OK, guys! Here it is! I promised a few weeks ago a book giveaway and I finally got around to fulfilling that promise. :) Also, I was able to ask the author a few questions so there is a interview as well.
INTERVIEW
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| Jill Williamson |
1. Why do you write for young adults?
Because they are awesome! And they read a lot. And they’re in a place in life where they and are asking lots of important questions and making decisions that will impact their lives. And there are a lot of stories out there that show characters making destructive choices, and few of those books bother to show the consequences of living in such a way. I want to write books that are real and don’t ignore reality for the sake of sensationalism.
2. When did you become a Christian?
I became a Christian my junior year in college. I had transferred to Northwest Nazarene University because a friend went there and I was trying to get closer to a fashion design major and back then NNU had a program that allowed students to take a year of school at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
My friend got married and left me all alone in a school of Christians! I was a bit freaked out that someone might discover the things I’d done in my life, where I’d come from, and what I’d lived through. One day I confessed to a fellow fashion major: “I’m not a Christian!” And she laughed at me and said, “So? A lot of students here aren’t.” Then she told me that Christians aren’t perfect. That I shouldn’t live my life worried about what people think of my life. And she said I needed to figure out what I believed about God for myself.
Well, I didn’t know what I believed. But for me, it all came down to this: truth is absolute. Fact is, either God is there or he isn’t. And if he was there and I lived my life ignoring that so I could keep living life my way, I was a fool. And when I honestly went looking for fact to prove or disprove the bible or Christ’s life, I always found proof that supported the bible and who Christ was. I never found anything to support an atheistic view. And I wasn’t only looking at Christian sources.
So I made the choice to follow God, and I have never regretted it. And when I look back at my life, I see myself standing at that fork in the road. And I could have ignored God and graduated and went to New York and became a success in the fashion industry. But I would have been a shell of a human being. I would have lived in a destructive way. I would have been terribly lonely, no matter what friends and loves came my way.
Because the only one who can fill us in this life is Jesus. Fame is never enough. Money is never enough. True love is never enough. It is what it is, whether you believe it or not. And I am so thankful that I was humble enough to make that decision sixteen years ago.
3. What is your favorite kind of food?
Pasta. I adore pasta. Alfredo is my favorite. Olive Garden is my favorite restaurant.
4. Do you (on purpose haha) put yourself into any of your characters?
Sometimes I do. If one of my characters is experiencing something that I experienced in my life, I will add the feelings that I remember. There are certain things that I “get” because I’ve experienced it. For example: living without electricity, learning to drive a stick shift, sewing, playing on a basketball team, going out in -40 degree weather, being a non Christian, being a Christian. But I try not to have my characters ever be totally me.
5. How do you pick your character's names?
Lots of ways. I use Google searches to find lists of names. I might want a biblical name, or a name that was popular for a certain year. So I’ll search “top boys names 1950.” I have a Los Angeles phone book that is useful. And sometimes I’ll click through lists of friend’s friends on Facebook, looking for the perfect name. If I’m writing fantasy, that’s different. I usually try to find a theme for that fantasy land. So I might choose a language like I did with Hebrew in my Blood of Kings trilogy, or a country. I used maps of Scandinavian countries to come up with names for a people once, using the names of cities and lakes for inspiration.
6. What is the best compliment you have ever received on one of your books?
My favorite compliment is when the reader says he stayed up all night reading my book and couldn’t put it down.
7. How can readers get in touch with you?
You can email me or comment on my blog posts through my website: www.jillwilliamson.com.
Here is my
REVIEW of the book:
This book is AMAZING! I was already a huge Jill Williamson fan from her previous books (‘The Blood of Kings Trilogy’, which I also highly recommend) and I simply could NOT wait to get my hands on this book! It does not disappoint.
When Abby Goyer's father is hired as a scientist at a highly secretive lab, her curiosity kicks into high gear and she goes sleuthing. Abby discovers (with the help of Martyr, a bald, seventeen year old boy whom Abby found in her bedroom and seems to know nothing of the world) that the head scientist in this lab has successfully created functional clones for an evil purpose. She knows she needs to do something, but what? As more and more comes into the light, both Abby and Martyr know that it won't be long until it all explodes and the world changes forever.
This book is a clean fiction novel for teens, but anyone of any age could read this and truly enjoy it. I HIGHLY recommend it!
GIVEAWAY
Alright, so Mrs. Jill has kindly offered to giveaway a copy of 'Replication' one of you all! All you have to do is comment on this post telling me you would like to be entered into the drawing and your e-mail address so I can get a hold of you if you win. The drawing will be held two weeks from today (the 8th of February).
Have an awesome day!
