Interview with Ava Jae!

What made you want to become an author?
So this is a weird answer because I’m not sure? It was less of a conscious decision of wanting to be an author and more of starting to write a story that popped in my head and realizing, belatedly, that I really loved doing it and wanted to get published and continue writing.

Tell us about your current work in progress.
I’m currently revising a YA Fantasy with a very sexy antagonist, lots of magic, and some of the most complicated characters I’ve ever written. I’m pretty excited about it. J

What do you do to cure writer’s block?
I don’t believe in writer’s block as much as I believe in getting stuck. And when I’m stuck, more times than not it’s because I’m not sure where the scene is going. So I stop writing, plot the scene out in bullet points then go back to writing. Works for me every time.

Are you a plotter or a pantster?
Plotter for sure. Though I see my outlines more as guidelines than strict rules.

Do you have any writing rituals?
I like writing early in the morning whenever possible, and I’m happiest when I have a mug of hot tea next to me (although that’s not always the case).

What is your favorite book? What about favorite book to movie adaptation? Least Favorite?
Oh geez, this is tough. I’m going to go with favorite book I read last year to narrow it down, which is Half Bad by Sally Green. Favorite book I’ve read this year so far is I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson.

Favorite adaptation is the Harry Potter series hands down. Least favorite is Eragon. Don’t get me started. That movie just…no.

Tell us about landing your agent!
Short version: I entered a blog contest where a secret agent views first 250 samples, chosen by a random lottery generator. I didn’t get an e-mail saying my entry was in and assumed I didn’t make it. Turns out my entry did make it in and Louise was one of the secret agents and wanted to see a partial. Which lead to a bigger partial, and the full, and eventually the very happy call a few weeks before Christmas.

What is the best piece of writing advice you NEVER followed?
Write every day. While I do write semi-constantly with blog posts, and I find that helpful, and I write every day while I’m drafting, I take breaks where the only writing I do all week is for posts. It helps me recharge.

What’s it like to work with a publishing company? How do you balance writing with that?
Honestly, the hard part isn’t balancing assistant editing work with writing—it’s balancing school and writing and social media and the assistant editing work. During the school year, I basically don’t have a social life. Over breaks and the summer, I split up my day between writing and working, which has worked out so far.

Tell us about your current book!
I’d be happy to! Beyond the Red is a YA Sci-Fi about a violent uprising on a distant planet that forces a teenage alien queen to turn to her half-blood bodyguard for help, before her power-hungry brother annihilates the planet’s humans. It has explosions and kissing and I’m totally psyched to share it with everyone next year!

Chocolate or vanilla? 
Chocolate! The darker the better. 

Dinos or dragons? 
Well dragons are basically dinosaurs that can fly and breathe fire, so dragons every time. 

What psychic power would you want?
I’ve always thought telekinesis would be pretty darn cool. And handy. And a really fun way to freak people out. >:D (Probably why it’s a good thing I’m not telekinetic.) 

Favorite Disney character? 
Mulan! 

Dream vacation?
This is going to sound a little boring to some people, but I visited England in 2009, fell in love, and have been dying to go back ever since. So right now, it’d be going back to England. After that, I’m dying to see New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Italy… I’ll stop before this list gets too long. 

Tomatoes: Fruit or veggie? 
While I am aware of its technical classification, it’ll always be a veggie in my head. 

Morning Person or Night owl? 
Morning person for sure! I get up between 5:15-5:45 every morning, even on weekends and holidays. And I love it. 

Favorite Book Ever: 
Ever? Harry Potter series. Obviously. 

Favorite Movie Ever: 
Can I say anything made by Marvel? No? The X-Men series, then. Except The Last Stand (we don’t talk about that one). 

Music Earworm of the Moment:
As of two days ago, “Uptown Funk.” But also Fall Out Boy’s newish album American Beauty/American Psycho. So good. So so good. 

Ava Jae is a YA and NA writer, an Assistant Editor at Entangled Publishing, and is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. Her YA Sci-Fi debut, BEYOND THE RED, is releasing Spring 2016 from Sky Pony Press. When she’s not writing about kissing, superpowers, explosions, and aliens, you can find her with her nose buried in a book, nerding out over the latest X-Men news, or hanging out on her blog, Twitter, Facebook, tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram, or YouTube channel.