The wait is almost over – Beyond The Red releases tomorrow and I’m so excited to have its creator, Ava Jae here on the blog today for Celebrating Debutantes 2016 event before the release. Ava is nice enough to answers few questions about her debut novel. Let’s all check what Ava shares so we all have a little more info before digging in to this new YA science-fiction novel.
Also, watch out for the launch party of Beyond The Red on twitter and don’t forget to check below the blurb and giveaway!
Interview with Ava Jae
Many novels are inspired by a question—is there a particular one that sparked Beyond The Red?
Sort of, yeah. After I determined that I wanted to write a book that focused on aliens that included an alien perspective, I asked myself what would happen if during a James Cameron Avatar-like human invasion of a planet, the native people fought back and decimated the human forces. The book takes place many generations after that, but establishing that as a background helped me set up a lot of the dynamics in place when the story begins.
Beyond the Red is quite alike with James Cameron’s movie, Avatar in terms of the world, is there a particular part of the film that inspired you to include or write in Beyond the Red?
I wouldn’t say Red actually has all that many similarities to the movie besides the fact that they both take place on an alien planet and have aliens, but as I said in the first question, it did help inspire the background that takes place well before the story, which was pretty vital to developing the rest of the book. 🙂
Kora and Eros are both snarky and strong-willed characters, who is the most fun to write? Do you have any favorite types of character you like to write (ex: villains, bad boys, heroes/heroine)?
Both Kora and Eros were really fun to write for various reasons—though there are a few scenes where Eros is…irritated, shall we say, and he gets extra snarky as a result, which was a blast to write. As for favorite types of characters to write, I really enjoy writing characters who are outsiders, like Eros and Kora, and characters who make questionable decisions, and aren’t 100% good or bad. Characters on the margins are fascinating to me, and I hope to continue to explore more of them in the future.
Racial discrimination is a common theme in fictions (or at least from what I’ve been reading lately), and your novel, Beyond The Red has this theme too. What do you think a novel can accomplish in adding theme like this? Is there a particular thing you hope readers will learn from reading Beyond The Red?
Well, I didn’t set out to write a lesson into Beyond the Red, nor did I just add a thread of racism into the book for the sake of writing about racism—it’s an integral part of the story that developed as I was brainstorming and really became a core issue. I’m not trying to teach any specific lessons, but if it makes readers think, then mission accomplished.
I am a fan of young adult fictions. As an author, what draws you to the YA genre?
I love YA—it’s honestly one of the most engaging categories I’ve come across, and as it continues to expand and grow, I’ve come to love it even more. There are so many powerful stories and voices out there, and I’m so honored to soon be joining their ranks.
Do you have any plans on writing books for non-YA audience? What genre do you think you’ll focus on and why?
I’ve played around with some NA ideas and projects, but I’ve primarily focused on YA as of late because that’s where my heart lies. But you never know! I’m open to playing around with other categories in the future.
Are you working on any project right now? What we should expect from you in the near future?
I’ve got some things under wraps right now that I can’t really talk about, and I’m in brainstorming mode as I figure out my future projects. But you can definitely expect more YA—especially speculative fiction—from me!
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Just that I’m excited to share Beyond the Red with everyone tomorrow and in the future!
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Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all questions Ava! Good luck on the release of Beyond The Red tomorrow.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE BOOK
Book Details:
Title: Beyond The Red
Author: Ava Jae
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Publication Date: March 1, 2016
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover, eBooks
Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.
Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.
When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide.
Book Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Indigo | Goodreads | Kobo
Giveaway:
What’s up for Grabs?
- Beyond The Red Swags
The Rules:
- Open to US residents only
- There will be one (1) winner only
- Winner will be chosen by rafflecopter
- Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
- Ends March 21, 2016
- Prize will be sent by the author
To enter fill out the rafflecopter form
Good Luck!!!
Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each feature post!
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