FEATURE: AUTHOR OF THE MONTH.. (8)

Hello there lovely Blurbies!! I am so excited for this day to arrive! I have interviewed an amazing and wonderful author who wrote a magnificent high fantasy novel I totally loved! When I asked her via email if I could interview her, she gladly responded a welcoming YES and the warmth of her acceptance could be felt through her email! I totally love this person and I am hoping that someday, I would be able to meet her and thank her personally. So guys, I present to you my eighth

JENNIFER NIELSEN.

Was it difficult to write The False Prince? How long did it take you to finish it?

First of all, thank you very much for hosting me! I don’t know if The False Prince was easy to write, but it was a fast write. I started it in early October and sent it to my agent as a finished manuscript at the end of the year. Once I knew what I wanted for the story, it all came together very quickly.

Which is harder to write: The False Prince or The Runaway King?

For me, I think The Runaway King was a little more difficult. In a trilogy, there’s always a challenge with the middle book because you want to create a new and different adventure from what readers saw in the first book, but not overshadow the adventure that’s still to come in the final book. So I decided to test Sage in a totally different way – where the first book is more of a mental game, in The Runaway King, the challenge is more physical. Which of course, leaves open the question of what he’ll have to face in the third book…

What inspired you to write it?

I’d had the idea for the story for some time, but I couldn’t find the right hero to carry the weight of the story. Sage was found in a song by Eddie Vedder called “Guaranteed.” The lyrics said, “I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me, guaranteed.” From that, I had the idea of Sage, a boy who knows exactly what game he is playing, but the other players don’t realize that someone is secretly rewriting the rules.

Author space reserved today. Gonna bring this everywhere now to help me park! source

 Sage is one of a kind. He's mysterious, smart, funny and brave. Is he inspired by someone?

Sage is entirely his own character – thank goodness because I’d feel bad for any real mother who’d have to raise him! However, I did borrow a couple of his traits from students I used to teach in high school. One was a boy who could roll a coin over his knuckles exactly as I describe Sage doing it. The other was a boy who could steal a watch from a person’s wrist while looking them in the eye and shaking their hand. As far as I know, he never got caught. (Luckily, he always returned the watches!) I definitely thought about him when writing Sage’s thief scenes.

This was my gift from the hubby. I've wanted an antique typewriter for years and couldn't love this more. source

What is your favorite book and quote?

I’m going to have to choose two. The first, from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables: "It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live."
And the second, from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

When you're not writing, what other things do you usually spend time on?

I love to watch movies, and spend time with my family, and spend time in the mountains. I always have at least one book that I’m reading. In a perfect world, for whatever I’m doing, there is plenty of dark chocolate within reach.

How about your dream movie cast for the novel?

This is a tough question! For at least one of the lead roles, I would really love to see an unknown be cast, and even better if it was someone who had already been a fan of the books. Sage is going to be the trickiest to cast, because it’s not easy to balance defiance and attitude with charm and compassion. The right actor would do it brilliantly. So maybe Joel Courtney or Brendan Meyer could be a great Sage, or Roden, with someone like Liam James for Tobias. I think Hailee Steinfeld would make a wonderful Imogen, and Odeya Rush would be a fantastic Amarinda. Maybe someone like Bradley Cooper or Russell Crowe for Conner.

What's in your bag? What are the things you can’t leave home without? ;)

Three things. I’m a total Chapstick addict, so I always have a tube in my pocket or bag. I also start to get jitters without my cell phone, even when I’m not expecting a call or an email. And third is a pen – I hate the feeling that I might think of something that I want to write down, but not be able to do it. It would be very rare to ever find me without all three of these.

Your favorite world destination.

There’s no way to choose just one! I love to travel, and the most exciting destination is somewhere I’ve never been before. I’m planning a trip to Rome soon to research my next series (woo-hoo!), and I love anywhere warm with a cool sand beach. The place I’ve determined I must see one day is Iceland. (Incidentally, my nephew is living in the Philippines right now and tells me I must come for a visit there!)

Message for your Filipino fans.

Filipinos are great readers, and I am so grateful to those who have become fans of The Ascendance series. I hope the series is one that speaks to people all over the world, and the enthusiasm I get from fans in the Philippines is some of the best. It’s why I was so happy to do this interview – because I felt honored for the chance to connect with you directly!

About Jennifer

New York Times Bestselling author, Jennifer Nielsen, was born and raised in northern Utah, where she still lives today with her husband, three children, and a dog that won’t play fetch. She is the author of The Ascendance trilogy, beginning with THE FALSE PRINCE; of The Underworld Chronicles, beginning with ELLIOT AND THE GOBLIN WAR; the forthcoming PRAETOR WAR series, and will write the sixth book of the Infinity Ring series (BEHIND ENEMY LINES). She loves chocolate, old books, and lazy days in the mountains.

Follow Jennifer: * Website * Twitter * Facebook *
Other Books: * Infinity Ring * Underworld Chronicles *

About The Ascendance Trilogy

The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1)

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THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2)

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A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

The Shadow Throne (The Ascendance Trilogy #3)

Goodreads

War is Coming...

This was revealed last June on Jen's blog over here. It was so pretty and perfect for the trilogy! I cannot wait for it!

I really really appreciate what Jennifer did for the blog! It was an honor to be featuring my favorite authors here and THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNIFER for giving me a chance to interview you and also for writing such phenomenal novel! Thank you also for answering my last question "Message to your Filipino fans" in a not so generic way! I really really loved The False Prince and I couldn't wait to read my copy of The Runaway King! Congrats on the success of your series!

My Blurbs for The False Prince:

The first novel in The Ascendance Trilogy, The False Prince sure did rip my brain apart! The love I have for it cannot be put into words! It had taken me by surprise and I actually didn't realize I was holding my breathe while devouring this fantastic and amazing novel! It is edgy, brilliant, magnificent novel that perfectly mixed fantasy and adventure! I can read this over and over and I am definitely okay by it ripping my brain over and over, too! THIS IS JUST TOO PERFECT!