by Megan O'Russell
Date
Publishing: December 6th 2016
Published
by: Fiery Seas Publishing
Genre: Young
Adult
Two worlds...one glass wall...no turning
back.
BLURB
The human race has been divided. The
chosen few live in the safety of the domes, watching through their glass walls
as those left on the outside suffer and die. But desperation has brought
invention, and new drugs have given the outsiders the strength to roam the
poisoned night unafraid – but it comes at a price.
Seventeen-year-old Nola Kent has spent
her life in the domes, being trained to protect her little piece of the world
that has been chosen to survive. The mission of the domes is to preserve the
human race, not to help the sick and starving. But when outsider Kieran Wynne
begs for Nola’s help in saving an innocent life, she is drawn into a world of
darkness and danger. The suffering on the other side of the glass is beyond
anything Nola had imagined, and turning her back on the outside world to return
to the safety of the domes may be more than she can stand. Even when her home
is threatened by the very people Nola wants to help.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/5sxeOh3t4PY
How would you describe youR style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
I’m not
sure if this is going to sound wrong, but conversational. By that I don’t mean that multisyllabic words
aren’t allowed. I mean that everything, even action sequences and descriptors, is
meant to sound like a person is speaking. I read every manuscript I write out
loud multiple times to make sure that the words all flow together in a way that
sounds natural.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need
to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project
or just free writing)?
I don’t
really have a set routine. I’m a stage actor by trade, and I move across the
country for shows at least a few times a year, and in cast housing I have new
roommates all the time. Ideally, I want to wake up in the morning, find a nice
quiet place and spend two hours writing. In reality, quiet is a rarity,
solitude never happens, and the only writing constant I have is my wonderful
husband bringing coffee. I’ve written on tour busses, fancy patios, and
backstage at shows. It’s a crazy life, and I take what time I can get!
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do
you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do
you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character
during story creation?
I do
take character prep to heart. I want to know what their goals are, where their
hearts lies, and what they would be most terrified to lose. From there I let
them grow as the story progresses. But those three things always stay with
them, unless something deliberately massive changes.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?
I love
Nola Kent. I love her meekness and her strength. I know it sounds
contradictory, but it’s what I admire about her. She is a quiet person, not one
to seem the type for extraordinary bravery. But if people she cares about need
her, she’ll do everything possible to protect them. From her aptitude in STEM
fields to her claustrophobia, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Nola.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Always!
Right now I’m working on the start of a new series, and there is a terrifying
character I can’t wait to work on!
Have you ever felt that there was something
inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to
reach for the unexperienced?
I think
most writers probably feel like that. If the story isn’t burning to come out,
is there really a need to write it? For me it’s usually a scene I really want
to put down. It’s a snappy line of dialogue or the perfect moment for a first
kiss. And if you think of the grand scale of the world, the amount that each of
us has experienced is really relatively small. You’re going to have to write
about things you’ve never done; that’s what research, interviews, and
imagination are for.
Author
Info
Megan O’Russell is the author of the
young adult fantasy series The Tethering, and Nuttycracker Sweet, a Christmas
novella. Megan’s short stories can also be found in several anthologies,
including Athena’s Daughters 2, featuring women in speculative fiction.
Megan is a professional performer who
has spent time on stages across the country and is the lyrist for Second
Chances: The Thrift Shop Musical, which received it’s world premiere in 2015.
When not on stage or behind a computer, Megan can usually be found playing her
ukulele or climbing a mountain with her fantastic husband.
