Writing Belle: Colet and Jasmine Abedi: Sisters and Authors of FAE

Colet and Jasmine Abedi are two people I recently became acquainted with. These two ladies - sisters, I should say - got together and created a book called Fae. The book releases on July 30th, 2013, but you can snag the book for pre-order on iTunes and Kobo. These literary sisters were kind enough to swing by for an interview, so check out the interesting deets on their upcoming debut!

Introduce yourselves! Who are you and why are you writers?

We are Colet and Jasmine Abedi, and are sisters who wrote the upcoming series Fae. We have always had a love of writing and began collaborating on many projects when we were very young. Our passion for all things creative led us to the world of the entertainment industry where we have worked since completing our education.

Colet: I ran development for ITV Studios and am currently Executive Producer on three shows that run in syndication called Unsealed: Conspiracy Files, Unsealed: Alien Files and Now Eat This with Rocco DiSpirito. I was also an Executive Producer on Posh Tots. Prior to that, I was a Head Writer for 20th Television, a division of Fox, for two telenovelas, American Heiress starring Annalyn McCord and Robert Buckley and Fashion House, starring Bo Derek and Taylor Kinney. I also recently completed the feature film Five Souls that will be released next year.

Jasmine: I am an entertainment attorney, and have worked with entertainment powerhouses such as Fox, NBCUniversal, ABC, MTV and E! for the past 14 years. I have also worn many different hats in the entertainment industry, with Executive Producer credits for the television programs Posh Tots and the pilots Club Bounce (TruTV), Divas (VH-1), and Life With The Clarks (CMT). In addition to writing, I have also partnered with a law school friend to create the natural cosmetic company Generation Klean, Inc. Our products can be found at major retailers (Whole Foods, Fred Segal etc.) nationwide.

Tell us about the Fae. What can we expect from this novel, and when will it be available?

FAE is the first installment in what we think is a gripping trilogy of Light versus Dark and is inspired by a mystery that remains unsolved today, more than 400 years later – the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. We explore the world of the FAE, both Light and Dark and feature ancient mythology from different cultures.

The story is set against Roanoke Island, North Carolina and

Manteo High School. Caroline Ellis, the stories heroine has just turned sixteen and her birthday has set in motion a series of events that have been fated for centuries. Little does she know that she is the rightful heir to the throne of the Light Fae, and it is believed that she is the one to unite the Light and the Dark through union with her soul mate: heir to throne of the Dark Fae, Devilyn Reilly.

Devilyn is the only one of the Fae who is both of the Light and of the Dark, and must struggle to maintain that precarious balance and not to succumb to the power of the Dark within him. Understanding his mission, that he is the only one who can save Caroline from the Dark Fae who intend on destroying her and all hope for unity amongst the Fae, he is reluctantly enrolled at Manteo High School and quickly becomes its star quarterback.

After a tumultuous relationship, Devilyn tells Caroline who she is and who he is. He promises her that he will protect her from his people at all costs, but this also means protecting her from him. They can and never will be together, for the prophecy also makes clear that the union that will bring peace amongst the Fae will also bring Caroline’s own destruction.

We think that what makes Fae so interesting and so different from other YA novels is that we told the story scene by scene through the eyes of both Caroline and Devilyn. So you get to see each scene through their respective perspectives.

Fae is currently available for pre-sale on iBookstore and Kobo. Fae’s release date is July 30, 2013.

Will be it be a stand-alone novel or a series?

We always envisioned this story to be a Trilogy and are in the process of writing Book II as we speak.

Did you have to do any type of research for this story?

We did do a lot of research for Fae before we began writing it. There was so much that has been written about the “Fairy World,” that we didn’t know. We also did some research on the The Lost Colony, Roanoake Island and North Carolina in general. We wanted to maintain the integrity of what is known of the history of the Lost Colony as well as reserving the right to create some fictional elements of our own.

Do you outline your books before you write them, or do you just wing it?

Given that we write as a team, it’s a lot easier to sit down and do a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline before we start writing. It honestly makes the process so much easier and the story seems to flow a lot better. At the end of the day we may deviate from certain portions of the outline because that is a natural part of the writing process, but for the most part we try our best to follow it.

Favorite writing snack?

Colet: Lays Salt & Vinegar potato chips with yogurt and mini kitkats. I’m completely addicted to both.

Jasmine: I wish I could say that I snack on kale chips and celery when I’m writing, but I kind of have a strange addiction to chocolate covered peanuts, string cheese and sour gummy worms. Not necessarily in that order.

Do you listen to music while you write?

We both love listening to music and depending on the day and what type of mood we are in the selection varies.

Colet: It pretty much depends on how I feel when I wake up that day. I love Pandora because it gives you the option to change stations and listen to the genre that you are feeling. My top three stations are Carla Bruni, Enya or Gotye.

Jasmine: Generally speaking when I’m writing I gravitate towards the soft soothing sounds of Jazz or R&B because I want to be able to focus on my writing and not directly on the lyrics in the music. I also absolutely love Enya and Adele. However, oftentimes if I’m writing a scene that may have an intensity to it, I’ll switch it up and listen to some Nine Inch Nails, Of Monsters and Men or Evanescence.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Best of luck with your release!

THANK YOU!!

Visit Colet and Jasmine Abedi’s website at www.cjabedi.com Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FaeTrilogy

Twitter at @cjabedi

Pinterest at CJ Abedi.

Writing Belle's feature today was the beginning of a series of author features that I'll be having over the summer. So if you're an author (or an editor...or otherwise literary bumpkin), drop me a line and I'll book you for a feature. Slots fills up fast, though, so don't hesitate!

Thanks for stopping by!