1) Welcome! I'm so happy to have you here Gennifer! You are one of my favourite authors! What inspired you to write the Crewel series?
I was thinking of a painting by Remedios Varo where girls are sitting in a tower embroidering and the fabric is becoming the world. I wanted to write a story about one of the girls who doesn’t want to be there.
2) Gender discrimination is a HUGE theme in this book. Was this something that your were expecting to happen while writing the story, or something that came along after?
I didn’t expect it. It developed very naturally on its own, and I had to be careful not to get on a soapbox about it. I wanted the idea to feel organic to the story so that readers would want to think about and ask their own questions about what it means to be a girl in that world.
3) The Crewel series is a book set in a future dystopian, and your character, Adelice, has a lot to deal with. How do you think she differs from other YA characters set in the same genre?
At the heart of most YA books is the search for identity, but what sets Adelice apart is her world and how she perceives herself as part of it. I think she copes by using humor and wit, which I hope sets her apart as well.
4) Maela, Pryanna, and Adelice all have different personalities, but similar abilities. Why do you think Maela and Pryanna have succumbed to the 'idealism' of Spinsters? (e.g being bossy, mean, spoiled and power hungry?).
There’s a good deal of nature vs. nurture going on with all of these characters, but I think some of these characters will surprise you by the end of the series. Each of them is looking out for her own interests, and I think that each girl does that in different ways according to how she sees her role in that world.
5) Was the process of developing the characters and the world of Arras a difficult one?
The characters came fairly easily, although some of them were added in later drafts. Building the world was much harder and required a lot of layering in of detail. I found myself thinking a lot about what the reader needed to know to understand this world, which meant lots of fine tuning and a fair bit of creativity.
6) On your Wattpad page, the first 6 chapters of ALTERED are up there, along with a (mini) prequel to the book. I've read the first couple chapters of Altered, and am DYING to get my hands on it! What can we expect from the characters (Adelice, Jost and Erik) while they're on Earth?
Secrets, fighting, lying, kissing. They’re going to find themselves in danger a lot, which forces them to confront their relationships with one another. Everyone is going to make tough decisions in Altered, which prepares them for the even tougher issues they deal with in book three.
7) Will we finally learn the story of Erik leaving his town, his rift with Jost, and what's happening with Sebrina and Amie?
You’ll learn a lot about all of that, and I think some of the revelations will surprise you. Erik really comes to life in this book.
8) Can we trust Dante? And is Kincaid another version of Cormac? Or is he like Al Capone?
Can you trust anyone? A far as Kincaid, he reminds me more of William Randolph Hearst crossed with Al Capone.
9) Is it weird writing both in the YA and Adult genres? Are very similar or really different?
Very different, but very fulfilling. It’s hard to switch modes sometimes, but it’s like a mental work-out.
SPEED ROUND QUESTIONS:
10) I saw a CREWEL photoshoot picture on your Twitter. Are the covers going to be redesigned?
No. The new designs will be sticking.
11) Do you think time and space can be weaved? If so, would you want to have Spinster powers?
I hope not, and no (except to maybe warp a spot of peace sometimes).
12) What book are you currently reading? And would you want to be that character?
I’m reading the Outlander series, and I don’t think I would want to be Claire, although she fascinates me.
13) Are any of the CREWEL characters based on anyone you know?
I tend to think Jost and Erik are modeled on my husband a bit, which embarrasses him.
14) What is one BIG pet-peeve that you have?
People who don’t use turn signals.
15) Do you have an organized writing process or is it all over the place? (Like mine).
Depends on the book. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all process.
16) Who has influenced you the most in your writing?
Gennifer Albin is a recovering academic who discovered she could write books of her own, and people would actually read them. She lives in Kansas with her family, but escapes daily to the world of Arras and other fantastical lands.
She appreciates strong coffee and bold imaginations, prefers her heroines with sass, and searches continuously for her next big adventure.
She is the author of the YA Crewel Series (which currently consists of Crewel and Altered), and the author of the adult series, Good Girls Don't.
For more information about Gennifer, check her out in these places bellow:
TWITTER: @GenniferAlbin
WEBSITE: genniferalbin.com
BLOG: genniferalbin.blogspot.ca
TUMBLR: midnightinarras.tumblr.com
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4906436.Gennifer_Albin?from_search=true
