"It's also dazzlingly surreal to walk into a bookstore and see my name on shelves. I'll never get over it!"
- JESSICA KHOURY, debut author of 2012
What is/are the best thing/s that happened after your book was published?
I've really enjoyed getting to meet some of the authors who have inspired me, like Ally Condie, Beth Revis, and Robin Hobb, and to get advice from them! It's also dazzlingly surreal to walk into a bookstore and see my name on shelves. I'll never get over it!
What do you think you're up to now if you're not writing?
I am pretty much always writing something, but I do take time out for other things, like coaching youth soccer and directing for small theater.
Are you interested in writing with different genre or audience?
I'd love to dive into some other genres like high fantasy and to also reach into the Middle Grade audience, but we'll see what happens!
Do you read reviews about your book?
I do, occasionally. I know some authors say you shouldn't, but reviewers are going to give honest reviews and through them, I do discover what areas of my writing I can work on more. I think it's a necessary part of growth for me as a writer, but there has to be a balance. I have to be able to discern which critique is good and which isn't, and how far to take it. In other words, I do listen to reviewers and try to see my writing from their perspective, so that I can become better, but I also don't want to be so influenced by reviews that I lose my own narrative instincts to theirs.
Who is the character on your book who has the most response from your readers?
Pia's pet jaguar, Alai--which surprised me at first, but then it didn't. I mean, he is a pet jaguar and he is wickedly cool.
Was there any book/s from other debut author of 2012 that you loved?
I adored BLACK CITY by Elizabeth Richards, which just came out, and FALLING KINGDOMS by Mordan Rhodes, which comes out in December. Also VENOM and THE INNOCENTS and CREWEL and oh, gosh, I could go on and on. There are so many great books out this year!
(Sidenote: I would totally agree!)
Fave character from a book (not yours)?
My favorite book character ever is Miles Vorkosigan, from Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga. Seriously. If you love sci/fi then you must check these book out.
What's your next project?
My next project is a companion to ORIGIN, but not a sequel. You'll see just one overlapping character from ORIGIN, but other than that, it's a new setting, new cast, and new science. Hopefully we'll be announcing more details soon! I have seen the tentative cover and we just settled on a title, so it shouldn't be long now!
Share us one embarrassing moment you've had.
I recently did a signing on the Queen Mary in southern CA. The boat, you must understand, is GINORMOUS, and I got terribly lost (twice) trying to find my way around. It was pretty embarrassing, running around, getting on elevators that were just there for decoration, finding myself in strange staircases that went nowhere...
What's the recent thing that made you cry?
That one recent episode of the Walking Dead (if you watch the show, you'll know which one).
When's your birthday?
February 7th.
Fave movie?
Beasts of the Southern Wild--go watch it! Watch it NOW!
Fave artist/song?
I love Katie Melua--look her up. She's like Norah Jones but better.
How did you celebrate the publishing of your book? :)
Midnight release party, baby! And then I drove an hour to the nearest Barnes & Noble to sign their copies and dance around the display ladder they'd put the book on. =)
*****
Jessica Khoury is 22 years old and was born and raised in Georgia. She attended public school followed by homeschooling, and earned her bachelor's degree in English from Toccoa Falls College. She lives in Toccoa, Georgia with her husband Benjamin, two terrible dogs and three contrary birds, and an abundance of books, shoes, and sweet tea. When not writing, she's usually directing stageplays or coaching soccer. She began writing at age four and has dreamed of being an author ever since. Origin is her first novel.
Find Jessica on Twitter, Facebook, her blog and website.
by Jessica Khoury
Published: September 4th 2012 by Razorbill
Summary (Goodreads):
Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.
Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.
Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.
Praises for Origin:
“I loved Origin’s action, romance, and mystery—and I couldn’t stop thinking about the questions it raised.” —Beth Revis, NY Times bestselling author of Across the Universe
"Pia clawed her way through the pages and left her mark on the landscape of my imagination as the almost tangible danger left me breathless." - Colleen Houck, NY Times bestselling author of Tiger's Curse
Buy Origin now!
* Thank you so much, Jessica, for droppin' by Michelle Shouts Random! x
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