Fresh Fiction welcomes Bonnie S. Calhoun, author of the the YA dystopian trilogy, Stone Braide
Chronicles! The second book
LIGHTNING is out
now!
Jen: Hi, Bonnie. Thank you for joining us on Fresh Fiction! I’m a big fan of
dystopian novels and LIGHTNING creates a
harsh, yet intriguing,
world. What drew you to writing dystopian novels and why do you think they’re so popular?
Bonnie: What drew me to writing dystopian is because it mirrors well the action and
adventure of the
particular brand of mystery/suspense I like to write. Teens and young adults like to read
that kind of action more
than many of the adult readers who prefer romance or historical soft settings.
I think they are popular because it allows young people to experience the kind of
excitement that pumps the heart,
and they can get another adventure as soon as they finish the one they are reading.
Remember, young people feel a
certain level of invincibility.
Jen: LIGHTNING is the second book in
the Stone Braide
Chronicles, which
follows Selah in her search for freedom and answers. Was LIGHTNING easier to write than THUNDER since you knew the characters going into the story or did the
characters and plot throw
new challenges your way that you didn’t expect?
Bonnie: I know my characters like the back of my hand, but just like the closest
member of your family, they
have the ability to throw the most hooked curve balls you’ve ever seen. The characters in
your head are like an
unruly head of curly hair during a humid week! It does exactly what it wants to do and you
just hang on for the ride,
and keep trying to comb it flat.
Jen: Selah has to push herself physically and mentally to survive. She’s both
strong-willed and strong. What
do you think is the key to creating a strong female protagonist?
Bonnie: That’s actually easy to state but not always as easy to remember to
accomplish. (Now that I’ve got you
totally confused.) The key to writing a strong character is by showing her weakness. Just
like the way to create a
strong evil character, is to show the humanity side of him. You must be able to express
the dichotomy of the
situation to give either side of the equation its strength. Like the Lord says, we are
strong when we are weak.
Jen: I’m a sucker for romance and Selah and Bodhi’s connection is sweet in the best
possible way. How did
Bodhi’s character take shape and who would you cast to play him in a movie?
Bonnie: Bodhi’s character took shape from the very beginning. There are things
about their attraction that are
taken for granted but it will turn out to be “different”. I would tell you why…but then I
would have to kill you
because a secret between two people is only a secret if one of them are dead. Just
kidding…In the long run I wouldn’t
tell. You’ll have to wait till the end of the third book STORM to understand their
connection.
I never thought of who would play him because it would need to be a relatively unknown
actor so he’d imprint on the
role.
Jen: What is next for Selah and Bodhi? Can you give us a peak at what we’ll see in
the third Stone Braide
Chronicles?
Bonnie: Well…Selah and Bodhi both survive to the third book. How’s that for a peek?
Oh, alright…something more
substantial. Well…I keep trying to think of things to say but each of those things are
contingent of something that
happens in LIGHTNING, so if I mention it for
book# 3, then you know it’s outcome in book# 2.
Let’s just say Bodhi becomes Selah’s protector but he can’t protect her from her own body
winding down to the end of
the novarium cycle, but there will be domed cities in the far beyond…
Jen: Bonnie, thank you so much for joining us on Fresh Fiction! I can't wait to see
the domed cities in
STORM and find out what's happening to Selah!
Bonnie S. Calhoun is the Owner/Director of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
(CFBA) where she has 250+ book
reviewer blogs that twice weekly do blog tours for the latest in Christian fiction. She is
also the Owner/Publisher
of Christian Fiction Online Magazine (CFOM), a three-year-old 50+ page Ezine with columns
and articles by the best
and brightest authors and professionals in Christian fiction. Bonnie serves as the
President of the Christian Authors
Network (CAN), and Northeast Zone Director of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).
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After she found her real father, life for Selah should have felt settled. But the
horrors have just begun.
In her broken world of toxic earth and tribal clashes, Selah must battle the forces of
nature alongside those in the
Mountain who are calling for her blood. Haunted by the pain of mounting losses, she forges
on, seeking her lost
family and uncovering new mysteries. But the ultimate betrayal of her own body may soon
make her quest impossible as
it becomes apparent that what has made her new could also drive her to a life of madness.
Bonnie Calhoun whisks readers back into an otherworldly struggle as Selah continues her
quest for answers--and
freedom.
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