We are so excited to share this author interview with you! We can't wait to dive into this book and then share our thoughts with you! So check out this interview below and then tune back in for our review and giveaway!
Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall.
His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting.
Until a human kills her…
Sixteen year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade, annihilating entire cities, taking control of the Earth. Isolated in the wilderness, Raven and her friends have only a fragment of instruction from the human resistance.
Shelter in place.
Which seems like good advice at first. Stay put. Await rescue. Raven doesn’t like feeling helpless but what choice does she have?
Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend.
Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear. But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival comes to depend on trusting each other…
Where can readers follow you?
What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
My name is Gabrielle Prendergast but I also publish as G.S. Prendergast
Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I did but I dabbled with the idea of being a therapist because I thought I needed a “real” job. I even majored in psych at university. But I would have been a terrible therapist.
When did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?
When I sold my first screenplay I remember writing on a customs/immigration form “writer” under profession. That was exciting.
Did it take a long time to get your first book published?
No and Yes. I started out in screenwriting and sold the first screenplay I wrote (it became the children’s film Hildegarde). That also had a novelization that came out in 2001. My next book, Wicket Season, came out in 2012. So there was 11 years of rejections in there!
Do you work another job as well as your writing work?
Not anymore, no.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
Zero Repeat Forever. It’s a story told from both sides of an alien invasion set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Adventure. Romance. Tragedy.
Who is your publisher? or do you self-publish?
My latest book is published by Simon & Schuster.
Do you have a "lucky charm" or "lucky routine" you follow when waiting for your book to be accepted by a publisher?
I sign all my contracts with the same pen and have been since my very first contract. That pen has travelled through eight houses and three countries with me.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Anything from a few weeks to never. Seriously though, I’ve written short books in about a month (that’s the first draft only) others have taken up to five years.
Which of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
Pinch Me was very easy to write because I had outlined it and it was a very contained plot. Zero Repeat Forever was very hard to write because I knew what I wanted to say but wasn’t sure how to say it. Also, being a science fiction story, I had to put a lot of thought into world building.
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I have a sequel to Zero Repeat Forever coming in 2018/19. After that I hope to write a few more YA or middle grade Science Fiction or fantasy novels. But I also have some contemporary stuff coming, as well as a picture book. I also write adult romance.
Do you have a favorite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favorite?
I’m really proud of Audacious. It’s semi-autobiographical so the character really reflects me and represents me and my culture and identity. Also it’s written in verse, which was challenging so I’m proud of that.
If you had to choose to be one of your characters in your book/books which would you be? and why?
Raven in Zero Repeat Forever because she is quite different from me—very athletic and tough. But also because I’m so in love with her love interest.
Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?
I use several beta readers plus my agent and editors and sensitivity readers.
What was the toughest/best review you have ever had?
I’ve had a couple of bad reviews from trade publications like Kirkus or SLJ. Those are rough. Mainly I’m upset more when I feel someone has misunderstood a book rather than that they just didn’t like it.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
Lord, no. But I do think if there are factual errors in a review that it’s okay to ask reviewers to correct them.
Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
Mostly I make things up as I go along so characters often surprise me with their traits or even their identity.
Do you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I’ve worked both ways. There is no rhyme or reason as to which way I go except that if I have a deadline I tend to outline more.
Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
Yes. A lot of what I write is based on things I’ve experienced or witnessed. All of my characters are #ownvoices in one way or another, whether that’s culture, body type, neural type, sexuality, religion, history etc.
Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")
Not intentionally but I think all good fiction teaches us morals. When an author “goes deep” as they’re writing, usually their morality will creep in. Most of my books have themes of forgiveness for example, which comes from my Catholic upbringing.
Which format of book do you prefer, ebook, hardback, or paperback?
Paperback. I like to read a real book and have something to loan or giveaway, but hardcovers are too heavy to carry around on airplanes or whatever.
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood and The World According to Garp. Cat’s Eye is about an artist and Garp is about an author. I read both of them when I was quite young teens/twenties and they had a profound impact on me. I think I related very strongly to the protagonists.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is your favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think the book most improved by movie adaptation is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick which became the movie Bladerunner. The book is not that great and the movie is superb.
Did you have a favorite author as a child?
Madeleine L’Engle was one whose books I ploughed through. Also Lucy Maude Montgomery.
Do you have a treasured book from your childhood? If yes, what is it?
I still have my complete set of The Time Trilogy (signed by L’Engle) and my complete Narnia set.
Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish?
I don’t do suicide books or cancer books so a couple of VERY popular YA books by male authors are off my list.
Are there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them?
I’m very excited that publishing is becoming more racially diverse so there area lot of authors that have emerged recently as part of that – Angie Thomas, Nic Stone, Rebecca Roanhorse and all the authors who are #DVpit success stories. I’m really interested to see what everyone does next.
Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be?
There’s a part in Audacious where a character suggests all women have the same anatomy “down there”. If I was writing this book now I would have worded that scene more sensitively I think.
Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
I might use a pen name for my adult romances, just to keep things separate.
If you could invite three favorite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Margaret Atwood, John Irving and JK Rowling.
Favorite Book Snack?
Wine!
Dogs or Cats?
Though I’m allergic to both. I have chickens!
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FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored.
Donations: All donations are to help keep this site running via costs from shipping, .com charges, and other giveaways.
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