Emily: Not particularly. In general, if I’m in the
mindset to write, I can do it anywhere -- during class in my notebook, on the
bus on my phone, on my computer at home. I just need to be in that creative
mood. The best setting for writing, though, is me alone in the study with some
epic music playing. Something like Hans Zimmer movie soundtracks! With some
water, but no snacks or I’ll get distracted!
Paul: What
types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?
Emily: I read a lot of Young Adult Fantasy and
Science Fiction, but I also dabble in adult fantasy/scifi, contemporary, and nonfiction.
My favorite fiction authors are JK Rowling, John Marsden, Suzanne Collins,
Samantha Young, Susan Bischoff. These authors have the ability to create
amazing (usually fantasy, but not always) worlds and make me care about
their characters.
Paul: If
someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?
Emily: A little bit of everything! I tend to take
inspiration from movies I see, books I read, conversations I hear, people I
know, and mix it all up with my overactive imagination. It’d be very fantastical
with all kinds of impossible things happening! It’s probably a mess in there,
but I imagine it’s a pleasant place. I like happy endings and people who fight
against evil.
Paul: How do you find
the time to write?
Emily: I write whenever I can. On the bus, in class, in between
classes, after dinner. I should get more writing done on the weekends but I sit
around a lot in my pajamas! I actually tend to do more marketing on the
weekends.
Paul: What is one
thing you hope I do not tell the readers?
Emily: Don’t tell them the ending to the Protectors series. Tell me because
I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.
Paul: Do
you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?
Emily: A little bit of both. When I first start a
story, I just write. I usually have a few characters and a very basic idea and
I write a couple scenes without any real direction. After a chapter or two, if
I feel like it’s more than just a fling, I start plotting. I outline pretty
loosely, but I find I write better if I know, very broadly, what my characters
are working towards.
Paul: Do
you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is
more fully-formed?
Emily: It’s a little bit of both, actually. I
definitely don’t need to do as much editing as I did five or even one year ago.
But I think part of that is because I put more thought and time into my first
draft. I edit as I go, and I consider the purpose of each scene. I plot in a
little bit more detail than I used to, which gives my characters direction and
makes the overall story arc easier to deal with when editing.
Paul: Do
you have to do much research for your stories?
Emily: Yes, I find I do. Topics range from cloning
and human replication (Finding Fiona) to life in a Renaissance-type world (the
Protectors) to how exactly electricity works (Connection). I use Google Maps
and Wikipedia all the time for stories set in our world. There was one novel
(in revision right now) where I did a bunch of research on guns, explosives,
and, of course, first aid. I’m practically an expert now ;)
Emily: My most recent book is called Connection.
It’s a YA Contemporary Fantasy about two friends with a strange empathic connection.
The two, Aaron and Anna, are trying to rekindle their friendship after a
falling out nearly a year ago when they find out they have strange powers
whenever they touch. It’s a fun story with romance and superpowers and the
beginning of a series called “Le Garde.”
Paul: What
inspired you to write this book?
Emily: I had a dream where two friends were being
pressured by their moms to sit together during a math test so that they could
get A's. For some reason, the two of them being close made them geniuses or something.
I took that idea and morphed it a little bit -- Aaron and Anna share a connection
that enables them to feed off of each other’s knowledge when in a certain
proximity to each other. So, Aaron is kind of math whiz and Anna can speak
French, so when they’re together, Anna understand Trig and they can carry on conversations
in French.
Paul: Do
you have any pieces of work that will never see the light of day?
Emily: Oh, definitely! A few Nano novels, some Harry
Potter fanfiction (no plans to turn it into a 50 Shades of Gray phenomenon). I
like reading over some of them, though, and wondering if I could rewrite them.
They were great ideas and characters, just the execution was all wrong!
Paul: What
do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?
Emily: Right now, I’m a full-time student studying
Linguistics and Social Sciences. So, I do a lot of homework! I also work at the
university library with serials and electronic resource management. Writing is
definitely my biggest hobby, but I also like traveling. My husband and I have
been to Western Europe twice, and we take a lot of weekend trips to the coast,
to visit my family in Northern California, to travel around for his shows (he’s
a musician).
Paul: That was wonderful, Emily. I wish you every success for the future.
Paul: That was wonderful, Emily. I wish you every success for the future.
Emily's Website: Emily Ann Ward
Emily on Twitter: @emilyannw
Emily on Facebook: Emily Ann Ward
Emily's latest book: Connection (Amazon)
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