Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit interview with Jessica Brody

I’m woefully late on posting my interview with Jessica Brody for her awesome new release UNREMEMBERED.  In my defense, I’ve been a) swamped and b) hoping to read the free sample I’d downloaded to my Kindle so that I could rave about its fabulosity firsthand.  Alas, a has not yet given way to b, but the great buzz I’ve been hearing has convinced me that words like “awesome” and “fabulous” are not overselling.

Just check out these great quotes:

“Unremembered is a story brimming with mystery and suspense, star-crossed love and mad scientists. I felt like a detective putting together the pieces of Seraphina’s forgotten past right along with her, and the masterful way the puzzle was finally revealed left me speechless.”—Marissa Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of Cinder

“Unremembered is an awesome book! I was pulling for Seraphina from the opening chapters, and couldn’t wait to read what happened next—and I LOVED the twist at the end.” —P.C. Cast, New York Times Bestselling author of the House of Night series.

“Gripping story…harrowing action…The first in Brody’s new science-fiction series should snare enough attention to have folks tapping their feet for the sequel.” – Booklist

“Unremembered” is the first in a young adult sci-fi trilogy that is a page-turning adventure of self-discovery.” – Deseret News

“Fast-paced and sure to satisfy romance-oriented readers” – Kirkus

Or this summary:

The only thing worse than forgetting her past…is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find a single survivor; which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating amid the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe. She has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories…period. As she struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is, every clue raises more questions. Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

Set in a world where science knows no boundaries and memories are manipulated UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody is the first novel in a compelling, romantic, and suspenseful new sci-fi trilogy for teens.

Or the book itself.  Or the interview below:

Jessica Brody

What is your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you schedule time to write each day or are you a spree writer?

Definitely a plotter. I can’t start a book until I’ve got at least an outline of an outline done.

I try to write in the mornings, I find that’s when I’m most creative. And if I don’t, I usually end up putting it off all day and then it never gets done. I write for about 2-3 hours which usually gets me 1000-1500 words. And I shut off EVERYTHING during that time. No Facebook, no Twitter, no emails until my word count is in! Yes, I’m a very mean boss!

What is the hardest part about the publishing process for you and how do you get through it?

Copyediting and chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. If it’s Easter time, I go for those Cadberry mini eggs. They are like magic copyediting happy pills.

We drop your hero or heroine on a deserted island. Quick, what are the three things he or she can’t live without?

Well, this is a pretty tough question since at the beginning of the story my heroine has nothing. Not even a single memory of who she is! However, she does discover that she had a locket on her when they pulled her out of the plane wreckage. A locket with a mysterious engraving on the back. This turns out to be a very important element in the story. And she definitely can’t live without it (for reasons you come to discover as you read!)

If your story were a film, who would you cast?

Oh gosh, I’m always SO bad at this question! Okay, I’m going to go with Nina Dobrev (from The Vampire Diaires) I’ve always pictured her in the role of Seraphina. She just has that totally flawless look about her (which is how Seraphina is described in the book) and she’s also ethnically ambiguous (another trait of my main character.) Before my publisher designed a cover, I made this temporary mock-up with Nina’s face as inspiration.

Are there any contests or upcoming appearances/interviews/etc. you’d like to plug?

Yes! A few!

I’m going on tour for the book this month! Click here to see a list of all the stops: http://www.jessicabrody.com/2013/02/the-unremembered-tour/

Also for some more fun guest posts and interviews, check out the UNREMEMBERED blog tour: http://www.jessicabrody.com/2013/02/the-unremembered-blog-tour/

And you can read a free short story called “The Memory Coder,” set in the Unremembered world on Tor.com.

Okay, I’m done plugging now.