Interview with Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of the Lux series from Entangled Teen and the Covenant series from Spencer HIll Press

Parts of this interview appeared on my blog at http://lisa-amowitzya.blogspot.com/2012/07/interview-with-jennifer-l-armentrout-ya.html 

From Jennifer’s website: Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is the author of the COVENANT Series (Spencer Hill Press), the LUX Series (Entangled Publishing), and the upcoming YA contemporary mystery/thrillers DON'T LOOK BACK (Disney/Hyperion Fall 2013) and yet untitled book (Disney/Hyperion tentative Fall 2014).

I first heard of Jennifer when I signed with Spencer Hill Press this past February and I was astounded by all of the buzz about her online and the sheer volume of books she had coming out. Since that time, Jennifer’s books have been appearing on best-of lists as well as USA’s Today's best books of 2012.

At this point, I have read nearly every book Jennifer has written, including the two released Covenant titles from Spencer Hill Press (HALF-BLOOD, and PURE) as well as the arc of the soon to be released DEITY. I’ve also read the prequel novella, DAIMON. Additionally, I have read both released books in the LUX series from Entangled Publishing, (OBSIDIAN and ONYX).

I must say, although Jennifer and I are actually colleagues, I am a huge fan girl and not above major gushing. First, I admire the sheer volume of her productivity. In her interview on my blog, Jenn admits to writing ten hours every single day! It’s totally amazing. But first, before we meet Jenn, let me talk a little about OBSIDIAN and ONYX. Yes, I love the Covenant series, but oh—DAEMON—her protag from the Lux series is such an amazing character. In fact, that is the thing about Jenn. She writes breathless YA paranormal fantasy, but with such sharp craft, spot on humor, plot twists you never see coming and depth of character, it is totally impossible not to inhale her books in giant gobbles.

Now, about OBSIDIAN. First, the blurb.
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth. 
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all.
But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me. You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip.
The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don’t kill him first, that is.

I was a little hesitant to read this at first. The whole idea that an alien romance could be swoon-worthy just didn’t grab me. I was worried it was going to be Twilight with little green men. And then I started reading. And reading. And laughing. And gasping in shock and wonder. I was hooked. And when I finished, I quickly grabbed the supplemental novella, SHADOWS, about what happened to Daemon’s missing twin brother and found it riveting as well as heartbreaking.

So now for the blurb on Onyx, the second book in the Lux series.

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks… Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. Something worse than the Arum has come to town… The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there’s this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that’s possible. Against all common sense, I’m falling for Daemon. Hard. But then everything changes… I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me? No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies… 

Onyx picks up where Obsidian leaves off at a breakneck pace. It’s packed with, yes, romance, but also adventure, mystery and all kinds of action. You never know what twist is coming next. Kat, the mc, is a very likable character. She is outspoken, feisty and no swooning violet when it comes to the smart-alecky Daemon. She doesn’t necessarily want to be involved with him, and certainly doesn’t need him to complete her. Yet, somehow, now that she is in on the secret, there really is no escape.

Now, let’s talk to Jenn.

LA: Tell us about how your life has changed since your first book, Half-Blood was released in November 2011.  

JLA: I don't think my life has really changed that much except I get a lot more emails now and comments on Facebook. I still spend the bulk of my time writing and pretending to write. How did you come up with the idea for the Lux series? Obsidian is the book that almost didn't happen. I had turned in a manuscript to my editor, an adult novel, and she had asked if I'd ever been interested in writing about aliens in high school. That was all she said. My response was to laugh and say no, because seriously, aliens in high school? But after I got off the phone, I started thinking about it and the characters came first-Katy and Daemon and then I got an idea for the plot. I wrote the first three chapters and sent them off to the editor and she loved it. I wrote half of Obsidian having no idea what the aliens really looked like. So it almost never happened.

LA: Was Daemon inspired by a real person? What about Kat? 

JLA:  I don't know anyone like Daemon, not really. He's a product of my overactive imagination. The same with Kat, but I did base her book loving tendencies on the bloggers I talk to.

LA: How many books will their be in the Lux series? 

 JLA: Five books, not including novellas.

LA: Tell us about your world building process. Since this is a fantasy blog, inquiring minds want to know. 

JLA: My world building is very spur of the moment with the exception of the Covenant Series, because I modeled that after ancient Greece. I usually start with an idea and build off of there. When I read through the first draft, I tend to tweak the world to make it stand out more or hopefully do that.

LA: Any fantasy writing tips you'd like to share with the readers of this blog? 
JLA: Write what you want to write about-what you want to read, because then you will enjoy what you're writing. Don't write to trends or what you think a publishing house is acquiring at this given moment. Your writing needs heart and that only happens when its something you're truly invested in.

Great having you stop by, Jenn! Keep rocking the world and keep those books coming!

visit Jenn on her blog: http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/
There you can find out about all things Jennifer and her books, (and her smexy characters!)

posted by  Lisa Amowitz

My book BREAKING GLASS will be released by Spencer Hill Press in July, 2013. 

Keep an look out for a slew of yet to be revealed cover designs I've done for SHP. 

visit me at: http://lisa-amowitzya.blogspot.com/