Yesterday I reviewed Gemini Rising by Eleanor Wood – today I get to interview both Eleanor and her main character from Gemini Rising – Sorana Salem

Eleanor

Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions and to bring your main character from Gemini Rising, Sorana Salem along for the ride. 

Gemini Rising has been published as an eBook by Carina UK, a new digital imprint of Harlequin UK. What made you go for digital and how did the process of submission to publication work for you?

It was more of a natural process than a conscious decision – my agent sent the manuscript out to a few editors, and the one who was most enthusiastic about it in the end was Anna at Harlequin.  We went to their offices to meet her and found that we had very similar ideas about the book.  It seemed like a good fit and I’ve been delighted with the process so far (I especially love my cover!); it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the digital side of things.

Which character in your book do you want to know more about?

I love that question!  I’ve tried really hard to make every single supporting character a ‘proper’ person, and I have lots of backstories and information on them that I haven’t used in the book.  I love Sorana’s mum, Lucy, and I’m interested in her wild-child past!  I also have a lot of time for Nathalie and think she has hidden depths that nobody bothers to investigate.  And of course Mel is so mysterious and still fascinating to me.

Did you have to fight to keep the pop culture references (e.g. to the Craft, Heathers) in the book? How important was it to acknowledge your inspiration in this way?

Luckily I didn’t have to fight for them – but I would have if necessary, because they are all really important to me.  Throughout the story, music, books and films have a big effect on Sorana, and I think that was really crucial to her character.  I loved writing the scene with the little nod to The Craft and Heathers – obviously they were a massive influence and it just felt like a sneaky little wink.

Why do you write?

I don’t know; I just always have!  I am constantly writing, all sorts of things.  I’m not being flippant when I say I think I have some sort of hypergraphia.  I think I would genuinely find it impossible not to do it.  Because it’s such a natural thing for me, I actually can’t really understand people who don’t write!  I’m really evangelical about it – I am constantly trying to get all my friends to write books.  You know, just because why wouldn’t they?

What are you working on now? (I read over here http://prettylittlememoirs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/review-gemini-rising-by-eleanor-wood.html that you have considered writing more about Gemini Rising – I’d love to see what happened at the twins old school – from Melanie’s perspective – and maybe something after the events of the current story too). 

I really like those ideas!  I am working on another Gemini Rising story, told from the point of view of other characters.  I’ve also got some ideas for new novels brewing, some more similar to this one than others.  Also, I would love to write a memoir and have been working on some ideas for that.

What advice would you give regarding editing? I found the first draft process quite comfortable but I’m stuck on how to take my story forward into completion.

I’m so sorry I can’t be more help – but I am exactly the same!  I love letting it all out and getting everything down, but then editing is my least favourite part of the process.  Gemini Rising had to go through a lot of editing and it was pretty painful!  I try to cheer myself up with that old saying ‘you can’t edit a blank page’ – at least you’ve got something.  If I have any advice, it’s to know that sometimes you’ve got to rip it up and start again – it’s easy to get too attached to things that you don’t actually need.  I’ve had to learn to be less sentimental.

Earth, Air, Fire or Water?

I’m a real-life Gemini, so I have to say air!

Sorana

Sorana, I love your name, can you tell me more about its origins?

Thanks!  Well, officially it’s of Romanian origin and means ‘beautiful aurora’…  In reality, back in her wild days, my mum met a shaman called Sorana at Glastonbury festival in the 90s and always liked the name after that!

What name, given to you by bullies, hurts you most and why?

Amie Bellairs and her friends used to call me ‘Skeletor’ – it might not sound like that big a deal, but something like that wears you down.  It makes you so paranoid, but there’s nothing you can do to change yourself.

I have to admit to being more like Nathalie, and refusing to take part when my friends wanted to try a Ouija board at school. What did you expect to happen?

It’s such a weird combination – I didn’t really think anything would happen, but I was still scared.  To be honest, I was not scared so much of spirits and the supernatural – but I was scared of that energy in the room and what kind of stuff might come out from my friends themselves.

How do you think the experiences with the twins have affected you – positively and negatively?

It sounds bad to say it, because the after-effects have been so serious and I wish that so much of it had never happened – but I feel like some of the changes for me personally have been positive in the end.  I feel much more confident and like I can just be myself – I don’t care what anybody things of me anymore.  However, having said that, if I could go back and change it all, of course I would.

You were shocked by what you read in Melanie’s diary – what part of your diary would you not want someone to read?

All of it – it’s so embarrassing!  Especially the bits about boys – pages and pages of bad poetry about Jago and Vincent August.  Actually, I’d be most embarrassed if anyone read some of the stuff from ages ago when I still had a crush on Josh – it’s such an embarrassment that I ever felt that way about him!

What advice would you give your sister Daisy about friendships?

I would tell her: never try to be something you’re not.  Not that she would listen to me!

Jago or Vincent August?

Oh my god, that’s such a hard question!  Obviously I love Vincent August and I always will, but I’m going to say Jago because at least he’s actually a real person.  You know what I mean!

Earth, Air, Fire or Water?

These days, water – I’d rather put fires out than start them!

Great answers from both of you there, now I want to know more about Sorana’s mum Lucy too and I don’t get why people wouldn’t want to write either. Eleanor if you ever want a beta reader for your other Gemini Rising stories let me know ;o)