the scene where Kol comes through a storm in a small boat to give a warning to Mya’s clan. I love this quote from there:

    “And so I press on. My arms ache and my shoulders burn with pain, but I press on. I have no other choice. If I stop, I could die.

    “If I stop, you could die.”

I also love this quote, from something Mya says to Kol: “In a way, I suppose I envied you your ignorance. But you should know the whole story about that day. Ignorance never protected anyone for long.”

Sabrina: Do you require anything in order to sit down and have a good writing or editing session?

Julie: Mainly quiet. And coffee. I don’t snack while I write but I do need caffeine!

Sabrina: When you are not writing, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Julie: I love to read, of course, and I love to travel (especially to a place with a beach!) I also like a night out at the movies or binging favorite TV shows.

Sabrina: What one piece of advice you would give to a debut author?

Julie: Don’t let it go by in a blur! The debut year goes by so fast, and you feel like there’s so much to do with promo and writing the next book. Try to spend some time just enjoying the fact that one of your big dreams is coming true!

Sabrina: Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me today. It has been a pleasure interviewing you and I can’t wait to read all your future creations.

Julie: Thank you so much Sabrina! I had a lot of fun answering your questions, and your enthusiasm is really appreciated! I’m so excited to share Book 2 with you!

Check out her book Ivory & Bone here:

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