Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!

Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!

We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!

Introducing Jenn Lyons, YABC's Author of the Week!!

 Amazon * B & N * Indiebound

 ~ Author Chat ~ 

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

No single event inspires to a book like this: it's too big with too much going on. Authors pour their lives into their books in ways that aren't always obvious. I will say, however, that when I was much younger a group of men I used to game with provided a whole lot of inspiration. The main character, Kihrin, is in many ways an amalgam of their best and worst qualities.

YABC:     Who is your favorite character in the book?

I have so many, to be honest, but I'd have to say Tyentso. She was originally supposed to be a very minor character, but she kept demanding more book space. I like a woman who refuses to sit quietly and do what she's told.

YABC:   Which came first, the title or the novel?

Oh, the novel, by rather a large margin. I think we probably went through about seventeen iterations before we settled on a book title that everyone liked!

YABC:   What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The very last one in the book. I'm not going to fully explain why, except to say that particular scene wasn't planned so much as evolved. I'm mostly an outline and planned scenes kind of writer, but that last scene was a lovely bit of serendipity when I realized the inevitable conclusion of the situation I'd created. I love the unexpected discoveries in writing.

YABC:  Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

Don't slow down. I've learned that I'm not one of those authors who can afford to write slowly. That only gives time for my insecurities and anxieties to catch up with me.

YABC:    What do you like most about the cover of the book?

Oh, the dragon, without question. I remember when my editor told me she wanted to put a dragon on the cover. I laughed and said, "Do you seriously think I'm going to say no?" Added bonus: Lars Grant-West, the artist, did a truly incredible job.

YABC:  What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2019?

There are a LOT (including my own, of course) but I am very excited about Arkady Martine's A Memory of Empire, Max Gladstone's The Empress of Forever, Charlie Jane Ander's The City in the Middle of the Night, Anne Leckie's The Raven Tower, and Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves. Okay, I guess I can't pick just one. There's a lot of fantastic stuff coming out next year.

YABC:  What was your favorite book in 2018?

There were so many! And they were so amazing! Truly I am in awe of what an extraordinary group of writers are publishing in SFF these days. It would be almost impossible to just pick one.

YABC:  What’s up next for you?

I'm currently finishing up the third book in the series (there are five books in total planned) so...book four is next. Ideally, I'd like to have the entire series written (at least in first draft form) by the end of 2019.

YABC:  Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?

There's a scene where Kihrin's father discovers him flagrante delicto with a woman. Instead of punishing Kihrin, his father chooses to take out his rage on the woman. As a victim of abuse myself, that was incredibly difficult scene for me to write. For that matter, all the abuse scenes with Kihrin's father were tough to write.

YABC:  Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?

Thurvishar D'Lorus. I had certain intentions towards Thurvishar in terms of behavior and sexuality, and he just refused to cooperate. Once I let the character 'have his way' as it were, everything flowed beautifully.

YABC:  Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?

Oh, drafting, without question. Revising is important, but I wouldn't call it fun.

YABC:  What would you say is your superpower?

Apparently intricate world building!

YABC:  Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

Habitat for Humanity has always been a favorite of mine.

The Ruin Of Kings

By: Jenn Lyons

Publisher: Tor Books

Release Date: February 5th, 2019 

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

Three winners will receive a signed copy of The Ruin Of Kings (Jenn Lyons) ~ US Only

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

a Rafflecopter giveaway