1. First of all, thank you for letting me interview you! We’ll start off with all the basics! So, what’s your age, country, personality, dreams and anything else you’d like us to know?
Hello Sarah! Glad to be here! Well, I just turned nineteen in January and I'm from Ireland(You'll never beat the Irish!). I consider myself to be quite shy and collected. You know, I like to keep to myself and I rarely go out, only on occasion. Believe it or not, for an Irish person, I don't drink alcohol or play Hurling(a popular Irish sport).
Like most aspiring writers, I've always dreamt of getting a book published and I still can't believe its all come true. (Don't pinch me!)
2. Thanks for that! When did you begin to write, and what inspired, or gave you that urge, to write?
I began writing when I was about eight or nine. My mother bought this password diary which activated by the sound of your voice. Everyday I wrote in the diary about events that happened during that day and I wrote about how I felt each day. This is when I really got a knack for writing and grew a love for it. When I turned ten, that's when I started writing fictional stories of my own and I soon began writing book-length fiction. When I write, I usually listen to music, mostly movie scores, to keep me there in the writing zone.
3.Did you always want to be an author?
Actually, no. I didn't always want to be an author. At first, I wanted to work in comic books as I loved drawing, but I gave up that dream to pursue writing because I felt I was stronger at writing stories than drawing pictures.
4.Who’s your favourite author of all time, and why?
My favourite author of all time would have to be C.S Lewis. I love the guy! I am a massive fan of the Narnia Series. In fact, the Chronicles of Narnia were the first books, next to Charlotte's Web, I ever read as a child. I grew up with them and I always get nostalgic! He is also a christian like me, so I feel connected to him and his work.
5. C.S Lewis is truly an amazing author!Now, tell us a bit about your debut novel, Flame-girl.
Well, my debut novel, Flame-Girl, is a young-adult superhero-action novel that was released on the 26 September, 2012. It details the story of a teenage girl named Sunny Andrews who obtains pyrokinetic superpowers and becomes a superhero called 'Flame-Girl' to fight crime in her town and soon comes face-to-face with her very first villain.
6.Where did the name Flame-girlcome from? Was it automatic, or did it gradually come to you? Is there another secret message behind the name?
The name 'Flame-Girl' came to me as I first wrote the original story back in my sixth year of Primary School. I was twelve at the time. The story of Flame-Girl came to me when my teacher told the class to write a short story called 'Superhero for a Day'. So, I started brainstorming and made up this story about a young girl who finds this rock and obtains superpowers from it. She then uses these amazing powers to fight crime. My teacher read it and told me that it was a good story and she encouraged me to send it off to a publisher. After I completed Secondary school, I finally did that.
The name, Flame-Girl, automatic came to me before I began writing it. A girl with powers over fire, heat and flame=Flame-Girl. It was that easy.
7.Wow! Your so lucky it came to you like [clicks] that! What were some things that helped you get through writing Flame-girl? Family? Chocolate? Coffee?
Music helped me a lot when I was writing Flame-Girl. The music I usually listened to when I was writing were soundtracks from superhero movies because that keep me going. Those soundtracks helped create the superhero character and her personal story that I wanted people to know about.
8. Music really is a great motivation! What was it that made you feel the need to tell Sunny’s story? What made you inspired to write this novel?
I felt I needed to tell people about Sunny so they could see a different perspective. Nearly every young-adult novel out there now are about vampires and werewolves. There aren't many superhero novels out there. I wanted people to get to know the superhero genre and see how amazing and exciting it is. You know, to get them away from the vampire craze.
What inspired me to write this novel was obviously my idols, Stan Lee and Bob Kane, who helped me craft the character. I grew up reading the DC\Marvel comics and they inspired me to make up my own superhero story.
9. Who is your favourite character in your novel, and why?
I have many favourites! But, if I only had to pick one, I'd probably pick Grace McKinley, the police chief. I think every superhero has an ally without them being called a sidekick. These allies are usually part of the police. Batman had Commissioner Gordon and Spider-Man had Captain George Stacy. In this case, Flame-Girl has Chief Grace McKinley. I spent a lot of time crafting this character and what part she had to play in the story. Grace is probably the only character in the novel who learns to accept things the way they are. She grows a lot during the novel and that's what I found to be most surprising about her. That is why she is my favourite.
10. Are you planning on making a sequel? If you are, could you maybe give us a hint of what’s coming next for Sunny?
Yes, there will be a sequel. In fact, it is going to be a trilogy. I always intended it to be a series of five books, but I decided to cut out the last two books and turn into a trilogy instead. The second book which is called 'Flame-Girl: Mask Of Ice', is by far the darkest in the series, but nonetheless it was by far my favourite novel to write. The third and final book will be called 'Flame-Girl: Uprising' and I think its the one novel with the most action scenes in it. I do not yet know the exact date the next two books will out, but I have a hunch it will be close to 2014 or 2015.
11. Being a Flame-girl fan myself, I cannot wait to get my hands on it! Do you have any future plans for other series/singular books?
My new fantasy novel will be released next summer of 2014. I'm not ready to share the name just yet. Its a long wait, but its worth it all the same. It is the longest book I have ever written and I am excited what people will think of it because I loved writing it and it is set in the fantasy genre. I loved creating my very own mythical fantasy creatures and locations. It is a stand-along book.
12. Oooh! Sounds exciting, I will definitely try and get it when it comes out! What was the hardest part of writing your book? Could you give us tips that helped you pull-through it, if there was a particularly hard part?
The hardest parts of writing the novel were definitely the action scenes. Action scenes are so tedious to write that sometimes you want to avoid them, but you know you can't. And since, my novel is about a superhero, action scenes are a must. J.K Rowling had trouble writing the Quittitch scenes in Harry Potter and they are the most exciting scenes in the series. So, I knew if I put my all in the fighting scenes, I'll make it a worth while story to read.
13. I agree! Which authors influence, or inspire, you?
Like I said before, C.S Lewis is up there with Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and J.R.R Tolkien. Most of my favourite authors are fantasy authors. I love reading fantasy and they definitely inspire me to best writer I can be.
14. All of them are very inspiring! If Flame-girl became a movie, what would you do, and who would you like to act in it and which characters?
If Flame-Girl was made into a movie(which I highly doubt it will), I'd probably cast Saoirse Ronan(who's Irish!) as Sunny. I always pictured her as the character ever since I saw her in 'Hanna'. I'd cast Billy Zane as the Face Thief and I'd probably cast Jodie Foster as Chief Grace McKinley. The other characters I still have to think about.
15. Great picks for actors! Any last words, tips, and thanks you’d like to give before we end?
Well, that's really all I have to say. Thank you, Sarah for interviewing me and I wish you the best with your blog. If anyone is interested in purchasing Flame-Girl, it is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. You can also find me on Twitter. My username is @LauraLSlattery.
And there we have it! Thanks for reading and be sure to contact either Laura about her book, if you're interested.
