Today, I am honored to host the wonderful Anna Silver and her new release, Astral Tide, the second installment in her addictive dystopian series, Otherborn. After reading and loving the first book (my review of which can be found here) I knew I had to read this one, too! And let me tell you, I was not disappointed! And I'm excited to announce that I had the chance to interview Anna about the series, her writing style, and some other fun stuff!
Title: Astral Tide
Series: Otherborn #2
Author: Anna Silver
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: February 28, 2014
London and her friends
are fugitives in a reprocessed world where anything New is illegal. But
as Otherborn, they’re different. They can dream and create, which hasn’t
gone unnoticed. After fleeing Capital City with an assassin on their
heels, the Otherborn found nothing went according to plan. Now, they are
down by two and on the run in the Outroads, but the Tycoons keep
mysteriously gaining on them. And seven months later, London is no
closer to her promise to go back for Rye, if there is anything left to
go back for. But Zen is teaching London that there may be more to her
heart than the pieces she left behind, and London can’t help but feel
guilty about not looking back since they fled New Eden. Should she hold
on to hope that Rye is more than just a memory, or embrace a new life
and love with Zen?
In their race to outrun their enemies, one
thing is becoming increasingly clear: they can only run for so long.
Eventually, they’ll have to face what waits when the road runs out.
Eventually, their fates will catch up to them.
Find Astral Tide online!
Author Interview!
I was so happy to have the chance to ask all the burning questions I have for Anna and she was nice enough to answer them all for me! So, without further ado, here is our interview!
1) Astral Tide is the second book in your series, Otherborn. What were the biggest
differences in writing a sequel rather than a first installment?
For starters, it was important to lace the sequel
with enough information from the first novel that a new reader could still
follow the story. But you have to be careful not to info dump. Too much
backstory at once weighs down the plot. Aside from that, I had to step back and
decide where all these new character arcs were leading. How had my characters
changed during the course of book one, and how much more did I want them to
change in book two? There has to be growth there, or else there’s no point.
2) In this
novel, we get to see a lot more of the world and how things have changed and
how it has affected the people, especially our characters. How did you come up with this world where
nothing new is ever created?
I think the worst possible dystopia for me would be
one where creativity was illegal. I would just shrivel up and die in those
conditions, because self-expression is so vital to me. So it was a really easy
leap for me to imagine this world. I mean, is there really anything more
dreadful than a future of unending sameness? Ugh. Diversity is very stimulating
to me and I bore easily. So, to me, that’s truly the worst foreseeable future.
3) One of my
favorite things about this book is the Astral element that you have entwined
throughout. Was this element of the
series and the world something you knew about from the very beginning or did it
surprise you as you were writing? What
inspired this unique twist?
I did know it from the beginning, though slipping
into the voice of it was a unique surprise. It was nice to break away from the
bleak setting the Otherborn are otherwise trapped in. And I needed the Astral
to counter what was happening in the walled cities and Outroads. I needed it to
feed the conflict and plot.
4) London and her friends
are all so interesting and each have such three dimensional personalities. Were any of these characters inspired by
people you know? Which of them was your
favorite to write about?
London
and Si’dah were originally my favorite characters to write, but this time
around I had a lot of fun with Rye
and Zen as well. It was nice to flesh them out more and give them more voice.
And I enjoyed pitting them against one another, with London in the middle. I also loved writing
Elias. As far as inspiration goes, London
has a few of my quirks, amped up with the kind of personality I think it would
take to front a punk band. And I borrowed a trait or two from my husband for Rye, but mostly everyone is their own entity.
5) What is
your writing process like? Do you listen
to music and have a special routine you need to go through before starting?
I can’t listen to music while I write. In fact, I
can’t have any noise at all. So I only write when everyone else is gone, and
that really limits the amount of time I can devote to writing each day.
Weekends are out. Aside from that, I like it best if I sit down and start
writing first before doing anything else. I’m a morning writer. And I simply
MUST have a window.
6) Are you a
panster or a plotter? Why?
I began as a pantser and still am in many ways, but
I have learned to incorporate a little more plotting into my process—kind of
like a scaffold to hold the story up. For me, if I plotted the entire thing in
advance, it would hold no more surprises and then I would lose interest. I need
to know a little adventure awaits every time I sit down to the computer. And I
am naturally very intuitive in my creative work.
7) Was there
anything in particular that inspired you to write London's
story? If so, what was it?
I wanted to write something that spoke to the almost
magical power of dreams. And I wanted to place that in the most striking
context I could think of. And then I wanted it to happen to a very unexpected
character. Voila!
8) The ending
of Astral Tide completely blew me away - I NEED MORE! Is there anything you can tell us about the
next book?
Not a lot! I’m still frame-working it myself. But I
can tell you that we’ll get a much more up close and personal look at New Eden
in book three, and London’s relationships with
both Rye and Zen will continue to play
tug-of-war with her heart.
This
or That?
Coffee or Tea? Tough one. Coffee…most days.
Skittles or M&Ms? M&Ms of course! CHOCOLATE.
Salty or Sweet? Sweet.
Crunchy or Chewy? Crunchy. I have texture issues.
Sun or Rain? Sun. I get depressed when it’s
overcast, even though I love the lush greenery rain produces.
Fall or Spring?
Fall. Hands down. Even though it’s hotter here than I prefer.
Phone or Laptop? Laptop!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Anna! I loved reading your responses! And I have texture issues, too :)
About Anna Silver!
Anna Silver is an author and
artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and
overactive imagination. Her art has been featured in the Houston gallery
Las Manos Magicas. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St.
Edward’s University. She's freelanced for private clients and small
publications like the Hill Country Current. OTHERBORN, her first
published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon's "Bestsellers" lists.
She is represented by Rebecca Podos and Nicole LaBombard of Rees
Literary Agency.
Find Anna online!
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