Today, the lovely Jen Greyson, author of Lightning Rider, stops by to chat about her exciting travels...via the pen. (Or keyboard. Modern Age, and all that.)
Check it out below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments! Where does your favorite book-escape lead to?
A huge thank you to Misty here at The Book Rat for having me over.
Reading is Cheaper Than a Plane Ticket
Books are such amazing portals of transportation. Within seconds I’m transported somewhere amazing and experiencing a new and exciting (and sometimes terrifying) place.
With my love of travel, it came as no surprise that my characters in my new novel, Lightning Rider, had no desire to stay in Utah. Within a day, Evy was off to ancient Spain, and I was scrambling to discover and research everything I could about life in 143 BC Spain.
See, I’m a complete panster, and have no idea how my stories are going to turn out (to me plotting feels like reading the last page of a new book). There’s nothing more amazing than writing away and realizing what’s about to happen a split second before my character dives into ancient Spain. It’s exciting and fantastical and filled with wonder. I get torn between branching off to research what they ate for breakfast in ancient Spain, or racing after my character to see what she’s up to next. Usually I just leave a blank and research it later, but sometimes I do put the story on hold so I can get a grip on the characters who are in the foreign land.
There is so much discovery in each new book I write. It’s every bit as exciting to write a new book as it is to bring home one written by someone else. Sure, there are the usual travel quibbles: lost luggage that resembles a deadline, a delayed flight that looks like the fifth round of edits, but in the end it’s all worth it. The memories and “friends” I make along the way are experiences I wouldn’t trade. There’s something so magical about visiting somewhere I’ve never been before, and since I’ll be hard pressed to visit every spot on my bucket list, I’m glad I can enjoy some of them through books.
What about you? What’s your favorite place/time you’ve visited in a book? Did you experience it so thoroughly you don’t need to go there in real life (if that’s possible) or did the story make you want to visit even more?
While I’ll never make it to ancient Spain, the current version got bumped pretty high on my list of places to see.
Another big thanks to Misty for having me come ramble about my favorite mode of transportation.
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| Jen Greyson, y'all. Who else is jealous of her hair? *raises hand* |
From the moment she decided on a degree in Equestrian Studies, Jen Greyson’s life has been one unscripted adventure after another. Leaving the cowboy state of Wyoming to train show horses in France, Switzerland, and Germany, she’s lived life without much of a plan, but always a book in her suitcase. Now a wife and mom to two young boys, she relies on her adventurous, passionate characters to be the risk- takers.
Jen also writes university courses and corporate training material when she’s not enjoying the wilds of the west via wakeboard or snowmobile. Her new adult fantasy, Lightning Rider, comes out May 31 and features a Latina heroine with some serious superpowers.
You can find Jen here:
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog
About Lightning Rider:
Thrown back into ancient Spain, Evy must rely on guts and instinct to wield her lightning as a weapon and outsmart Ilif, her quasi-mentor who believes time traveling should be left to the Rivera men.
During her training, Evy and Constantine battle the push-pull of their explosive relationship, aware the 2,000-year span between their lives is an unavoidable hurdle.
Caught between a centuries-old battle rife with secrets, Evy must learn whom to trust before she risks everything and the wrong history repeats itself. When the heritage her parents have suppressed mingles with the past, Evy must find answers . . .
Which history is the right one? And who is she becoming?
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17412638-lightning-rider
http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/87
Available for pre-order on Kobo (for all devices) and iTunes, everywhere on May 31, 2014
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Lightning-Rider/book-mXyKfgdrVEi_mUsmRkxsEA/page1.html?s=zmOeQfanj0Cb2OUuDtRWvw&r=1
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lightning-rider/id642921579?mt=11
Thanks for letting me come visit! I really appreciate you hosting a stop on the tour.
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