I’m so excited because today my girl Lucy Swing is here, the awesomesauce author of FEATHERMORE, and we’re chatting about something we all know a little about….imagination.
You know, that thing that got us all in trouble for daydreaming in school? That thing that keeps us up all night reading and makes us want to try our own hands at this writing gig? Yeah, imagination is a fun little beast, and Ms. Swing has it in spades 🙂
So get comfy, grab your caffeinated beverage of choice (mine is Diet Mt. Dew, thank you) and discover how Lucy uses her imagination to visualize her characters. Take it away Lucy!
Thank you, Rachel for having me today. It is an immense honor to be here.
Imagination: isn’t it a wonderful thing?
Imagination is used by authors to create the stories, the worlds and characters we all fall in love with and those we even hate. Their distinct descriptions, the way they make us (the reader) feel and how easily it is to be transported into a book; it’s just magical.
Imagination in a reader is just as important. It is easy to read a book, but can you really seeit? Can you feel the way the breeze is described as wrapping around the main character, the way her hair whips all over her face? Can you see the dystopian world the author is portraying?
We all have our own way of seeing things, and most of the time; no two people will imagine the same thing about the same exact book. One of the things I love most about books is, of course, the main characters. I am always trying to find the perfect person that fits the part, whether that is someone I know or an actor. It’s is almost like a challenge. Many times I never found an actual face to the character and so I created my own.
I figured it would be fun to show you who I was thinking of when I wrote Feathermore and/ or who I would cast for the movie:
Jade Lovecraft
– Elizabeth Gillies –
Elizabeth plays Jade in Victorious, a Nickelodeon T.V. show. I have kids, that is why I watch these shows. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it! In the show, Jade plays a very angry teenager who likes to play with scissors. In Feathermore she is not like that, BUT her appearance is the same: pale skin, dark hair and ethereal green eyes.
Also, as seen in the cover of Feathermore, Abby Marie Summers would be a great Jade, too:
Avan Thomas
– Avan Jogia –
When I started writing I had in mind Avan Jogia. I know, I am so original in the name picking! Avan (Jogia) also plays in Victorious as, well, Jade’s boyfriend (gasp!) But then I found this photo (below) and it just fit RIGHT IN. I don’t know who he is, but… **wipes drool off her chin** Yeah, exactly!
Claire
– Isabel Lucas –
I actually didn’t have anyone in mind when I wrote it, I had thought of Sophie Monk but she is far from being my Claire. Isabel Lucas seems to fit the bill, she is girlie and gorgeous, anyone would be jealous around her.
Nate
– Alex Kristiansso –
Alex is actually someone I follow on Instagram, an iPhone app. He is absolutely gorgeous and can’t help but swoon over him. The moment I saw him, I knew I had found my Nate.
Blake
– Maxwell Zagorski –
Maxwell is an Abercrombie & Fitch model and actor, and totally hot. Blake, although not for much, is older looking than the rest of the gang. He has the same green eyes as Jade.
Now I would LOVE to hear who Feathermore readers believe should be casted if it were to become a movie. I am very curious.
Well, that is it for me. Rachel, once again, thank you so-so-so-so much for hosting me today. This was a lot of fun!
Thanks, Lucy!!! I LOVE casting my characters, too, and would love to know in the comments if other writers do, too. Be sure to stop back by next Friday when I share a spotlight review of FEATHERMORE *and* host a giveaway! Until then, here’s a little taste:
When the one thing you live for is taken from you, do you let it go or do you fall?
Jade, like any other student at Brushwood High, awaits the start of the school year with a certain measure of dread. Worse, she is being threatened by a voice that only she can hear—a voice that lurks at the edges of her awareness, haunting her and warning her of something unknown. She has always been able to count on her two best friends, Claire and Nate, but can she confide in them now? About this? Would they even believe her?
Life takes a turn for the better when she meets Avan, a darkly handsome new student who, somehow, seems to drown out the voice and make her feel at ease.
But Jade soon comes to realize that good things don’t last forever. When everything spirals out of control, she is shattered by something she never saw coming. Dazed and despairing, she must now overcome tragedy and embrace her true existence and a new but dangerous love.Will she be able to save herself and those she loves, before it’s too late? Or will she let the surrounding darkness consume her?
Lucy Swing lives in sunny Florida with her husband and two children.
She is a YA Paranormal/ Romance writer, whose works include: Feathermore #1 (Feathermore Trilogy), Bloody Valentine, the novella, and Bloody Valentine is also offered in “Death by Chocolate,” an anthology consisting of 6 fantastic YA short stories with a chocolaty twist.
She is an absolute book hoarder and must always have a book at arms distance. Music is her muse, and there is always a soundtrack that plays along her life.
For more information on Lucy Swing please visit her website: http://www.LucySwing.com
