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1. Well hello there,
Madison. We’ll start off this game of 20
Questions with an easy one: How much of you is in Max, your protagonist in the
Ember series?
MD: Probably about 50% me,
50% rock star superhero. Ember and the character of Max were the first things I
created in literary form (back in 2008), and at the time, I was told to “write
what you know...” Well, that’s what I did. And all I really KNOW is 80’s
movies, comic books, music and the awkwardness of teenage angst. Ha.
SD: I can totally picture you as Nicolas Cage in that 80’s cinematic
masterpiece, Valley Girl ;) Hahaha, I
hope our readers look up the cover!
(kidding, kidding)
2. How about
you, Sophie? How much of yourself goes into the stories you create?
SD: Talia, the main character in Talented has
some similarities, both physical and in personality. But I have other characters that have a lot more
of me in them, and some with a lot of my closest friends.
3. I know
that Max has trouble choosing between the two female characters in Ember; how
much of a ladies man were you in high school?
MD: Hmmm...tough
question. There were two versions of me back in school, the easy-going,
soft-spoken, front-man to my local rock band AND then there was the shy,
awkward, hopeless romantic, that just wanted to connect with that “one” special
person. Let me put it this way, I looked like the kind of boy your father would
hate for you to bring home, but was actually the exact kind of young man your
parents always told you to look for. Basically, a ‘good boy’ in a ‘bad boys’
body.
4. All right, describe your teenage experience in 10 words or
less...GO. :)
SD: Fun, embarrassing, bad decision making, some
of my favorite years!
5. Tell us
about your first girlfriend.
MD:
Enlightening, artistic, challenging and smelled like strawberries. That’s all
you’re getting...hehehe.
SD:
Strawberries… now why does that sounds familiar? Ohhh, right, that’s Samantha from Ember’s scent…you heard it here first
ladies- we found Madison’s kryptonite!
SD: It’s a tragic tale of love, Madison. We first met in college, where we bonded over
dirty dishes and pickles – we worked at a sandwich place. I fell in love with his long hair and angry
attitude, not sure what he saw in me, but I did wait tables in some very short
shorts. While it was obvious we both
pined for the other, we never professed our love. I left our small college town for D.C., while
he headed south to warmer weather – Miami to be exact. He married a Brazilian supermodel. I got a Master’s degree. He divorced the Brazilian supermodel. I got a law degree. And then if finally seemed like the right
time to get together. Unfortunately, our
mutual attraction only existed in theory.
In reality, we had nothing in common.
So after a year of flying back and forth between DC and Miami, we parted
ways. Since then, only one boy sleeps in
my bed, my Benji look-alike, Humphrey.
7. Who were
you most nervous to have read your first book?
MD: He hasn’t
read it yet. So, I can’t answer that question just yet. BUT it’s always
nerve-racking to show your words to your family.
8. What was
the most surprising reaction you received after showing your work to the ones
closest to you, good or bad?
SD: My uncle called my mother to tell her how
funny the first book was. He said I must
have a terrific sense of humor. The only
problem is, the book wasn’t supposed to be funny…
9. Do you
have a writing outfit? Do you get
dressed every day when you’re working on a novel, or are you the ratty
bathrobe, holey boxers type?
MD: I’m
definitely a jeans and T-shirts kind of guy. Casual, yet proper. Nothing feels
as good as a nicely worn, old pair of jeans.
10. Your
perfect location to work, write, and play...the beach? Or the park?
SD: The beach.
I recently went to a destination wedding in St. Croix and I spent the
majority of my time sitting on the beach with my HUGE laptop, writing. It was the best week of my life.
11. What was
it like writing from the perspective of a teenage girl?
MD: I love
it. I’ve only done it a little bit, in the Ember series. BUT I’m actually
working on an all new series from the perspective of a teenage girl. Honestly,
I think boys and girls are fundamentally made up of all the same ingredients.
Fear, love, acceptance and the joy of discovering something new. We just
process those ideas a little differently, that’s all.
12. What’s
your favorite character emotion to write about in your stories?
SD: Hmmmm.
Hard one. Oddly I’m going to say
anger. I think about every time the
parking attendants ticket my car at 7:01 (it has to be moved at 7:00am for
street cleaning), just as I am running outside in my pajamas to move it, and I
put all of that frustration at the parking people into my characters.
13. How have
you found the transition from writing songs to writing out whole novels? Did any of your books start as songs, but
then you realized that the story needed to be told in depth?
MD: They’re
quite different. There is a similarity in the layout and structure building
though. My song writing is usually based around the song title or the groove or
hook of the song AND I’ve found that my stories come to me the same way. Either
a title sets me in the direction of the story I am writing or the main plot twist
or hook decides the path I choose. Great question!
14. Any
favorite bands? Songs? Music inspiration?
SD: Definitely the Foo Fighters; I even traveled
across the pond last fall just to see them play at the Reading Festival! They played a three-hour set and I was in heaven.
I’ve also been known to rap Biggie Smalls in some of my finer
moments. In general, though, I listen to
a lot of different music for inspiration when I write. I have playlists for books, scenes,
characters, you name it.
15. What are
the worst song lyrics you’ve ever written?
MD: Ha.
Probably something to do with “big butts.” Just kidding. :)
SD: Those
other brothers can’t deny…
16. Any
literary crushes? Favorite authors or books?
SD: I don’t think I have any literary crushes
right now- that special place in my heart reserved for character crushes is all
Agent Derrick Morgan from Criminal Minds. Favorite authors, hmm, there are a lot. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Mary Higgins
Clark are my old standbys. I read just
about any new book they put out, regardless of whether it sounds good.
17. What is
your biggest quirk?
MD: I’m a bit
of a gadget whore. I’m always chasing after the newest electronics. I think it
has something to do with all the pretty lights! I’m also addicted to eye drops.
The stronger the better. Not too weird, I hope.
SD: Me too! My best friend and I always crack up about
the ridiculous number of chargers we have to pack every time we take a
trip. It’s a far cry from when we
backpacked around Europe, carrying around paperbacks and –gasp- sans cell
phones. As for the eye drops… yeeeah,
totally normal…
18. What’s
the nicest thing you’ve ever done for a complete stranger?
SD: Wow, really making me dig deep for this
one. I guess the nicest thing I’ve ever
done for a complete stranger is pay for difference when she didn’t have enough
money for the bill at Target.
19. If you
had a helicopter, what would you name it?
MD: Easy!
“THE REAPER!” Why? Because when someone says they’re scared to fly in my
chopper I can jump up and scream... “DON’T FEAR THE REAPER!” That would rock!
No? Okay then, how about “Hank.” Yah, I like Hank. Come fly the friendly skies
with me and Hank. Word.
SD: Best.
Answer. Ever. Definitely stick with the
first one- more cowbell, anyone?
20. If I
offered to fly you anywhere in my helicopter, where would you like to go the
most?
SD: Can you take a helicopter from here to
Switzerland? My favorite place in the
world is Interlaken, Switzerland. You
can run off the top of an Alp with a parachute and spend 10 minutes just
floating down. You can also be pushed
off of one in a big rubber ball- it’s called Zorbing- but I drew the line at
that.
Sophie, I
just wanted to take a second to thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and
our readers. This interview was a blast! You’ve been fantastic to get to know.
I see great and epic things ahead for you. I’m sure your fans think the same.
Let’s do this again! Write on! Rock on!
~ M
Thanks Madison! And thank you for taking the time to answer
my questions; we’ll definitely have to do it again. I wish you continued success with your books
and music!
I’d also like to give
a shout out to Derinda Love over at YATR- she made it possible to get this out
to our readers on all of these amazing blogs, and she donated the gorgeous
charms bracelets with our book covers (made by Cassie Chavez over at Cassie’s
Crafty Creations!)
Now let’s give away
some prizes!
Sophie <3
