I’m incredibly pleased to have a friend and fellow author, Nichole Chase, on the blog today. Nichole is the author of the paranormal young adult series, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and has had great success with her debut novel, Mortal Obligation. She scored another hit with the follow-up, Mortal Defiance, this past month. Nichole, thanks for being here!
1. Thanks for agreeing to this interrogation! Now, I know you are an adult-type person (or you pretend to be one in public), what attracted you to writing Young Adult fiction?
I’m an adult! Mostly. I’ve always known that I wanted to write YA. Don’t get me wrong, I have some adult novels planned for the future as well. However, there is something incredibly dynamic about the YA genre. It’s always changing. The characters don’t have the same type of emotional baggage that adults do, and they feel things so very strongly. It makes them so much fun to write. There is something inherently interesting about coming of age stories. Things that happen in our teenage years have a profound effect on who we are as adults. I think that is also one of the reasons that so many adults like to read YA.
2. I love the blending of gods and monsters in your work. I also like that you include a variety of world mythologies. Have you done a lot of research for the Dark Betrayal Trilogy?
I did have to research some of the mythology that I am less acquainted with and I loved it. I’m a bit of a research geek, (I can hear my friends and family snickering right now) and loved finding out little details about Japanese gods, African deities, etc. I didn’t want to focus on one type of mythology. It seemed to me that if they were real, there was no reason that the others weren’t real as well.
I’m also lucky that the majority of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy happens in the area that I live. I didn’t have to research roads, locations, etc. Though I did spend a few days for each book, walking around the historic district to make sure I had everything right. It was a lot of fun to imagine my characters walking around the places I know and love.
3. What has been the most unexpected thing about publishing your books? Good or bad.
The support. There is a massive amount of support from other authors, bloggers, and readers. It’s such an important factor too. Sometimes things happen to knock you down, or cause doubt, and the support of other people helps pick you up and dust you off. Or better yet, tell you to stop your moaning and write the next book. Continue reading “Author Interview: Nichole Chase”
ELIZABETH HUNTER 