Author Interview with Jes Young

Author Interviews

April 9, 2014

I’m interviewing Jes Young, author of paranormal romance “The Uncovering”. Welcome to my blog, Jes, and thanks for answering my interview questions.

Author Interview

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

Well, I think I’ve always been a storyteller. As a kid, I made up the games my brother and sister and I played. I was the one who decided that the big rock by the edge of the woods was a boat. That the woods were a deserted island we’d just wrecked on. That the leaves in the little stream were fish that we could catch with sticks or with our hands. As I got older, I started to create characters and write stories down, which I liked way better because, unlike my brother and sister, the characters on the page always did what I told them to do. There’s this funny quote about what motivates people to be writers that rings so true for me, “because kidnapping people and forcing them to act out interesting make believe worlds is technically illegal.”

Where did you get the inspiration for The Uncovering?

The Uncovering is loosely based on Norse mythology. Loosely. I take a lot of liberties with the existing myths and add things and take things away as I see fit.

What is your editing process like?

First off, I like that we’re calling it a “process.” That makes it sound so orderly and organized as opposed to the barely controlled chaos it really is. The truth is that I edit and rewrite constantly while I’m working on something. Sometimes I’m rewriting several sections at once, just praying that everything comes together in the end. I do this because I feel like I can’t build a sturdy house on a shaky foundation. I’m pretty sure conventional wisdom is to get a first draft down on paper before you start editing but I can’t do it that way. I wish I could. I feel like it would be a much faster, less confusing way to write.

What was the most challenging part of writing this book?

Creating the world of Tab’s power was definitely the biggest challenge for me. Until I started writing it, I wasn’t a big reader of the Urban Fantasy or Fantasy genre so I didn’t have some of those great stories and writers to influence and guide me. I was feeling my way blind and boy, was I blind. In the very first draft, there was almost no magic and what little there was didn’t make any sense even to itself. I knew I had to fix it, but I didn’t know how. Eventually, I found the answer in the same place I’ve found the answer to so many other questions…in books. I read Tolkien. I read Martin. I read a bunch of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance writers and I really thought about the magical systems and boundaries they had set up. Then I want back to The Uncovering with that in mind. I asked myself what does Tab’s power look like? Feel like? How does it work? What can it do? What are the limitations? I started layering in elements to the existing first draft and that’s when the story really came alive.

What are your writing goals for 2014?

This year I need to finish up the Twilight & Dawn Trilogy (two down, one to go). That’s a big thing. And as I wrap this up, I also need to start thinking about what to write next. I have some ideas that I’m kicking around. I feel like there’s a lot more story to tell in Tab’s world, even if Tab herself may not be directly involved.

Are you working on something right now? If so, tell us about it.

I’m working on the third book in the Twilight & Dawn trilogy now and I can tell you that the end of a series is an interesting place to be as a writer. There’s so much to wrap up, so many things that need to be resolved before the story ends. I feel a tremendous responsibility not to let the characters or the readers or myself down. I’ve read so many trilogies where the first book was great, the second was ok, and the third was the obvious result of what happens when you have too many balls in the air and they begin to cascade down upon your head. I’m trying really hard to bring the story to a close in a way that is satisfying and genuine. Wish me luck.

About The Uncovering

Title: The Uncovering

Author: Jes Young

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

“Tab Bennett is normal — unusually, excessively normal. Her job as a bank teller is safe and secure, her grandfather finally let her move out of the house (at least to the cottage at the end of the driveway), and her fiancé fiercely guards her chastity, whether she wants him to or not.

It’s something of a shock, then, when Tab learns that she is the elvish queen of the fabled kingdom of the Inbetween. Also shocking is the appearance of the staggeringly confident and gorgeous elvish warrior who claims to be Tab’s true betrothed. Even amidst a steamy love triangle, Tab must tell friend from foe in an unknown world of danger, deceit, magic, and sex.

The first in the Underneath and Inbetween trilogy, The Uncovering sparkles with wit and unadulterated fun.”

Author Bio

Jes Young holds a BFA in creative writing from Emerson College. She writes Urban Fantasy and Paranormal romance because, in spite of a complete lack of supporting evidence, Jes still believes in fairy tales, happy endings, and true love.