Interview: Jessie Harrell Part 2

Here is Part 2 of my interview with Destined author, Jessie Harrell. Enjoy! 🙂   Part 1

We see there’s a wonderful soundtrack to Destined! How did you create it? Were those songs you listened to while writing or thought fit the story perfectly after?
The soundtrack is all songs I listened to while writing, and so they each have scenes or ideas they correlate to in the story. I should mention, I love listening to Joshua Radin while writing. He’s awesome.

‘Crack the Shutters’ is perfect! “cuz the daylight seems to want you just as much as I…” umm.. yep that’s Psyche thinking about Eros! Haha and I was just about to say! Joshua Radin seems to be a favorite!
EXACTLY! It matches up perfectly with the epilogue in my mind. If the book were ever made into a movie, I’d want that song closing it out and rolling with the credits. I actually pictured it the other way around though- Eros singing it to Psyche, since he couldn’t be with her in light of day either. 🙂 Funny how music lets us draw our own inspiration and conclusions.

I think this would be a great movie! I’m a big movie buff!
I used to have movie dreams, but realize it’s hard to do a movie where you can’t see the main character for half of it.

Did you have a favorite chapter (or part) to write?
I actually really loved writing the scenes with Hermes in them because he’s funny. But of course, the scenes between Eros and Psyche were intense and I poured my romantic little heart into them. My hubby used to complain that I want everything to be perfect, but for once, I think that tendency may have paid off. Perfect in the sense of wanting their relationship, and how he acts, to be perfect.

Did you have a character speak the loudest to you, while writing?
Psyche was my muse, for sure. This is her story and I lot of her flaws come directly from me. A nice part of being an author is getting to make your characters better than you are, but she needed flaws too. Rushing into things, crying a lot, chewing her cheeks…those things are all my flaws too.

Did you let your hubby read it while you were still in the writing process?
No, but more because he never asked. He’s not big into reading (although he did read a finished, printed copy). I would read him the parts with guy dialogue though and he’d chop it up, constantly telling me, “guys don’t talk like that.” It’s hard to talk like 2 guys, they’re like little cavemen when you put them together. Sort of grunting and speaking in half sentences.

Aww that’s so sweet! Yep! That’s why I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed it because of that reason. You really personified these idealistic, Greek gods & characters to more relatable people.
Thanks! Aphrodite was really my best personality change IMO. For so long, she was still a stereotypical biotch, but she felt like a soap opera character. I wanted her to be real.

Yes! hahaha By the end I still couldn’t decide if I liked her or not.
I figured there had to be a reason for her to be THAT mad. It needed to be more than just vanity. So I created my own, unique back-story and she really came to life.

Which character do you think you have the most similarities with? Would it be Psyche?
For sure. Psyche could be like my prettier, braver, ancient Greek twin. LOL! Except she’s SO pale (Greek nobility stayed out of the sun) and that’s a no-can-do for me.

Hahahaha! You are beautiful!! I like that little tid bit, I didn’t know that!
Awww… thank you!! *blushes* Yeah, that’s a fun fact. The nobler you were the paler, because it meant you didn’t have to be outside working (or even shopping).

If you could meet any of your characters who would it be and why?
WARNING:  JESSIE’S HUSBAND — LOOK AWAY!! 😉
You have to ask? Cupid – because he’s HAWT!! (Just tell my hubby to cover his eyes for that part of the interview.)

HAHAHAHA!!! So I was stalking you on Goodreads today haha…and I saw that you are a part of VERY interesting anthology coming up! *cough cough* (in 1 week!) Can you tell us how that came about?
Oh yeah, Two and Twenty Dark Tales – very cool! Georgia McBride is the founder of #YaLitChat and I’m one of the moderators there. She decided to put together a charity anthology so we could do more good at #YaLitChat with scholarships and such, and she started gathering authors. I tossed my name into the hat and she selected me to write one of the stories. It’s so humbling to be included alongside some AMAZING voices in YA.

It sounds awesome!!
All of the short stories are based off of Mother Goose rhymes and I was assigned Hey Diddle, Diddle. So, I had a fiddle-playing cat, laughing dog, and moon-jumping cow to work with as my story base. It just so happens, the ancient Egyptians had gods corresponding to those animals and they all had roles in the afterlife. That’s how my dark retelling of the rhyme was born.

Do you have any other writing projects on the horizon? You mentioned you are co-writing!
I am! Nikki Katz and I co-wrote a novel called Beneath the Surface. We’re editing now for our agent, Lauren Hammond, and hope to go on submission relatively soon. The story is loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda but set in modern day. The tag line is: “A timeless love. An endless curse. Which one will survive the summer?” I wanted to write a story that wrapped in elements of reincarnation and myth, since I find them both romantic.

Yay! Exciting! I’d love it then! So no set date yet on that release?
No release date yet. I’ll let you know as soon as we have news though. 🙂 If we publish it traditionally, I’m afraid it wouldn’t likely hit the shelves until 2014. Another benefit of Indie publishing is that it doesn’t move at a snail’s pace. Publishers all have catalogs and can only come out with so many new titles at once. There are some new presses that are speeding up the process, but not significantly. You do have to have built-in lead time for stores to select books & order them. I’m not faulting traditional publishing at all; it’s just a different beast.

Oh please do! Wow! Who is your all time favorite author? And book?
Gah -I’m not sure I can pick just one. The books that have really stuck with me the most are the contemporary love stories. Like, I love Gayle Forman’s Where She Went and Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and the French Kiss.

I’ll have to check those out too! Thank you!
You haven’t read them yet?????? OMG!!!!!! *insert drama*

I know *bows head* haha If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of Destined or getting it made that you would change?
I just wouldn’t stress about it so much. I fretted over every little detail and I wish I had enjoyed the process more. Overall though, I’m happy with my decisions. From chosing Georgia McBride to edit the novel, finding Perri to be on the cover, and meeting the most amazing bloggers, readers and fellow authors. It’s been a fabulous journey! 🙂

Yay!! I’m so happy!! 🙂

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& Be sure to get your copy of Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes when it comes out Tuesday, Oct 16th!