We are lucky to have the author, Jo Schneider, with us today to answer a few burning
questions we needed answered:
You
obviously know how to invest the reader in your plot and characters. What
do you see as important ways to accomplish this?
Torture
them. Both the characters and the readers. It sounds terrible, but there you
go. Taunt them with little details, small victories and moments of rest only to
snatch these niceties away and replace them with more mean-ness. I honestly
wish I was even better at this!
Where do
you draw from to create your characters? Do you see yourself in any of them?
In order
to create a character, I draw from everyone and everything I know. I ask myself
what role I need this character to fill in the story then I start tossing
problems, questions and talents at them. What do I need them to do? In what way
will they really mess up? Weaknesses? Strengths? Compatibility with others? All
of those questions.
And yes, I
totally see a bit of myself in almost all of my characters. Brady especially.
He’s the snarky, geeky one. That’s totally me. However, Inez has inherited a
bit of my cranky side, and Peter my optimism. Honestly just tiny bits and
pieces, but they’re there. Of course, my characters also suffer from injections
of my friends in real life, my family, my co-workers and whatever TV show I’m
hooked on at the moment. Like I said, I draw from everywhere.
As you
write, how do the plot and your characters influence each other? Any
surprises along the way?
I’m more
than a little OCD, so I’m an outliner. I haven’t had any really huge surprises
from the characters in New Sight, but little things come along. Like I didn’t have
Inez liking Brady at all in the first drafts of the book. I think in the final
copy shows a different story, one I wasn’t totally expecting.
If
characters try to change too much of the plot I simply get rid of them. Trouble
makers!
What do
you enjoy about creating characters? Is there anything difficult about
the process for you?
I love
popping a name on a face and then letting them play in my story. It’s fun to
come up with how the cast of characters will react to one another. Sometimes I
just enjoy watching them freak out over their worst fears come true.
I’m
actually working for the next few months to get better at creating characters.
I never feel like I go deep enough into their personality or world, and let’s
face it, why do people read stories? For the characters. So expect my next book
to have characters that are even better than those in New Sight.
We can't wait to read Book 2. Thanks
for stopping by and sharing your thoughts (and answers) with us, Jo.
The next step for all
you intrigued readers is to read New Sight and meet Lysandra (Lys for
short), Kamau, Brady,
Inez, Peter, Mark, and a host of others.
CHECK OUT WHAT'S BELOW to find out more about Jo, her book, and a GIVEAWAY!
The scoop about Jo:
JO SCHNEIDER
lives in Bountiful, Utah, but she has spent countless hours traveling all over
the world. Her goal is to visit all seven continents, and she's nearly finished.
Being a geek at heart, Schneider has always been drawn to science fiction and
fantasy; she writes both. Based on her travels and her experience obtaining a
black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate, Schneider's works feature authentic,
impressive settings and extraordinary action sequences.
After
succumbing to the sudden and terrifying urge to rip people’s eyes out of their
sockets, 16-year-old Lysandra Blake finds herself tied down in a psych ward,
convinced she’s crazy. The doctors have no answers, and Lys is ready to give up
when the mysterious Jeremiah Mason appears, telling Lys that she’s not insane—she’s
addicted to a rare and deadly drug that she has no recollection of using. Mr.
Mason offers to take her to his facility where he can treat her. Desperate yet
suspicious, Lys agrees to go with Mr. Mason to his facility where she meets
with a fellow addict, the tall and handsome Kamau. Together they discover that
Mr. Mason may not have told them the truth about their condition— they’re
thrown headfirst into a world of daunting powers that are not only unbelievable,
they are dangerous.
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