Chat with me Thursday (7): Author interview with Isabella Modra #2

       And Isabella is back with me for another interview! Check out the first one,  focusing on her first book here

1. Was writing E&I easier or more difficult than writing Rouge? It easy and difficult in different ways, to be honest. Harder, because I was in Canada and didn't have all the resources I needed at my fingertips, and also because I had to keep checking Rouge to make sure I was following the story whilst also setting things up for book 3. It was easy though because I had a good idea of where I wanted the story to go before I started writing it, so I didn't quite feel so lost. There were a few major changes I made at the last minute, and the cover was certainly harder to create, but I really enjoyed writing E&I. I loved how Hunter transformed through her suffering and learnt to live on her own without Joshua. 2. Are any of the characters you write inspired by people in your life? Um... when I was in Canada, I met a ton of different young people who didn't necessarily 'inspire' the characters, but gave me traits to draw from. Some of the names in E&I are also directly from people that I met :) 3. Is Josh still your favorite charter to write? Joshua-UA :) (haha. Oops!) I actually really enjoy writing about Zac. His comedy in E&I is a relief for the darkness and torture and, to be honest, I could write an entire book in his perspective and have a great time doing it. Joshua, however, is my favorite character to write about alongside Hunter. After doing joint POV in E&I, I was able to explore both characters more than Rouge. And I'm in love with their relationship in book 3, which I'm writing adamantly right now. 5. Many different personalities were introduced in this book, was it difficult to include all these new characters? The difficult part was remembering all the characters amidst the action, because I want to focus on Hunter and her emotions as she watches the events take place, but I have to remember the other characters and what they're thinking and planning and especially their powers and capabilities - they're not on mute while Hunter is in the spotlight. It's hard to give them challenges when some, like Fearne or Ryo, have the most powerful abilities in the ability lottery. I have to cater for them too ;) 6. Overall, how are you enjoying the experience of being an author? I could not imagine doing anything else with my life. I'm at a point now where I'm trying to plan the next few years of my life, but literally all I can see is myself in an apartment in London or Edinburgh or New York writing all day long (which is what I do now, basically). I have big dreams. 7. (now for a fun question) You play guitar right? What was the first song you learned to play? Taylor Swift's 'Fearless'. I was fourteen, and I heard a live acoustic version of the song (this was before she started becoming famous). I thought to myself 'I have to learn that song'. I picked up my dad's really expensive Maton 6-string and taught myself. I sounded like an orangutan playing guitar backwards when I first started, but I kept playing until finally I knew how to strum and sing at the same time :) The girls I taught guitar to last year laugh at how many Taylor Swift songs I know how to play. 8. You also travel a lot. Any favorite places? It's hard to answer that, because some of my favorite places are only my favorite because of the memories I have there. In terms of actual locations, I loved Edinburgh because of its connection to J.K Rowling and how at home I felt there, as with London and New York. I loved Hopfgarten in Austria because of the beautiful hills and the culture. I loved living in Canada and working at the ski resort because I feel like I left a part of myself there and if I went back, it wouldn't feel like travelling, it would feel like home. But if someone were to ask me if I've been to a certain place, and I have, I would say I loved it anyway. Being somewhere else is magical and exciting and I'm addicted to it.        It was a pleasure to have you back here, Isabella!

Cathy's Book

Introduction

Cathy’s life has never been fantastic, her dad is dead, the relationship she has with her mom isn't the best either, but when she goes to tell off her ex, Victor, for breaking up with her without reason, she raises a whole lot of questions. Such as, what does Victor’s dead co-worker, a needle-like mark on her arm, and many Chinese elders have to do with the fact that Victor left? What could Victor be up to?

Cover

                I really like the cover for this book, this book is written in a diary-style, so I found the simple cover fitting.

Cathy

                Cathy is all too curious, just as her friend Emma says. She gets herself into risky situations to find out what is going on with Victor, which in some cases I find unrealistic, for example, when she made her way into Victor’s office. Yeah. Sure.

Victor

                Victor the mysterious ex-boyfriend. He isn't physically in a lot of scenes, but every situation that Cathy gets stuck in has something to do with him.

Timeline

                If you have ever read a book written in this style, it is common to find a date, maybe a time of day, because that would probably be included in a real diary,  but something unique about this particular book is that it doesn't really include a traditional time. Instead when starting a new entry it’ll say something like,

Feb. 5, Afternoon

(Hour of June at the Reception Desk

Or

Feb. 4, Early Morning

(Hour of the Angry E-mails)

             I don’t know why I liked the fact that they made the date like this. I just do.

Extra Material

                Inside the front cover, extra material is included in a pouch, and it’s so cool. Including, a napkin, a picture mentioned in the book, certificates business cards (with numbers you can actually call) and a whole bunch of other awesome stuff, I loved that they included these things. It sets it apart from other diary-style written books.

Conclusion

This book was an easy read for me. I really enjoyed it. It is however the first book in a trilogy, if I hadn't been told that the book wasn't a standalone, I probably wouldn't have known. It ends with a peacefulness that I find entirely fitting.