Jen Greyson is a busy lady. Her New Adult novel, Lightning Rider, releases today - and trust me when I say that it's no easy task to release a book.
Lightning Rider features plenty of adventure, romance and kick-butt action scenes. I interviewed Jen about her new book, her writing world, and what makes her tick. Check it out!
Jen: A huge thank you to Summer here at Writing Belle for
interviewing me and letting me come visit.
Me: Give us the rundown on Lightning Rider.
Jen: Lightning Rider is a new adult
fantasy. It's about the first-ever female time traveler who has to
go back to ancient Spain and kill a guy.
She’s a Latina who teams up with a roman warrior to save the
world. Along the way she has to learn who to trust and how to use her lightning
bullwhips.
Me: Give us the rundown on yourself. Who
are you and why are you a writer?
Jen: Well, I am a mama unleashing stories. I
started writing about eight years ago and have a lot of fun with
it. Lightning Rider is my first published novel. I am a
huge fan of traveling and outdoors. If I get any sort of vacation, I
am either headed out camping, or boating, or heading to Disney World to ride
the Dueling Dragons. I absolutely love being in new places and I
think that's one of many reasons why I set this book in Spain. It gives me a
way to research a place and see it from a character's view point.
Me: What was the inspiration for Lightning
Rider? Did you have to do a lot of research for the novel?
Jen: The inspiration for Lightning Rider came from a
very quirky conversation that I had with my family during a family
reunion. We were talking about my grandpa, who was into some off the
wall stuff--astral projection and out-of-body experiences. I started
thinking “what if?” . . . What if there was a family that was given the ability
to time travel and change events? And the story took off from there.
I didn't originally plan on ancient Spain, but
that was where the character led me, which turned into a lot of research on
ancient Spain, on the hero, Viriato, and on Roman soldiers and the Roman
occupation of Spain.
I love research and I get really geeked about it,
so sometimes I end up doing more
research than writing. But it's an amazing book and I had so much
fun with it.
Me: How
long did it take to write the book from cover to cover?
Jen: This book was one of those that just wouldn't
die. I started writing it two years before I got the deal for it,
and it looked nothing like it does now. I didn't love it, I put it
aside, I worked on something else. But, I couldn't stop thinking about it, so
I'd take it out and tweak it and it was just never quite right, and I finally
burned the manuscript, then found it the next morning again on my desk!
At that point, I figured this thing wasn't ever
going to go away, so I finished it. And finally found Evy's voice
and wrote it from the right point of view, and everything just fell in
line. So, total time on this book is seriously two years. Once I
found the right story, from the right perspective, it took me about six months for
version I submitted, then we did about another two months worth's of editing.
Me: I
love strong independent heroines and I think Evy sounds like my kind of girl. How did you come up with her character?
Jen: That is a great question, and like I said, I got
it wrong for a while, and she is incredibly stubborn and strong and independent
and will get her way no matter what. So, I think there wasn't really
a “coming up with” Evy--It was more about getting out of her way, and letting
her tell the story. She's an amazing character. And it's
been a blast to see her grow from a very self-centered, brash, aggressive girl
to a thoughtful, vulnerable, woman. And I really hope readers like
her, because I don't see her leaving me alone any time soon.
Me: I
can't help it. I am curious about Constantine. Any juicy deets
you can spill on this Roman warrior?
Jen: Ohhhhh Constantine . . . Constantine has been in
this book from the very beginning, and he was really—when I look back on it
now—he was really the pillar that cemented this story from the very beginning
and he’s always been drawing Evy to him. And that's so
characteristic of their relationship . . . his relationship with everyone,
really. He's a pretty tortured guy, but things are going to get a
lot better for him in book two (so there’s a teaser for everyone: he’s back,
and he’s back in true Roman warrior style)
Me: Advice
to aspiring authors?
Jen: Never give up. Be careful who you show
your work to. Believe in the story. Never, ever, ever
quit.
Me: Thanks
so much for stopping by – best of luck in all of your writing endeavors!
Jen: Thanks for having me! I really enjoyed the
interview, thanks for the great questions.
About Jen
From the moment she decided on a degree in
Equestrian Studies, Jen Greyson’s life has been one unscripted adventure after
another. Leaving the cowboy state of Wyoming to train show horses in France,
Switzerland, and Germany, she’s lived life without much of a plan, but
always a book in her suitcase. Now a wife and mom to two young boys, she relies
on her adventurous, passionate characters to be the risk- takers.
Jen also writes university courses and corporate
training material when she’s not enjoying the wilds of the west
via wakeboard or snowmobile. Her new adult fantasy, Lightning Rider, comes out May 31 and features a Latina heroine
with some serious superpowers.
You can find Jen here:
About Lightning Rider:
Heiress to a time-traveling
dynasty, Evy Rivera is finally claiming her birthright as a lightning rider.
Problem is, she’s forced to learn it alongside Constantine, a prickly,
obstinate Roman warrior who constantly challenges her to be the woman he sees
in her.
Thrown back into ancient
Spain, Evy must rely on guts and instinct to wield her lightning as a weapon
and outsmart Ilif, her quasi-mentor who believes time traveling should be left
to the Rivera men.
During her training, Evy and
Constantine battle the push-pull of their explosive relationship, aware the
2,000-year span between their lives is an unavoidable hurdle.
Caught between a
centuries-old battle rife with secrets, Evy must learn whom to trust before she
risks everything and the wrong history repeats itself. When the heritage her
parents have suppressed mingles with the past, Evy must find answers . . .
Which history is the right
one? And who is she becoming?
Thanks so much for a great interview. I really appreciate you hosting a stop on the tour!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fantastic and I'm adding it to my "to read" list!
ReplyDeleteYay. If your TBR pile looks anything like mine, I hope adding that one to the stack didn't topple it over!
DeleteThis sounds like it's right up my alley. Awesome to meet you, Jen! :)
ReplyDeleteAlways fun to meet new readers! Sounds like we hang out in similar alleys :D
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