Amanda Hocking, author of CRYSTAL KINGDOM sits down with Fresh Fiction Reviewer Linda
Green to talk fairytales and FREEKS!
Linda: Amanda, thank you so much for joining us on Fresh Fiction! In the Kanin
Chronicles you have successfully created an absorbing fantasy world with
many fairytale elements. What is your favourite fairytale and why?
Amanda: Rumpelstiltskin. I just think he’s such a ridiculous, angry little
man, and his name is so fun to say.
Linda: Bryn Aven is a very strong and determined character who will fight to
protect those she loves. Is her character based on someone from your own life or is
she borrowed traits from many people you’ve known?
Amanda: I never base characters on people I know in real life, because it’s
too limiting. People I know in real life don’t usually act the way I need my
characters to. Inspiration for Bryn came from Gina Carano, an actress and former
MMA fighter, and also a bit of Athos from The Three Musketeers.
Linda: As the love story deepens between Bryn and Ridley, I was completely
caught up in their story. However there is a part of me that wanted Bryn and
Konstantin to investigate their connection. Had you an alternative ending where
this happened or did you never considerate it?
Amanda: No, I never really considered an alternative. I liked Konstantin a
great deal, and I knew that some readers may ship him with Bryn, but I never
intended him to be a romantic lead. His story was one of redemption and absolution,
and that Bryn was able to absolve some of his guilt was far more important to him
than whether or not they were together romantically.
Linda: Like all readers, I have an image of Bryn and Ridley in my mind. What
actors do you think would be perfect for the roles and why?
Amanda: For Ridley, I’ve been thinking of Diego Boneta. Bryn is tougher,
because she’s stocky and muscular, and unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of young
female actresses that fit that description. I kind of pictured her as a mixture of
Elizabeth Olsen and Pink.
Linda: If the Kanin Chronicles were to make the transition onto
screen, would you prefer it to debut on TV ( A Game of Thrones style) or on
the big screen (Twilight style) and why?
Amanda: I would be happy either way, but if I had a choice, I would probably
prefer TV. With a movie, you only have two hours to tell the story, but TV has
plenty of time to flesh things and dig into backstories. TV also has a tendency to
take the story and make it its own, and I’d be interested to see where the
characters end up, because I imagine it would be much different than my books.
Linda: Many authors have rituals or traditions that they have to do before
they can begin the writing process. What are your traditions?
Amanda: I outline extensively and make sure I have all my notes in order,
and I create a playlist to go with the book, so it sets the mood right. And then I
turn off the internet so I don’t get distracted. Those aren’t terribly exciting
rituals, but I am obsessed with having everything in order before I start writing.
Linda: As a successful YA author, who are the YA authors that excite and
inspire you?
Amanda: There are so many, it’s hard to say. I’ve recently become a huge fan
of Courtney
Summers, and I really love her work. I also just read PRETENDING TO BE
ERICA by Michelle Painchaud, and I loved it. Anything by Claudia
Gray, Holly Black, or Richelle Mead. Barry Lyga
is great too.
Linda: You have a great following and I'm sure your readers want to know
what they have to look forward to. So what is next for Amanda Hocking?
Amanda: My next book will be FREEKS – a standalone YA paranormal
romance novel set in the 1980s that follows a travelling sideshow. I pitched it as
Pretty in Pink meets The Lost Boys (minus the vampires) meets
Carnivale. It should be out sometime in 2016 with my publisher.
Linda: That sounds amazing! Thank you for speaking with us.
Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with Batman and Jim Henson.
In between watching cooking shows, taking care of her small menagerie of pets, and
drinking too much Red Bull Zero, she writes young adult urban fantasy and
paranormal romance.
Her New York Times best-selling series the Trylle Trilogy has been optioned
for films. She has published over fifteen young adult novels, including the Hollows
and the Watersong series. Her latest trilogy - the Kanin Chronicles - is complete,
with all three books - Frostfire, Ice Kissed, and Crystal Kingdom - out now.
Her next book will be Freeks - a standalone YA paranormal romance novel set in the
1980s that follows a travelling sideshow. It will be out sometime in 2016, with the
St. Martin's Griffin.
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Cast out by her kingdom and far from home, she's the Kanin people's only
hope.
Bryn Aven-unjustly charged with murder and treason-is on the run. The one person
who can help is her greatest enemy, the gorgeous and enigmatic Konstantin Black.
Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and
threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?
As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers' darkest secrets are coming to
light... and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn
from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she's ever loved? And can she join forces with
Finn Holms and the Trylle kingdom? Nothing is as it seems, but one thing is
certain: an epic battle is underway-and when it's complete, nothing will ever be
the same...
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