Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Publisher: Straus and Giroux
Release Date: May 8, 2012 (RELEASES TODAY!)
Pages: 373
Buy Here: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Book Depository
Find Jennifer Here: Twitter|Website|Goodreads|Facebook
"Click Here" to read my review of Struck
Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her. Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come. Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.
Kayla: Where did you get the idea to write Struck?
Jennifer: I actually get a lot of my ideas while I’m reading other people’s books. In this case, the book was Alice Hoffman’s The Ice Queen, which is about a woman who is struck by lightning and loses the ability to see the color red. That got me curious about whether lightning could really do such strange things to you. I started researching, and it turns out lightning is completely unpredictable, and can mess you up in a thousand different ways, and I thought, “I have to write about this!”
Kayla: Did anything or anyone inspire you to write Struck?
Jennifer: Inspiration came from so many places, but one of the things that inspired me was living in Los Angeles. I love this city, and I like to write about the things that scare me, which led to me writing about my favorite city being destroyed.
Kayla: How did the publishing process happen for you?
Jennifer: It wasn’t quick, I can tell you that much. I met my agent, Jamie Weiss Chilton, at a conference about four years ago. At the time, I didn’t even have a full first draft of Struck, but she liked what I showed her and helped me rewrite. And rewrite. And rewrite some more. But all that rewriting paid off, because the book went to auction here and in Germany, and my revisions with my editor ended up being easy because I’d already rewritten so many times. Having someone hold your feet to the fire before you go on submission definitely pays off.
Kayla: Was there anything in Struck that took you by surprise?
Jennifer: I was actually really surprised by how people responded to the love interest, Jeremy. I’m not a very romantic person, so I wasn’t sure I could pull off an epic romance, but I guess I must have because readers want to make out with him. Success!
Kayla: What do your family and friends think about your book?
Jennifer: Well, my mom didn’t think it was appropriate for teens because it was too scary. Little does she know, there’s nothing that makes me happier than scaring people. Most of my friends and family haven’t read the book yet, though. I haven’t let them. I know they’ll tell me it’s good no matter what, so I figure there’s no rush to get the book into their hands. I’m far more interested in responses from people who’ve never met me. There’s no bias to cloud their opinions.
Kayla: Are you currently working on any upcoming projects?
Jennifer: I’m juggling four projects right now, three books and a screenplay. Of the books, there’s a supernatural thriller, a post-apocalyptic fantasy western, and a horror novel set in southern Utah, kind of a Big Love meets The Ring mashup. The screenplay is based on a short film my husband and I produced, which we want to adapt to a feature. You can view it on my website, but keep the lights on. It’s a scary one.
Kayla: Is Struck going to be a stand-alone book, or will there be a sequel?
Jennifer: It can go either way. I wrote in threads that can extend to a sequel, but it could also work as a stand-alone. But I don’t want to force a sequel. I want it to be inspired.
Kayla: If you were to suggest someone read Struck, what would you say?
Jennifer: It’s like Stephen King’s The Stand, only written for teens and set in L.A.
Kayla: What is the hardest part of writing, and what is the easiest part?
Jennifer: The easiest part for me is coming up with ideas. I don’t have time to write them all! Hardest part: trying to reconcile what you want to write with what other people want you to write. That’s been a struggle for me. Once you get too many voices in your head telling you what to do and what not to do, it’s ruins the flow of the writing. I’m still trying to learn how to shut out the voices and just write.
Kayla: What are your all time favorite books or authors?
Jennifer: I’m a Stephen King fanatic, and now a bloodthirsty fan of his son, author Joe Hill. Cory Doctorow, Peter Abrahams, F. Paul Wilson, and Gillian Flynn are some other favorites. I would consider each of these authors idols.
-Hey everyone, today is Jennifer Bosworth's release day for Struck, make sure you wish her a Happy Book Birthday! Struck was super amazing, I loved it. Thanks so much for stopping by Bengal Reads Jennifer! I hope your release day is super awesome!
Post a Comment